By JONAS TERRADO
Rain or Shine secured one of its top players to a long-term deal Wednesday after Rey Nambatac signed a three-year contract extension.
Nambatac’s agent Edgar Mangahas confirmed the agreement which was done after a meeting with Rain or Shine Governor Mamerto Mondragon, head of basketball operations Caloy Garcia and assistant team manager Jireh Ibanes.
Mangahas said on his Instagram account that Nambatac will receive the maximum deal which under PBA rules is worth P420,000 per month.
The former Letran star has slowly emerged one of the team’s reliable players since being drafted seventh overall by the Elasto Painters in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft.
He averaged 11.3 points despite a 32-percent shooting with 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 13 games for Rain or Shine during the recent Philippine Cup.
The Elasto Painters finished sixth in the eliminations before being swept by the eventual runner-up Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots in the best-of-three quarterfinals.
During the conference, Nambatac earned the first Player of the Week award after steering Rain or Shine to a 2-0 start in mid-July.
Nambatac also gave Rain or Shine a thrilling 95-93 win over San Miguel Beer last Sept. 12 when he converted a difficult left-handed shot in the dying seconds.
