Expectations were high for Glen Rice Jr. in his PBA debut. After all, he is the son of an NBA legend and also had a stint in the big league.
However, he was hardly a factor for the TNT KaTropa who suffered a 105-73 drubbing at the hands of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Oppo PBA Governors’ Cup last Sunday.
Rice finished with 19 points but only made six out of his 22 field goals. He had difficulty adjusting with the calls in the first half where he suffered from foul trouble.
He only had three points after the first 24 minutes of action as he couldn’t help the Ka Tropa who trailed, 49-32, at the turn.
TNT coach Nash Racela is hoping that Rice will be able to bounce back next time when TNT’s key players are back on the team.
“It’s not about his name, but the performance. I hope he gets better. It’s hard to base it in today’s game because we missed major players. We’re talking about our three players from Gilas Pilipinas, plus (Kris) Rosales, plus (Anthony) Semerad. It’s hard when you lost those players and you’re forced to use your 13th to 15th player. Mahirap,” Racela told sportswriters.
Rice came in as a replacement for Michael Craig, but Racela said he’s still open to the possibility of parading another new reinforcement if he continues to struggle.
“It’s a continuous search. You should always have a shortlist,” Racela said.
