Sta. Lucia taps veterans De Leon, Laborte

MANILA, Philippines — Sta. Lucia Realty upgrades its roster as it secured the services of grizzled veterans Rubie de Leon and Michelle Laborte for the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix that fires off on February 17.

 

Head coach George Pascua confirmed the acquisition, saying that De Leon and Laborte still have enough gas on their tanks to lead the Lady Realtors to their first semifinal appearance in the most prestigious club league in the country.

 

De Leon and Laborte are two of the league’s best elder stateswomen.

 

A prized setter during her heydays, De Leon provided the veteran presence for Foton in its quest for the Grand Prix title last year.

 

But with the arrival of Gyzelle Sy from Pocari Sweat, De Leon found herself searching for a new team.

 

On the same note, Laborte was a strong middle blocker for Cignal two years ago.

 

She, however, was assigned to become the assistant coach shortly after Pascua took the coaching cudgels from Sammy Acaylar.

 

But now that Pascua is at the helm of the Lady Realtors, Laborte would be given another chance to prove herself inside the court.

 

“We’re glad to have two of the best veterans in the league today,” said Pascua, noting that having a veteran presence on the team would surely stabilize their execution down the stretch.

 

“We all know that we are such a young team. At least with team players like Micmic (Laborte) and Rubie around, we would quickly develop the chemistry and cohesiveness we want to gain before the Grand Prix starts in February.”

 

Pascua said he expects de Leon and Laborte to take the young players under their wings.

 

He said Filipino-Canadian setter Rebecca Rivera would surely learn a lot from de Leon while MJ Philips, who saw a lot of minutes at the middle blocker spot last year, would benefit from the recruitment of Laborte.

 

Aside from Rivera and Philips, Sta. Lucia also has other young stars like Jonah Sabete and Pam Lastimosa to provide firepower.

 

“We want to see Micmic and Rubie mentoring our young players,” he said. “We’re looking forward to having a solid season now that our need for veteran presence had been formally addressed."