Caidic enjoys match up against heir apparent Chan in exhibition game

Since his collegiate career at Far Eastern University, Jeff Chan was already getting compared to fellow sniper Allan Caidic, one of the greatest shooters the Philippines has ever produced.

Nicknamed as the "Triggerman," Caidic was so deadly from beyond the arc, he owns the league record for most career three-pointers with 1,242 treys in 12 seasons as an active player.

Chan, for his part, has already reached the 500th mark in seven years as a professional cager and earned a spot in the Gilas Pilipinas national team for his reputation as a cold-blooded gunner.

The semblance between the two is uncanny - from their chinito eyes to their shooting hands- Caidic and Chan are both known as the most dominant southpaw shooters in their respective generations.

And on Saturday, they had the rare chance to go up against each other both in an exhibition game and a three-point shootout at the House of Rise in Mandaluyong City.

Even during warm-ups for the Rise Legacy Night, the similarities between the two were glaring, as fragments of the past and the present existed side by side in a single moment.

"Jeff is really a good shooter. Talagang natuwa nga ako dahil may mga style siya, may konting same movement dun saken," said Caidic after the game.

Chan's Team Destiny composed of rising stars won 121-109 owing to their fresher legs, but Caidic claimed a personal victory in one play by the right wing, as the Negros Sniper fell for a fake and jumped for the block only for the retired veteran to sidestep and calmly drain the wide-open triple.

Vintage Caidic also appeared at halftime in their head to head battle for the three-point shootout. At 52-years-old, the Triggerman waxed hot in the final three racks and edged Chan, 18-17, but the legend does not want to make much of his victory.

"This is just a fun game, fun competition. Nagulat nga ako they put me on the spot na may three-point shootout daw," he said.

It was not the first time Caidic and Chan stood on the same court, having played together as teammates in the 2012 PBA All-Star game. But it was the first time they faced each other from different ends of the floor, and Caidic was grateful for the opportunity to battle it out with his heir apparent.

"Natutuwa ako and I wish him good luck, gumanda pa 'yung career niya sa PBA," he said about Chan. - RAF, GMA News