Blackwater Elite. PBA IMAGES
Blackwater is seeing this season as the end of the Elite being the PBA’s whipping boys.
The arrival of several players makes management optimistic of removing that tag.
Foremost among them is Mac Belo, the former UAAP star with Far Eastern U who was the first overall pick in the complicated rookie Draft less than a month back.
Belo makes his pro debut with a Blackwater crew that aims to turn its fortunes around this season as the Elite are targeting to finish in the middle of the pack and make the quarterfinals each time, starting with this Philippine Cup.
“Those days are gone,” team owner Dioceldo Sy told the Inquirer, when asked how he rates his team after tabbing Belo first and then Ael Banal in the regular Draft. “We have the tools now. We are whipping boys no more.”
The Elite have set their goals high even after shipping out leading local scorer Carlo Lastimosa in the off-season, and the player they got in return is also one of the major reasons, according to the coaching staff, why Blackwater is out to make heads turn.
James Forrester, labeled as an underachiever with three previous teams in as many seasons, is expected to finally break out as a pro and fulfill his potential that he never realized when Barangay Ginebra picked him up from the NCAA.
“I agree,” coach Leo Isaac said over the phone, when told of Sy’s pronouncements. “We have the tools now, but we still need to see them in actual games.”
Blackwater went 1-1 in its pre-season schedule, even defeating Barangay Ginebra. It lost to Rain or Shine.
“The balance of the team improved a lot,” Isaac went on. “(In our first two seasons) we couldn’t find two balanced teams of five to play during practice. Now we have a problem with our rotation. But that’s a good problem to have.”
Out to make the Elite stay grounded will be Phoenix Petroleum in the 4:15 p.m. game set at Smart Araneta Coliseum today as Matthew Wright—the consensus second overall Draft pick—also makes his first appearance.
Blackwater failed to make it past the eliminations in its first six conferences in the pro league, and Sy made one crucial blunder entering their second year when he gave up the first overall pick to then-Talk ‘N Text for practically a song.
That choice turned out to be Moala Tautuaa, who failed to live up to the hype surrounding his talent last season.
Tautuaa didn’t even land a spot in the All-Rookie Team.
Blackwater also got Dylan Ababou in a trade from TNT KaTropa. After a colorful collegiate career with Santo Tomas, Ababou has become a forgotten commodity in the PBA.
The Texters and Tautuaa also get going today as they slug it out with new-look Rain or Shine at 7 p.m.
Nash Racela, TNT’s new coach, will be sitting out the first few games until the UAAP season concludes as Josh Reyes reportedly will call the shots.
Rain or Shine will start the post-Yeng Guiao era today as Caloy Garcia gets a second chance at carving his name in the PBA coaching annals.