Alaska’s veteran guard JVee Casio goes to Blackwater. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The roster rebuild continues for Blackwater, which is coming off a winless Philippine Cup campaign.
The Bossing on Tuesday acquired the services of veteran playmaker JVee Casio and young big man Barkley Eboña from Alaska for guard Mike Tolomia.
“JVee gives us a steady PG who can mentor Baser (Amer) and Val (Chauca). Barkley gives us a big that we badly needed,” Blackwater head coach Ariel Vanguardia, who replaced Nash Racela at the helm last month, told INQUIRER.net.
“It was hard to let go of Mike but he is also in a good situation with coach Jeff and Alaska,” said Vanguardia of Tolomia, who averaged a career-best 11.9 points in the 2021 Philippine Cup.
Guard Mike Tolomia. PBA IMAGES
The 35-year-old Casio was once one of the best guards in the league and his leadership will certainly be invaluable for a rebuilding squad like Blackwater.
Casio, the top pick in the 2011 draft and a vital piece in Alaska’s title run in the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup, averaged 6.9 points, 2.6 assists and nearly a steal per game in close to 21 minutes of action for the Aces in the 2021 Philippine Cup.
Eboña, 24, meanwhile, saw limited playing time in his second conference for Alaska, which selected him fourth in the 2019 draft.
The Aces finished second last in the Philippine Cup standings with a 3-8 record.
Apart from tapping Vanguardia, who also serves as the franchise’s alternate governor, as its new mentor, Blackwater also traded Simon Enciso for Rashawn McCarthy and signed another guard in Val Chauca.
The Fil-American Chauca had a solid one-and-done season with the Adamson Falcons in 2019.