PBA: Despite playing cautiously, Troy Rosario still a ‘gem’ for Blackwater

Blackwater stalwart Troy Rosario. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Troy Rosario may not be completely at a hundred percent but it did not stop him from helping Blackwater in the best way he can on the floor.

Still feeling out his right foot due to a calf strain, Rosario played limited minutes for the Bossing but still managed to end up with 20 points and five rebounds, much to the delight of stand-in coach Joe Silva.

So delighted, in fact, that Silva referred to him as a “gem” of a player.

“Troy is not a hundred percent yet but he’s on his way there and it’s really a gem to have a Troy Rosario on your team,” saod Silva after their 100-94 win over Terrafirma in the PBA On Tour at Ynares Sports Center, Pasig, on Wednesday.

Playing for only 29 minutes, Rosario showed his glimpses of old, sinking eight of his 13 tries from the field for a waxing hot 61 percent shooting clip. 

He was also active on all sides of the floor with five rebounds and a steal on the defensive end for good measure.

In the Bossing’s last outing where they lost against Magnolia, 117-83, Rosario played sparingly, ending up with only six markers and three boards in only 19 minutes of action.

“He’s a veteran, he’s been there, he’s been through a lot of battles so he knows what it takes to win,” Silva said.

“I’m happy that he’s still with us,” he added.

Rosario was already dealing with a knee injury before the recently-concluded Governors’ Cup which sidelined him for the first half of the conference.

The moment he came back against Terrafirma in February, he suffered his right calf anew, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the season.