Troy Rosario. MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Blackwater currently has a winning record in the PBA On Tour with Troy Rosario the big reason for the team’s early success.
Rosario has been slowly getting back to his old form after suffering an injury last year and the Bossing’s most recent win showed just another glimpse of that.
In one of his best games of the preseason, Rosario nearly posted a double-double with 24 points and eight rebounds to power Blackwater past Phoenix, 92-90, at Ynares Sports Center, Pasig.
“Given the chance when Troy’s name is called, he’s really going to give us that superstar we need who can deliver night in and night out. He’s getting there but he’s not yet fully at a hundred percent,” said Blackwater acting coach Joe Silva on Sunday.
“He needs this [preseason] for his confidence too. He was laid off for a long time and he was gone for a while.”
Last season, Rosario dealt with a knee injury that sidelined him in the first half of the Governors’ Cup. He came back in February but sustained a right calf injury that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
So far in the PBA on Tour, Rosario is reintroducing himself with averages of 13.8 points and 5.8 boards in over 25 minutes per game.
Playing, however, is not the only thing Rosario has been doing for the Bossing.
“We call him our young vet. He’s one of the leaders with Baser (Amer) and JVee (Casio), he’s very vocal on and off the court. Troy’s been that vocal leader for us,” Silva said.