Blackwater ready to elevate
Blackwater team manager Johnson Martinez said yesterday with seven fresh recruits, the Elite is ready to scale the ranks and finish in the top half of every conference in the PBA starting next season.
“No more excuses,” said Martinez. “We were unlucky last season with injuries. You can’t blame the coaching staff because we had no bullets to compete at a high level. But now, we’re deep in every position. We’re younger than before. We’ve got the No. 1 Gilas pick, Mac Belo, and the No. 1 regular draft choice, Raph Banal. I expect our team to be in the No. 4 or No. 5 position at the end of next season. That’s our goal and we have to do it.”
So far, Blackwater has 19 players in training camp. Gone from the roster in the last Governors Cup are Mike Cortez (traded to GlobalPort), Jerick Canada, Raphy Reyes, Carlo Lastimosa (traded to NLEX), Almond Vosotros (ceded to Gilas) and Jaymo Eguilos. For the Philippine Cup that opens Nov. 20, each PBA team is required to submit a lineup of 14 active players and one in the reserve list. So Martinez said there will be more cuts before the season begins.
The fresh recruits are Belo, Banal, Tristan Perez, Ronjay Buenafe, Raymond Aguilar, Ronald Pascual and James Forrester. Pascual, who was acquired in the Cortez trade, could’ve played for Blackwater in the last Governors Cup but was hampered by a calf injury so he’ll make his Elite debut this season. The holdovers are Denok Miranda, Poy Erram, John Pinto, Roi Sumang, James Sena, Jason Melano, Frank Golla, Bambam Gamalinda, Art de la Cruz, Reil Cervantes, Juami Tiongson and Kyle Pascual.
**** “When Poy went down with an ACL injury five games into the last Governors Cup, we lost our No. 1 shot blocker and interior defender,” said Martinez. “Our defense suffered. We also lacked consistency in offense. Whenever the ball got to Carlo or Reil, we took too long to execute. We weren’t fluid. This time, we want quick passing with the ball staying in the hands of a player up to only three seconds. Ball movement will open up situations for us. We started practice last Thursday (9-12 in the morning) and I notice we’re a changed team. Coach Leo (Isaac) is like he’s in heaven. We’re deeper now. Our first tune-up game will be against Rain Or Shine this week.” Isaac is backed up by a staff that includes Bong Ramos, Aris Dimaunahan, Patrick Aquino, Boy Sablan and newly-hired Joel Co.
Martinez said from early indications, Blackwater’s starting five could be Banal at point guard, Ronald Pascual or Buenafe at two guard, Gamalinda at three, Belo at four and Aguilar at five. “Our stabilizer is Denok who’s a veteran,” he said. “We signed up Denok for one conference but we expect big things from him. He’s working on his upper body strength and his experience will go a long way in keeping us focused. We were hoping to get Chris Javier in the regular draft but ended up with Perez who’s a hard-working rebounder. Poy’s recovering fast from rehab and he might be ready by February. Ronald is about 90 percent and close to fully recovered from his calf injury. He’s always present at practice and he shows a very positive attitude. We signed up Ronjay for a year and we know he can deliver.”
Martinez said Belo and Banal will make an immediate impact as rookies. “Mac is an allaround player who can shoot, slash, rebound, pass and play defense,” he said. “Beyond that, he’s just a really nice guy. Gilas players can’t be traded for two years but we plan to hang on to Mac for more than that. We signed him up for three years. Mac will play for us the entire Philippine Cup. Once he’s recalled for Gilas training, we’ll fill the gap with an import in the Commissioner’s and Governors Cups. Raph’s outside shooting is a strong point and he’s very smart with a high basketball IQ. He’s tall for a point guard, close to 6-2 and he reminds me of Paul Lee.”
**** A pleasant surprise at practice is Forrester, a 6-2 Fil-Canadian who averaged less than two points in 29 games for four teams in the last three PBA seasons. “We got him for his defense,” said Martinez. “With more playing time and trust, Forrester could be a big-time player. He’s accurate from the outside so we’re excited to put him on the court. Melano is a project and we’ll use him as a practice player. Golla is surprising us at practice by playing aggressively and dunking the ball. His contract is expiring in February so he’ll need to do more to earn an extension. Two players whom we’re evaluating closely are Tiongson and Cervantes. In Cervantes’ case, he missed the last four games of the season with an ankle injury. He’s now at 70 percent, doing rehab. We’d like to see an improvement in his game once he’s back on the floor.”
In two PBA seasons, Blackwater has compiled an overall record of 11-56 with only one playoff appearance in six conferences. The Elite made a forgettable debut with a 0-11 record in the 2015 Philippine Cup. From 4-29 in its first season, Blackwater improved to 7-27 in its second. The Elite qualified for the playoffs in the last Philippine Cup but didn’t go far, bowing to Rain Or Shine, 95-90, with a twice-to-win disadvantage.
Martinez said import Eric Dawson of Midwestern State was a disappointment in the last Governors Cup where Blackwater finished in the cellar with a 1- 10 record. Dawson missed two of eight games with back spasms then was replaced by Keala King. A few weeks after Dawson left the PBA, he was signed by the Utah Jazz in the NBA. But Dawson was later cut by the Jazz before the season started.
Martinez said Blackwater is finding renewed strength from the players’ Christian values. “A lot of us go to CCF (Christ’s Commission Fellowship) starting from our owner (Dioceldo Sy) and it’s making us closer together,” he said. “We’ll be a different team this season. We’ll be stronger and more competitive.”