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MANILA, Philippines – From being winless to scoring 3 victories in a conference and, if fate concedes, a first-ever quarterfinals appearance in the PBA.
Team owner Dioceldo Sy is eyeing nothing less than a playoffs finish for his young expansion squad Blackwater Elite in the season-ending 2015 Governors’ Cup starting in May.
“I think the team will further improve,” he said beaming after the Elite notched an 84-72 victory over playoff-bound Meralco Wednesday, March 25. “Hopefully we’ll do the quarterfinals next time.”
Sy was smiling from ear to ear, brimming with confidence and hope that Blackwater has nowhere to go but up after bouncing back from a lackluster Philippine Cup.
“It’s part of a learning process,” he said. “We started with 0 wins the last conference and the PBA is totally different from running the D-League team or the women’s team. Slowly we’re improving.”
The Elite was a picture of frustration in the first conference, unable to salvage a win even against fellow newcomers KIA Sorento – a team most believed Blackwater could easily beat.
But they bounced back nicely from the struggles, finding gems in rookie guard Brian Heruela and import Marcus Douthit.
“The expectation is I hope we get an increase from the 3 wins to 5 wins,” Sy shared Blackwater’s most modest goal.
Blackwater’s chances at achieving that and more look good given that they plan on signing an Asian import to bolster their Governors’ Cup line-up.
All teams have the option of bringing in an extra Asian import apart from the usual reinforcement in this season’s Governors’ Cup as part of PBA Chairman Pato Gregorio’s bid to increase awareness and competitiveness for the league.
Sy shared they are eyeing to bring in a veteran point guard from the Middle East but did not divulge a name with negotiations still ongoing. The team is expected to announce who it is on Friday, March 27 following a meeting between management and coaching staff.
Having an experienced international guard will particularly be helpful to Heruela.
“I think some of our players are getting matured like Heruela. With the new guy coming in I hope he can learn new tricks,” he said of the Cebuano playmaker averaging close to 12 points a game this conference on top of about 5 assists.
“He’ll learn but still he’s a rookie. I think he has a bright future. I think after 2 years he should be a force to be reckoned with in the PBA as a point guard.”
Marcus Douthit is likely to return for the Elite next conference, according to Sy, despite commitments to the national team set to see action in the SEABA Championship in April and the SEA Games in June. Though Sy clarified he is still planning on speaking with Douthit over the weekend.
Being one of the bottom 4 teams in the standings, the Elite are allowed to have imports of unlimited height next conference while the top 8 are limited to just 6-foot-5 imports.
Reil Cervantes’ homecoming to his former PBA D-League team injects more optimism for the squad as well. In his first game after having practiced with Blackwater just a day prior, Cervantes already posted 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
“It’s good we got him back,” Sy said of Cervantes, whom Blackwater acquired from KIA in exchange for forward Alex Nuyles. “As you see he’s blending really well with the team even with only one practice.”
Blackwater finished the Commissioner’s Cup in last place at 3-8, having beaten Philippine Cup champions San Miguel Beer, KIA and Meralco. – Rappler.com
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