New look for Blackwater

MANILA, Philippines — Blackwater has initiated a makeover in its PBA roster and team owner Dioceldo Sy is looking forward to a major bounce back when the pro league reopens. It’s still not certain if the PBA will resume the 45th season this year but the retooled Elite expects to be ready for battle when conditions allow for games to return.

Since Blackwater joined the PBA in 2014, the Elite has placed last in seven of 15 conferences. The team got off on the wrong foot in its first-ever conference, posting a 0-11 record in the 2014-15 Philippine Cup. Blackwater’s best finish was sixth in the 2017-18 Governors Cup and 2018-19 Commissioner’s Cup. The Elite registered a conference-high eight wins in the Commissioner’s Cup last season.

“It’s been a learning process and we paid our tuition fee,” said Sy. “We’ve been up and down as a team. No joke to win a PBA championship. We’re like a small boy in a big boys’ club. But we now have a solid core. We brought in a new coach (Nash Racela). He’s a nice guy but also a tough guy. When he talks, everybody listens. It was like an FEU reunion of the 2015 UAAP championship team at our first practice with Nash getting together with Mac Belo, Ron Dennison, Richard Escoto and Mike Tolomia.” Other former FEU players in Blackwater’s 20-man pool are Carl Bryan Cruz and Hubert Cani.

Racela is the only new face among the PBA’s 12 head coaches this season. There are nine fresh recruits in Blackwater’s cast – rookies Cris Bitoon, Escoto, Maurice Shaw and Cani and veterans Frank Golla, Ed Daquioag, Marion Magat, Jon-Jon Gabriel and Dennison. The holdovers are Belo, Tolomia, Cruz, Roi Sumang, Don Trollano, K. G. Canaleta, James Sena, Paul Desiderio, Diego Dario, Chris Javier and Matt Salem.

For someone who’s not used to losing, Sy hopes things will turn around this season. His championship experience is extensive but not in the PBA. Sy’s Ever Bilena Gandang Pinay team swept all three WPBL titles. His Shark Energy Drink squad bagged two PBL crowns. Since taking over the national women’s basketball program in 2015, Sy has guided the Gilas female team to Level 1 in FIBA Asia, the SEABA gold in 2016 and the country’s first-ever SEA Games gold last year. In the UAAP, Sy was invited by SM’s Herbert Sy to manage the NU women’s squad and with Patrick Aquino as coach, the Lady Bulldogs won six straight titles and compiled a 96-game win streak.

Racela said he’s expecting Belo, Trollano and Daquioag to play major roles for Blackwater. “No set rotation,” he said. “We see a lot of our guys playing multiple positions so we could have a lot of flexibility. Mac and Bryan are still under rehab but hopefully, they’ll be ready when the season resumes.” While Sy is known as a hands-on owner, he leaves participation in the PBA Board of Governors to his brother Silliman and the day-to-day team operations to his son-in-law Jacob Munez whom he fondly calls his secret weapon.