Tratter fills big-man void for Blackwater

MANILA, Philippines — Abu Tratter reunited with former coach Jeffrey Cariaso in his return to the BlackWater Bossing Friday, April 15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Tratter was sent by NorthPort to Blackwater in exchange for James Kwekuteye in a trade approved last Wednesday. According to Cariaso, the decision was necessary to solve their lack of size and interior presence.

“We were happy to acquire him because we felt there was a void there in the type of big that he is. One that can rebound and has quick feet,” Cariaso stated after the Bossing’s 120-98 rout of the Batang Pier.

“There was a void in our bigs especially for All-Filipino. So we wanted to improve that aspect. Sometimes you have to give up something to get something,” added Cariaso, who believes the trade was a win-win situation for both teams.

This is not the first time that Tratter was traded to the Bossing as he was part of a deal for JP Erram with NLEX back in 2018. The 32-year-old then played out his rookie year with the Bossing until being traded to Alaska in 2019, where he met his current coach.

Blackwater did not hesitate to acquire the bigman considering his familiarity with Cariaso. Tratter played under Cariaso in Alaska from 2019-2022 and the Converge Fiberxers from 2022-2023.

“One that is obviously familiar with me and I am familiar with him. We only practiced for one day yesterday  so bringing him out tonight  was a bit of a risk. But he handled it well. [...] We hope as he gets more comfortable and understands the system more, he will be able to show what he really has,” claimed Cariaso.

Tratter tallied two points and five rebounds in 11:33 minutes of action during his first game with the Bossing. — Ravi Tan, intern