How the tables have turned for the Blackwater Elite over the past half year. In what looked like a promising turnaround for the Dioceldo Sy-backed squad, now they’re back to square one as they prepare for the upcoming Commissioner’s Cup after a dismal All-Filipino Cup.
For some reason, every time the franchise would experience some success, fate would have them spiraling down once again to the cellar.
Sooner or later, the floundering franchise would have to look themselves in the mirror and ask themselves on how they could keep up given the much more competitive field nowadays.
Living up to their ‘Elite’ moniker
It wasn’t long ago when Blackwater achieved one of its best records in the franchise’s young history. Ending the eliminations with a 7-4 record in last year’s Governors’ Cup, the future looked bright as ever for the team. Even if they were booted out earlier than expected, fans have a good reason to be optimistic.
Sure, they had former NBA veteran Henry Walker as their import at the time, but it was a sight to behold especially with their young guys rounding into peak form at the time.
During their short renaissance, Mike DiGregorio, Nard Pinto, JP Erram, Allein Maliksi and Paul Zamar formed a fledgling, young nucleus. And with all of them approaching at their peak, it seemed inevitable that they could vie for playoff contention on a regular basis.
With head coach Bong Ramos at the helm, the fit was seamless given his hands-on, no-nonsense demeanor. The veteran tactician’s emphasis on attention to detail was something the Elite was in dire need of to hasten the team’s development.
Out with the old, in with the new
Changes started to occur last December in the 2018 PBA Draft, where the team selected Ray Parks Jr. second overall. While it was a no-brainer of a pick, Parks has yet to suit up for the Elite given his prior commitments with Alab. It didn’t help either when there were rumors swirling about him possibly getting traded to another team.
The team shipped away Erram, Pinto, and Zamar to other PBA teams, leaving them with the likes of Tratter, Desiderio, and Dario who were yet to taste PBA action. While they’ve done pretty well so far, the squad’s overall lack of experience doomed them in the end, as they finished with a 2-9 record in the All-Filipino Cup.
Most their problems stemmed from their gaping hole in the interior and inconsistent guard production. For sure Erram and Pinto’s presence could’ve alleviated those concerns.
Eventually, Bong Ramos was replaced by long-time deputy Aries Dimaunahan, who is relatively new to the head coaching scene but looks to be ready for it. Add along with the much-awaited arrival of Parks, fans are hopeful that things would turn around soon.
Will they go on with the current pieces that they have? Possibly. But given their history of befuddling moves, from trading their high draft picks last time to having a revolving door of players, it all remains to be seen.
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