Living up to its name

The Blackwater team in the PBA is called the Elite and in the last two seasons, owner Dioceldo Sy’s squad has hardly lived up to its nickname. Blackwater’s record in the past six conferences has been abysmal. The squad posted an overall mark of 4-19 in its maiden campaign in 2014-15, going 0-11 in the Philippine Cup, 3-8 in the Commissioner’s Cup and 1-10 in the Governors Cup. There was a slight improvement last season as Blackwater went 7-27 overall, broken down into 3-9 in the Philippine Cup, 3-8 in the Commissioner’s Cup and 1-10 in the Governors Cup.

Sy, 58, isn’t used to losing so Blackwater’s downturn wasn’t just a letdown, it was a comedown. Before venturing into the PBA, Sy was involved with championship franchises in the PBL with Blu Detergent and Shark Energy Drink, the WBL with Ever Bilena and Blackwater in the PBA D-League. In business, Sy is well-known for his vision, smarts and acumen. A self-made man, Sy transformed Ever Bilena from a single-line company selling nail polish in 1983 into a major player in the comestics industry with over 1,000 products in the market today. 

Sy’s love for basketball goes back to his high school days playing for UNO in the Tiong Lian league. He still plays the game and often puts on his sneakers to join his players at practice. So it had to hurt Sy deep inside when Blackwater was the PBA’s favorite whipping team for two years. But Sy persevered, realizing that building a PBA contender isn’t an overnight thing. While other teams were quick to pull the plug on coaches for failing to win consistently, Sy stuck with Leo Isaac and stayed the course. Patience is a virtue and Sy showed lots of it as Blackwater endured growth pains. 

Last Sunday, Isaac paid back Sy for his trust by piloting Blackwater to a 103-100 win over Alaska in the Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. It was only Blackwater’s second win over Alaska in seven games dating back to 2014. Significantly, the win was Blackwater’s fifth this conference and justified its Elite status. In just one conference, Blackwater was able to eclipse its total wins in the team’s forgettable debut season. It also set a record for most wins in a conference by Blackwater.

* * * *

Only once has Blackwater advanced to the playoffs in six conferences. That came in the Philippine Cup last season but Blackwater’s advance was short-lived as it was ousted by Rain Or Shine in the first round of the quarterfinals, 95-90. Blackwater had a twice-to-win disadvantage and didn’t even reach second base. 

So far, only four teams have registered five wins in the ongoing Philippine Cup – San Miguel at 8-1, Rain Or Shine and GlobalPort at 5-3 each and Blackwater at 5-4. Blackwater has two games left in its schedule – against Barangay Ginebra at the Cuneta Astrodome on Friday and the Star Hotshots, also at Cuneta, on Jan. 25. Four teams will exit at the end of the single-round eliminations and from all indications, Blackwater will survive among the top eight.

Blackwater’s loss to Mahindra last Christmas Day was a bitter lesson. The Floodbuster was down by 15 in the fourth quarter but managed to force overtime then held on to win, 97-93. Against Alaska, Blackwater was up by 14 in the fourth period and almost had a repeat of its nightmarish ending in the Mahindra game. The Aces battled back to come within a point before Blackwater put it away. Isaac called on veteran Denok Miranda to stabilize the team under fire down the stretch and the steel-nerved guard hit two free throws to ease the pressure with seconds to go. When Alaska made its run, Blackwater played not to lose instead of to win and nearly paid the price for showing tentativeness. Imagine at the four-minute mark in the fourth period, Blackwater began to milk the clock! Isaac, however, steered the ship back to course and Blackwater pulled through.

* * * *

At the start of the Governors Cup last season, Blackwater’s lineup listed Mike Cortez, Jerick Canada, Raphy Reyes, Carlo Lastimosa, Poy Erram, Almond Vosotros, Frank Golla and Juami Tiongson. None of those eight players is in Blackwater’s cast for the Philippine Cup and only Erram, recovering from an ACL injury, is still in the team payroll. So Blackwater undertook a major facelift with the entry of Mac Belo, Ael Banal, Ronjay Buenafe, James Forrester, Raymond Aguilar, Dylan Ababou and Tristan Perez.

Only three players are averaging in double figure points – Belo at 16, Art de la Cruz at 13.6 and Roi Sumang at 10.2 But five other players are averaging at least seven points, providing Isaac with balance and depth in his rotation even if only five players are logging at least 20 minutes a game. 

What makes this season’s Blackwater team different from the previous years is its commitment to playing hard-nosed defense. Isaac has sold the idea of winning with defense instead of offense. In Blackwater’s five wins, opponents were held to an average of 89.4 points. In its four losses, opponents averaged 105.3 points. It’s clear that if Blackwater is able to limit an opponent to less than 90 points, the probability of winning is higher than losing. Now, Blackwater plays full-court pressure, traps and employs different zone variations. It’s no wonder the team is No. 2 in steals (8.6), No. 2 in turnover points (23.9) and No. 3 in most opponents turnovers (22.6). On the flipside, Blackwater is no slouch in offense either, ranking No. 3 in field goal percentage (.433) and No. 4 in free throw shooting (.727).

It took two years for Blackwater to finally live up to its nickname. Now, Sy can securely claim his team has Elite status in the PBA.