Blackwater gives ‘jet’ flying start

MANILA, Philippines — In a good first step towards its recalibration process, Blackwater claimed a comprehensive 103-84 victory over Converge in its PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup debut yesterday.

The 19-point beatdown at the PhilSports Arena offered great significance to the Bossing, who are bidding to get out of the doghouse under new coach Jeff Cariaso.

Just one appearance into the young season, the Bossing already snapped their nine-game losing streak dating back to the Governors’ Cup and matched their one-win card there.

By convincingly beating Converge, they not only gave Cariaso a winning debut for Blackwater but also enabled him to put one against his former team.

For “the Jet (Cariaso),” it’s more about getting a good start than proving something against the FiberXers, a group he coached for one conference last season before being replaced by Aldin Ayo.

“Despite it being Converge, it’s the first game that you wanted to get under your belt. It’s the first after a long layoff (six months) so despite who it was, it was very important we came out on a positive note,” said Cariaso.

“It always feels good just to win. It’s nothing personal, kahit sino’ng kalaban. We’re blessed with the victory but there’s still a lot of hard work (to be done),” he added.

Import Chris Ortiz, who joined Blackwater after playing for Puerto Rico in the FIBA World Cup in Manila, had a strong PBA debut of 21 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.

JVee Casio (15), Mike Ayonayon (13), Rey Suerte (12) and Troy Rosario (11) were also solid for the Bossing.

Ortiz and Co. didn’t stop pounding and even widened the gap to a high of 27 at 91-64 before settling for the final winning margin.

“I’ve always imagined Chris Ortiz playing the way he did tonight – him being versatile. He can score from pretty much any place on the court and has the ability to stretch you out. He gives us a variety of things we can do. We’re happy with his first-day performance,” said Cariaso.

Tom Vodanovic posted 20 and 18 to pace Converge while Mac Tallo, returning to the PBA after a five-year absence, added 15.