King back with Bossing

There is no height limit for imports in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup starting Nov. 27 but Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso isn’t reaching for the sky and instead, will bring back 6-4 1/2 George King who led all scorers with a 40.3 clip this Governors’ Cup.

King, 30, is flying in from San Antonio, Texas via Los Angeles on Sunday. Cariaso said he’s not worried about King’s “low” ceiling. “We’re excited to have a few weeks with George before the start of the next conference,” he said. “This will definitely help us with the details. I understand that at less than 6-6, George will be competing in the big import conference. We discussed this idea with him and his response was ‘I’ve competed against bigger players my whole life.’ We took things into careful consideration as a staff and we weighed out the pros and cons. Eventually, we came up with the conclusion to choose consistency and familiarity over all other factors. George is a good import who makes everyone around him better.”

Blackwater got off to a rocky start this Governors’ Cup, giving up on Ricky Ledo after two games then playing importless before King checked in. Cameron Clark was supposed to take over from Ledo but decided at the last minute, to sign with Hong Kong Eastern, the Commissioner’s Cup guest team. Luckily, King was available and led the Bossing to three straight wins. With King in harness, Blackwater posted a 5-2 record. The Bossing, weighed down by its three early setbacks, wound up at 5-5 in a tie for fourth with NLEX and failed to catch the playoff bus because of an inferior quotient.

Cariaso said things will be better in the Commissioner’s Cup even as Troy Rosario has left the fold. “We’re coming in healthier this coming conference,” he said. “The challenge for all teams is staying healthy. We look forward to having Jvee (Casio), Jaydee (Tungcab) and Brad (Guinto) back in the rotation. Troy chose not to sign with us so we are moving forward, heads high without him. Other players will be given more opportunities and longer playing time so the need to step up is a must. I foresee Jewel (Ponferada), Justin (Chua) and Brad being our main bigs with Cliff (Jopia) and Richard (Escoto) given more chances.”

Sedrick Barefield was Blackwater’s leading local scorer this Governors’ Cup, averaging 18.9 points and Cariaso couldn’t be happier with the rookie’s performance. “Barefield will be our top gunner after George,” he said. “We’re good with our guards. We have multiple options with players improving so they gain more experience.” In the backcourt cast are Barefield, James Kwekuteye, Casio, Kib Montalbo, DJ Mitchell and RK Ilagan. Others in the squad are Tyrus Hill, Miggy Corteza, Rey Suerte and Christian David who shot .478 from three this conference.

“The idea is for us to keep working hard and doing things together,” said Cariaso. “We have slowly built a competitive group that is learning how to play in our league. The culture set is our foundation and we believe we’re on the right path in achieving our goals.”