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With unknown stars like Don Trollano (center) leading the team, Blackwater has found itself in the thick of the fight at the Philippine Cup. —PHOTOS COURTESY OF PBA IMAGES
Coach Nash Racela once found himself outside the PBA circle after being fired by TNT.
“Whenever you have a moment like that, it becomes a moment of reflection,” he told the Inquirer on Saturday, shortly after his charges crushed NLEX, 98-88, in the Philippine Cup at the University Foundation. of Angeles.
“Usually it’s when you step back that you see clearly, correctly,” Racela added.
You are probably also liking what you are seeing now. Heading into the season reboot, Blackwater, which only received preseason comment when it allegedly violated government health protocols, is suddenly in the top half of the rankings after giving the Road Warriors a third straight loss.
Blackwater has now won two of the three games and a lot of that comes from the clarity of vision that Racela has implemented on the team. Even Coach Tim Cone of Barangay Geneva, the only team to beat the Elite so far, showed his respect for Racela by doing his best to congratulate him after his game. But despite her enormous contribution to the Blackwater franchise, Racela does not want to draw the attention of her players.
“I am lucky to have players like we have. Again, you compare it to other teams, in terms of talent and star power, we are at the bottom, ”said Racela.
“But I consider it a blessing considering the amount of effort and the kind of attitude they always bring,” he added.
Nash racela
Against NLEX, veteran KG Canaleta and young great Don Trollano delivered the merchandise, scoring 18 points each. Former collegiate players Roi Sumang and Ed Daquioag also stood out for Blackwater, who pulled away from a tight first half to advance to victory.
With the score tied at 46, Daquioag, who finished with 10 points, racked up seven of them early in the third quarter as Blackwater took a 58-48 lead. Sumang scored seven of his 13 points in that opening stretch as well. Canaleta dropped a triple that widened the gap, 79-61.
The veteran also exhausted a triple that stretched the lead to 84-62, with 10:12 left in the game.
“We played correctly,” Racela said.
“It was a combination of us playing offense well, sharing basketball and the other team making mistakes,” he added.
NLEX was led by Mike Ayonayon, who had 20 points, and Kiefer Ravena, who put together a complete effort of 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Blackwater hopes to improve its record against Alaska, which posted an 87-81 win over Magnolia later in the night, on Tuesday with Racela hoping the team would lift itself from low expectations like her coach did when he was in the slump.
“When I got kicked out, somehow I lost interest in the PBA… I wasn’t really watching the games,” Racela said.
“You just have to look for the good in things,” he added.
And so far for Blackwater, there are a lot of good things to consider.
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