IT was what Abu Tratter referred to as a great wake-up call.
The veteran big man learned about the latest trade to his PBA career when he received a personal call from no less than coach Jeff Cariaso.
The call not only surprised him but also woke him up from an afternoon nap.
“I don’t know what it is with waking up from a nap when I get traded, but it was a good wake-up call and had contact with coach Jeff,” recalled Tratter of the deal that sent him back to Blackwater from Northport in exchange for sophomore guard James Kwekuteye.
READ NorthPort acquires Kwekuteye from Blackwater in trade for Tratter
Tratter's fifth trade in his six-year career but found him reuniting with Cariaso, who previously handled him at Alaska and later on, with Converge.
“He (Cariaso) contacted me about the trade and I was excited,’ said the 32-year-old power forward. “Knowing that I’ll be playing under his system, a system that fits my type of game. I’m just looking forward to improving as a player and show people Abu Tratter again.”
Cariaso slowly broke in Tratter into Blackwater’s scheme of things in his first game with the Bossing, playing for 11 minutes and grabbing five rebounds and finishing with two points.
The 32-year-old veteran, who won a UAAP championship with De La Salle, hopes to re-learn Cariaso’s system in their PBA reunion, more so now that he’s become a more mature player.
“He’s been always in my ears about improving. I guess before I was younger so obviously my mental aspect of the game was lacking. Now I feel like going to different teams and just evolving as a player,” said Tratter.
“I can’t show too much on the court, but mentally off the court, I’ve just been locking in and making sure that I take care of that.”
Tratter was initially selected in the first round by NLEX in the 2019 draft (No. 7 overall), before being traded to Blackwater as part of the Poy Erram deal.
It was a short stint for him at Blackwater as he was later shipped to Alaska for Carl Bryan Cruz, eventually paving the way for him to play under Cariaso.
He was absorbed by Converge when it bought the Alaska franchise, but soon found himself on the go again after being dealt by Converge to Magnolia for Adrian Wong.
Magnolia trade
His stay with the Hotshots didn’t pan out and Magnolia sent him to Northport together with Jio Jalalon for the rights to big man Zavier Lucero.
Two conferences later, Tratter is back with Blackwater. But more importantly, he’s back playing again for Cariaso.
‘He’s always been a positive influence in my career and in my life as well off the court. So I’m looking forward to upcoming days and stacking those days with him.”
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