BLACKWATER coach Jeff Cariaso emphasized the “small victories” in their second-place finish in the Kadayawan Invitational Basketball Tournament that served as a preparation for the PBA 50th Season tournament.
The Bossing went undefeated in the preliminary round of the tournament before falling to NLEX, 101-84, last Sunday in the championship game.
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Cariaso wants to highlight the off-the-court growth of Blackwater more than the runner-up finish in the Kadayawan tournament which is still two months before the start of the season-opening Philippine Cup on October 5.
Cariaso said the camaraderie built during the tournament will go a long way come the new season.
“We felt like the win for this Davao trip was the team gelling together, forming better camaraderie, and getting to know each other more on the court. So doon ako happy,” said Cariaso.
“It was nice to see that ‘yung mga players were always together, kakain sila sabay-sabay. So I know it’s a small thing and I know that it’s really basic but those are the wins that we are emphasizing because they are really important,” said Cariaso.
“It’s a good first step. I’m happy with how the team is developing. We are going to use, hopefully, Kadayawan to inspire us, motivate us even more,” said Cariaso.
Blackwater missed the playoffs in all three conferences during the 49th season although the Bossing had a chance to make it during the season-opening Governors’ Cup where the team finished ninth overall with a 5-5 win-loss record.
Cariaso said it would have still been good if Blackwater was able to cop the Kadayawan title.
“No excuses, pero mahirap din ‘yung four games in a row and alam naman natin na malakas ang NLEX. But they (NLEX) played really well,” said Cariaso.
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