WINNING in the PBA is hard to come by nowadays.
And new Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso believes everything will have to begin at practice and adopting a winning mindset.
Jeff Cariaso on Bossing goal
In essence, that’s what he’ll try to instill to the franchise, which recently tapped him to handle the Bossing for the coming 48th season of the PBA.
“Improving the mindset and culture will put us on the right path,” said Cariaso.
Of course, everything is easier said than done.
Cariaso is inheriting a Blackwater team that finished dead last in the season-ending Governors Cup, which saw the Bossing notch only a single victory in 11 games and naturally fail to advance to the playoffs.
It’s not that Blackwater was bad all-season long.
It actually had a fairly good start during the Philippine Cup when it won five of its first seven games to clinch a berth in the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, the Bossing failed to sustain the momentum and bowed out in the last two conferences.
Cariaso understands an overnight turnaround won’t happen, and the team has to realize it needs patience to get into the next level.
And how the Bossing approach everything in practice is the way to start things.
“To strive for excellence in how we prepare on a daily basis, to fully understand that in order to win in the PBA, there’s a purposeful and consistent approach with how we train as a team,” said the 50-year-old Cariaso, an eight-time champion player and four-time champion as deputy coach.
“Teams are too good and players are too skilled nowadays,” he noted. “Showing up and competing isn’t enough for me.”
Good thing, too, several Blackwater players previously played under Cariaso such as RK Ilagan, Mike DiGregorio, Yousef Taha, Gab Banal, Rey Publico, and JVee Casio.
Cariaso said expectations with the Bossing come in the same manner where he previously played and coached, from Alaska, Mobiline, Tanduay, Coca-Cola, Purefoods, Barangay Ginebra, and just recently, Converge.
“Expectations will be the same as I’ve had with all the teams I’ve played for and coached,” he said.
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