BLACKWATER continued its midseason revamp by signing Jong Baloria to a one-conference deal, head coach Ariel Vangurdia confirmed on Thursday.
Jong Baloria makes PBA return
The 31-year-old Baloria makes his return to the PBA after stints in the MPBL with Paranaque, Pampanga, and Makati over the course of two years from 2018 to 2020. Recently, he also played for Basilan in the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup.
Vanguardia is high on Baloria, describing him as a “tough two-way player with veteran smarts.”
The former Perpetual Help standout, who won the NCAA Rookie of the Year in 2013, will actually be playing for the team that drafted him 30th overall in the 2014. Blackwater shortly traded Baloria to NLEX where he spent his rookie year.
Baloria was then traded to Mahindra in 2015 and played until 2016.
Blackwater continues its busy offseason since Vanguardia took the helm just last week.
After obtaining Rashawn McCarthy in a trade with Terrafirma for Simon Enciso and signing former Adamson guard Val Chauca, Blackwater acquired JVee Casio and Barkley Ebona in a trade with Alaska for Mike Tolomia and a 2022 second round draft pick.
The moves were made in an effort to strengthen the team following a dismal winless campaign in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup and a PBA-record 19-game losing streak.
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