Blackwater guard Rey Suerte. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Blackwater is building up its morale early in the the PBA Commissioners’ Cup tournament with a statement season-opening win against Converge.
The Bossing’s 103-84 victory at Philsports Arena on Wednesday was fueled by Rey Suerte, who finished with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.
“Of course, this win is important for our morale to improve towards the conference. This is a big help and factor for us to be confident with one another,” said Suerte in Filipino.
For the University of the East product, his performance was a product of staying ready for coach Jeff Cariaso.
“Coach Jeff just tells me to be ready anytime on both offense and defense,” Suerte said.
Cariaso, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised with how Suerte played almost a free-flowing game for the Bossing.
After all, changing the culture and mindset of Blackwater’s cagers has been the goal of Cariaso for the past four months since his ascension as the squad’s head tactician.
“We know the state of this team. We know that the current lineup is almost pretty much the same as last year so the mindset is crucial on how you want to change that. That’s been the focus for the past three-four months; helping improve the culture so you can improve the mindset,” said the former FiberXers mentor.
“These guys played free, played together and guys like Rey stepped up on both ends.”
Up next for Suerte and the Bossing is Meralco on Saturday at Ynares Center, Antipolo.
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