MANILA: Mac Belo turned out to be as good as advertised, and Blackwater showed up for its 42nd PBA Season debut a far better team than it was the previous two years.
Belo, the top overall pick in the Draft, indeed looked like the player touted to turn the Elite’s fortunes around, shooting 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 94-87 decision of Phoenix Petroleum in the Philippine Cup eliminations on Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Needless to say, going 1-0 already assured the Elite of their best start in franchise history, but coach Leo Isaac is not about to be drawn to all the flak surrounding his potential super rookie and to how formidable Blackwater is listed in its third season in the league.
“It’s a new season for us, we have some new players whom we really want in our lineup,” Isaac, a former guard with Ginebra San Miguel who had disastrous seasons in his first two years as a coach, said.
“We have renewed energy and new hope. But all the excitement (in the pre-season) must be converted to Ws (wins),” Isaac said. “That excitement has to be translated into Ws and that’s where the hard work (for us) begins.”
He also made sure to mention that Blackwater will not be Belo’s team alone.
“The other players, we want them to learn basic basketball, not the fancy stuff,” he said. “They also have to do their share.”
Blackwater, who failed to make a playoff in any of its first six conferences, underwent a massive facelift in the off-season, and part of that was shipping out its top local scorer, Carlo Lastimosa, to get James Forrester from NLEX.
Management also snagged Dylan Ababou from TNT KaTropa and like Forrester, Ababou was a former collegiate star who both never got going in the pros after being acquired by powerhouse teams as rookies.
The duo combined for 16 points coming off the bench, and Isaac acknowledges their worth as vital pieces in the future of this franchise.
“I am very grateful for the chance that I am getting,” Ababou, the former Santo Tomas King Tiger in the UAAP who became a forgotten commodity at Barangay Ginebra and later on TNT KaTropa, told Arab News in Filipino after stepping out of the locker room.
“I just want to play and help whichever way I can.”
Art dela Cruz, Blackwater’s best rookie last season, scattered 12 points and was a big reason why the Elite opened up with a 16-3 lead over the Fuel Masters.
The veteran Denok Miranda was the third player in twin digits for the Elite with 11 even as Simon Enciso paced the Fuel Masters with career-highs of 25 points built around seven three-pointers.
And while Blackwater toasted the stellar debut of its import, Phoenix couldn’t even use its own highly-touted Draft pick.
Matthew Wright was forced to sit it out because of food poisoning the day before, which practically put the Fuel Masters’ preparations in disarray.
JC Intal, the former national team swingman, had 12 and Gelo Alolino, also a rookie, fired 11 and Willie Wilson 10 for the Fuel Masters.
The win put the Elite in a tie with defending champion San Miguel Beer, which rallied to post a 94-88 win over sister team Star.
San Miguel coach Leo Austria benched his rookies in that game, though 6-foot-7 former La Salle star Arnold Van Opstal was the best man to come out of this Draft.
Rashawn McCarthy also didn’t play a single minute as Austria played reigning three-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and his other veterans hard to upend the Hotshots.
Belo, the top overall pick in the Draft, indeed looked like the player touted to turn the Elite’s fortunes around, shooting 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 94-87 decision of Phoenix Petroleum in the Philippine Cup eliminations on Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Needless to say, going 1-0 already assured the Elite of their best start in franchise history, but coach Leo Isaac is not about to be drawn to all the flak surrounding his potential super rookie and to how formidable Blackwater is listed in its third season in the league.
“It’s a new season for us, we have some new players whom we really want in our lineup,” Isaac, a former guard with Ginebra San Miguel who had disastrous seasons in his first two years as a coach, said.
“We have renewed energy and new hope. But all the excitement (in the pre-season) must be converted to Ws (wins),” Isaac said. “That excitement has to be translated into Ws and that’s where the hard work (for us) begins.”
He also made sure to mention that Blackwater will not be Belo’s team alone.
“The other players, we want them to learn basic basketball, not the fancy stuff,” he said. “They also have to do their share.”
Blackwater, who failed to make a playoff in any of its first six conferences, underwent a massive facelift in the off-season, and part of that was shipping out its top local scorer, Carlo Lastimosa, to get James Forrester from NLEX.
Management also snagged Dylan Ababou from TNT KaTropa and like Forrester, Ababou was a former collegiate star who both never got going in the pros after being acquired by powerhouse teams as rookies.
The duo combined for 16 points coming off the bench, and Isaac acknowledges their worth as vital pieces in the future of this franchise.
“I am very grateful for the chance that I am getting,” Ababou, the former Santo Tomas King Tiger in the UAAP who became a forgotten commodity at Barangay Ginebra and later on TNT KaTropa, told Arab News in Filipino after stepping out of the locker room.
“I just want to play and help whichever way I can.”
Art dela Cruz, Blackwater’s best rookie last season, scattered 12 points and was a big reason why the Elite opened up with a 16-3 lead over the Fuel Masters.
The veteran Denok Miranda was the third player in twin digits for the Elite with 11 even as Simon Enciso paced the Fuel Masters with career-highs of 25 points built around seven three-pointers.
And while Blackwater toasted the stellar debut of its import, Phoenix couldn’t even use its own highly-touted Draft pick.
Matthew Wright was forced to sit it out because of food poisoning the day before, which practically put the Fuel Masters’ preparations in disarray.
JC Intal, the former national team swingman, had 12 and Gelo Alolino, also a rookie, fired 11 and Willie Wilson 10 for the Fuel Masters.
The win put the Elite in a tie with defending champion San Miguel Beer, which rallied to post a 94-88 win over sister team Star.
San Miguel coach Leo Austria benched his rookies in that game, though 6-foot-7 former La Salle star Arnold Van Opstal was the best man to come out of this Draft.
Rashawn McCarthy also didn’t play a single minute as Austria played reigning three-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and his other veterans hard to upend the Hotshots.
