By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Blackwater Bossing squad continued their off-season overhaul after a disappointing finish in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup.
With a record-setting 19-straight PBA defeats, the management was quick to change things including the head tactician post when they replaced Nash Racela with Ariel Vanguardia.
After the coaching reshuffle, big names were dealt in the PBA trading block as main guard Mike Tolomia was shipped to the Alaska Aces in exchange for Jvee Casio and center Barkley Eboña.
It was reported that the trade was already approved by the PBA board through Commissioner Willie Marcial.
Spin.ph first broke the blockbuster trade and was later on followed up by Blackwater’s head coach Vanguardia to Tiebreaker Times.
After acquiring two-way guard Simon Enciso from the TNT Tropang Giga last conference, Blackwater is eager to solidify their backcourt and bench rotation by adding Casio.
Casio, one of the vital keys to Alaksa’s playoff runs through the years, will try to complement Enciso and Baser Amer in the guard spot.
Meanwhile, Eboña, a top candidate for Rookie of the Year last year, will also backstop Carl Bryan Cruz in the team’s frontcourt.
On the other hand, Tolomia, one of the league’s most explosive shooting guards, will be teaming up with Maverick Ahanmisi and Mike Digregorio in the Alaska backcourt.
