After another nightmarish start to the 2017 Governor’s Cup, it was unimaginable to foresee the youthful Blackwater Elite entering the conference playoffs. But no one told Henry Walker and JP Erram.
Of course, it wouldn’t be possible without the 29-year-old Walker — their replacement import for the injured Trevis Simpson — who, aside from leading his team in scoring and rebounding, became the young squad’s vocal leader.
“Ang laking tulong niya sa amin,” praised Elite’s talented big man JP Erram, whose game has escalated in the season-ending conference.
“Simula nung dumating siya sa amin, nag-iba yung takbo ng team, nag-iba yung laro namin.”
From the dismal 0-3 start, the Elite were rejuvenated, winning a franchise-best three straight games.
And as the eliminations wrapped up, the four-year-old franchise sported a decent 5-6 win-loss record, good enough to seal the eighth spot and make the playoffs for just the second time in team history.
They were clearly the underdogs heading into the quarterfinals, as they would meet top-seeded Meralco Bolts. But they defied the odds yet again, blowing the Bolts’ win-once incentive and forced a rubber match.
Blackwater had chances to complete a massive stunner, but, as the saying goes, good things must come to an end. They lost grip on the do-or-die match down the stretch and bowed to Meralco, 104-96, putting an end to their magical run.
“Nagkatalo lang sa experience,” rued the four-year pro, who finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in the loss, after the match at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. “Siyempre sila naglaro na sila sa Finals… Kami mga bata pa rin.
“[Pero] hindi naman kami nagpatalo lang. Lumaban kami hanggang dulo.”
Though their season did not end the way they wanted, it did not take away the fact that Blackwater have finally tapped the potential they were waiting to unleash. And for Erram — who has averaged notable numbers of 10.5 points, 8.67 rebounds, and 2.17 blocks this conference — the biggest takeaway from this is realizing that they can keep up with the league’s top-tier teams.
“May experience na kami na kaya namin mag-compete sa kahit sinong team,” the product of Ateneo de Manila University proudly shared.
“Alam na namin na we can compete.”
With that, Blackwater are heading into the next season with utmost confidence.
“Confident kami kasi may talent kami. Alam namin may talent kami,” said Erram. “Experience lang talaga kulang. Pero alam nina coach, alam ng mga teammates ko na malaki yung naitulong ni Henry sa’min na kailangan namin i-convert sa All-Filipino.
“For us yun yung gauge namin na kahit na wala kaming Henry sa all-Filipino, kailangan ganun pa rin yung intensity, energy namin pagdating sa all-Filipino.”
They may be holding their heads high for now, but a huge challenge lies ahead for Blackwater: living life without Walker.
