Coach Nash Racela felt frustrated with the outcome of Blackwater’s 2021 PBA Philippine Cup campaign, which saw them finish with a 0-11 slate.
But with the cards dealt to them – that saw the Bossing trade away the likes of Mac Belo, Don Trollano, Roi Sumang, and Maurice Shaw; plus having only a few draft picks in the draft – the champion coach stressed that they exhausted everything to get the best of their team.
“I know that I, together with the staff, did our very best despite the obvious limitations that we had,” said Racela, who was named as head coach of the Bossing back in November of 2019. “Those who understand basketball for sure know that coaching is just one part of the equation.
“Player composition and management style play a major part in the success of any team, especially in our league PBA.”
Before the start of the league’s 46th season, Blackwater shipped Belo for Baser Amer in February.
A month later, Blackwater figured in a three-team trade that saw it ship Don Trollano, Roi Sumang, Maurice Shaw, and a 2022 second round pick for David Semerad, Simon Enciso, Ed Daquioag, 2023 first round, and 2024 second round picks from TNT.
To make things worse for the rebuilding team, the earliest pick they had in the loaded Season 46 draft was the 14th and 15th picks which ended up being Reymark Acuno and Joshua Torralba.
Photo by PBA Images
It resulted in a disastrous campaign that saw the Ever Bilena team lose all its games while breaking the record for most consecutive losses with 19.
Despite the outcome of their campaign and his eventual “pre-termination”, Racela remains grateful for the opportunity to have coached in the big league again.
“Still thankful to the Blackwater management for the opportunity the last two years. I understand their frustration and I’m aware they have the right to do what they think is best for their franchise,” he continued.
“Looking back though, I just hope they talked to me first before rushing to announce to the press.”
Hours after Blackwater ended their campaign last Saturday, Ever Bilena chairman Dioceldo Sy revealed that he was looking to “revamp” the team’s coaching staff. A day later, Ariel Vanguardia was named as the team’s head coach.
According to multiple sources closely monitoring the situation, the meeting between Racela and Sy was to take place on Tuesday.
Despite the ending he and Blackwater had, Racela still wishes nothing but the best for the struggling franchise moving forward.
“I still wish them the best in the next conference and the seasons to come. I seriously hope they start turning things around under Coach Ariel Vanguardia for this will really be good for the balance of the league.“
