Troy Rosario hopes to see some consistency from Blackwater following a commendable showing in the recently-concluded PBA On Tour.
The Bossing finished the preseason tournament with a 7-4 record, but the seasoned forward chooses to stay on an even keel, wanting the whole team to develop winning habits for the regular season starting in October.
“May mga games kami na lopsided loss, may mga games din naman na panalo. Pero, gusto namin ‘yung maging consistent,” he said moments after their 101-78 win over TNT, Sunday night at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
“Kailangan, makagawa kami ng mga streak — hindi ‘yung losing streak. Winning streak,” Rosario furthered.
Blackwater’s On Tour record matched the franchise record set just twice. Despite their promising campaign, the 31-year-old insisted that there remains plenty of work to be done and more lessons to be learned.
The team is still adjusting to the new system of Jeff Cariaso, who took the head coaching reins from Ariel Vanguardia last April.
“Marami pa kaming kailangang trabahuhin sa opensa tsaka depensa namin. Sa new system ni Coach Jeff, marami pa kaming kailangang matutunan,” he said.
Rosario himself has become quite familiar with the cager-turned-mentor’s scheme of things, and so he and the other team vets have taken it upon themselves to help the younger ones become acclimatized.
“Medyo familiar, medyo may pagkakatulad naman dun sa ibang system na naano ko before,” he offered. “Pero iba pa rin pag yung lahat e.
“‘Yung mga ibang kasama ko, bago pa sa liga — sina Ato [Ular], sina RK [Ilagan]. Parang double time sila. Kami as veterans, tinutulungan namin sila para matulungan din sila makapag-adjust sa sistema,” he added.
Helping lead the team has been a responsibility Rosario has embraced since becoming part of the Bossing, and he had done so by example in the On Tour.
In the preseason, the former Gilas mainstay posted averages of 16.1 points on 53.7-percent shooting from the field and 6.7 rebounds in nine games as he was undeniably the most consistent cog for his side.
For him, it’s all because he’s feeling much better compared to the previous season when he was saddled with injuries.
“Siyempre, mahaba yung On Tour e. So, may mga aches and pains din na nararamdaman sa katawan … Pero, mas maganda ‘yung pakiramdam ko ngayon kaysa noong last conference,” said Rosario.
“At least, meron na ‘akong base, kumbaga meron na ‘kong puhunan ngayong offseason. Para pagdating ng first conference ng season, may bala na ‘ko.”
