DESPITE the entry of Rey Nambatac and two-time MVP James Yap, coach Jeff Cariaso made it clear who remains as the franchise player for Blackwater.
"He's our vet. He's our stud. You know he's our main guy and he knows that," said Cariaso of big man Troy Rosario.
Now in his fourth conference with the Bossing, Rosario is still the go-to-guy of the team, the walking barometer of where he goes, Blackwater follows.
And so far, that has been the case in the early goings of the PBA Philippine Cup where the Bossing are off to a hot start behind a 2-0 record.
It beat Meralco in its debut game, 96-93, and then nipped TNT, 87-76.
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While Nambatac has provided a major scoring option following his trade acquisition, and Yap the calming presence of a veteran both on the court and the locker room, the 32-year-old Rosario was consistency personified for the Bossing.
So far he averaged 17.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, including 20 and six in the win over his former team Tropang Giga.
"How we do and how we perform, and how well we do is really on his shoulders," Cariaso pointed out. "You know there's one or two guys on almost all the teams that will have that responsibility, and for sure under Blackwater, he is that guy."
Along with Yap and new acquisition Jaydee Tungcab, Rosario is one among the few in Blackwater's active roster who has already won a championship in the league.
The winning experience is certainly something a young team could lean on, according to Cariaso.
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"He's the man that really helps us in regards the culture that we're trying to build. He's no. 1. He follows suit with that, his work ethic is tremendous. It's beyond comparable," the Bossing coach added.
"So yeah, he's been the stud that we need him to be and he needs to continue that."(RG)
