Aquino enters list of winning PBA coaches as Bossing stun Beermen
The Blackwater players showered new coach Pat Aquino with water the moment he entered the team’s dugout on Wednesday, in celebration of his first career PBA victory.
And it was no ordinary victory.
This one came at the expense of powerhouse San Miguel Beer—a 126-120 decision at Ninoy Aquino Stadium that Aquino will definitely cherish for a long time.
“One for the books, of course,” Aquino said after the Bossing snapped out of a four-game slump in the Commissioner’s Cup.
The former Gilas Pilipinas women’s coach finally got his milestone win on his third game after replacing erstwhile Blackwater mentor Jeffrey Cariaso.
It’s not much of a win for the Bossing at this stage, as their 2-6 record still leaves them at the bottom of the standings, staring at a very narrow path to qualifying for the playoffs.
But considering where he is now, Aquino will gladly take the win, which was fashioned behind the efforts of import Robert Upshaw III, Sedrick Barefield, debuting rookie CJ Austria and BJ Andrade.
Cone next
“It’s so tough to win here in the PBA,” Aquino said. “A lot of challenges, a lot of good coaches around the league and this is professional. We got to deal with it like you got to perform and do your best all the time.”
Another great coach awaits the Bossing—Aquino’s idol, in fact—as they hope to keep their bid afloat against Barangay Ginebra and chief tactician Tim Cone on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Upshaw went off for 35 points, the bulk of which came in the first half when he buried four four-point shots that catapulted Blackwater to a 22-point advantage.
Barefield chipped in 29 points, hitting his lone three at a crucial time as Blackwater went ahead 120-116 entering the final two minutes.
Austria proved to be a steal of a pickup as he registered 11 points and six rebounds, aside from the toughness that he was known for during his UAAP career with La Salle. Blackwater signed Austria after he was curiously placed on the unrestricted free agent list by Titan Ultra, the team that selected him in the Rookie Draft.
Andrade added 13 points and seven rebounds, providing quality minutes during the homestretch.
San Miguel dropped to 4-5 despite 38 points from Bennie Boatwright in the second game of his return, 28 points and 13 rebounds from June Mar Fajardo and 24 points from CJ Perez.
