AFTER two years, Blackwater parted ways with coach Ariel Vanguardia late last Sunday night.
The Bossing are reportedly set to name former Converge tactician Jeffrey Cariaso at the helm of the squad that struggled anew in the PBA’s 47th season.
Blackwater reached the quarterfinals of the last Philippine Cup with a 5-6 record but lost to eventual champion San Miguel Beer in their Last 8 duel.
The Bossing could not do better in the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup, finishing with a 3-9 card for 12th in the 13-team field.
Plagued by injuries to some of their key players like prized acquisition Troy Rosario, Blackwater slumped to a 1-10 slate– dead last– and missed the playoffs of the Third Conference.
Vanguardia, who replaced Nash Racela in 2021, amassed a 10-36 mark overall while calling the shots for the Dioceldo Sy-owned ball club.
He also suffered the infamy of having the longest losing streak in PBA history at 29 following the import-less tourney held in a bubble at Bacolor.
After the Bossing won their final game in last season’s Governors’ Cup to snap the long and agonizing drought, Vanguardia tweaked his line-up and landed big man Yousef Taha and rookies Ato Ular and No. 1 overall pick Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser.
The team later acquired Rosario as part of the Ganuelas-Rosser trade as well as Tyrus Hill, Mike DiGregorio, and RK Ilagan in a separate deal.
Cariaso could not be reached for comment yesterday.
If and when he gets the job, Cariaso will return to the PBA after being replaced by Aldin Ayo at the FiberXers camp last year.
A pro league great himself, Cariaso handled Converge for only one conference– after the internet services provider bought the defunct Alaska franchise lock, stock, and barrel last year.
Cariaso coached the Aces from 2019 to 2022.
The likes of Taha, Hill, DiGregorio, Ilagan, JVee Casio, and Gab Banal have all suited up for Cariaso at Alaska.
