Jeff Cariaso sees growth in Blackwater roster after Kadayawan runner-up campaign

The Blackwater Bossing enjoyed a good run in the recently concluded Kadayawan Invitational Basketball Tournament, going unbeaten in the preliminary round before falling at the final hurdle to the NLEX Road Warriors, 101-84, in last Sunday’s championship game.

Blackwater head coach Jeff Cariaso was happy with the “small victories” and emphasized that he was more impressed with his squad’s off-the-court growth than with the runner-up finish in the Kadayawan Invitational. He believes that the camaraderie developed by the players will help them as they enter Season 50 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

“We felt like the win for this Davao trip was the team gelling together, forming better camaraderie, and getting to know each other more on the court. So doon ako happy. It was nice to see that ‘yung mga players were always together, kakain sila sabay-sabay. I know it’s a small thing and really basic, but those are the wins we are emphasizing because they are really important,” Cariaso said in a media interaction.

Building something sustainable takes one step at a time for coach Jeff and Blackwater, and he believes their stint in Kadayawan is ‘a good first step’ #PBA50 #PBAhttps://t.co/FvVNDdDuM3

— SPIN.ph (@spinph) August 28, 2025

“It’s a good first step. I’m happy with how the team is developing. We are going to use, hopefully, Kadayawan to inspire us, motivate us even more,” he added.

The 52-year-old admitted that he wanted his team to win the Kadayawan Tournament but acknowledged that NLEX was the better team that day.

“No excuses, pero mahirap din ‘yung four games in a row and alam naman natin na malakas ang NLEX. But NLEX played really well,” Cariaso concluded.

Blackwater struggled in PBA competitions in Season 49, missing the playoffs in all three conferences. Their closest playoff bid came in the season-opening Governors’ Cup, where they finished ninth in the standings with a 5-5 win-loss record.

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