For Sedrick Barefield, the numbers are starting to pile up—but the wins are not.
The Blackwater Bossing guard delivered another solid individual performance with 27 points, two rebounds, and two assists, but it came in a 125-108 defeat to Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters—a result that further dragged his team to a 1-6 record, second from the bottom of the standings.
Still chasing his first-ever winning season in the PBA, Barefield finds himself navigating a familiar frustration, strong personal outings overshadowed by team struggles.
Yet instead of dwelling solely on the standings, the Fil-Am guard is beginning to widen his horizon. A new opportunity may be emerging in the half-court game.
Barefield has openly expressed his willingness to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas 3×3, a program currently undergoing a reset under the Samahan ng Basketbol ng Pilipinas. Despite not yet representing the country in either 5-on-5 or 3×3 formats, the guard made it clear he’s ready when called.
“I’m just waiting on an official invite, but I told them that I would love to represent the country with Gilas,” Barefield said.
Support from his mother ballclub won’t be an issue. Blackwater team owner Dioceldo Sy reiterated the franchise’s openness to lending players for national duty.
“If it is for the welfare of the country, we’re always open to it. We’ve done that before with coach Pat (Aquino) with the Gilas women’s team and Ever Bilena as one its major backers,” the 29-year-old Shooting Guard said.
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The timing could work in Barefield’s favor as the Gilas 3×3 program is actively rebuilding after recent setbacks. As it showed promise with a quarterfinal finish in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup behind Jerrick Ahanmisi, Ralph Cu, Chris Koon, and Sean Alter.
With Ryan Gregorio leading the search for additional talent, the program is looking ahead to the 2026 Asian Games this September in Japan—and further still to the long-term goal of qualifying for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Gregorio acknowledged that Barefield’s case is intriguing, especially given 3×3 basketball’s more flexible eligibility rules.
“Yeah, I have my (Filipino) passport. No problem (with that),” said Barefield, obviously aware of the 3×3 tournaments’ ‘passport only’ rule when it comes to eligibility.
While the national team door may be opening, Barefield’s immediate focus remains with Blackwater, which is desperate to turn its campaign around.
The Bossing will look to snap their skid and gain some measure of redemption when they face the San Miguel Beermen on Wednesday, April 22 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
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