PBA: After solid debut, Blackwater’s Abu Tratter looks forward to tougher tests

MANILA, Philippines—Overshadowed by Robert Bolick's exceptional debut for NorthPort was the solid performance of Blackwater rookie Abu Tratter in their PBA Philippine Cup game on Wednesday night.

Bolick rightfully drew plenty of praise after putting up 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting in his very first game as a professional, leading the Batang Pier to an impressive 117-91 triumph.

But Tratter, selected seventh by NLEX before being shipped to Blackwater as part of the Poy Erram trade, was impressive, too. The former La Salle big man scored 18 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in 35 minutes, on top of 2 steals and 2 blocks.

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"Coming into the game, I was level-headed," Tratter said afterward. "I knew what I needed to do. Coach told me what my assignment was, and I executed it."

Tratter kept that level head when asked about his performance, making it clear that there was a long way for him to go.

"For me, as an individual, I think I played up to the amount of work I put in the gym," he said. "But I'm not really worried about that. I'm worried about whether or not I'm executing well on offense and defense."

"I wanted to win today," added Tratter, who made 7-of-14 field goals in the game. "So there's a lot more work ahead of me."

A lot is expected from Tratter, as he is one of the players tasked to fill in the void left by Erram in the Elite. Already, he is embracing that challenge while also looking forward to testing himself against the best in the PBA.

"I'm waiting for that June Mar (Fajardo) game," said Tratter. "Just because that's the bar you want to set."

"He's at his peak, he's also one of the most talented big men in history. I wanna be able to see how well I go up against a talent like that," he explained.

Tratter will get his wish on February 6, when Blackwater faces the San Miguel Beermen at the Mall of Asia Arena.

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