While the Blackwater Bossing may not offer the wins and championships the PBA’s bigger squads can offer, there is something that they can provide Sedrick Barefield that none may be able to offer: space. 

Space to operate and take (and hopefully make) all the shots he wants. Space to create not just his offense, but also that for his teammates. Space to make mistakes and grow as a player without the pressure from a rabid fanbase. All things considered, it’s the space he needs to be the best version of himself. 

Barefield’s PBA debut was a mix of good and a work-in-progress as numbers-wise, he finished with a team-high 18 points off the bench, but also had the most turnovers (four). The talent was evident early on as he scored seven points in the first quarter. He’d score 11 more for the rest of the game, but it was clear that the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters were the more well-balanced team that day. 

In the Bossing’s following game against the NLEX Road Warriors, Barefield was named a starter but was clearly laboring for his shots. He had more field goal attempts (17) than points scored (16), but he had a team-high five assists in Blackwater’s 104-87 loss to the Road Warriors. 

Barefield has long been linked to a move to the PBA, but opted to pursue options overseas with the NBA G-League and in professional leagues in Europe and in Asia. It was again delayed after he was declared ineligible by the league due to a technicality with his pre-draft documents. Nonetheless, the 27-year old is a player that would fit well with any team, more so with one that wants to add more punch to their offense. 

With the Bossing, the losses will come in bunches and certainly test Barefield’s mettle, but this overall experience will form part of his maturation process. In previous years, he was the young scorer who could get points quickly, but in his late 20s, the former member of the Oklahoma City Blue must become one of the leaders despite being a rookie in the PBA. 

Leading a team and scoring for a team are not mutually exclusive and Barefield is now at the point where growth in the former is now a priority. People will look at how he speaks to his teammates on the court and even in timeouts, but the best way he can lead is through his body language. How will he respond to adversity? Will he slump his shoulders or will he fight until Blackwater head coach Jeffrey Cariaso takes him out of the game? His actions will matter not just to management, but also to the teammates who look up to him. 

The Blackwater Bossing’s outlook for the 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup and perhaps even PBA Season 49 is as gloomy as Manila’s rainy days. So if you’re Sedrick Barefield, there has to be a silver lining in all of this, right? 

Given the Bossing’s history, he’s poised to be the man with Blackwater for at least this season, so he might as well make the most out of his audition for the bigger things to come.