Cebuano Heruela traded to Barako without him knowing

It was a trade that nobody saw coming, not even new Barako Bull guard Brian Heruela.

In a talk with Cebu Daily News just an hour after getting word of his trade to Barako Bull in exchange for Carlo Lastimosa, the former University of Cebu standout who had just completed an impressive rookie campaign with Blackwater that saw him average of 10.6 points, 5.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds, admitted he was caught unaware of the move.

“No, nobody from Blackwater talked to me about the trade,” said the wide-bodied guard who was one of the few bright spots for Blackwater in a difficult season that saw the expansion squad win just four of their 33 games. “In fact, I only learned about it through friends.”

Still, despite the woeful campaign of the expansion team, Heruela said that he was looking forward to preparing for next season and was even set to fly back to Manila on Monday to report for practice.

“Maybe it’s because my contract expires this August and they were afraid they would lose me without getting anyone,” said Heruela, a third-round pick of this year’s draft, as he tried to make sense of his move to an Energy Cola squad that already has a glut of guards on their roster which includes RR Garcia, Paolo Hubalde, Chico Lanete and Joseph Yeo.

Informed of Barako Bull’s reputation as a “farm team” for San Miguel Corporation squads which then opens the possibility of a reunion with former collegiate teammate June Mar Fajardo over at the San Miguel Beermen side, Heruela chose to focus on what was actually in front of him.

“I really can’t talk about that. There’s a lot of things going through my mind right now. Maybe when things clear up a little in the next few days especially since I haven’t spoken to anyone from Barako Bull either.”