EXPECT a vastly different ASEAN Basketball League as it seeks to return to action in 2021.
The league released in a statement that it's looking to embrace a new competition structure with a "circuit format" where teams will play in a number of week-long tournaments hosted by different participating nations.
Teams in these said circuits will be awarded points for each tourney, with the accumulated points deciding who the top squads will be.
The top-ranked teams will then progress to the Finals Tournament, where the ABL championship will be disputed.
The format is a deviation from the traditional win-loss standings and closely resembles the formats used in professional 3x3 leagues which award points per leg.
ABL cancelled its 2019-20 season in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting an abrupt end to the regional league's 10th season.
San Miguel Alab Pilipinas, the Philippines' representative in the ABL, was seeking to reclaim its crown behind locals Jason Brickman, Jeremiah Gray, and Lawrence Domingo, as well as the arrivals of Justin Brownlee and John Fields as its new reinforcements.
Those hopes, however, were crushed as the league ultimately decided to abandon the league on July.
Evaluating its options on how to move forward, the league has restructured its operations and management of the league, naming Connor Nguyen as its interim chief executive officer.
Nguyen, who is the president of Saigon Heat and the chairman of XLE Group in Vietnam, will spearhead the ABL's hopeful resumption granting the improving health situation for all the participating countries, as well as the easing of border restrictions.
"Our management has been in constant communication with the ABL teams to explore the possibilities of restarting the games in 2021," he said.
"At present, our most difficult challenge to date would be travel restrictions and quarantine requirements by each individual country. It is still too early to firm our plans with the uncertainty still going around. However, I hope to find a viable solution so that we can continue to operate and provide a competitive platform for our athletes while maintaining the entertainment quality for our fans."
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