THE Zamboanga Valientes will participate in the rebooted Asean Basketball League next year.
The club based in Zamboanga City has been unveiled as the newest team in the league which will tip off on Jan. 2.
See ABL finally set for return in January 2023
Zamboanga previously joined the 2021 ABL 3x3 International Champions Cup behind Juan Gomez de Liano and Reed Juntilla.
Team owner Junnie Navarro is pleased as the Valientes become the first team from the South to represent the country in the ABL, with its home games to be played at Zamboanga City Coliseum.
Zamboanga joins holdovers Singapore Slingers, Saigon Heat, Hong Kong Eastern, Macau Black Bears, and new teams Louvre Surabaya of Indonesia, NS Matrix of Malaysia, and Cooly Bangkok Tigers of Thailand.
ABL is rebooting its operations beginning with the Invitational Tournament Series.
Zamboanga is the fifth club to represent the Philippines in the ABL after the AirAsia Philippine Patriots, San Miguel Beermen, Pilipinas MX3 Kings, and San Miguel Alab Pilipinas.
The Valientes, according to Navarro, will be having five homegrown players and three imports to play for them, while eyeing former Barangay Ginebra guard Sol Mercado and University of the Philippines' Zav Lucero to join the team.
Considered as homegrown and suiting up for the Valientes are Rudy Lingganaym Jeff Bernardo, and Denver Cadiz.
The coaching staff will be composed of Bobedick Delos Santos and RJ Argamino, while Basketball Operations chief is Nino Reji Natividad, Anton Altamirano as team manager, and Joseph Romarate as executive director.
"Zamboanga Valientes is now getting ready to play in the ABL, and they will give their best fo win the crown," said Navarro.
"We, the entire Filipino basketball fans, are expected to see our team play in the ABL."
Founded by the late Lando Navarro in 2006, the Zamboanga Valientes also boasts of a sports program to help and promote local athletes such as Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, Olympic bronze medal winner Eumir Felix Marcial, and former world title challenger Jonas Sultan.
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