ABRA is set for its first international foray, as the Weavers make their East Asia Super League debut on Saturday at the SM Seaside Cebu Arena.
Hong Kong Eastern will test the mettle right away of the reigning Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League champions, with the two teams clashing in the main game set at 7:30 p.m.
Abra is loaded coming into the fourth season of the league’s home-and-away format.
The team from the North is set to parade imports Jaylen Johnson and Michael Eric, along with Asian reinforcement Freddy Ibrahim and naturalized player Malick Diouf.
Johnson previously suited up for Rain or Shine in the PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup, the 6-foot-2 Ibrahim has been a fixture of the Jordan national team, the 6-foot-11 Eric was a former teammate of Gilas Pilipinas forward Carl Tamayo with the Changwon LG Sakers in the Korean Basketball League, and Diouf was recently naturalized as part of the Gilas 3x3 basketball pool.
Then there’s the star-studded roster of coach Yong Garcia, consisting of Ildefonso brothers Shaun and MPBL MVP Dave, Encho Serrano, DJ Fenner, Mike Ayonayon, Nico Elorde, Alfred Batino, and 6-foot-6 Fil-Am Tucker Molina.
This marks the maiden season of the Weavers in the regional showcase where teams from the PBA represented the country in the past.
Clash in Cebu
They will be up against HK, a ball club already familiar to Filipino basketball fans, especially after seeing action as guest team in the Season 49 Comm's Cup.
Jenning Leung and Ramon Cao, who previously played for Eastern in the PBA and just recently with the Macau Giant Pandas in the ongoing Govs' Cup, will be suiting up for the squad coached by Bosnia Alen Abaz.
Cameron Clark used to be Hong Kong's import, but is now playing for Converge.
In his place are British-Hong Kong guard Sulaiman Sheikh, 19-year-old forward Anthony Groot Baltink, former GLeague player Egidijus Mockevicius, who once led the U.S. NCAA in rebounding while playing for University of Evansville, and 6-foot-7 former Kazahkstan national team member Robert Pan.
Meanwhile, the curtain-raiser at 5:30 p.m. features another debuting team in Macau Hou Chon against the Taipei Fubon Braves.
Former Macau Black Knights/Giant Pandas stars Damian Chongqui and Phoenix Shackelford will lead the campaign of Hou Chon.
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