THE souped-up Meralco Bolts featuring the explosive tandem of Justin Brownlee and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will play their first two games on the road come the EASL Home and Away Season 3 that kicks off on Oct. 8.
Ryukyu Golden Kings serve as the litmus test of the Brownlee-Hollis-Jefferson tandem as the former Japan B. League champion host the debuting Bolts at home on Oct. 22 at the Okinawa Arena.
Then on Nov. 2, the team travels to Chinese Taipei to take on the Taoyuan Pilots at the Taoyuan Arena.
READ: Meralco Bolts sign Israel Romero as second import for EASL
Ironically, both the Golden Kings and Pilots made the Final Four of Season 2 with the Taipei-based club beating Ryukyu to advance in the finals. The Pilots eventually settled for runner-up honor against the Hiroshima Dragonflies.
Filipino fans won’t be seeing Brownlee and Hollis-Jefferson, who has won six Best Import awards combined, play together until Nov. 8 when the Bolts host the Pilots at home in a venue still to be announced.
Then on Nov. 15, Meralco will play the Macau Black Bears, who once played Gilas Pilipinas in a friendly prior to the national team’s campaign for the FIBA Asia Cup.
“I’m excited for those first games. That’s away game in Japan, that’s away game in Taipei. And when they come back in the Philippines and play those two home games in a row, I hope everybody comes out and support them,” said EASL CEO Henry Kerins during his appearance in the latest episode of SEAG Live.
On Dec. 6, Meralco travels to Macau and faces the Black Bears, before winding up its campaign at home on by hosting the Golden Kings on Feb.11.
With the Bolts as the lone entry in the third season of the regional league, the PBA has gone all-out in supporting the team’s bid for the championship and the $1 million at stake by allowing both Brownlee and Hollis-Jefferson play together under the same team.
Brownlee and Hollis-Jefferson are friendly rivals as import of Barangay Ginebra and TNT, respectively,
The 36-year-old Brownlee will serve as Meralco’s naturalized player, while Hollis-Jefferson serves as import along with Puerto Rican Israel Romero.
The 6-foot-9 Romero isn’t new to the EASL, having suited up for the Suwon KT Sonicboom last season.
Meralco is still planning to bring in an Asian import, but would rather keep it until negotiations are over.
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