MACAO – Meralco will never get tired representing the PBA and the country in the East Asia Super League.
And if the opportunity comes again for the Bolts to be assigned once more as envoy of Philippine basketball to the growing regional league, the franchise is willing to do it all over again.
READ: Will two PBA teams be back with EASL's plans of expansion?
“We’ve tried to represent the Philippines the best way that we can,” said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo after the Bolts fell short of making their first ever playoff appearance in the league.
“If we come back, we’re always ready to represent not only Meralco, but the country as well. Hopefully, let’s see.”
For the past three seasons, Meralco has carried the PBA flag in the EASL including the time when the team was the reigning Philippine Cup champion.
Unfortunately, the team always end up failing to get over the hump, including this season when it managed to pool together a formidable cast of reinforcement behind imports Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Ismael Romero, naturalized player Justin Brownlee, and Asian import Sina Vahedi.
In six outings during the group stage, Meralco only managed to have all four imports on board just once during a 93-91 win over Macau Black Bears in Ilagan, Isabela.
It was in that same game when Hollis-Jefferson suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon and was declared out for the season.
Brownlee meanwhile, didn’t join the team until its fifth game after getting sick in the US, while Vahedi arrived and began playing in the Bolts’ third outing.
On loan import Cady Lalanne took the place of Hollis-Jefferson in Meralco’s crucial must-win game against Ryukyu Golden Kings in the final playdate of the group stage, but had to sacrifice chemistry and cohesion in an 88-79 loss that shut the playoff door for the PBA side.
Trillo said he wouldn’t mind if the PBA would opt to send other teams to see action in the EASL come its fourth season, when there’s the likelihood of Asia’s first ever professional league sending two teams again in the home-and-away tournament.
“We’ve also been good soldiers. We know that we have to send the champions and the first runner up. One year it was really us, the other two, we’ve been nominated and we’re very grateful,” said Trillo.
“If there are other (PBA) teams that will be invited, we wish them well.”
But the Meralco mentor pointed out to one advantage the Bolts already have.
“I think the advantage that we’ve had is we know the league a little bit better now,” said Trillo. “EASL is really a quality family. We’ve met a lot of friends and we’ve been welcomed by them.”
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