MERALCO won’t have Cliff Hodge when it eyes a second straight win in the EASL Season 2 Wednesday night on the road against Ryukyu.
Hodge didn’t accompany the team to Okinawa, Japan as his wife just gave birth to their first born.
The veteran forward had four points, five rebounds, and three assists in the Bolts’ 97-85 win over the Macau Blackbears in the season opener two weeks ago at the Mall of Asia Arena.
READ: Meralco Bolts open EASL campaign with blowout win over Macau
Aside from Hodge, Meralco doesn’t have the injured Allein Maliksi and rookie CJ Cansino in the 8 p.m. encounter at the Okinawa Arena.
Despite the manpower woes, coach Luigi Trillo said he’s more confident of the Bolts’ campaign this season compared to last year when it registered a 1-5 record as a last-minute entry in liue of Barangay Ginebra.
“This year were better because we’ve already know a little bit of the EASL already,” said the Meralco coach.
The Bolts will parade anew the towering trio of Allen Durham, DJ Kennedy, and naturalized player Ange Kouame to go with locals Chris Newsome, Bong Quinto, Chris Banchero, Raymond Almazan, Brandon Bates, Jolo Mendoza, Anjo Caram, Norbert Torres, and Jansen Rios.
Ryukyu, the runner in the B. League last season, is making its debut for the season and will suit up Jack Cooley, Vic Law, and naturalized player Alex Kirk together with Ryuichi Kishimoto and newly-signed Shogo Taira, who is on loan from Yokohama.
The Bolts and Golden Kings have some history going between them during the league’s inaugural home and away season last year.
Ryukyu demolished Meralco at home, 89-61, before the Bolts evened things out with a 97-88 overtime win in Macau behind the heroics of Newsome.
It was the lone victory the Bolts had in their initial campaign in the league.
Curiously, Durham saw action for Ryukyu in Season 1 after signing with the Japan-based ballclub in 2021 just after his stint with Meralco, where he reached the PBA Governors Cup finals three times and adjudged thrice as Best Import.
But it was with the Golden Kings where Durham won a championship in 2023.
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