TWO PBA teams are slated to get a taste of international flavor of competition when they see action in the 2024-2025 season of the East Asia Super League (EASL), which opens on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Here’s a rundown on the PBA’s participation in the international regional league.
Which PBA teams participating?
San Miguel and Meralco are competing in the EASL by virtue of their performance in the 2023-24 PBA season, where the Beermen won the Commissioner’s Cup and the Bolts the Philippine Cup. The Beermen return to the EASL after seeing action in the Champions Week in 2023 in Japan where they went winless and lost by an average of 41.5 points.
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The Bolts are competing in the EASL for the second straight time, and out to improve on their 1-5 win-loss record last season.
How PBA teams have fared in the EASL
Overall, PBA teams haven’t enjoyed much success in the EASL, collecting a total win-loss record of 9-25, dating back to 2018. This season could change as San Miguel and Meralco have been finding ways to make the team competitive this time.
SMB, Meralco shift focus to EASL in the middle of the PBA season
San Miguel will be playing in the EASL while also in the middle of their PBA Governors’ Cup campaign. The Beermen are still battling Converge in the quarterfinals, fresh from a 114-112 defeat to the FiberXers in Game Three where they squandered a 27-point lead with Alec Stockton burying a buzzer-beater.
The Bolts, on the other hand, are just two days removed from a sweep of Barangay Ginebra in the Governors’ Cup quarterfinals, and will have to shift focus to the EASL immediately after the stinging setback.
Gilas players get taste of international club basketball
Eight-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo gets to show his wares in an international setting once again as he returns the EASL. His first stint in the league was short-lived after he sustained an injury in the first game.
Fajardo’s fellow Gilas Pilipinas mainstays Chris Newsome of Meralco, who won the Finals MVP in the Philippine Cup, and CJ Perez of San Miguel will also be looking to guide their respective teams to wins in the EASL.
Who are the imports of the PBA teams?
San Miguel will be playing in the EASL with its PBA import EJ Anosike, and will be joined by Quincy Miller, no stranger to the regional league having been the reinforcement of TNT last season. Miller once played for Converge in the 2022 Commissioner’s Cup.
Allen Durham will continue to play for Meralco in the EASL after the PBA Governors’ Cup. Durham is nothing new to the EASL, having suited up for Japan B.League side Ryukyu Golden Kings last season. He will be joined by DJ Kennedy, a former teammate of Justin Brownlee with St. John’s in the NCAA Division 1.
Meralco signs up naturalized player
Determined to field a competitive roster, Meralco has signed Ange Kouame for the naturalized player spot that EASL allows for each teams. The 6-foot-11 Kouame has been playing for Gilas since being naturalized last June 2021, and was even part of the national team that bagged the gold medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.
Who are they playing against?
San Miguel is part of Group A where they will see action against Japan B.League champion Hiroshima Dragonflies, Korean Basketball League runner-up Suwon KT Sonicboom, Taiwan’s P.League+ runner-up Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, and Hong Kong Eastern.
Meralco is bracketed in Group B with Korean Basketball League champion Busan KCC Egis, Japan B.League runner-up Ryukyu Golden Kings, P.League+ champion New Taipei Kings, and Macau Black Bears.
The top two teams in each group will play in a crossover semifinals on March 7. The losers will play in the battle for third, while the winners will battle for the championship on March 9.
Schedule
San Miguel
October 2 – Suwon KT Sonicboom (Mall of Asia Arena)
November 13 – Taoyuan Pauian Pilots (Philsports Arena)
December 18 – Hong Kong Eastern (TBD)
January 8 – Hiroshima Dragonfiles (Hiroshima Sun Plaza)
January 15 – Hong Kong Eastern (Philsports Arena)
February 12 – Suwon KT Sonicboom (Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena)
Meralco
October 2 – Macau Black Bears (Mall of Asia Arena)
October 16 – Ryukyu Golden Kings (Okinawa Arena)
November 13 – Busan KCC Egis (Philsports Arena)
December 18 – Busan KCC Egis (Busan Sajik Gymnasium)
January 22 – Ryukyu Golden Kings (Philsports Arena)
February 12 – New Taipei Kings (University of Taipei, Tian-Mu Campus Gymnasium)
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