https://www.facebook.com/1757959694461767/posts/3105713363019720/
Yeng Guiao suggests PBA needs to make room for EASL participation
By Rey Joble
Getting a first-hand experience of high-level competition, NLEX Road Warriors general manager and head coach Yeng Guiao is suggesting to the PBA to make room for the teams’ participation
Guiao added that he had suggested to PBA commissioner Willie Marcial to create a gap in between conferences to accommodate the teams’ participation in the EASL.
“I've suggested to the Commissioner, that we identify tournaments like the EASL to try and fit them in our schedule. That's really an important factor. If we do the PBA schedule and there's really no gaps between conferences to participate, that's probably the most difficult obstacle to overcome in participating,” said Guiao.
Unlike before when teams across in the Asian region get invitation to compete, the new partnership between the PBA and the East Asia Basketball League will allow the country’s premier basketball league to select the top teams representing the Philippines in this club championship following EASL’s creation of its pan-regional event.
This new event is a home-and-away club tournament featuring top teams from the PBA, Japan B. League, Korean Basketball League (KBL), and Chinese Taipei P. LEAGUE+ along with a seeded, top Greater China team in Hong Kong SAR.
It means representatives from each leagues will be composed of the best of the best ball clubs from all over Asia.
"
Of course, there are 12 teams in the PBA and I feel, the best teams should go and participate. The best teams usually make the semifinals and the finals. Therefore, the PBA needs to provide that gap to the schedule where the best teams can go there. They can be appreciated and we can give the fans, especially the Filipino fans who want to see us give them a really good game,” added Guiao.
Matt Beyer, co-founder and chief executive officer of EASL, knows it’s going to be a lot more challenging working on the schedule of the PBA, owing to its unique three-conference set up, but they’re trying to work on every possible way to make their participation a reality.
“It really depends on the leagues in the countries. The PBA's structure in the three conferences means the fans are getting maximum numbers of games in a year. Much more than any other leagues in the country and that's a blessing being a PBA fan,” said Beyer.
"At the same time, scheduling is a challenge as well. What we've said in our conversations with the PBA, we would like the best possible teams, but we would also want participants who would like to use it as a platform and go against the best in the region. We would also have to consider all those logistics. I think over the past several years, I had been to the Philippines many times. We thought on getting to know the PBA and everything. We're flexible on this issue. We don't want to be pushy on which team will join or whatever.”
Just recently, the PBA and the EASL formalized their partnership in allowing Asia’s pionerring professional basketball league to take part in the pan-regional tournament beginning next year.
The EASL is bringing in the top eight teams from Asia to dispute the $1-million prize money get a chance to play against the best of the best club teams in the region playing under a home-and-away format (six games each), for a total of 24 games during the group stage set from October 2022 to February 2023, with two EASL group stage games taking place every Wednesday night.
The top two teams in the standings from each group advance to the Final Four and play in sudden death semifinals and championship matches in March 2023.
“We're looking to establish a regional championship where the best teams from around the Asian region, specifically greater China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines can play together in a setting that is integrated to their regular season, their own domestic leagues. Since 2017, since putting together our first tournament, the Super 8, then during three events after that, the last event being September 2019, the Terrific 12, we like to grow this fan base concept,” said Beyer.
