2nd ABL season 2010-2011

[sixfeetunder]

any news about the Philippine Patriots lineup

[mayfel]

Singapore's First Pro Basketball Coach - Aug 12, 2010 (by Hector Santos)
SINGAPORE - He played basketball for his country in five SEA Games, starting in 1989.

He was named captain of the team in 1993. He retired from the game in 1999. But Neo Beng Siang's love affair with basketball did not end there.

He coached club side Home United and teams from the national universities and after much success, he was named coach of the Singapore basketball team in 2003.

On Wednesday, Neo became the first Singaporean to lead a professional basketball club, when he penned a season-long contract to coach the Singapore Slingers.

Said Neo: 'After 10 years of coaching, it's a dream come true for me to helm a professional team for the very first time.

'The hard work has paid off and I intend to use this golden opportunity to prove my worth.'

Neo has been with the Slingers since 2006, assisting Australian head coaches Gordon McLeod and Frank Arsego, respectively.

Following the departure of Arsego in March, Neo came into the frame. He was offered the job two weeks ago and after careful deliberation over the last fortnight - wife Serene and his three daughters were involved - he decided to take the plunge.

Said Slingers' general manager Michael Johnson: 'Neo's perfect for the job. He's a consummate professional. Always wanting to learn, passionate, enthusiastic and I love his work ethic.'

Neo is grateful that both the Slingers and the Singapore Basketball Association have agreed to allow him to continue as national coach.

'Neo's well-liked by players all round and he's highly regarded as a 'people' person,' added Johnson. He's a student of the game and this appointment is long overdue.

'At least now we can say we have a Slingers team comprising several local players and coached by a Singaporean.'

The Slingers reached the playoffs of the six-team inaugural Asean Basketball League, but were knocked out in the semi-finals in late February.

The new season gets underway in October and Neo has been set a target to reach the same stage.

While he refused to talk about his roster, it is believed the Slingers will re-sign two foreign imports from last season.

American centre Kyle Jeffers, 25, who averaged 16 points per game, is on the verge of returning and should be joined by the speedy Filipino point guard, Al Vergara.

'Both players did extremely well last season and if it wasn't for key injuries, we could have gone on to feature in the Finals,' Neo said.

The Slingers will look for one other American and possibly another Filipino to complete their quota of four foreigners.

As for the local players, negotiations are still ongoing to retain the bulk of last season's group.

Neo's immediate task is to prepare the Slingers for next month's Challenge series at the Singapore Indoor Stadium - a four-game friendly in collaboration with the Philippines Basketball Association

http://www.asia-basket.com/Singapore/basketball.asp?NewsID=200069

[Hardy]

Any update from satria muda britama??

[rocketstar47]

Update for the Philippine PATRIOTS!!!

[d_viper]

Philippine Patriots seek back-to-back titles
8/24/2010 | ABL | 0 comments »

source: Jonas Terrado | mb.com.ph

The Philippine Patriots won the inaugural championship of the ASEAN Basketball League. Now the Patriots want to become the first back-to-back champions of the first-ever regional cage competition when it fires off on October 2 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Co-owned by Harbour Centre boss Mikee Romero and businessman Tony Boy Cojuangco, the Patriots are determined to form another championship team to ensure the country’s firm grip as the region’s premier basketball nation.

“For winning the inaugural championship, I’m sure our rivals will be preparing hard in order to stop us,” Romero said. “But we will also prepare since our legacy and pride is at stake in the tournament.”

Behind imports Jason Dixon and Gabe Freeman, along with ex-UAAP stars Nonoy Baclao, Elmer Espiritu and Val Acuna, Rob Wainwright and guard Warren Ybañez, the Patriots steamrolled to a three-game sweep of Indonesia's Satria Muda BritAma to rule the league's inaugural season last February.

Though most of the players from that champion squad won't be around, Arejola promise to field a competitive team in hopes of retaining the unofficial tag as the "Kings of Southeast Asian basketball."

“It’s our keen desire to keep the championship and we will be doing everything to form a highly competitive team,” said Cojuangco.

Even ABL founder Tony Fernandes seems to be convinced of the Filipino's invincibility.

“Now all teams are plotting against the Philippines, that's the goal. It's (Philippines) like the Manchester United in football,'' said Fernandes during Monday's press launch held in Jakarta. "But good luck trying, it's going to be tough.''

Team manager Erick Arejola and Harbour Centre COO for administration Edwin Jeremillo and Maan Hontiveros, represented Romero and Cojuangco, respectively, in that said press launch and they promised to finalize their roster by next month.

The Thailand Cobras, known last season as the Tigers, take on the KL Dragons in the season opener while other participating teams include BritAma, the Brunei Barracudas and the Singapore Slingers.

[all_about]

RP Patriots favored anew in ABL Season 2

THE second season of the Asean Basketball League is set to start on Oct. 2 in Thailand, with the Philippine Patriots, the defending champions, tagged as the team to beat anew.

Powered by imports Jason Dixon, Gabe Freeman, Elmer Espiritu, Ateneo’s Nonoy Baclao, Val Acuna and Rob Wainwright, the Patriots ran roughshod over Satria Muda Britama of Indonesia to complete a 3-0 sweep in the finals early this year to rule the maiden season of the ABL.

Patriots co-owners Mikee Romero of Harbour Centre and business magnate Tony Boy Cojuangco promised a stronger Patriots team this time, aware that everybody will gang up on them.

"I’m sure our rivals will be preparing hard in order to stop us," said Romero, who is gunning for his fourth international crown as a team owner. "But we will prepare hard since our legacy and pride is at stake."

Romero’s Harbour Centre franchise in the Philippine Basketball League won seventh straight championships before taking a leave of absence.

"It’s our keen desire to keep the championship and we will be doing everything to form a highly competitive team," said Cojuangco.

Even league founder Dato Sri Tony Fernandes of Malaysia believes the Patriots are still the team to beat.

"Now all teams are plotting against the Philippines; that’s the goal. It’s (Philippines) like the Manchester United in football,’’ said Fernandes during the press launch last Monday in Jakarta. "But good luck trying, it’s going to be tough.’’

Erick Arejola, who stood in for Romero and Cojuangco during the launch along with Harbour Center COO for administration Edwin Jeremillo, said the Patriots will start preparing next month.

The Thailand Cobras, previously known as Tigers, will be bannered mostly by their national team honing up for the Asian Games.

"There are lots of interest and the aim of the league is to one day have 12 teams," said Fernandes.

The first game of the season will feature the Cobras against the KL Dragons in Bangkok.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/08252010/sports6.html

[dxjayrock2008]

RP Patriots favored anew in ABL Season 2

THE second season of the Asean Basketball League is set to start on Oct. 2 in Thailand, with the Philippine Patriots, the defending champions, tagged as the team to beat anew.

Powered by imports Jason Dixon, Gabe Freeman, Elmer Espiritu, Ateneo’s Nonoy Baclao, Val Acuna and Rob Wainwright, the Patriots ran roughshod over Satria Muda Britama of Indonesia to complete a 3-0 sweep in the finals early this year to rule the maiden season of the ABL.

Patriots co-owners Mikee Romero of Harbour Centre and business magnate Tony Boy Cojuangco promised a stronger Patriots team this time, aware that everybody will gang up on them.

"I’m sure our rivals will be preparing hard in order to stop us," said Romero, who is gunning for his fourth international crown as a team owner. "But we will prepare hard since our legacy and pride is at stake."

Romero’s Harbour Centre franchise in the Philippine Basketball League won seventh straight championships before taking a leave of absence.

"It’s our keen desire to keep the championship and we will be doing everything to form a highly competitive team," said Cojuangco.

Even league founder Dato Sri Tony Fernandes of Malaysia believes the Patriots are still the team to beat.

"Now all teams are plotting against the Philippines; that’s the goal. It’s (Philippines) like the Manchester United in football,’’ said Fernandes during the press launch last Monday in Jakarta. "But good luck trying, it’s going to be tough.’’

Erick Arejola, who stood in for Romero and Cojuangco during the launch along with Harbour Center COO for administration Edwin Jeremillo, said the Patriots will start preparing next month.

The Thailand Cobras, previously known as Tigers, will be bannered mostly by their national team honing up for the Asian Games.

"There are lots of interest and the aim of the league is to one day have 12 teams," said Fernandes.

The first game of the season will feature the Cobras against the KL Dragons in Bangkok.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/08252010/sports6.html

Go Patriots!

[all_about]

go patriots!

let's win the championship again!

[TrueBluePinoy]

ABL NEWS | Thursday, September 02, 2010

AirAsia is Title Sponsor for ABL’s 2010 / 2011 Season

Thursday, September 02, 2010, Kuala Lumpur – AirAsia announced today that the airline is the new title sponsor for the ASEAN Basketball League’s (ABL) 2010 / 2011 season. The eagerly anticipated second season of ABL is set to start on 2 October 2010 and playoffs to begin in February 2011.



AirAsia’s partnership with the ABL will definitely add vigour to the sport by sharing its passionate, successful and innovative traits. As an instantly recognizable brand -- especially in the ASEAN region -- and with a vast following, The AirAsia ABL is set to be a potent combination and hopefully generate further interest from fans of the sport across the region and beyond.

This is not the first time for AirAsia to be a part of the ABL. The airline was the official carrier for the ABL’s 2009 / 2010 season, flying participating teams and fans to competition venues around the ASEAN region.

AirAsia Group CEO Dato’ Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes said, “We are very excited for the new season to arrive and proud to be back in the ABL with a bigger role by being the title sponsor for the 2010 / 2011 season. As an ASEAN airline, it is our obligation to help develop the standard and quality of sports in the region. The region has a lot of untapped young talents but limited opportunities are available for them to progress further in their respective fields.

“When given the opportunity to be the title sponsor, we seized it immediately as we believe we can positively contribute to the development of the sport and provide the platform for ASEAN youths to shine. Together with our other initiatives in the region, the AirAsia ABL seemed the perfect fit. It is indeed our dream to see ASEAN as a powerhouse not only in sports but other important fields as well in the near future. We will continue to do our part to make this dream a reality,” Fernandes said.

The ASEAN Basketball League announced the official launch of its second season in Jakarta on 23 August 2010, with the new campaign to tip off with six teams with a new participant, Thailand Cobras, replacing last season’s Thailand Tigers.

The league format will kick off on 2 October this year with matches being played in Thailand, Singapore and Philippines. The playoff Finals are scheduled to begin in February. The format will be maintained from last season which will be in the form of triple home and away for the league stages with a best of 3 series for the play offs including the finals.

CEO of ASEAN Basketball League Kuhan Foo said, “AirAsia’s has always shared the ABL’s drive to make a positive change in ASEAN sports development. This synergy in a shared dream to unite South East Asia through sports is a passion that both AirAsia and the ABL stand united on. There are currently some programs that we will be introducing in the near future that will bring this dream closer to the masses in the months to come.”

The ABL continues to push the boundaries of developing the sport of basketball in the region with many precedents set in the previous season. Many of the best national players in South East Asia were given a minimum 4 and half months of very high level competition last season compared to many national leagues in South East Asia which run for one month on average.

Besides the ASEAN Basketball League, AirAsia is also dynamically supporting other sports as well. The airline, together with Sepang International Circuit (SIC), is currently sponsoring an ASEAN rider to compete in this year’s MotoGP World Championship. Malaysian Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin is racing under Team AirAsia – SIC colours in the 125cc class of the world championship, and doing well in his first season with 3 championship points under his belt.

Additionally, the AirAsia Asean Driver Development initiative, launched earlier in the year has gone from strength to strength by providing a fantastic platform for the two drivers Nabil Jeffri (Malaysia) and Daim Hishamuddin (Singapore) to progress in their field of Motorsports.

http://www.aseanbasketballleague.com...tc2G5B%2FyhGlw

[b3lowzro]

what? Tony Fernandes got also a doctorate??? must be following Dr. Mikee Romero's foot steps

[ultimate_baller24]

let's win the championship again!

The Barracudas' roster so far according to Asia-Basket:

Coach Ozell Wells

C Kenny Boyd
C Lonnie Jones(well come back.)
F Celedon Camaso
F Esmond Tan
G Francis Adriano
G Kevin White

other news:

Pilgrim back in ABL
Mike Pilgrim (R) in action for the Barracudas in the ABL last season. The American is set to resume his ABL adventure. Picture: BT
Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 4, 2010
COULD Mike Pilgrim be making his way back to the Asean Basketball League (ABL)?

The Ohio native wrote on his facebook yesterday: "Well it looks like God has given me my new home ... Sept 15 ya boy is on his way back to Asia ... Let's get it family."

The 25-year-old American might very well be heading to Satria Muda BritAma since the Indonesian team's logo was among Pilgrim's profile pictures.

But nothing has been made official yet.

"Well, it's not official yet. I will be signing the contract next week ... but I am happy to be able to play in front of my Brunei fans once again and at the same time get to know the people in Jakarta," said Pilgrim, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"We will have a great team. It's a great opportunity to build on what the team had accomplished last year and to take it one step higher. I'm very excited to be able to play at the BritAma Arena because they have great fan support there," added the ex-Brunei Barracudas player."But I will always miss my fans in Brunei and I hope to be able to see you guys soon," continued Pilgrim.

The 6ft 9in American, who used to play for Brunei's first professional basketball team, averaged 16.5 points and eight rebounds per game in his 14-game stint with the Barracudas.He scored his career-high of 20 points against the Philippine Patriots on Dec 13 and then proudly described the win as a "mother of all victories".

However, Pilgrim was axed by the Barracudas on Jan 21, the Brunei side citing disciplinary issues for his dismissal.

Nadzaty Azma Azeez, the owner of the Barracudas, also revealed on Thursday that the local players of the team had already started training under their assistant coach for the 2010/2011 ABL season.

But 'interesting' questions remain unanswered for the fans and supporters. Who will be the next head coach? (After Coach Bong Ramos of the Philippines said that he would not be back for a second year)

Who will the imports be? Will it be a completely revamped line up?
Reggie Larry has signed with Barcelona and will not return to don the blue jersey while Filipino import Leo Avenido will lace up for the Singapore Slingers in the sophomore season.

The new season tips off on Oct 2.The Brunei Times

[CKR13]

Brunei Barracudas sign 3 Filipino Players:

G Chester Tolomia
F Bryan Faundo
G Kevin White

from asia-basket http://www.asia-basket.com/Philippin...?NewsID=202770

[CKR13]

I'm interested to see Jamal Holden play for Satria Muda Britama.

[CKR13]

Round 1 Fixtures

ABL 2010-2011 Round 1 Matches

Oct. 2 2010

Thailand Cobras vs KL Dragons @ Nimibutr National Stadium

Oct. 3 2010

Game 1: Singapore Slingers vs Satria Muda Britama @ Singapore Indoor Stadium

Game 2: Philippine Patriots vs Brunei Barracudas @Ynares Sports Center

[sinobball]

KL Dragons and Thailand NT (Cobras) are in Hong Kong for a mini-tournament also featuring the HK NT and Dongguan Leopards (CBA).