Bay Area Dragons set for Ginebra rematch in EASL, to rejoin PBA
MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra has not seen the last of the Bay Area Dragons since they duked it out for a PBA championship.
The Dragons will host the Gin Kings in Hong Kong as they got bunched in Group B for the second season of the East Asia Super League (EASL), a home-and-away tournament that will run from October to March next year.
Ginebra, together with the TNT Tropang Giga, qualified for the EASL by reaching the finals of the last Governors’ Cup.
Other teams in Group B include reigning Japan B. League champion Ryukyu Golden Kings and Korean Basketball League (KBL) runner-up Seoul SK Knights.
TNT, meanwhile, will duke it out in Group A with B. League side Chiba Jets, KBL titlist Anyang KGC, and P. League+ club Taipei Fubon Braves.
Bay Area seeks redemption against the Gin Kings after it fell short of becoming the first foreign team to win a PBA crown in over four decades.
Led by former NBA players Andrew Nicholson and Myles Powell, the Dragons dragged Ginebra to a do-or-die Game 7 in the Commissioner’s Cup finals but failed to get the job done and got blown out in the decider by 15 points.
Bay Area, though, will get another crack at a PBA title as it joins the Commissioner’s Cup for the 2023-2024 season, with the team playing some of its games in Hong Kong.
“The PBA is very excited about adding in a Hong Kong element to our upcoming Commissioner’s Cup and we look forward to the Bay Area Dragons team rejoining the PBA,” said league commissioner Willie Marcial.
Familiar faces will return for the Dragons, including Australia Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian, who will call the shots for Bay Area anew.
Holdovers include Zhu Songwei, Liu Chuanxing, Glen Yang, and Duncan Reid. – Rappler.com