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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Sports) |
After a long and tedious season that has been enjoyed by millions of
Filipino viewers and basketball fans, the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
is setting the stage for its upcoming third conference, the Lakandula Cup, which
is slated to begin on June 12, 2019 (Philippine Independence Day). And all that
is set for the new season is all ready to go if you ask the league's commissioner
Kenneth Durendes during the cup's recent press conference.
Since its inception in the summer of 2018 with only ten teams, the Maharlika
Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is considered as a platform for professional
basketball players who wish to return to the big leagues, unheralded collegiate
players who want to make waves, rising stars honing their own skills before the
next PBA draft and free agents living the dream of playing the game they love
before large crowds and a wide television audience. Yes, the league founded by eight-time
Filipino world boxing champion and Philippine senator Manny Pacquiao has opened
its doors to players of different backgrounds - from rising homegrown stars
such as Chris Bitoon and Aris Dionisio of Manila and Jhonard Clarito and Rian
Ayonayon of Davao Occidental to former PBA stars like Mac Cardona, Val Acuña
and Marlou Aquino. But, that's not all.
Throughout the course of the 2018-2019 MPBL Datu Cup, many of its games
were literally jampacked and eventually made sure that they are officiated fair
and square for the sake of transparency. One case in point was the Datu Cup Finals
last April between the San Juan Knights and Davao Occidental Tigers where the
ladder lost in their own home on Game 5 despite being up by seven points with
only two minutes left. Of course, credit to the league's transparency every gameday
goes out to its technical head and officials supervisor George Magsino.
Furthermore, the MPBL has been consistently drawing not only huge crowds in
arenas across the country, but also a wider nationwide television audience courtesy
of its broadcast partner ABS-CBN Sports. In fact, there are games that have
scored higher ratings than UAAP and NCAA games as well as FPJ's Ang Probinsyano
believe it or not.
Anyway, the MPBL Lakandula Cup has currently 28 teams on board with Mandaluyong
taking a leave of absence and Bicol, Nueva Ecija and Iloilo committed to join
as expansion franchises. The league will retain its roster restrictions where a
team should have at least three homegrown players, up to two Fil-foreigners
with one to play at a time and a limit of five ex-pros from the PBA or any
other professional league locally or internationally. Speaking of the PBA, the
MPBL Lakandula Cup will feature the debut of its former coaches Jong Uichico
and Bong Ramos calling the shots and pilot Bataan and Pampanga.
The league's new season will officially kick off with a doubleheader
taking place at the SM Mall of Asia Arena headlined by the Datu Cup Finals
rematch between the Datu Cup champions San Juan Knights and runners-up Davao
Occidental Tigers. The league is also planning to bring its games overseas and
it will initially be held on September 2019 in Dubai where it could feature an
all-star exhibition game between a Filipino team and one helmed by Sen.
Pacquiao and a game as requested by the Filipino community. Its second overseas
games taking place in Oman on October is slated to be pushing through as well.
