PH teams give ABL a miss

MANILA, Philippines — There won’t be a defending champion when the fifth season of the Asean Basketball League (ABL) fires off on July 16 after San Miguel Beer decided to skip the tournament this time.

After failing to lure several Philippine clubs, the fledgling regional tournament decided to get going with just six squads led by last season’s runner-up Indonesia Warriors.

“Although the league is disappointed not to have a representative from the Philippines this year, we feel the competitiveness of the competition will be at its highest level ever,” ABL chief operating officer Ridi Djajakusuma said in a statement released Tuesday.

“All the teams participating this season are committed and determined to help develop the league and the region’s local players.”

San Miguel Beer, bannered by Chris Banchero and Asi Taulava, brought the championship back to the Philippines last year after the inaugural title romp of the Air Asia Philippine Patriots in 2010. The Beermen begged off this season, a year after the Patriots also opted out of the event.

The ABL reportedly tried to lure PBA D-League teams Blackwater Sports and Cebuana Lhuillier but the talks bogged down. The league still expects to parade several Filipino players as imports.

“[This] season will still have a Filipino presence,” the statement said.

Rounding out this season’s teams are Westports Malaysia Dragons, JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers, Vietnam’s Saigon Heat and newcomers Laskar Hang Tuah Dreya of Indonesia and Thailand’s HiTech Bangkok City.