San Miguel, TNT banner EASL opening night on October 12

Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter and June Mar Fajardo celebrate another championship together after San Miguel beat TNT in Game 7 of the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup Finals. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines — Five-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo and the San Miguel Beermen take on Korean Basketball League’s Anyang KGC, led by Rhenz Abando, in the opener of the 2022-23 East Asia Super League (EASL) on October 12 in Seoul, Korea.

After ending the Beermen’s three-year Philippine Cup title drought  by beating TNT Tropang Giga in Game 7, San Miguel head coach Leo Austria and his wards, bannered by Finals MVP Fajardo, CJ Perez, Chris Ross, and Marcio Lassiter, earned a berth in EASL’s Group A, which is also composed of Taipei Fubon Braves and Japan’s Ryukyu Golden Kings.

The Beermen will parade import Thomas Robinson as they visit the runner-up of the KBL, which signed Letran standout and NCAA Rookie-MVP Abando as an import.

TNT is hosting the Bay Area Dragons in Manila on October 12.

Tropang Giga head coach Chot Reyes, who also calls the shots for Gilas Pilipinas, is fielding import Cameron Oliver with Jayson Castro, Mikey Williams, and RR Pogoy against the Dragons, coached by Brian Goorjian, who will also play in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup as a guest team.

TNT and Bay Area are slated in Group B with Japan B.League champion Utsonomiya Brex and KBL title holder Seoul SK Knights.

“We welcome San Miguel and TNT. We know from EASL’s previous event just how good these teams are, and we can’t wait to match up with them again and travel to Manila,” said Seoul SK Knights star Kim Sun Hyung.

Meanwhile, San Miguel will face its former player Jay Washington, who signed as an import for Ryukyu, on November 2.

The 40-year-old Washington played five seasons with the Beermen, where he won two championships and two Best Player of the Conference award. He also played for the other PBA team in the EASL, TNT, where he won a pair of titles including last year’s 2021 Philippine Cup before he got traded to Blackwater.