PBA eyes provincial games for single-round preseason tilt

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) plans to take its games back to the provinces once arrangements for its preseason tournament shortly after the conclusion of the 47th season are finalized.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said the league plans to stage the tournament which starts on May 15 within Luzon, but didn’t rule out the possibility of taking the exhibition series outside of the region.

“We want to bring the games outside of Metro Manila, particularly Sta. Rosa [Laguna], Batangas or Pampanga,” Marcial said in Filipino. “But if we want to bring the games outside of Luzon, we have to discuss it with TV5 because of the logistics.”

The league has not held out-of-town games since 2019, before the onset of the pandemic, but is set to stage next month’s All-Star festivities in Passi City, Iloilo.

The tournament will see teams being split into two groups using a single-round format that lasts until July 15. No championship, however, will be contested once the slate of games is completed.

Teams are allowed to field as many players as they want, including those considered as practice players in an attempt to help them get some taste of basketball action with the league in respite for six months due to the country’s hosting of the Fiba World Cup.

It could also be a chance for the league to test potential new rules which Marcial said could be discussed by a competition committee composed of about five coaches.

Among those being considered is the implementation of a challenge rule.