Bay Area Dragons coach Brian Goorjian: No doubt PH teams can win in EASL. –PBA IMAGES
LAPU-LAPU CITY—Brian Goorjian has always considered his time almost coaching the Bay Area Dragons to a Philippine Basketball Association championship as a memorable experience.
And the decorated coach of the Australia national team is a firm believer that any of the premier PBA teams can compete against the top teams in the East Asia Super League (EASL).
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Goorjian said Saturday in this city, taking part in one of the EASL’s outreach activities with a basketball clinic for kids inside Hoops Dome. “The Philippine teams can come here and win.”
READ: PBA teams continue EASL slump with TNT loss to Abando, Anyang
The PBA was the only one among the EASL’s four member leagues that didn’t have a team in the Final Four which culminates Sunday with the Chiba Jets of Japan’s B.League taking on the Seoul SK Knights of the Korean Basketball League for the EASL title and $1 million top purse.
Anyang Jung Kwan Jang, another Korean club powered by Filipino import Rhenz Abando, and the New Taipei Kings of Taiwan’s P+League will meet in the other game for third place.
PBA teams struggled in the EASL’s first attempt at a home-and-away format, with TNT and Meralco posting one victory each during group play. They also had to each sign one additional import almost-exclusively for EASL play as the PBA only allowed one import in the Commissioner’s Cup.
READ: Rhenz Abando, Anyang fall to Seoul SK in EASL Final Four
EASL boss Henry Kerins acknowledged the challenges the PBA faces and looks to address those.
“The PBA does have different conferences and essentially plays 11 months in the year,” Kerins told during a roundtable interview with reporters on the eve of the finale. “… I think a lot of the issues were with us instead of the PBA.
“It just happened that TNT and Meralco had injuries too. If they have a fully-stacked team and are healthy, including the imports, I think you would see a very different outcome,” added Kerins.
There’s no word yet on which PBA teams will see action in the 2024-25 season.
The B.League, KBL and P+League are expected to once again send the finalists of their respective leagues next season. And if that follows for the PBA, then Commissioner’s Cup champion San Miguel Beer is an automatic inclusion.
“If the PBA teams like Ginebra or San Miguel show up, I guarantee you that there would be no problem for them competing,” Kerins said. INQ