Team Pilipinas to test Malaysians' mettle in SEABA opener

MANILA, Philippines – Malaysia gets the first crack against the powerhouse Powerade Team Pilipinas as the two countries open hostilities in the 8th South East Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) men’s championship in Medan, Indonesia next week. The two teams are set to clash at 5:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. Manila time) in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader on opening day. The formal opening ceremony precedes the match between the Filipinos and Malaysians, before host Indonesia and Singapore take to the floor in the 8:00 p.m. second game. SEABA secretary-general Dato Yeoh Choo Hock sent the revised schedule Wednesday following the abrupt withdrawal of Thailand in the June 6 to 9 meet that serves as qualifier to the FIBA-Asia men’s basketball championship in Taijian, China in August. Before Thailand, Laos was the first to pull out of the tournament, leaving the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia scrambling for the two slots reserved for the region. The following day (June 7), the PBA-backed nationals under coach Yeng Guiao take on the Indonesians in the 8:00 p.m. main game, shortly after the Singapore-Malaysia opening match. “Wala kaming pahinga dito," said Guiao of the three straight playing days for the team. In the absence of Thailand, Guiao pointed to Malaysia as the one team likely to give the Filipinos a good fight. “Although we’re not also counting out Indonesia because of its advantage as host country. Siyempre, andiyan `yung favorable ang schedule sa kanila, ‘yung comfort ng players nila playing in front of their homecrowd and other intangible factors," added the Filipino coach. The RP five ends its elimination round campaign against Singapore at 6:00 p.m. on June 8. Indonesia and Malaysia clash in the 8:00 p.m. main game. The championship game is set the next day (June 9) between the two teams with the best record after the preliminary round. – GMANews.TV