THE Davao Occidental Tigers are taking their act to the big leagues as they will be competing in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).
According to a report by Tiebreaker Times, the 2019–20 MPBL Lakan Cup champions obtained a franchise for the brand-new season of the regional league, which is set to tip off next month. The development means the Tigers are in for a busy start to the new year as they will also be competing in the brand-new league called the Pilipinas Super League, which will start on March 11.
With the team’s partnership with the San Miguel Corp. (SMC), the Tigers are looking to tap players who aren’t on the active rosters of the SMC-backed squads to bolster their campaign.
As it is, the Tigers feature a veteran crew led by the likes of John Wilson, Jerwin Gaco, Paolo Hubalde and Bonbon Custodio. They also have Cebuano guard Emman Calo, Robby Celiz, Billy Ray Robles, Keith Agovida, Joe Presbitero, Marco Balagtas, Gab Dagangon, Chris Lalata, Irven Palencia, Allan Santos and Joseph Terso.
The team is being coached by Arvin Bonleon.
The Philippines has always been an integral part of the ABL. Three Philippine franchises have captured championships in the league, namely the Philippine Patriots during the league’s very first season in 2009, the San Miguel Beermen in 2013, and the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in 2017.