REPRESENTATIVES of the competing teams in the East Asia Super League (EASL) Final Four expressed their excitement about competing for tickets to the winner-take-all finals in the semifinals on Friday at the Hoopsdome in Lapu-Lapu City.
The semifinals will kick off at 5 p.m. with a clash between the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters and the Seoul SK Knights. This will be followed by a tiff between the Chiba Jets and the New Taipei Kings at 8 p.m.
Former Gilas standout, Rhenz Abando, who plays for Anyang, said he’s grateful for the chance to not only represent his team, the Red Boosters, but also showcase his talents in front of his fellow Filipinos. Abando just returned to the floor after suffering a back injury from a harrowing fall in a game against Goyang Sono in the Korean Basketball League.
“Siyempre, happy ako na may chance ako ulit na i-represent yung team ko sa Korea and siyempre, i-represent din yung Pilipinas. Sobrang excited din ako na sa Cebu gaganapin ang Final Four,” Abando said in the press conference held at the Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu.
Meanwhile, Jae Hyun said he and the Knights’ confidence is high heading to the Final Four.
“We know each other very well, and we’re very confident. And also, personally my game is going really well at this moment too, so like my confidence is going well also. So, I think we’re going to have a higher expectation on this final,” Jae Hyun said.
Lin, the brother of former NBA star Jeremy Lin, said this is his first time to Cebu and he’s excited to experience the rich basketball culture.
“Well, actually, I’ve never been to Cebu before, but it’s just cool because the Philippines have such a rich basketball culture so these games will definitely be filled with a lot of energy so definitely excited for that,” Lin shared.
Henry Kerins, the EASL’s co-founder and CEO, said he and the rest of the organization are excited to see the games unfold in the days to come.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we couldn’t be more excited about the the competitions in the days ahead. It is really really a historic moment for Asian basketball. We believe that in 10, 20, 30 years, basketball fans across Asia will still be talking about who won the East Asia Super League here in Cebu,” Kerins remarked. / JNP