MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Beer will take a brief breather from its PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinal series as the Beermen, along with the Meralco Bolts make their keenly awaited debut in the East Asia Super League (EASL) home-and-away Season 2 on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Beermen, who will have EJ Anosike and Quincy Miller serving as foreign reinforcements, test the mettle of last season’s Korean Basketball League runners-up Suwon KT Sonicboom starting at 6:10 p.m.
The main game at 8:10 p.m. will feature the Bolts tangling with the Macau Black Bears, one of two expansion squads of the EASL this season.
San Miguel is returning to the EASL since it last saw action in the 2022-23 season. The Beermen failed to get past the eliminations of the Champions Week in 2023, losing star center June Mar Fajardo to a knee injury during their debut game and eventually, ending winless in their two-game assignment in the group stage.
But entering EASL’s home-and-away Season 2, San Miguel Beer looks poised to make a strong showing.
The Beermen are sharp at this stage, bringing along with them the playoff mindset since they are still playing the Converge FiberXers in the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
Plus, Miller is no longer new in the EASL, having reinforced TNT last season. In fact, during last season’s EASL, the 38th overall pick of the Denver Nuggets in the 2012 NBA Draft, averaged 28.3 points and 9.5 rebounds.
While Miller and Anosike are expected to provide solid inside presence, Fajardo is also healthy and would be the team’s top local anchor, along with veteran gunners like Marcio Lassiter and wingman CJ Perez.
The Sonicboom will have team skipper Heo Han leading the way, along with foreign import Rashaun Hammonds, a veteran internationalist, who has played in pro leagues in Puerto Rico, Latvia, Germany and Russia.
As for the Bolts, who just last Monday, suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in their quarterfinal series, the season-opening game will see a motivated Meralco side out to put on a strong show.
San Miguel is bracketed at Group A alongside Japan B.League’s champions Hiroshima Dragonflies,
P. LEAGUE+ runner-up Taiyuan Pauian Pilots, Sonicboom and Hong Kong Eastern.
Meralco, meanwhile is in Group B with Japanese league runners-up Hiroshima Dragonflies, Korean club Korean Busan KCC Egis, New Taipei Kings of P.LEAGUE+ and Macau Black Bears.
