For Matt Beyer, the more, the merrier.
The Asia League CEO disclosed his goal of having three teams from the Philippine Basketball Association in their tournaments such as the Summer Super 8 and The Terrific 12, which are all held in Macau.
That idea had been proposed by Blackwater Elite owner Dioceldo Sy, who took the cudgels of bringing a Philippine team to the Terrific 12 by forming the iECO Green Warriors, who are bannered by PBA D-League champs Go for Gold Scratchers.
iECO, a team formed less than two weeks prior to the event, failed to get past the group stage as they lost both of their assignments – against the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and eventual champions Ryukyu Golden Kings – in the group stage.
“I think it’s great. I would love it. The more the better,” said Beyer, who has long been in the Asian basketball circuit.
“There’s thirty-five thousand Filipinos living in Macau. It definitely would help our fans, and also it adds more competition to it.”
The last time PBA teams took part in the Asia League was in the Super 8 last July, when Blackwater and the NLEX Road Warriors accepted the invitation and used the tourney as part of their prep for the 2018 Governors’ Cup.
Both teams impressed in the summer showpiece, but it was the Road Warriors who had a legitimate chance T making it into the championship match. The Yeng Guiao-mentored team lost to the Guangzhou Long Lions in the semis.
Not discounting the other PBA ball clubs, Beyer made it known that he is determined to bring in the bigger and more storied teams to their tilts – teams coming from the San Miguel Corp. and the MVP groups.
“I want Philippine teams more than anything else, to be honest with you. We want RSA (Ramon S. Ang, SMC boss), we want MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan), we want these guys to think that this is important,” said Beyer.
“Whatever we can do to make them feel that way, I would love to do that.”
