Ateneo de Manila University has made it final that it won’t be participating in the 2022 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup.
A day after the Blue Eagles and the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers were approved by the league to join in as late entrants to the tournament that begins on July 23, the team’s brass informed them that they cannot field a complete team.
Only eight student-athletes are training so far with the team while the likes of Dave Ildefonso and Angelo Kouame are nursing injuries.
Moreover, scheduling conflict was the other reason cited by the team. The Blue Eagles are set to compete in the World University Basketball Series presented by Sun Chlorella which will be held from August 9-11, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan.
Filoil Ecooil has also rejigged the groupings for the country’s premier preseason tournament for collegiate basketball.
Group A will now have an all-NCAA cast, namely Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Mapua University, College of Saint Benilde, University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, Arellano University, Emilio Aguinaldo College, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, Lyceum of the Philippines University, and Jose Rizal University.
San Beda University, meanwhile, will take the slot left by Ateneo in Pool B.
Also composing Pool B are University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, Adamson University, National University, University of the East, and UST.
The elimination round of the tournament will be from July 23-August 21.
The quarterfinals are set on August 23, the semis on the 25th, and the final on the 27th.
