With the collegiate preseason tournament window winding down, four UAAP schools will take their training overseas.
Defending UAAP men’s basketball champion Ateneo de Manila University, who is still alive in the 2023 Pinoyliga Collegiate Cup, will head to Australia to face NBL1 teams.
They will then fly to Japan in August to compete in the 2023 World University Basketball Series.
“I’m happy. I want as tough a competition as we can get. We don’t know the caliber of the teams, but it seems on paper that the competition will be tougher,” said Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin.
“We are going there to win and gain experience for the UAAP season.”
Meanwhile, 2023 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup champ University of the Philippines will hold camp in Serbia next month.
“Yeah, actually we are going to Serbia, hopefully, we are planning this July,” said Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
The team will then fly to Korea to take on Korean Basketball League teams as they did last year.
“We are planning to go to Korea rin for some games day there, and training and ‘yung dalawa lang yun talaga in-expect namin na training,” he added.
Also planning to hold camp in Korea is National University. If all goes as planned, the Bulldogs will be there from August 1 to 13.
“Inaayos pa muna namin ayoko munang [i-disclose] pero inaayos namin, hopefully, tignan namin kung ano mangyari, pero kung hindi man baka mag out of town kami, kung ano man mangyari worst case scenario,” said Bulldogs head coach Jeff Napa.
Both UP and NU are still alive in the Collegiate Cup.
De La Salle University, on the other hand, will head to another East Asian power in Japan where they will figure in tuneups with B.League teams.
“Yeah, actually we have Japan next month, and we also have out-of-town games, I think it’s gonna be one in Davao, one in Bacolod or Iloilo before the season starts, so we have so much basketball to play,” said Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson.
“We’ll be leaving on the 16th until the end of the month, and then in August, that’s the Kadayawan in Davao, so we’ll be there also — I’m excited about that,” he added.
The Green Archers are in the midst of a three-game finals series in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup.
All four coaches are grateful to their respective schools and managers for allowing them to train abroad, as it will give them the opportunity to bond and grow together as a team.
“Same with management naman, ‘yung the support that they gave us ‘yung kumbaga dun kami naka align na alam namin na whatever we see now is just ngayon lang ‘to. So both management and coaching staff are looking forward kung ano pwede pa namin i-grow as a team,” said Monteverde.
“Sabi ko nga the more games we play, the more opportunity for us to learn, so we are all excited about it, it’s an experience that’s gonna bond us together and makes us solid and a united front,” expressed Robinson.
“Pero kung ano man mangyari, we should prepare looking forward na sa preparation coming to UAAP. Looking forward kami na makalaban lahat ‘yung mga malalakas na teams [next season],” shared Napa.
