After 358 days, CJ Cansino is set to play his first organized game.
The captain of the Fighting Maroons is set to suit up on Saturday when University of the Philippines takes on Far Eastern University in the main event of the 2023 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup’s opening day.
Cansino missed the entirety of UAAP Season 85 after tearing his right ACL a year ago. He had surgery to repair the tear last July 4.
The 6-foot-2 all-around guard, who is grateful to Luis De Mesa for helping him in his recovery, is expected to see limited minutes for the Fighting Maroons, who will have assistant coaches Tom Chua and Christian Luanzon call the shots for the game.
UP will also parade new boys Luis Pablo, Francis Lopez, and Seven Gagate in the game while FEU will also play JR Pasaol.
College of Saint Benilde, meanwhile, takes on San Sebastian College-Recoletos at 2:00 p.m.
Reigning NCAA MVP Will Gozum will miss the game due to his commitment with MPBL team Quezon.
Mapua and Perpetual kick off the quadruple-header of this tournament sponsored by Filoil, EcoOil, Hanes, Akari, Reyes BBQ, BDO, Gameville, Kalos Sportswear, and Molten at 10 a.m., followed by the clash between Adamson and St. Clare College of Caloocan at 12 p.m. to tip off the 16th staging of the event.
Twenty teams will participate in the preliminary round of the premier preseason league with all 10 NCAA teams bracketed in Group 1, while seven of the eight UAAP teams belong in Group 2 alongside St. Clare, Centro Escolar University, and Faith Colleges.
The top three teams will gain an outright quarterfinal berth, while the fourth-ranked teams from each group will have to go through a play-in game against the Southern Luzon champion Guang Ming College and the Escandor Cup champion Jose Maria College Foundation from Davao. This will determine the final eight for the knockout rounds, culminating in the championship game on June 21.
Aside from the tournament proper, the Hanes 1-on-1 King of the Hardcourt tourney is also back. Last year, Arellano’s Niel Tolentino ruled the halfcourt to reign supreme over his peers.
