La Salle-EcoOil, the reigning champions of the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup, is gearing up for the new PBA D-League season under the guidance of their new head coach Topex Robinson.
The Green Archers will begin its campaign for a back-to-back title on April 27 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The former Phoenix Super LPG head coach was appointed as the new coach of the Green Archers just four months ago.
Last year, under the mentorship of Derrick Pumaren, La Salle emerged victorious in the Aspirants’ Cup, which marked the D-League’s return from a long hiatus due to the pandemic.
However, the team will face a tough challenge this time around, as they are up against a strong field that includes Wangs-Letran, the three-peat NCAA champions.
The other teams in the tournament are AMA Online Education, Centro Escolar University-Cafe France, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, St. Clare-Adalem Construction, and new squad Philippine Sports Performance Fitness Gym.
Completing the cast is San Beda-Marinerong Pilipino as all teams met with league officials on Thursday at the PBA Office in Libis, Quezon City.
Representatives from all eight teams attended the coaches’ meeting on Tuesday at the PBA Office in Quezon City to finalize the arrangements for the tournament.
Marinero, led by Conference MVP Juan Gomez de De Liamo, finished second behind La Salle in last year’s tournament after a close finals series that ended 1-2.
The eight teams will face off in a single-round robin elimination round, with the top two teams earning outright tickets to the semifinals. The third to sixth-ranked squads will qualify for the quarterfinals, with the third and fourth-seeded teams enjoying twice-to-beat incentives.
The semifinals will be a battle between the survivors of the quarterfinals, with the winners facing off in a best-of-three finale to determine the champion.
