D-League Starts On March 12 With Maynilad-San Beda To Open The Games

The PBA Developmental League, or D-League, is slated to reel off at the Arena in San Juan on March 12 with two games on tap in the inaugural bill. Admission is free. The first game is tentatively scheduled to start at 12 noon. The second contest will pit coach Lawrence Chongson’s Cobra Energy Drink Ironmen against coach Frankie Lim’s Maynilad-San Beda Water Dragons.

As an added attraction, San Miguel Beer will play Smart Gilas in a regular Commissioner’s Cup match at 6 p.m. that night in the same venue.

The D-League’s initial cast lists 13 teams – Agri Nurture-FCA Cultivators (coach Arsenio Dysangco), Café France (coach Mon Jose), Cobra Energy Drink (Chongson), Blackwater Elite (coach Leo Isaac), Max Bond Super Glue Sumos (coach Pido Jarencio), Maynilad Water (Lim), NLex Road Warriors of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (coach Boyet Fernandez), Pharex Naproxen Sodium (coach Carlo Tan), PC Gilmore (coach Richard del Rosario), Cebuana Lhuillier Gems (coach Luigi Trillo, assistant Bong Hawkins), Junior Powerade Tigers (coach Ricky Dandan), RnW Pacific Pipes (coach Topex Robinson) and Freego Jeans (coach Leo Austria).

The tournament format calls for the 13 teams to be split into two groups. Comprising Group A are NLex, Freego, Pacific Pipes, Blackwater, Pharex and PC Gilmore. Making up Group B are Cebuana Lhuillier, Maynilad, Junior Powerade, Max Bond, Cobra Energy Drink, Café France and Agri Nurture-FCA. The eliminations will be a single round- robin in each group. Since Group A has six teams, each will play an extra game – the pairings to be decided by lottery. After the elimination, the top two finishers of each group gain outright tickets to the second round of the playoffs. The others move on to slug it out in knockout games until only two are left standing. The finals will be a best-of-three affair.

The age range for D-League players is 17-26. Marcial said D-League teams with PBA links may enlist rookies and sophomores from their affiliates. Freego, for instance, is linked to Air 21, Maynilad to Talk ‘N’ Text, NLex to Meralco, Junior Powerade to Powerade and Café France to Rain Or Shine.

The league would’ve welcomed 14 entries but the City of Antipolo withdrew at the last minute.

Junior Powerade’s lineup includes eight UP stalwarts. Among the Maroons are Magi Sison, Michael Gamboa and Moriah Joel Gingerich. Others in the cast are UE’s James Martinez, La Salle’s Bryan Ilad, Fil-Am Mark Jeffries of William Penn University and Fil-Am John Smith of the University of Hawaii.

Cebuana’s roster lists PBA veterans Vaughn Canta, Benedict Fernandez and Kelvin Gregorio. Trillo is also bringing in UST’s Alain Maliksi, UE’s Pari Llagas, University of the Visayas’ Ariel Mepana and Fil-Ams Matt Lee and A. J. Mandani. A surprise discovery is the six-foot Lee, a full-blooded Filipino (parents George and Maripaz) who made the UCLA varsity as a walk-on in 2006-07. Trillo said Lee is a Kenny Evans play-alike. Lee’s UCLA teammates included NBA veterans Arron Afflalo and Darren Collison. Lee was brought in by team owner Jean Henri Lhuillier through his San Francisco contact Marvin Quebeq.

Max Bond’s core will be from UST but the Sumos are reinforced by ABL hotshot Rudy Lingganay, Reynel Hugnatan’s brother Roel and PBA veteran Jun-Jun Cabatu. NLex will be bannered by PBA veteran Ogie Menor, five Fil-Ams (Ryan Reyes’ brother Christian, future first round draft shoo-in Clifford Hodge, Chris Giles, Karl Dehesa and Cody Tesoro), former UP star Woody Co, Erik Suguitan of San Beda, Jaypee Belencion of Letran, Erik Salamat of Ateneo and four San Sebastain standouts Pamboy Raymundo, Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual and Ian Sanggalang. PBA veteran Ford Arao is in the injured list.

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