By Jonas Terrado
Games Thursday
(Ynares Sports Arena, Pasig City)
1 p.m. — AMA vs APEX-San Sebastian
3 p.m. — Builders-UST vs TIP
5 p.m. — FamilyMart vs SEAOIL-FEU
Builders Warehouse-UST with Karen Janario during the opening ceremonies. (PBA Images)
Six teams, including Builders Warehouse-University of Santo Tomas, make their debuts Thursday as action in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup shifts to the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Builders Warehouse takes on Technological Institute of the Philippines at 3 p.m. to highlight the first tripleheader of the league’s season-opening conference.
APEX Fuel Mindanao-San Sebastian meets AMA Online Education Senior High in the 1 p.m. opener while SEAOIL-Far Eastern University battles FamilyMart-Enderun at 5 p.m.
UST makes its D-League return under the Builders Warehouse banner after nearly making the playoffs of last year’s first conference.
Coach Aldin Ayo’s Growling Tigers will parade the core of the team he guided to a runner-up finish in the UAAP in Rhenz Abando and Mark Nonoy while also parading new recruit Bismark Lina.
TIP, on the other hand, is coming off a semifinal appearance in last year’s Foundation Cup with coach Potit de Vera banking on import Papa Ndiaye and Bryan Santos.
Big man JM Calma will be tasked to carry APEX-San Sebastian against an AMA side that will have six players aged 17 to 19 years old.
RJ Abarrientos, who represented the Philippines in last year’s FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, is out to showcase his skills for SEAOIL-FEU in the match opposite FamilyMart-Enderun.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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