Eastern trying to get more PBA Commissioner's Cup matches played in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Eastern will continue to play in the East Asia Super League (EASL) next season despite failing to win the city's local basketball title this year.
League officials confirmed Eastern's participation was contractually bound, and team officials said they could again play on three fronts next season – locally, in the EASL and in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner's Cup – despite being overstretched and facing schedule clashes.
'We have contracts with both [overseas] leagues, so chances are we are going to play,' said Wilson Choi Fong-yue, team leader of Eastern.
However, Choi added, the issue was whether they could play more matches at home instead of playing all their matches away.
'We already had our home matches in EASL this season, so that wasn't a problem,' Choi said. 'The question is whether we can bring, say, half of the [Commissioner's Cup regular season] matches to Hong Kong. Eastern's Glen Yang (with ball) in East Asia Super League action against Hiroshima Dragonflies. Photo: Handout
'Our original aim in playing in these regional competitions was to give the sport in the city a push, to let our young, home-grown players play more on home soil. I'm not sure what the point is if we have to play the entire season in the Philippines.'
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