BALTI'S BACK | Justine Baltazar to suit up for Pampanga Giant Lanterns in PSL

Balti Baltazar is back in the domestic play-for-pay hoops circuit. Nikki Collantes (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—Balti Baltazar is returning home after a short stint in Japan B.League, and he quickly signed up with the Pampanga Giant Lanterns for the PSL DUMPER Cup.

The league announced on Tuesday that Baltazar will be seeing action for the season-ending conference, beginning with a two-game home stand at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando City, Pampanga this midweek.

Pampanga will first take on San Pedro on Wednesday night before battling Quezon City the night later in the main games of doubleheaders for the said days.

Both games are scheduled for 8 p.m. tip-offs.

Baltazar signed with the Hiroshima Dragonflies for the ongoing B.League season, but he played very sparingly for the said club before he was eventually waived.

Speculations quickly arose that Baltazar might eventually decide to declare for the 2023 PBA Draft.

Archie Concepcion and Mitchelle Maynes, two holdovers from the Giant Lanterns' MPBL squad, are expected to lead the way in their PSL campaign while Arvie Bringas joined the fray as well.

In the first game on Wednesday, Cabuyao takes on Koponang Lakan, while 1Munti takes on Cagayan De Oro in the other curtain-raiser on Thursday, both starting at 6 p.m.

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