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| Dave Ildefonso will first play for Abra before joining SGA in Taipei. Julius Domondon/SGA |
PASAY—Abra fans are in for a good news as Geo Chiu and Dave Ildefonso will be available for the team when it faces Nueva Ecija in a huge MPBL showdown on Saturday even if they have obligations for Strong Group Athletics ahead of the Jones Cup.
SGA head coach Charles Tiu confirmed on Wednesday that Ildefonso and Chiu, the Weavers' two main men right now, will first play for the Bangued-based side, currently at 17-1, when they travel to the Nueva Ecija Coliseum in Palayan to take on the Rice Vanguards, still unbeaten at 18-0, in what many fans project as a potential preview of the MPBL North Division Finals.
According to Tiu, both Ildefonso and Chiu will only fly for Taipei early Sunday, barely a few hours after the grudge match.
Interestingly enough, SGA's first game in the Jones Cup at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei is against no less than Chinese Taipei Blue on Sunday night, so both players would only have a few hours to gear up for the said match.
"Dave and Geo will follow. They also have a contract with the Abra team, so we're thankful that they allowed both those guys to play for us. They'll fly first thing on Sunday, and hopefully, they make it to our Chinese Taipei [Blue] game," Tiu said after SGA's practice at the College of St. Benilde Gym here.
Except for Ildefonso, Chiu, and even Kiefer Ravena, SGA will fly for New Taipei on Friday.
According to Tiu, Ravena will miss both the CT Blue game and SGA's ensuing battle against Japan's under-25 team on Monday night due to prior commitments, and with both Chiu and Ildefonso only coming in just before gametime, SGA might have a tough time getting its acts together in an early rematch of last year's de facto final.
CT Blue is on a roll right now, especially after stunning Gilas Pilipinas in the February window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
CT Blue is bringing in another prospect, Joof Alasan, to team up with Brandon Gilbeck as the national team's centers.
A Gambian native, Alasan attended National Taiwan University of Arts for college, which means once he gets cleared, the six-foot-seven big man can be classified as a Taiwanese local.
After he deals with Will McAloney, Chiu, with only a few hours to prepare, will have to try containing both Gilbeck and Alasan down low.
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