MBA PLANS ASIAN INVITATIONAL IN '99
Manila, Nov. 10, 1998 - Metropolitan Basketball Association commissioner Ramon Fernandez announced yesterday the MBA's plans for a mid-season Asian Invitational championship involving top foreign ballclubs to spice up the league's 1999 season.
Fernandez told reporters that discussions are already ongoing between a San Francisco-based Fil-Am team and a club team backed by Bayer in Germany which have expressed interest in joining the MBA Invitationals. Leading basketball clubs from Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hawaii are also being eyed to take part in the tournament.
Challenging the visitors in the cagefest will be the two finalists from the Northern and Southern Conferences of the regular MBA season.
Among the Asian teams being considered to join the meet is the Isuzu squad of Japan, featuring top players, including fancied Japanese-American Michael Dorsey, better known in Asian caging circles as Michael Takahashi.
"The team owners are amenable to the idea of staging the Invitationals, which will be held either before the Conference Finals or after the National championships," said Fernandez.
The brief foreign-laced tournament is designed to expose local cagers and treat fans to a different style of basketball which is also expected to benefit the league as well.
Fernandez also promised a smoother staging of the games next season especially in terms of venue security and crowd control, media coverage, game schedules and designation of game officials who will be tapped in their respective localities or farmed out to the different regional centers for better coordination.
The MBA chief also disclosed that in view of the expected increase in the number of participating teams to 16, additional game days may be added in the calendar aside from the usual Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday playdates to shorten the regular season.
He added that while San Juan, Nueva Ecija and Surigao have already been taken in as the newest members which will pay a P12 million franchise fee each, they are still considering a second expansion team from the South with Dumaguete as base.
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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