From Bears to Pandas

They were known as the Macau Black Bears in EASL and The Asian Tournament. Then, they were the Macau Black Knights in the just-concluded PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Now, they’ll be called the Macau Giant Pandas in the PBA Governors’ Cup starting July 10.

Macau representative Jacque Ruby said coach Marcus Elliott has assembled a roster that will be tougher than the last conference where the team finished 11th of 13 with a 3-9 record. Elliott replaced Garrett Kelly after Macau got off to a poor 0-3 start and it took four more losses before the squad straightened up to win three of its last five outings. “The Commissioner’s Cup was an eye-opener for us,” said Ruby. “Doon namin nakita ang PBA level and what it takes to really compete. This Governors’ Cup, with a stronger lineup and better import, we hope to be more competitive and more exciting to give Filipino fans a show worth watching. We also want to promote Macau’s giant pandas, which is why we made the name change.”

Ruby named De’Vondre Perry as the Giant Pandas’ import and Kobey Lam as a key addition. “Jenning (Leung) is playing in a league now and will rejoin us in August as he just wants to finish his commitment,” he noted. Leung, who attended Brent in Biñan and lived here until 17, averaged 19.3 points this past Commissioner’s Cup. Lam, 26, was born in Toronto of Laotian and Chinese descent. He played at Williston State in the junior college ranks before moving to Denver University and NCAA D-2 University of Charleston. Lam averaged 13.6 points for Bay Area in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup and 11.4 points for Hong Kong Eastern in the same conference last season. Lam, Leung, Damian Chongqui, Phoenix Shackelford, Ramon Cao and Perry will be Elliott’s mainstays.

Perry, 27, played at Temple University in Philadelphia and University of Albany then saw action in Germany, Belgium and Dominican Republic. He’s coming off a stint with SBB Baskets Wolmirstedt in the German league, averaging 12.8 points in 22 games. Macau was picked by PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial to join Group A in the coming Governors Cup with Terrafirma, Titan, NLEX, Converge, San Miguel Beer and TNT. Group B will consist of Phoenix, Blackwater, Magnolia, Meralco, Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra. The composition of each group followed the S-system which determined the draft order last year.