EASL battle royale in Cebu

EASL’s inaugural home-and-away season is down to the last four games with the Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, the host venue for the final stretch. Unbeaten Chiba Jets of Japan lead the cast of contenders. The three others are checking in with identical 4-2 records – Seoul SK Knights and Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters of South Korea and New Taipei Kings of Taiwan.

The semifinal pairings are Seoul against Anyang at 5 p.m. and Chiba against New Taipei at 8 p.m., both happening today. The winners advance to the championship game at 7 p.m. on Sunday while the losers slug it out for third place earlier at 4 p.m. Top prize is $1 million with the runner-up claiming $500,000 and third placer, $250,000.

Among the VIP guests attending the Final Four are FIBA Asia executive director Hagop Khajirian, PSC chairman Dicky Bachmann, Phoenix PBA team owner Dennis Uy, SBP executive director Erika Dy, Japan B-League chairman Shinji Shimada, eight-year NBA veteran Josh Childress, Australian national coach Brian Goorjian, PBA legend Ramon Fernandez and 1972 Munich Olympian Yoyong Martirez.

Chiba ranks No. 1 in offense, free throw percentage, rebounds and assists with coach John Patrick, 56, gaining a solid reputation as a master of mid-game adjustments. The Jets’ imports are 6-8 Xavier Cooks, 6-9 John Mooney, 6-5 DJ Stephens and 6-4 Christopher Smith. Under EASL rules, two imports may be listed in a lineup for every game to play together. Chiba has the option to choose any of the four imports. Cooks, 28, is from Australia and played in 10 games with the Washington Wizards last NBA season. Mooney, 25, is in his third season with Chiba from the University of Notre Dame. Stephens, 33, played for Milwaukee and Philadelphia in the NBA. Naturalized player 6-4 Ira Brown, 41, and Hawaii-born, Japanese-American 6-6 Marcus Kaishu Tobin are allowed to suit up as locals. B-League icon Yuki Togashi, a World Cup and Olympic veteran, heads the local cast. Ren Kanechika, 20, is a rising star in his rookie B-League season.

Anyang won the EASL Champions Week crown last year and coach Kim Sang Shik, a four-time KBL titleholder, is out to preserve the team’s winning tradition. Anyang’s imports are 6-9 Robert Carter and 6-6 Jamil Wilson. Fan fave Rhenz Abando is the Asian heritage import. Carter, 29, was on the US U19 national squad in 2013 and played for Golden State and Denver in the NBA Summer League. Wilson, 33, saw action for the LA Clippers in the 2017-18 NBA season and played for Converge in the recent PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Top locals are 6-1 national player Park Ji Hoon, 5-11 Sung Won Choi and 6-2 Byung Jun Bae.

Seoul is bannered by imports 6-8 Leon Williams and 6-8 Jameel Warney. Coach Chul Hee Chun will rely on locals 6-2 Kim Sun Hyung, 6-6 Heo Il Young, 6-4 Song Chang Yong and 6-5 Young Jun An. Williams, 37, is in his ninth KBL season while Warney, 30, is a three-time KBL MVP who played with Dirk Nowitzki on the Dallas Mavericks squad in 2017-18.  Warney is EASL’s leading scorer with a 31.8 average.

New Taipei’s pool of imports consists of 6-5 Kenny Manigault, 6-9 Christian Anigwe and 6-8 Tony Mitchell. Additionally, the Kings count on nine-year NBA veteran Jeremy Lin, his brother Joseph, Asian heritage import Hayden Blankley and naturalized player Quincy Davis. Manigault, known as Mr. Do-It-All, chalked up a rare quadruple double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists and 10 steals for the Kings in a Plus League game last year. Anigwe, 23, is a fresh grad from the University of California at Davis and provides toughness in protecting the interior. Mitchell, 31, was the Detroit Pistons second round pick in 2013 and played in two PBA conferences. Davis, 41, has played in Taiwan since 2011 and is remembered for collecting 26 points and 10 rebounds in Chinese-Taipei’s 91-78 win over China at the 2013 FIBA Asia Cup in Manila. Coach Ryan Marchard, 35, worked in video operations with Minnesota and Orlando in the NBA before moving to Vietnam then Taiwan.

Seoul is No. 1 in defense and least turnovers. Anyang is No. 1 in three-point percentage while New Taipei is No. 2 in rebounding. In a knockout format, there’s no tomorrow so expect every team to come out with guns blazing when the EASL Final Four tips off today.