THE country will again be in the forefront of regional sports when it hosts the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) Championship from May 12 to 18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Seaba is the qualifier for the Fiba Asia Cup set from August 10 to 20 in Lebanon, with the top 14 teams vying for spots to the 2019 World Cup in China via the new Fiba home-and-away format starting in November.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas President (SBP) Al Panlilio underscored the importance of the Seaba, which he stressed should not be taken lightly.
“It’s a long journey for us,” Panlilio said. “We have to win it [Seaba], no ifs and buts for Gilas Pilipinas.”
National Coach Chot Reyes echoed the sentiment, picking Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia as the teams to look out for in the Seaba.
“There is no room for error here in this tournament,” said Reyes, who bared other teams are probably bringing with them naturalized players. SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios said the federation is prepared to stage the event.
“We’ll be ready for the Seaba,” Barrios said.
The ticket prices are P950 for Patron A, P900 for Patron B, P880 for Patron C, P550 for Box VIP, P450 for Box Regular, P200 for Upper Box and P100 for General Admission.