Advertisement
FIBA
SportBasketball

East Asia Super League: Bay Area Dragons ‘ready’ for tough champions week tournament in Japan

  • The franchise team will play Seoul SK Knights and Utsunomiya Brex in back-to-back games
  • Winner of respective groups to play for US$250,000 prize money in Okinawa on Sunday

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Hong Kong basketball star Duncan Reid (centre) is confident the Bay Area Dragons can triumph at the champions week tournament in Japan. Photo: Handout
Mike Chan

The East Asia Super League’s champions week gets under way in Japan on Wednesday, and for the Bay Area Dragons it represents an opportunity to finally put their heartbreaking defeat in the Philippines to rest.

Advertisement
A Game 7 blowout at the hands of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel left their PBA Commissioner’s Cup dreams in tatters in January, after a regular season when they went 10-2.

Now though they get a shot at redemption against the region’s best, with games against Korean basketball league champions Seoul SK Knights on Thursday, before taking on host team Utsunomiya Brex, Japan’s B.League champions, 24 hours later.

And Hong Kong basketball star Duncan Reid said not only was the team ready to get going again, but they were “confident we can win the championship”.

“We arrived on Monday and our preparation has been good with those warm-up games before departure,” he said. “I am excited to compete with the Korean and Japanese teams.”

Sedrick Barefield has joined the Bay Area Dragons ahead of the event in Japan. Photo: Handout
Sedrick Barefield has joined the Bay Area Dragons ahead of the event in Japan. Photo: Handout

Brian Goorjian, the Dragons’ head coach, said the team had learned from its gruelling first season in the Philippines.

Advertisement