Only 8 teams compete in PBA Challenge Cup

Only eight squads will see action in the Philippine Basketball League’s second conference, the Challenge Cup, which opens on Nov. 4.

PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad said on Tuesday that the league can only allow eight teams to participate since he feels that eight is an ideal number and that going beyond eight teams will only diminish the PBL’s competitiveness.

The eight squads set to compete are Chairman’s Cup champion Welcoat Paints, Shark Energy Drink, Blu Detergent, Hapee Toothpaste, ANA Freezer, Montana Jewels, Pioneer Insurance and Osaka Health Clinic.

Pioneer will be made up of the core of the Ateneo Blue Eagles led by Enrico Villanueva and Richie Alvarez while Osaka’s core is composed of the reigning UAAP champion De La Salle Green Archers.

At the same time, Trinidad said that the Bingo Pilipino squad will not participate in the next conference since the board voted to defer its application for regular PBL membership.

Although Bingo Pilipino has already paid its dues to the PBL, the league’s decision to keep an eight-team cast has kept the Bingonaryos out of the picture.

Meanwhile, Photokina Marketing Corp. has decided not to push through with its plan of rejoining the PBL and will instead concentrate on its PBA team Batang Red Bull also because of the PBL’s eight-team limit.

Photokina representative Andy Jao, who attended the meeting, said that time constraints will not allow the company to form a competitive PBL team for the Challenge Cup.

As for Prudential Insurance, Trinidad said that it can participate in the PBL’s Division II where other school teams and small commercial ballclubs are also seeing action but not in the regular PBL tournament also because of the eight-team limit.

Prudential was earlier reported to be joining the PBL by fielding in the core of the San Sebastian Stags, just like what Pioneer and Osaka are doing with Ateneo and La Salle, respectively.