Tune-up between Team Kamao, US squad reset

MANILA, Philippines - The tune-up match between Kia Motors and the squad said to be led by Division 1 players in the US NCAA was called off yesterday.

Kia Motors, one of three newcomers in the Philippine Basketball Association, was to play the US team yesterday at the Unilab Gym in Mandaluyong.

The match was supposed to be part of Kia’s preparations and could serve as a gauge among the players hoping to land positions in the team.

But team manager Eric Pineda said they had to call it off because boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, the playing-coach of Kia, couldn’t make it.

Pacquiao was in General Santos City and couldn’t get a flight to Manila on time for the match.

Pineda said it was Pacquiao who arranged the tune-up game against the foreign team that also includes American missionaries based in the country.

The match could be held next week.

The Americans recently played some serious tune-up matches with local teams, including a PBA squad and a collegiate team.

Pineda said tryouts are ongoing for the Kia team, and while they have agreed in principle to sign certain players, no contract has been finalized as of yesterday.

“The tryouts are still on,” said Pineda.

For the meantime, Kia is holding practices at the gym owned by Unilab, makers of pain reliever Alaxan, which is being endorsed by Pacquiao. 

The team will move its quarters to Azure, the classy beach resort condominium project in Bicutan, once the basketball and boxing gyms are constructed.