NEW TAIPEI CITY (Chinese Taipei) - Teams from Group B will finally be gracing the hardwood as the Basketball Champions League Asia-East (BCL Asia-East) 2025 resumes action with its third window this weekend.
New Taipei and Hi-Tech Basketball open pool action on April 27, with the former, of course, looking to maximize homecourt advantage as the whole April 26-30 leg will be held at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
Game time is set at 17:00 local time, with much of the attention on the Kings, no doubt, as they're bound for another international stint following a third-place finish in the 2024-25 East Asia Super League.
The Lin Brothers may not see action just yet but head coach Ryan Marchand will still have key cogs to lean on such as former P.League+ Finals MVP Lee Kai Yan plus vets Lu Cheng-Ju and Lin-Chin Pang, to name some.
But not to be forgotten are the visitors from Thailand, which are coming in hungry after falling short of meeting the ultimate goal during the BCL Asia Qualifiers last year following a heartbreaking First Round exit.
With Freddie Lish in tow once more and former lead PG Pachakorn Lertlaokul now at the helm as their chief mentor, Hi-Tech will definitely look to get over the hump this time - and that starts on Saturday.
It would be the first of a three-game homestand for New Taipei as they will be facing Singapore's Adroit Club on April 29 before taking on the Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos of Mongolia the next night.
Yes, all the other teams in Group B already played in last year's Qualifiers, making it all the more challenging for the Kings as they will be battling clubs that have experienced playing in this competition.
But while most eyes will be on the pool, not to be slighted is Group A as they are also set to play in the upcoming window, making all eight teams of the BCL Asia-East active for the first time in the tourney.
In fact, teams from that cluster will be opening the leg, with Taoyuan Pauian and Pelita Jaya Basketball taking the floor on April 26 in what should be an interesting rematch ahead for the provisional lead in the group.
For starters, both squads have already faced each other during the previous window last April 6 in Jakarta, with the Pilots winning in convincing fashion, 88-64, for their second win in as many games.
That was PJB's first loss after opening the tilt with a comeback win versus NS Matrix and losing at home makes them all the more fired up to give Taoyuan a dose of their own medicine when they lock horns once again.
The Pilots of Coach Iurgi Caminos, similar to New Taipei, will play three games as well this window. After Pelita Jaya, they will take on the Deers on April 27 before going up against Bishrelt Metal on April 29.
For the complete schedule, click here.
FIBA