Lebanese to compete in PBA ‘fiesta’

The Lebanese national team became the first invited foreign entry to express willingness and availability to compete in the Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference kicking off in February.

Jean Hammam, president of the Lebanese basketball federation, informed PBA commissioner Noli Eala that the Lebanese national team would be honored to join the tournament serving as the league’s transitional event.

Lebanon is one of the emerging powers in Asian basketball, having established that stature when it gave powerhouse China a tough time in finishing runner-up in the 2001 Asian championships (ABC) in Beijing.

Lebanon also owns one of the most vibrant cage leagues in the region.

"This is good news for the league," said Eala, upon receipt of the communication from the Lebanese federation. "The entry of Lebanon will guarantee a top-notch field and an exciting tournament for our fans."

Lebanon is one of the teams being seriously considered for two slots allotted for foreign entries that will join four qualifiers from the league ranks in the two-division, one-round robin quarterfinals of the Fiesta Conference.

Invitations have also been sent out to the Australian, Japanese and Korean cage leagues as well as the Angolan team that is gearing up for the Athens Olympics.

"We’ve set a high standard for our foreign entries in the tournament. And while there is nothing definite yet, I can say that Lebanon fits the bill," said Eala.

Under the format of the transitional tournament, the 10 league teams see action in an initial elimination phase tentatively set to kick off in February where the top two squads head straight into the quarterfinals.

The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds get twice-to-beat advantage over the ninth and 10th teams. The fifth seed takes on the eighth seed and the sixth seed battles the No. 7 team in a pair of do-or-die matches.

The six qualifiers then head to the quarterfinals where a foreign entry will spice up competition in each of the two groups.

The top two teams from each bracket then advance to the crossover semis in a pair of best-of-three duels.