Chiba Jets win championship, first season of East Super League ends successfully
Cebu, the second largest city in the Philippines, is home to the glory of the Eastern Premier League. The organizers' choice of the city to host the Final Four was puzzling at first, but after visiting the venue, all doubts were dispelled.
The Eastern Super League posters by the dugout highlight the hot atmosphere of the tournament.
Cebu, sun, sand and basketball, a perfect blend of all three. Arriving at sunset in Cebu, the basketball courts lining the roads give a taste of the city's basketball flavor.
The Philippines, the land of basketball, and the locals love it more than they can imagine. A group of barefoot children chasing a basketball on the court under the setting sun is a touching sight.
A few locals on Narusuan Island shoot baskets under a basketball hoop, which has become a part of their lives.
The Eastern Super League tournament chose Cebu not only for its strong basketball atmosphere, but also for the passion of its fans, who cheered with hoarse throats for the Chiba Jets at the Dunking Dome Arena on the night of March 10, and in that moment, the reason why the Eastern Super League chose Cebu was self-evident.
Eastern Premier League CEO Bruce Lee and COO Fusheng Ma said the Chiba Jets' winning of the first "International Championship" in the first international basketball tournament held in Cebu signals the further development of the league.
Although the facilities of the Dunking Dome Arena are not quite top-notch, the new arena is nearing completion and may become a venue for more international basketball events in the future.
The second season of the East Super League, the first season of the home-and-away system, has come to a successful end, and on March 8, the senior management of the East Super League exchanged views with the media, reviewing the development of this season and looking forward to the planning of the new season.
From the first match on October 11 to the finals on March 10, the Eastern Premier Tournament has made significant progress in terms of audience and sponsors, with the TV audience increasing to 5 million and the number of sponsors increasing to eight.
Lee said the development of the Eastern Super League focuses on polishing the event itself and attracting more internationally recognized brands to participate, such as McDonald's, Philippine Airlines and Anta.
Next season, the Eastern Premier League is scheduled to expand to 16 teams, with two new leagues joining. Participating teams will be required to play both national and regional professional leagues, as well as home and away matches in the Eastern Premier League.
Chiba Jets, a B-League team, performed well in the Eastern Premier League, with player Isoki Togashi contributing 28 points and 5 assists in 32 minutes of play in the semifinals to help his team advance to the finals.
Despite the tight schedule, the team cherishes the opportunity to play against the best teams in Asia, and the Eastern Premier League provides more exciting events for basketball fans in the East Asia region.
Future development plans for the Eastern Premier League include bringing together the top college basketball teams in East Asia and creating a women's basketball version of the Eastern Premier League, but for now the focus remains on polishing the league itself.
