Former teammate of Ghana star Ben Bentil, Andray Blatche, has arrived in the Philippines to start preparations ahead of this year’s South East Asia Basketball Association Championship (SEABA).
The sub regional competition will be held between May 12 and May 18 in the Philippines.
The American naturalized Filipino recently won the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Championship with Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers leading the side to sweep Guangdong Southern Tigers in the series.
Only the winner of the 12th SEABA qualifies to compete in the FIBA Asian Cup which is set to be hosted by Lebanon in August. This marks the first time since 2001 the Philippines is hosting the competition.
Bentil, the first Ghana-born player to play in the NBA, spent two months on the Xinjiang roster as a replacement for Blatche when the former Washington Wizards Center was out injured.
Bentil wound back in America to complete the season in the NBA’s Development League with Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
