After a short delay, the 2020 PBA D-League season is finally ready to tip off. Twelve teams - 11 of which are school-based - are looking to bring home the Aspirants' Cup. With all squads determined to win it all, it's guaranteed to be dogfight.
What should we expect? Who should we keep an eye out for? We try to answer those questions for every team.
AMA ONLINE SENIOR HIGH
Players to watch
Andre Paras
Luke Parcero
JV Kapunan
In a league that often shuffles its participants, AMA has been one of the more consistent clubs in terms of joining the PBA D-League. But despite its tenure, the team hasn't really gotten close to a D-League title. Their campaigns have been more of trainings, a collection of experience and exposure, for the homegrown players of the school. It should be safe to expect the same from this season as AMA parades a cast of young players. They will be looking to get leadership from Luke Parcero and Andre Paras who have been mainstays in their D-League lineup from previous seasons. These two will have to step up as they will most likely be the main providers of the squad. It will also be interesting to see the debut of singer-actor JV Kapunan. After participating in numerous celebrity exhibition games, the 29-year-old more popularly known as "Young JV" is taking his talents to the D-League.
APEX FUEL MINDANAO - SSC-R
Players to watch
RK Ilagan
JM Calma
When Michael Calisaan entered the PBA in 2018, the San Sebastian Stags had to find new stars on their roster. At that time, Allyn Bulanadi was already emerging. He was next in line as King Stag. He smoothly transitioned to being the main provider for Baste. Now that Bulanadi has also jumped into the pros, it's RK Ilagan's step into the limelight. Ilagan has long been one of the best players on the San Sebastian roster - even with Calisaan and Bulanadi still around. It's simply going to be a matter of fully embracing that lead role. But the Ilagan will need a sidekick, or even a co-star. All signs point to JM Calma being that guy. The Baste big man has shown continuous improvement in his game. From his performances in last year's D-League and the NCAA Season 95, Calma looks ready to accept bigger responsibilities for his alma mater.
BUILDERS WAREHOUSE - UST
Players to watch
Rhenz Abando
Mark Nonoy
CJ Cansino
Soulemane Chabi Yo
The UST Growling Tigers surprised many with a brilliant run in the UAAP Season 82. But to those who were able to watch them in the 2019 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup, their UAAP stint was not all that shocking. They introduced newcomers Rhenz Abando and Mark Nonoy, two players who immediately proved that they were ready to hoop in the next level. Abando constantly filled up the stat sheet and Nonoy displayed nonhuman speed. Another new face their bannered last year was import Soulemane Chabi Yo, who immediately made up the nightmares of opposing teams. Chabi Yo showed an excellent balance of size, speed and skill. He wasn't always dominating but he was impactful every single game. With veteran Renzo Subido graduating from the team, third year CJ Cansino inherits the role of King Tiger. He will be at the very core of UST's campaign. But make no mistake, this team is never about the performance of just a few players. It's always about the entire team.
DILIMAN COLLEGE BLUE DRAGONS
Players to watch
Robbi Darang
Johnnel Bauzon
McArthur Enriquez
Jboy Gob
After continuous success in the UCBL, the Diliman College Blue Dragons decided to test the field in the PBA D-League last year. Though they fell short of the playoffs, they were able to prove themselves worthy of competing at this level. This year, Coach Rensy Bajar hopes to take his retooled cast farther. The Blue Dragons will have to endure the absences of key contributors Joseph Brutas, John Mahari and former import Kevin Gandjeto. But one thing they still have is the brilliance of Robbi Darang, the leader of the team who has carried them to success in many occasions. They will also be looking extract more production from homegrown talent in lengthy forward Johnnel Bauzon and streaky shooter McArthur Enriquez. Recognizing their need for size, the team has acquired the services of Jboy Gob. The former De La Salle Green Archer and UP Fighting Maroon should be able to help solve problems in the paint for Diliman College.
ECOOIL - DLSU GREEN ARCHERS
Players to watch
Aljun Melecio
Justine Baltazar
Encho Serrano
Tyrus Hill
The De La Salle Green Archers are undoubtedly one of the most celebrated collegiate teams in Philippines basketball. For many years, they have smoothly gone through transition periods without losing an edge on the court. Right now, however, their process is being felt. The Green Archers have bid goodbye to three one-and-done players from last year - Keyshawn Meeker, James Laput and Jamie Malonzo. They've also said their final thanks to a key player in Andrei Caracut. Despite these exits, La Salle still has some of their main men in the mix. They are still with Aljun Melecio who should continue to star for the team. Melecio will still be working with versatile big man Justine Baltazar. The chemistry between those two players in undeniable and their two-man game will likely be La Salle's surest source of points. And beyond those vets, the Green Archers have a great pool of young players eager to show what they can do on the D-League stage. A lot of these guys will take on bigger roles this year, but above all of them, its Encho Serrano and Tyrus Hill who we'll all need to watch out for.
FAMILY MART - ENDERUN
Players to watch
Jayvee Marcelino
Ralph Tansingco
Family Mart-Enderun turned heads last year when they took the fight to teams like Cignal-Ateneo and IronCon-UST. Their team was centered around Val Chauca who quickly drew the attention of the entire league. Shortly after though, Chauca moved to Adamson to play his final collegiate year. From the team that we saw last year, we can still expect some contributions from guys like Mike Dela Cruz and import Joseph Pierre Kouakou. But what should be interesting to see is how much two former LPU Pirates can make in this team. Ralph Tansingco and Jayvee Marcelino join Enderun in the Aspirants Cup. Both of them were excellent role players when they were with LPU. This time, they will be challenged with bigger responsibilities in their new team.
SEAOIL - FEU EXTREME RACERS
Players to watch
LJ Gonzales
Ronjay Abarrientos
The FEU Tamaraws are a perennial contender in amateur and collegiate basketball. If there's one thing that can be identified as their weapon over the last few years, it has to be their depth. But with the departure of players like Wendel Comboy, Hubert Cani, and Barkley Eboña, the door opens for younger guys to emerge. This Aspirants' Cup, FEU graduates high school standout Ronjay Abarrientos into their collegiate team. Initially hyped as the nephew of PBA great Johnny Abarrientos, Ronjay has carved his own path and is more than ready to rise to stardom. He has experience playing against older and tougher competition, having represented the country in various FIBA tournaments. He will be forming a tandem to watch with another young Tamaraw guard in LJ Gonzales. Throughout the years, FEU has been known to identify and develop promising guards. These two could be the next products of their system.
KARATE KID - CEU SCORPIONS
Players to watch
Rich Guinitaran
Jerie Pingoy
Jerome Santos
To say that CEU has gone through so much in the PBA D-League is an understatement. Years ago, led by import Rod Ebondo, they were in the Finals conference after conference. After Ebondo graduated, they had developed enough for them to still be contenders with a solid local core plus all-around import Maodo Diouf. Then they went through that controversy last season that wiped out half of the team. Still, they made it to the Finals only losing to Cignal-Ateneo. Now, however, Diouf has decided to take a different road. CEU, for the first time in many years, are entering the D-League without an import. They will turn to veteran Rich Guinitaran to show the way - just as he did in previous campaigns. They also bring in Jerie Pingoy who has experience playing with Ateneo and Adamson. He should be the most biggest addition to the Scorpions roster for the Aspirants' Cup. Another guy to look out for is Jerome Santos who broke through when CEU lost seven of their key players back in 2019. Santos took on the scoring cudgels and helped his team keep in step with collegiate powerhouse Ateneo. The stage is now set for him to make everyone fell his sting.
ADG DONG - MAPUA CARDINALS
Players to watch
Laurenz Victoria
Noah Lugo
Warren Bonifacio
The Mapua Cardinals head into the 2020 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup as part of their preparations for the NCAA Season 96. Last year, they barely missed out on the Final Four, finishing with a record of 9-9. Laurenz Victoria will look to guide his alma mater in the D-League. He has experience at this level having played for Marinerong Pilipino in previous conferences. He'll be working heavily with Noah Lugo and Warren Bonifacio. Lugo is a talented scorer whose outside shot is just as deadly as his attack to the basket. Bonifacio is a young but experienced player who also numerous ways to put the ball through the net. But the most important thing for Mapua is how well these three key guys work together. They've shown before in the NCAA. It's going to be a matter of translating that to the D-League.
MARINERONG PILIPINO SKIPPERS
Players to watch
Juan Gomez de Liaño
Javi Gomez de Liaño
Jamie Malonzo
Marinerong Pilipino has suffered several heartbreaks in the PBA D-League. They've been in the semifinals a number of times and even made it to the Finals in the 2019 Foundation Cup. It really looked like their about to take the title before BRT Sumisip-St. Clare found a way to win Game 3. Still, the Skippers remain hell-bent on winning that elusive championship. As the only non-school based team in the 2020 Aspirants' Cup, Marinerong Pilipino boasts a roster bannered by some of the best young talent in the country. Leading the way are the Gomez de Liaño brothers from the University of the Philippines. Juan has been a household name ever since he was in high school, but in the UAAP Season 82, Javi established himself as a threat on both ends of the floor. The GDL brothers were also together in the Mighty Sports team that won the Dubai International Basketball Championship last February. Joining them in Marinero is another teammate from Mighty Sports - Jamie Malonzo. In his first and only year in the UAAP, Malonzo wowed the crowd with his athleticism and his poster-worthy dunks. He hopes to bring the same excitement to the Skippers and prove himself worth of being the second overall pick in the D-League draft.
TIP ENGINEERS
Players to watch
Bryan Santos
Guilber Carurucan
Pape Ndiaye
The TIP Engineers were on the brink of making its first PBA D-League Finals appearance season before they ran into the red-hot Marinerong Pilipino. They lost to the Skippers in the semifinals, but that did not take much away from a great run they had in the 2019 Foundation Cup. Back at it again, the Engineers return with recognizable name on their roster. Since they first joined the league in 2018, Bryan Santos had already been one of the more prominent players of the team. He has improved significantly, developing both as a scorer and as a defender. Life is made easier for Santos by his teammate Guilber Carurucan. The TIP point guard has great basketball IQ and is always looking to get his teammates good looks before his own. But Carurucan has also proven that, when called upon, he can deliver baskets for his team. With these two locals and import Pape Ndiaye, who is a double-double waiting to happen, the Engineers will be out for a better finish than what they had last conference.
WANGS - LETRAN KNIGHTS
Players to watch
Larry Muyang
Fran Yu
Jeo Ambohot
It was supposed to be San Beda's fourth consecutive NCAA title. The Red Lions had swept the eliminations and looked poised for another championship. But the Letran Knights had other plans. They fought their way through the stepladder semifinals and found a way to upset the defending champs, 2-1, in the Finals. It was an underdog built for movies. It was also a great ending to the collegiate career of Jerrick Balanza and Bonbon Batiller. As they move on to the PBA, they leave their alma mater in the hands of credible men. Fran Yu rose to relevance in the NCAA Season 95 after being named Most Improved Player and Finals MVP. Despite several arguably bigger names on the Letran roster, he was the one that really boosted the Knights to the title. Larry Muyang remains to be the inside operator of the team. A bruiser with a soft touch, Muyang is able to contribute in many ways. He'll have the help of Jeo Ambohot, who has been another important piece for Letran for several years now. Some big names may have left but Letran is still a championship caliber team.