NEXT MAN CUP: DOUBLEHEADERS HIGHLIGHT RESUMPTION AS LYCEUM, ATENEO AND MAPUA DEBUT

A pair of double-headers and the debut of three schools will headline the resumption of the Pinoyliga Next Man cUP at the Activate Hoop Arena as it celebrates the new year.

With UP, UE and San Beda already played their scheduled games, this weekend sees the first games of NCAA’s Intramuros tandem of Mapua and Lyceum and newly-crowned UAAP champions Ateneo in this tournament that features the reserves of their respective varsity squads.

Their debut meant that the six-team cast is complete.

The Pirates are looking for their Team B to compensate for the departure of Renzo Navarro and to transition into the era of former Batang Gilas stalwart McLaude Guadaña. Their squad will be bolstered by four players of their main squad who was in the NCAA Season 98 roster that made it to the Final Four: Khen Caduyac, Raphael Garro, Renly Bayquin and Genesis Aviles.

LPU will take on UP on Saturday, January 14, and then face off with San Beda’s Team Behold in an all-NCAA affair the following day, January 15.

Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles’ Glory Be will have its hands full in filling the void that were left by the likes of Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, BJ Andrade, Jacob Lao and Matthew Daves that were part of the Hail Mary squad that reclaimed the title in Season 85. They will take on Mapua as their lone assignment this Saturday, before the LPU-UP tiff.

Expected to be part of that squad were the towering Joseph Obasa, as the Nigerian is touted as Kouame’s successor in the paint.

Since Tab Baldwin took over the Blue and White in 2016, its second team had made waves as they even took honors here and abroad. The 2019 team that won the Macau tournament included Lao and his La Salle Greenhills teammate Inand Fornilos who were part of the champion squad last December.

On the other hand, Mapua will use this season as a gauge of their capabilities after an NCAA campaign to forget, as the Cardinals never recovered from their Gab Gamboa debacle to finish with a 7-11 record, way off the playoff places.

In their NCAA squad last year, only Jon Ivan Cudiamat is their listed reserve and is expected to play a huge part in this pocket tournament.

After playing Ateneo, Mapua will take on UE to cap off their back-to-back schedule.

Watch the games on live stream in the official Pinoyliga Cup page on facebook, or visit Pinoyliga.com for the live stats.