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Two Southeast Asian Giants Join the Merlion Cup 2017 Lineup!

Indonesian National Basketball League Runners-up Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta and Philippine Basketball Association NLEX-SCTEX are the two latest teams to join the Merlion Cup as Alab Pilipinas withdraws
 
SINGAPORE, 23 August 2017 - The Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) today announced the addition of two top quality teams in Southeast Asia to the lineup of this year’s Merlion Cup - Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta and NLEX-SCTEX, from Indonesia D-League and Philippines Basketball Association (PBA) League respectively. The Merlion Cup will be held at the OCBC Arena from 20 to 24 September 2017. The news comes on the back of the withdrawal of Alab Pilipinas due to conflicting schedule. 
 
Established in 1994, Indonesia’s Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta (SMP) has a rich heritage having won the Kobatama League in 1999, SEABA Champions Cup in 2008 and were runners-up during the 2009 - 2010 ASEAN Basketball League Season. They are the current runners-up for the National Basketball League Indonesia tournament also garnering MVP of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year awards. Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta is also the most decorated club in their league with nine National Basketball League championships under their belt.
 
The NLEX-SCTEX constitutes the top players from PBA’s NLEX Road Warriors and PBA D-League powerhouse Cignal HD Hawkeyes. The NLEX Road Warriors are a new inclusion in the PBA League having recently been promoted from the D-League which they won a record six-times. Cignal HD Hawkeyes on the other hand is the current top team in the PBA D-League, vying for the championship title in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup Finals. Coach Jojo Lastimosa, also a former PBA superstar, will head the NLEX-SCTEX in the upcoming Merlion Cup tournament.
 
Commenting on the changes to the roster, David Ong, President of the Basketball Association of Singapore said, “The Merlion Cup is committed to giving fans high quality games by gathering the top basketball teams in the region,” he added,“The Merlion Cup was hugely successful in 2016, and we’ve received significant interest from teams around the region wanting to take part in this year’s edition. The opportunity to have both Satria MudaPertamina Jakarta and NLEX-SCTEX was too good to turn down. This year, we will see seven teams competing for the first time with fans and spectators being treated to more adrenalin-pumping basketball action."
 
Ong added, “The continued support for the Merlion Cup is encouraging and we can look forward to a bigger tournament this year. We hope to develop the interest for the sport in the country and hopefully expand the competition beyond the region.”

Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta and NLEX-SCTEX teams will join the Singapore Slingers, Adelaide 36ers, Jeonju KCC Egis, Yulon Luxgen Dinos and last year’s champions the Shanghai Sharks in the 2017 edition of the Merlion Cup.  
 
Tickets for Merlion Cup 2017 are available for purchase via http://www.apactix.com/events/detail/merlion-cup-2017.
 
For ticketing information, please refer below:
 
Early Bird Package for Season Tickets
Normal Seating - $75 with T-Shirt and Merlion Cup freebies
Courtside Seating - $350 with T-Shirt and Merlion Cup freebies

Corporate Box
Normal Seating - $5,000 for 5 days (each box comes with wine, beer, soft drinks, and titbits)

Standard (Weekday)
Normal Seating - $18
Courtside Seating - $80

Standard (Weekend)
Normal Seating - $25
Courtside Seating - $100
 
For more information on the event, please visit:
 
 
Images can be downloaded here: https://www.webcargo.net/l/sZsldL383r/
Photo Credit: Basketball Association of Singapore and name of photographer listed in the photos