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PBA: Beefed-up Marinerong Pilipino takes on CEU in D-League opener

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MANILA – A new era dawns for Marinerong Pilipino as the only club team in the field opens its 2020 PBA D-League Aspirants&#x27; Cup campaign against Karate Kid-CEU on Monday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.This is undoubtedly the strongest lineup the Skippers have put together since joining the D-League in 2017, with former La Salle star Jamie Malonzo and brothers Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano leading the pack.This puts pressure on the shoulders of coach Yong Garcia to deliver, especially with Marinerong Pilipino coming off a runner-up finish in the Foundation Cup last season.&quot;Blessing in disguise sa amin yung mga players, pero kailangan pa rin namin maglaro as a team,&quot; said Garcia ahead of the first conference, where the Skippers are among the heavy favorites.It will also be fresh start for the Scorpions, who now have Jeff Napa as their head coach.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/pba/news/2020/02/28/two-new-fil-ams-6-11-senegalese-suiting-la-salle-66540">READ: Two new Fil-Ams, 6-11 Senegalese suiting up for La Salle</a></li></ul>Holdovers Franz Diaz, Rich Guinitaran, and Jordan Intic remain in the revamped Karate Kid-CEU, which will also have Jerie Pingoy, David Murrell, and John Apacible in its lineup.&quot;Madami pa kaming kailangan ayusin, pero ang hinihingi ko lang sa players na lumaban sila,&quot; said Napa.Game time is at 4:00 p.m., following the clash between reigning NCAA champion Wangs-Letran and the revamped EcoOil-DLSU at 2 p.m.The challenge for the Knights is to show that they&#x27;re no one-trick pony as they begin their offseason preparations.&quot;Continuous learning yan para sa amin. Gusto namin maka-gain ng experience yung mga bata,&quot; said Wangs-Letran coach Bonnie Tan.Fran Yu, the Finals MVP when Letran dethroned San Beda last year in the NCAA, has been given the leadership role for the Knights. Also expected to shine is their towering frontline featuring Larry Muyang, Jeo Ambohot, Ato Ular, and the comebacking Christian Fajarito.They will be challenged by a dangerous La Salle said that is welcoming head coach Derrick Pumaren back into the fold.&quot;We want to use this as a gauge for us to see kung nasaan na kami sa preparations namin,&quot; said the veteran mentor.Justine Baltazar and Aljun Melecio will lead the fight for EcoOil-DLSU as it also trots out new faces in Fil-Ams Kameron Vales and Jeromy Hughes, as well as Senegalese center Amadou Ndiaye.(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>).

A new era dawns for Marinerong Pilipino as the only club team in the field opens its 2020 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup campaign against Karate Kid-CEU on Monday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

A new era dawns for Marinerong Pilipino as the only club team in the field opens its 2020 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup campaign against Karate Kid-CEU on Monday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.