Who are the teams playing in the BCL Asia Qualifiers?

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - We're 10 days away from tip-off of the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) Qualifiers, one of the key paths for teams in Asia to qualify for BCL Asia, the flagship regional club competition in Asia.

The eight teams lined up and ready to compete in the BCL Asia Qualifiers are some of the best in the region, confirmed by their champion status in their national leagues.

So who are these elite eight clubs?

Group A

#	Team
1	Prawira Harum Bandung
2	NS Matrix Deers
3	Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team
4	Bishrelt Metal

Bishrelt Metal (Mongolia) 

While Bishrelt Metal are not the champions of the recent "The League" 2023-24 season in Mongolia, they are back-to-back Finalists. The team features some Mongolia national team members, including Uuganbayar Tumenbayar who scored Mongolia's first-ever bucket in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

 

The ever passionate #MetalFam will be ready to root for their team as they play at home for this BCL Asia Qualifiers.

 

Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team (Hong Kong, China) 

Eastern are serious about their basketball. The club became the first and only professional basketball club from Hong Kong, China in 2016 and have constantly made it a point to prove their dominance on the court.

Aside from winning titles in regional tournaments, Hong Kong Eastern have also won 2 of the last Hong Kong A1 Division Championships - most notably this past season where they defeated the previously undefeated Tycoon team in the Finals, 3-1.

 

The team will be featuring stars that are familiar with their fans from team captain Chan Siu Wing to heroes like Chris McLaughlin and Dom Gilbert. Eastern will also be introducing new talents whether it is youngsters promoted from their youth team or new arrivals like Isiah Eisendorf, who is expected to be a key factor in Mongolia.

NS Matrix Deers (Malaysia) 

The Deers from Negeri Sembilan are relatively new, having been established only in 2015, but quickly emerged as one of the best clubs in Malaysia.

Consistently armed with the stars of the national team on their rosters, the Deers won a second straight Major Basketball League (MBL) last season, sweeping the Johor Southern Tigers 2-0 in the Final series.

 

Aside from having National Team star and MBL Local MVP Ting Chun Hong on their squad, the Malaysian champions also recruited Jordan Tolbert from league rivals, Penang Sunrise Youngsters. Tolbert led the MBL in scoring with 22.4 points per game to go with 14.7 rebounds per game and will be expected to do some damage for the Deers in their quest towards BCL Asia qualification.

 

Prawira Harum Bandung (Indonesia) 

The 2023 season was an unforgettable one for Prawira Bandung.

The club has been around since 1991 and have played in all Indonesia Basketball League seasons up to date. However, this past season was their first-ever IBL title and their first championship since winning the Kobatama in 1998.

 

The team has combined an interesting group of successful talents starting with Yudha Saputera, a rising star who was named league Rookie of the Year just two seasons ago and is starting to shine with the national team. Then there's their superstar foreign player Brandone Francis, who plays for the Dominican Republic national team.

 

Moreover, the team is led by David Singleton who has been named Coach of the Year in the IBL for three straight seasons from 2021 to 2023.

Group B

#	Team
1	Hi-Tech Basketball Club
2	Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos
3	Adroit club
4	Pelita Jaya Basketball

Adroit Club (Singapore) 

Adroit have long been one of the top clubs in Singapore, boasting a pipeline of talents that have served as the cornerstone of the national team over the years.

 

They were crowned champions of the Singapore National Basketball League (NBL) Division 1 last season, beating the Eng Tat Hornets in an exciting title game. Adroit are led by Leon Kwek who won the league MVP and Finals MVP.

 

Hi-Tech Basketball Club (Thailand) 

Hi-Tech are a storied club that have claimed many championships across different local and regional competitions. They earned their spot here in the BCL Asia Qualifiers by winning the inaugural season of the Basketball Thai League (BTL) in dominating fashion.

 

The core of the team already features national team standouts from Chanatip Jakrawan to Nattakarn Muangboon, but they are also looking to add more firepower for the BCL Asia Qualifiers by recruiting the likes of Moses Morgan and Freddie Lish among others.

Hi-Tech are no strangers to this kind of competition as they played in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2019, only after making it through from the Qualifiers as well.

Pelita Jaya Basketball (Indonesia) 

Pelita Jaya are on a mission. They were unable to seal the deal last IBL season, losing out to Prawira Bandung in the title game. This season, they are back and determined that everything goes their way - which can be seen in their results so far and how they are operating.

Pelita Jaya currently boast an 8-1 record making them only one of three teams in the 14-team league to have lost no more than one game. They have one of the best lineups on paper in the league with the likes of Andakara Prastawa Dhyaksa, Muhamad Arighi, Muhammad Reza Fahdani Guntara, and Brandon Jawato just for starters. That's without having mentioned their foreign players playing in the IBL which include former NBA players Thomas Robinson and KJ McDaniels. For the BCL Asia Qualifiers, they've recruited Philippines national team star Justin Brownlee as well as another former NBA player in Jaquori McLaughlin.

 

Pelita Jaya missed out on qualifying for the Asia Champions Cup in 2018, falling in the Inter-Subzone Qualifiers, but they seem to be determined on making sure this return is a successful one.

Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos (Mongolia) 

The Broncos, locally known as Khasin Khuleguud, are one of the most prestigious clubs in Mongolia. They dominated the recent "The League" Finals with a 4-1 series win over Bishrelt Metal and will be looking to continue that domination at home for the BCL Asia Qualifiers.

 

The team features a balanced roster, highlighted by national team captain Bilguun Battuvshin and Rookie of the Year Altangerel Azbayar.

 

FIBA