VietNamNet Bridge – All good things come to those who wait. In this case, Vietnamese basketball fans have another couple of months ahead of them.

The Saigon Heat, Vietnam’s popular entry into the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), have been waiting since spring 2013 to step back on the hardwood. The start to the 2014 season was pushed back by the league and its team owners to accommodate the 2013 South East Asian (SEA) Games that were held in Myanmar in December, as well as to coincide this year’s schedule with the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore. In the end, the ABL decided to move the start of the regular season to mid-July.

“The timing of the season is a challenge not so much because of the start, but more so because of the finish in late October or early November, but this only really applies to our foreign imports,” said Heat head coach Jason Rabedeaux, pointing out that many foreign players play in different leagues around the world throughout the year. “(However) our local players continue to work and develop.

“They have been making great strides as players and continuing to help grow the sport of basketball throughout our country.”

Two new teams are joining the ABL ranks this season as well, following the departure of the league champion San Miguel Beermen.

Thailand will be represented by a new established team, the HiTech Bangkok City. Known to many basketball aficionados in Thailand, Bangkok City will play their home games in Bangkok and Chonburi.

For the first time in ABL history, Indonesia will be represented by two teams in the ABL as the newly formed Laskar Hang Tuah Dreya group round up this season’s six teams.

Laskar Hang Tuah Dreya is a collaboration between Indonesian National Basketball League (NBL) side Hang Tuah Sumsel IM and Division 1 side Dreya Indonesia. The team will play their home games in Sumatra and Jakarta.

“As far as the new teams are concerned, we do not know a whole lot about their make up,” Rabedeaux admitted. “We are extremely excited that with the push from our owner/GM, Connor Nguyen, Vietnam and Southeast Asia will be able to enjoy five months of highly competitive professional basketball.”

The league is set to release a new schedule soon, with the Saigon Heat once again playing home games at Tan Binh Stadium. Check in at www.saigonheat.com for more information.

By Harry Hodge

Source: SGT