Dragons keep nucleus intact for PBA, EASL

The Bay Area Dragons will bring back their core together with five new recruits from China and Hong Kong when they compete in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner's Cup starting 15 October.

Now known as "Chun Yu Bay Area Dragons," the Hong Kong-based club secured the services of Ramon Cao, Seva Chan, Adili Kuerban, Oliver Xu, and Wang Yunzhang when it sees action in the PBA's season-ending conference as well as Season 2 of the East Asia Super League.

The 6-foot-8 Cao is a power forward from Florida College in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association while Chan last played for the Australian National Basketball League West team Cockburn Cougars, Kuerban campaigned for the Fujian Sturgeons in the Chinese
Basketball Association, Xu saw action for Eastern in Hong Kong's A1 Division, and Wang vied for Beijing University of Chemical Technology in the Chinese University Basketball Association League.

They will join the powerhouse core of holdovers Hayden Blankley, Ju Mingxin, Liu Chuanxing, Kobey Lam, Duncan Reid, Glen Yang, Zheng Oilong, and Zhu Songwei with Australian national team head coach Brian Goorjian returning for another tour of duty.

The Dragons are expected to make more signings in the coming days.

Goorjian, who led the Australians to a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, said they had a triumphant season last year in which they pushed Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to the limit before yielding the Commissioner's Cup.

With that, they retained the core of the Dragons while adding some pieces whom they think could help them emerge victorious both in the PBA and the EASL.