2023 ABL Invitational

The 2023 ABL Invitational was an invitational tournament to signify the return of the ASEAN Basketball League. The elimination round tipped off on 2 January in Singapore, before moving to 3 other host countries. The tournament ended with the finals played from 3rd to 15th March.[1] The 2023 Invitational featured eight teams from the region.

This article is about the basketball competition. For the baseball competition, see 2022–23 Australian Baseball League season.
2023 ABL Invitational
LeagueASEAN Basketball League
SportBasketball
Duration2 January – 15 March 2023
Number of teams8
Invitational
Top seedSaigon Heat
ABL Finals
ChampionsHong Kong Hong Kong Eastern
  Runners-upVietnam Saigon Heat
Finals MVPColombia Tonny Trocha-Morelos

Teams

Changes from 2019–20 season

Personnel
TeamHead coach
Thailand Cooly Bangkok TigersThailand Jakkraphan Chupthaisong
Hong Kong Hong Kong EasternCroatia Željko Pavličević
Indonesia Louvre SurabayaPhilippines Jomar Tierra
Macau Macau Black BearsCanada Charles Dubé-Brais
Malaysia NS Matrix DeersPhilippines Jeff Viernes
Vietnam Saigon HeatUnited States Matthew Van Pelt
Singapore Singapore SlingersSingapore Neo Beng Siang
Philippines Zamboanga ValientesPhilippines Expedito De Los Santos

Imports

All teams can register a maximum of 3 foreigners and 1 heritage player. The salary cap for the foreign players is set at US$ 20,000 per month.

Club Import 1 Import 2 Import 3 Heritage player Former imports
Thailand Cooly Bangkok Tigers United States William Vedder Freeman United States Augustus Stone United States Jose Nouchanthavong United States Arizona Reid
United States Jermale Jones
United States Lloyd Burgess
United States Alexander Osmand Smith
Hong Kong Hong Kong Eastern United States O'Darien Bassett Canada Chris McLaughlin Colombia Tonny Trocha-Morelos Croatia Hong Kong Dominic Gilbert
Indonesia Louvre Surabaya United States Marcus Hammonds France Alioune Tew United States Indonesia Jamarr Johnson Indonesia Philippines Ebrahim Enguio Lopez United States Sameen Swint
Macau Macau Black Bears United States Isaiah Wade United States D'Angelo Hamilton United States Dequan Abrom United States Winston Shepard
Malaysia NS Matrix Deers United States Amir Williams United States Tevin Glass United States Isaiah Williams Malaysia Singapore Wong Zhong Han Nigeria Henry Iloka
Vietnam Saigon Heat United States Jeremy Combs United States Evan Gilyard United States Jairus Holder Vietnam United States Hassan Thomas
Singapore Singapore Slingers United States Xavier Alexander[2] United States CJ Gettys[3] United States Kentrell Barkley[4]
Philippines Zamboanga Valientes Sierra Leone Mohamed Sesay United States Mario Chalmers Puerto Rico Renaldo Balkman Philippines United States Jeremy Arthur Australia Will Deng
United States Ryan Smith
United States Antonio Hester

Elimination round

The invitational tournament had a new format compared to previous seasons. There will be four rolling tournaments before the lead up to best-of-three semi-finals and finals. At the end of the four tournaments, each team would have played one another twice, and a total of 14 matches. The top four teams would advance to the semi-finals.[1] The second leg will be in Batam, Indonesia, third leg in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the fourth leg in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The semi final and final will be held also in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.[5][6]

Tournaments
Leg Venue Date
Location Arena Capacity
1 Kallang, Singapore OCBC Arena 3,000 2–8 January
2 Batam, Indonesia Hi-Test Arena 1,200 12–18 January
3 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia MABA Stadium 2,500 3–8 February
4 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium 2,100 12–17 February
Playoffs and final 6–14 March

Standings
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Vietnam Saigon Heat 14 11 3 1225 1024 +201 25 Advances to playoffs
2 Hong Kong Hong Kong Eastern 14 10 4 1131 953 +178 24[lower-alpha 1]
3 Malaysia NS Matrix Deers 14 10 4 1215 1061 +154 24[lower-alpha 1]
4 Singapore Singapore Slingers 14 9 5 1320 1129 +191 23
5 Macau Macau Black Bears 14 7 7 1139 1078 +61 21[lower-alpha 2]
6 Philippines Zamboanga Valientes 14 7 7 1183 1172 +11 21[lower-alpha 2]
7 Indonesia Louvre Surabaya 14 1 13 990 1449 −459 15[lower-alpha 3]
8 Thailand Cooly Bangkok Tigers 14 1 13 1077 1414 −337 15[lower-alpha 3]
Source: ABL
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head: Eastern 1–1 (+6) NS Matrix
  2. Head-to-head: Macau 1–1 (+2) Zamboanga
  3. Head-to-head: Louvre 1–1 (+23) Bangkok

Results
Team Thailand BKT Hong Kong HKE Indonesia LOU Macau MBB Malaysia NSM Vietnam SGH Singapore SGS Philippines ZAV
Thailand Cooly Bangkok Tigers — 66–75 88–84 64–94 86–96 73–89 74–121 80–84
Hong Kong Hong Kong Eastern 94–63 — 109–64 67–71 70–75 71–84 85–83 65–71
Indonesia Louvre Surabaya 124–97 50–101 — 59–93 67–104 35–97 83–138 69–83
Macau Macau Black Bears 109–85 75–81 87–74 — 75–65 70–79 81–88 90–78
Malaysia NS Matrix Deers 117–78 62–73 89–51 73–54 — 84–88 88–79 98–88
Vietnam Saigon Heat 98–81 82–89 108–47 84–76 86–96 — 71–68 75–71
Singapore Singapore Slingers 111–69 52–68 147–89 89–82 84–82 84–83 — 79–87
Philippines Zamboanga Valientes 118–73 55–83 108–94 92–82 82–86 79–101 87–97 —
Updated to match(es) played on 14 February 2023. Source: ABL
Legend: Blue = left column team win; Red = top row team win.
Matches with lighter background shading were decided after overtime.

Bracket

Semi-finals

The semi-final is a best-of-three series with game 3 being played if necessary.

(1) Saigon Heat vs. (4) Singapore Slingers
6 March 2023
8:00 p.m.
Saigon Heat Vietnam 82–94 Singapore Singapore Slingers
Scoring by quarter: 20–18, 24–29, 20–19, 18–28
Pts: Gilyard 24
Rebs: Thomas 9
Asts: Combs 7		 Pts: Gettys 24
Rebs: Gettys 12
Asts: Alexander 5
Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium
Referees: Yong Sern Tee (MAS), Joenard Garcia (PHI), Mok Ho Yuen (HKG)
8 March 2023
8:00 p.m.
Singapore Slingers Singapore 79–81 (OT) Vietnam Saigon Heat
Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 25–19, 12–15, 16–18, Overtime: 7–9
Pts: Gettys 31
Rebs: Gettys 20
Asts: Alexander 6		 Pts: Gilyard, Holder 20 each
Rebs: Combs 13
Asts: Combs, Gilyard 5 each
Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium
Referees: Chan Owe Shiong (MAS), Joenard Garcia (PHI), Mok Ho Yuen (HKG)
9 March 2023
7:30 p.m.
Saigon Heat Vietnam 86–85 Singapore Singapore Slingers
Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 24–15, 22–26, 22–23
Pts: Combs 25
Rebs: Thomas 12
Asts: Gilyard 9		 Pts: Gettys 25
Rebs: Barkley 13
Asts: Alexander, Goh 5
Heat wins series 2–1
Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium
Referees: Chan Owe Shiong (MAS), Jontapa Nattapong (THA), Harry Santos (PHI)

(2) Hong Kong Eastern vs. (3) NS Matrix Deers
6 March 2023
6:00 p.m.
Hong Kong Eastern Hong Kong 76–51 Malaysia NS Matrix Deers
Scoring by quarter: 14–13, 21–9, 17–16, 24–13
Pts: Bassett 17
Rebs: Mclaughlin 16
Asts: Bassett 7		 Pts: Glass 14
Rebs: Amir 16
Asts: Williams 3
Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium
Referees: Rendra Lesmana (INA), Harry Santos (PHI), Neo Kai Chong (SIN)
8 March 2023
6:00 p.m.
NS Matrix Deers Malaysia 70–76 Hong Kong Hong Kong Eastern
Scoring by quarter: 18–12, 14–19, 19–22, 19–23
Pts: Amir 26
Rebs: Glass 15
Asts: Glass 6		 Pts: Gilbert 26
Rebs: Mclaughlin 20
Asts: Bassett, Morelos 4
Eastern wins series 2–0
Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium
Referees: Jontapa Nattapong (THA), Rendra Lesmana (INA), Neo Kai Chong (SIN)

Final: (1) Saigon Heat vs. (2) Hong Kong Eastern

The final is a best-of-three series with game 3 being played if necessary.

11 March 2023
5:00 p.m.
Saigon Heat Vietnam 73–89 Hong Kong Hong Kong Eastern
Scoring by quarter: 20–14, 20–27, 14–26, 19–22
Pts: Gilyard 20
Rebs: Thomas 11
Asts: Gilyard 4		 Pts: Gilbert 24
Rebs: Mclaughlin 11
Asts: Gilbert 5
Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium
Referees: Preeda Muongmee (THA), Chan Owe Shiong (MAS), Rendra Lesmana (INA)
12 March 2023
5:00 p.m.
Hong Kong Eastern Hong Kong 70–88 Vietnam Saigon Heat
Scoring by quarter: 28–19, 9–19, 20–21, 13–29
Pts: Morelos 20
Rebs: Mclaughlin 13
Asts: Bassett, Chan,
Mclaughlin 4 each		 Pts: Gilyard 41
Rebs: Combs 8
Asts: Combs 8
Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium
Referees: Preeda Muongmee (THA), Chan Owe Shiong (MAS), Harry Santos (PHI)
14 March 2023
7:30 p.m.
Saigon Heat Vietnam 60–73 Hong Kong Hong Kong Eastern
Scoring by quarter: 9–24, 17–12, 17–18, 17–19
Pts: Gilyard 23
Rebs: Gilyard 6
Asts: Gilyard 6		 Pts: Morelos 19
Rebs: Mclaughlin 13
Asts: Bassett 4
Eastern wins series 2–1
Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium
Referees: Preeda Muongmee (THA), Chan Owe Shiong (MAS), Rendra Lesmana (INA)

Awards

[7]

Finals awards
2023 ABL Champions
Hong Kong Eastern
(2nd title)
Finals MVP
Tonny Trocha-Morelos

End-of-tournament awards

The winners were announced after Game 3 of the 2023 ABL Finals at the Nguyễn Du Indoor Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Statistical leaders

Individual leaders
CategoryPlayerClubAverage
PointsUnited States Kentrell BarkleySingapore Singapore Slingers26.00
ReboundsFrance Alioune TewIndonesia Louvre Surabaya19.00
AssistsUnited States Xavier AlexanderSingapore Singapore Slingers6.60
StealsUnited States Mario ChalmersPhilippines Zamboanga Valientes2.40
BlocksUnited States Amir WilliamsMalaysia NS Matrix Deers1.90

References
  1. Lee, David (26 October 2022). "Asean league to tip off on Jan 2 in Singapore". The Straits Times. SPH Media Limited, Co. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  2. "Worlds Import Xavier Alexander returns to the Slingers for ABL 2023". Singapore Slingers. 25 October 2022.
  3. "Slingers announce second World Import signing for ABL 2023". Singapore Slingers. 26 October 2022.
  4. "Slingers announce the signing of their 3rd and final World Import for ABL 2023". Singapore Slingers. 26 October 2022.
  5. "Hong Kong Eastern target ABL success to boost bid to join Chinese competition". South China Morning Post. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  6. "◤东南亚职篮联赛◢ 明年1月"出马" 金群利取代猛龙|中國報". China Press (in Chinese). 3 November 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  7. "Hong Kong Eastern win second ABL title, sweeps awards of the competition". ABL. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
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