Nueva Ecija planting new seeds in MPBL

MANILA, Philippines — Nueva Ecija vows a fitting redemption next season after surrendering its throne in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

And the Rice Vanguards will leave no stone unturned to achieve it starting with a rebuilding stage to be at par with the evolving opposition and assess whatever shortcomings they had in a stunning defeat at home.

“I will re-evaluate everything from the coaches to the players because I have to come up with a much better team,” said team owner Bong Cuevas.

“To follow the evolution of MPBL kasi lahat ng teams are already re-tooling. The game has evolved at marami ng bata.”

Nueva Ecija, filled with a seasoned core that bullied its way to the MPBL national championship last season including an elimination-round sweep, fell prey to the younger San Juan squad this time with a 0-2 series loss in the North Division semifinals.

The Rice Vanguards, seeded second, ran out of gas in Game 1, 86-82, in Pampanga before a deflating 88-80 home loss at the Nueva Ecija Coliseum in Palayan City.