Cebu EASL Elite All-Stars team members named

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Members of the East Asia Super League (EASL) Future Champions Elite Cebu Team has been named for the Hong Kong All-Star Tournament set from July 24 to 26, 2026.

After eight weeks of intensive training and evaluation, the final 10-man roster was unveiled during the EASL Future Champions awarding ceremony attended by Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival at the Citadines Hotel along Juana Osmeña Extension on Wednesday, June 17.

Leading the EASL Future Champions Cebu Elite All-Stars are Domenic De Asis, Dwayne Rojo, Venz Nadela, Derech Wenceslao, Kent Labitad, Brix Hernando, Kieffer Villarin, Duke Tadlas, Mc Dome De Asis, and Ian Inocencio.

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Five additional trainees were named as reserves.

The selected athletes will continue training at the City Sports Institute Gym as they prepare for the international competition, where they will face fellow EASL All-Star teams representing different countries across Asia.

EASL Future Champions Training Director Michael Olson thanked all 40 participants who completed the eight-week developmental program, emphasizing that the experience and lessons learned would benefit them regardless of whether they made the final roster or not.

“After spending the last eight weeks with you all, I am more excited than ever to see what happens going forward. Thank you again for your hard work, commitment, and your passion to the game. Congratulations to each and every one of you and thank you for making this inaugural season such a memorable success,” Olson said.

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The EASL Future Champions Elite Cebu program began on April 12 with more than 200 young basketball players joining the tryouts. The field was eventually narrowed down to 40 participants, who were divided into four teams and trained under EASL coaches over the course of the program.

For head coach Joel Co, selecting the final roster proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the initiative.

“Selecting 40 from the 200-plus kids at the start was hard for us. If I could just bring all 40 to Hong Kong, why not? But after all, this is a victory for all of us who were part of this selection process. Having said that, congratulations to everyone,” Co said.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Sports Commission Chairman Dr. Rhoel Dejano lauded the program for providing young athletes with a rare opportunity to learn from internationally recognized coaches while encouraging them to pursue bigger goals in basketball.

“That is international in scope, learning from world-class coaches and inspiring them to dream bigger in basketball,” said Dejano.

He also highlighted the coaches’ workshop conducted by the EASL staff, saying it equipped local coaches with valuable knowledge that would contribute to the long-term development of basketball in Cebu.

“The coaches workshop that you also conducted provided our local coaches with valuable knowledge. These steps strengthen our coaching community and will have a lasting impact on the development of basketball in Cebu as these learnings are passed on to future generations,” he added.

The ceremony also recognized outstanding performers from the tournament stage of the program.

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