Four PBA teams on Thursday began holding 5-on-5 scrimmages at the Angeles University Foundation after spending the past three days waiting for their swab test results to come back negative.
Magnolia and Meralco were the first to use the two available courts inside the AUF campus at 1 p.m., marking the first time that scrimmages were held since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the PBA to suspend its game last March.
Phoenix Super LPG and Terra Firma are due to hold their own sessions at 3:30 p.m. before TNT wraps up the schedule at 8 p.m. with disinfection procedures being done in-between the sessions.
Aside from the gym, AUF also installed a second court which was borrowed from the Philippine Arena in a multi-purpose hall of the campus.
San Miguel Beer, Barangay Ginebra, Rain or Shine, NLEX, NorthPort Alaska and Blackwater are scheduled to start practice on Friday also at AUF.
Alaska and Blackwater practice at 9 a.m., Ginebra will train at 11 a.m., NLEX at 2 p.m., NorthPort 4:30 p.m. and SMB at 7 p.m.
The aforementioned seven teams also underwent room quarantine after arriving at Quest Hotel last Tuesday.
Players couldn’t hide their excitement taking part in their first scrimmage since mid-March when everything was put on hold with the community quarantine regulations imposed by the government.
Magnolia’s Paul Lee and Meralco’s Chris Newsome posted Instagram stories showing them being taped inside their hotel rooms.
Lee’s roommate Jackson Corpuz also posted a selfie with Lee and Ian Sangalang as they headed to AUF by bus.