GENERATION Z: NCAA stars beef up Strong Group roster

Standouts from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) are beefing up Strong Group-Pilipinas for the upcoming 43rd William Jones Cup from 13 to 21 July in Taiwan.

Letran College’s incoming freshman Jonathan Manalili and Saint Benilde aces Allen Liwag and Tony Ynot are taking part in this year’s mid-year basketball spectacle in Taipei, serving as the young guns of Strong Group Athletics (SGA).

SGA president Jacob Lao emphasized the team’s commitment to nurturing young talent.

“Having Jonathan, Allen, and Tony in our team is our way of helping develop the future of Philippine basketball. We always make sure to have young players in our team to give them an early glimpse of what international basketball is like,” Lao said.

The six-foot Manalili has already made a name for himself at 19 years old.

The Cebuano court general was the NCAA Season 99 Juniors Basketball Most Valuable Player, leading the Letran Squires to back-to-back titles against the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta.

In his final year with the Squires, Manalili averaged 16.08 points, 6.92 assists, 4.23 rebounds, and 2.46 steals per game.

Manalili’s first experience in the seniors’ division was during the Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup saw him average 11.0 points, 5.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 steals, guiding the Knights to a fourth-place finish, the highest of any NCAA team this year, after a 78-80 loss to Far Eastern University (FEU) in the bronze medal match last Wednesday.

Ynot and Liwag, on the other hand, were part of the Strong Group squad that finished second in the 2024 Dubai Basketball International Tournament last January.

The 6-foot-6 Liwag was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Blazers during the Preseason Cup, with averages of 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds, while Ynot  and stands a shade below six feet, contributed 8.7 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals.

Saint Benilde made it as far as the quarterfinal of the Preseason Cup before suffering a 73-74 loss to FEU last Saturday.

SGA head coach Charles Tiu is confident that this experience will benefit the young players in the long run.

“This will not only prepare Allen, Tony, and Jonathan for the upcoming NCAA Season 100 tournament but will also help them have a bright future in basketball,” Tiu said.