Strong Group starts title hunt

Strong Group kicks off its title hunt when it battles United Arab Emirates in the 43rd William Jones Cup on Saturday at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium, New Taipei City in Taiwan.

Game time is at 1 p.m. with the Filipino club looking to end its five-year title drought in this prestigious annual invitational tournament.

The last time the Philippines won the title was in 2019 with Charles Tiu coaching Mighty Sports that has Renaldo Balkman, Eugene Phelps, Mikey Williams and Jeremiah Grey as key players.

The tourney took a three-year hiatus due to coronavirus pandemic but returned in 2023, where Rain or Shine finished last with a 2-6 win-loss card.

Now, Strong Group will be parading a rock-solid roster featuring former Gilas Pilipinas stars Kiefer Ravena, Rhenz Abando, Jordan Heading, and naturalized player Ange Kouame.

Also joining the tournament are Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Draft applicants Dave Ildefonso, RJ Abarrientos, and Caelan Tiongson as well as collegiate standouts Jonathan Manalili of Letran College and Allen Liwag and Tony Ynot of College of Saint Benilde.

Rounding out the squad are Tajuan Agee, DJ Fenner and former PBA imports Chris McCullough of San Miguel Beer and McKenzie Moore of TNT.

Aside from UAE, Strong Group will also be facing the Japan U22 team, Chinese Taipei Blue, Chinese Taipei White, Brisbane South Basketball League Guardians, Ukraine and Future Sports USA.

To get ready, Strong Group had a tune-up game against Magnolia before flying out to Chinese Taipei last Friday.