Total professional

Strong Group Athletics (SGA) chairman Frank Lao refused to get carried away by the format issue that prompted the SGA-Pilipinas to lose the title of the 45th William Jones Cup in Taipei.

In a statement late Thursday, the distinguished sports patron simply brushed off the controversy, saying that they played their hearts out despite bombing out of the semifinals due to the change of competition format employed by the organizers to obviously favor the home squad.

SGA-Pilipinas wrapped up the eliminations with an impressive 5-1 win-loss record. However, it was denied entry to the semifinals as the organizer — the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) — awarded the spot to Chinese Taipei Blue, which is composed of the members of the Chinese Taipei national team, despite having a 1-5 card.

The other semifinal spot in their group was awarded to Korean squad Wonju DB Promy, which finished with a 5-1 record but enjoyed a more superior quotient over the Filipino dribblers.

The other group features Chinese Taipei White, UC Irvine, Jordan, and Malaysia, with two teams advancing to the semifinals as well.

The CTBA apologized for the change of competition format that is aimed at reducing the number of playing days for participating squads.

Based on the new format, additional rest days were introduced to give teams more time to recover and make adjustments while reducing the risk of injuries associated with playing on consecutive days.

The association also included a provision guaranteeing Chinese Taipei Blue a place in the semifinals, ensuring that fans would still have the opportunity to watch the national team compete in the Final Four.

“This year, the association decided to change the format used in previous editions with the goal of reducing the number of consecutive playing days for teams,” the federation said, adding that it will prioritize the participation of this year’s visiting teams to future editions in an effort to preserve the long-standing history of the Jones Cup.

“The association has apologized to all parties for the changes in the tournament schedule and will continue to improve the Jones Cup tournament schedule to meet the fans’ expectations and allow visiting foreign teams to enjoy the matches.”

But Lao stayed calm, stressing that he was taught not to take something that he doesn’t own.

“Wala na akong masasabi diyan. Ang sa akin lang, susundin ko ang payo sa akin ng nanay ko, ‘Huwag mong kunin ang bagay na hindi talaga para sa ‘yo,’” said Lao, also the newly-elected president of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.

In their final game of the eliminations, SGA-Pilipinas issued a strong statement, blowing away the Chinese Taipei Blue by 43 points, 117-74.

The Filipinos were consistent from start to finish, racing to a 25-17 lead in the opening quarter before exploding for 29 points in the second to take a 19-point advantage into halftime.

SGA-Pilipinas held the host to a 13-of-38 shooting clip in the first half, while Remy Martin scored all 19 of his points before the break. Matthew Wright then caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 16 of his 18 points to help Strong Group stretch its lead to 92-49 heading into the final frame.

The lead even ballooned to as high as 49 points, 112-63, late in the game to underscore the firepower and superiority of the Filipino club against the semifinal-bound home team.

SGA-Pilipinas head coach Charles Tiu stressed that they played with fire in their eyes to prove that they deserve to be in the semifinals and defend their title.

“We wanted to really blow out Taipei to show that we were the ones who deserved to be playing for the championship. We’ve really hit our stride and are playing at a high level right now. It’s just so, so unfortunate that this is the way things are set up,” Tiu said.

“We want to continue to represent the Philippines and our community here with pride, so we will finish strong.”

Isaiah Pineiro led Strong Group with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while 7-foot-4 Boban Marjanovic added 12 points and six rebounds.