Frank Lao, owner of Strong Group Athletics Philippines, is once again set to compete in the upcoming 44th William Jones Cup in hopes of defending their title.
Same Faces, Same Old Goal
The core of the SGA will return as they begin their journey on July 12 up until July 20 at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Returning players are: Kiefer Ravena, Jason Brickman, Dave Ildefonso, Rhenz Abando, Angelo Kouame, Geo Chiu, and reigning NCAA Most Valuable Player Allen Liwag.
Fil-Am 6-foot-6 guard DJ Fenner—who traces his roots to Malabon City—and 6-foot-9 big man Tajuan Agee. NBA veteran Andre Robertson will also help the team try to go for back-to-back titles.
From the official statement on their website, here’s what Jacob Lao, the president of SGA, has to say: “We’re going all out in defending the country’s William Jones Cup title. We’re glad to bring back the core of the team, and with their chemistry and experience, we’re confident in our chances. More than anything, we want to make the country proud again,”
Returning Head Coach Charles Tiu had this to say as he once again re-enters the spotlight of Philippine basketball: “Yeah, I’m excited to bring back some guys from our championship squad. This might be the first time we’re able to run it back with this many returning players,”
Javi Gomez de Liaño and Ian Miller Complete The Squad
Javi Gomez de Liaño, a Filipino Asian import of the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters from the Korean Basketball League, and Ian Miller from the Ulaanbaatar Xac from Mongolia complete the squad.
The 26-year-old JGDL, entering his second season in the Korean Basketball League with Anyang. In his debut campaign, the 6-foot-5 swingman posted averages of 8.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and shot 41.7% from three.
“These are excellent additions to our team,” said head coach Charles Tiu. “Javi and Ian bring high-level experience and versatility. They’ll really complement the core group we already have.”
“Javi and I go way back. He played for me during the 2019 Dubai tournament with Mighty Sports, so it’s great to reunite with him,” Tiu added.
“I know what he brings to the table—toughness, shooting, and professionalism.”
Miller, meanwhile, is a proven scorer who recently stood out in the Basketball Champions League Asia. The 6-foot-3 American was named MVP of the BCL Asia-East division, averaging 17.9 points on 44.1% shooting, alongside 2.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
“He’s coming off an impressive run in BCL Asia, so we’re excited to bring that firepower to our backcourt,” said Tiu.
Kiefer Raven Out for the First 2 Games
The tournament hasn’t started yet, but adversity has already begun for SGA as veteran point guard Kiefer Ravena is listed out for the first 2 games for the squad.
“The big challenge is that we’ll be facing Taipei A in our very first game, and we haven’t played any tune-up games yet. We’ll have to see how quickly the team can gel. Kiefer will also miss a couple of games, but we’re definitely looking to defend our crown,” said Head Coach Charles Tiu
Because of Kiefer’s prior commitments, the team will look to find ways to come out victorious once they face Chinese-Taipei Blue on July 13, followed by a clash with the Japan Under-25 Akatsuki Five on July 14.
The other remaining games are against Qatar, Australia, Chinese-Taipei B, Malaysia, Bahrain, and UAE.
Strong Group is scheduled to play eight games in eight days as they look to defend their Jones Cup title.
