(With additional reporting from Martin Dale D. Bolima)
Strong Group Athletics (SGA) has officially completed its lineup for the 45th William Jones Cup with the addition of highly touted Filipino-American guard Remy Martin and Puerto Rican forward Isaiah Piñeiro, alongside newly naturalized big man Malick Diouf, who was tapped to replace Ange Kouame.
A Homecoming for Remy Martin
For more than a decade, Filipino basketball fans have clamored for 6-foot Filipino-American guard Remy Martin to represent the Philippines as part of the Gilas Pilipinas program.
Now, that opportunity has finally arrived.
Martin led the Kansas Jayhawks to the 2022 NCAA Division I championship. During his decorated collegiate career, the Filipino-American standout earned two All-Pac-12 First Team selections and won the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player award in 2022.
After college, Martin played for Greek club Lavrio before joining Icelandic side Keflavík, where he helped the team finish atop the league standings in 2024.
This time, he will finally represent his Filipino heritage as a member of Strong Group Athletics.
Head coach Charles Tiu welcomed Martin’s arrival with excitement because the team had pursued the Filipino-American guard for several years.
“I’m pleased we finally worked things out with Remy. I’ve been looking to recruit him for quite some time, but our schedules just didn’t align until now,” said Tiu.
“He’s really excited to come play for us, and he wants to win. I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with him,” Tiu explained.
Isaiah Piñeiro Is an Andre Roberson-Type Player
After Andre Roberson departed the team, Tiu searched for another versatile forward with an impressive international résumé. That search led him to Puerto Rican national team standout Isaiah Piñeiro.
“We wanted another (Andre) Roberson-type player—someone who can do everything for us,” said Tiu, referring to Roberson’s pivotal role in Strong Group’s title run last year.
Piñeiro has become a fixture for the Puerto Rican national team. He previously suited up for the Stockton Kings in the NBA G League before continuing his professional career in Latvia, Turkey, and Spain. He later returned home to Puerto Rico to play for Santurce.
“He’s a glue guy who can shoot, play in the post, and defend. He’s been a fixture on the national team, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he brings to our team,” Tiu explained.
Malick Diouf Replaces Ange Kouame
In one final move, SGA added Malick Diouf to the roster in place of fellow big man and naturalized player Ange Kouame.
The move, announced by the team on Tuesday morning, comes as the former Ateneo Blue Eagle will be unavailable for the tournament. Diouf, though, figures to be the perfect replacement for Kouame as he, too, is a defensive lynchpin who can wall off the interior for SGA but is still mobile enough to switch onto guards and forwards.
Diouf should also slot in nicely as one of SGA’s main bigs, with his role likely to be centered on providing interior defense and strong rebounding.
Is This Team Stronger Than the 2025 SGA Squad?
When it comes to imports, last year’s William Jones Cup championship squad arguably featured more star power with former NBA player Andre Roberson and former PBA import Chris McCullough leading the way.
Still, SGA retained Tajuan Agee and DJ Fenner while adding NBA veteran Boban Marjanović to strengthen its frontcourt.
The local lineup, on the other hand, looks even stronger than last year’s. Although the team lost veteran playmakers Kiefer Ravena and Jason Brickman, it replaced them with explosive offensive weapons in Remy Martin and returning guard Titing Manalili.
The wings also boast plenty of firepower with Matthew Wright, William Navarro, and Shaun Ildefonso rounding out the rotation.
Overall, this year’s import group may not surpass last season’s, but the local core appears to be an upgrade. The bigger question now is whether SGA can complete a historic three-peat.
Strong Group certainly has a legitimate chance. At the very least, the team should contend for another championship—with a runner-up finish serving as the realistic floor.
SGA will compete against Chinese Taipei Blue, Korea, and Japan in the group stage as it attempts to become the first team since Iran (2009–2011) to win three consecutive William Jones Cup championships.
The tournament will run from August 8 to 23 at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
