Strong Group-Pilipinas braces for tough title defense in Jones Cup

Strong Group-Pilipinas is bracing for a tough title defense in the 2025 William Jones Cup amid the short time to prepare and the improvement of the teams competing in the tournament. Head coach Charles Tiu said he remains confident with their squad, as they run it back with most of their championship core. Strong Group will first be tested against Chinese-Taipei A on July 13. "I wish we had an extra game to prepare for them (Chinese-Taipei). They had a little bit of a warm-up game. But we follow them, we saw how they played Gilas. They've really improved so much and home court pa nila so siyempre big factor. But their core is solid, they've been improving, they've been playing together for a year and I'm expecting a tougher game because they're much better than when we played them last year," he told reporters during their open practice on Wednesday. Tiu emphasized the importance of bringing back the players that led them to the Jones Cup title last year in their quest for a repeat. "I think it's very important. That is one of the reasons why we try to bring everybody back. With our short preparation we wanted guys familiar with what we want. I really liked the group last year so we got whoever was available. I'm glad it all worked out," he said. The squad is bringing back local standouts Kiefer Ravena (183-G-1993), Brickman Jason (183-G-1991, college: LIU Brooklyn, agency: Interperformances), Ildefonso Dave (183-F-2000), Abando Rhenz (188-SG-1998), Angelo Kouame, Geo Chiu (F) and reigning NCAA Most Valuable Player Allen Liwag. "I guess the very crucial part here is without time, practices together, that's one downside. But we're all basketball players we know how to play. Especially now that we're defending champions we have a chip on our shoulder. Everyone wants to prove something. I think that's the motivation we have now," Ravena said. "The motivation is there. We're basketball players we hoop, we like the competition. We want to come out as back-to-back champions after this Jones Cup," he added. Brickman and Abando also expressed confidence in the team, especially in their first game against Chinese-Taipei A. "I think a lot of the guys played last year but it's my first time playing with a few of the guys. But I think just having chemistry with each other on the court that's gonna help especially playing against Taipei and the other teams," Brickman said. "I know they're missing a lot of guys from injuries. I'm familiar with some of the players because I played in Taiwan. They're coming with a strong team so we have to be prepared," he added. Strong Group will play eight games in eight days in their Jones Cup title defense. After their opening match against Chinese-Taipei A, they will face Japan's Under-25 Akatsuki squad, Qatar, Australia, Chinese-Taipei B, Malaysia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The 2025 William Jones Cup will run from July 12 to 20 at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Courtesy of: abs-cbn.com