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BOARD BATTLE. Strong Group-Pilipinas’ Chris McCullough (right) and Geo Chiu battle for the rebound against Japan in the Jones Cup.
STRONG GROUP-PILIPINAS/JONES CUP
MANILA, Philippines – The strong just got stronger.
With just three days away from the start of the tournament, Strong Group Athletics (SGA) continued to bolster its already stacked lineup as it tapped its former import Chris McCullough to replace Terry Larrier for its redemption bid in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship.
This marks McCullough’s second stint with Strong Group after leading the Charles Tiu-mentored squad to a gold-medal finish in the 2024 William Jones Cup, where he also captured the MVP award.
“Thankful he decided to play for us again. He just wanted to hoop,” said Tiu of McCullough, who is also a former PBA import for the San Miguel Beermen.
“To be honest, he was the one who found ways to get permission to play for us, and it says a lot about him wanting to play for the Philippines. We’ve got a good relationship, and I’m so looking forward to working with him again,” Tiu added.
In Strong Group’s eight-game sweep of the Jones Cup, McCullough averaged solid numbers of 21.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks.
However, the 6-foot-9 ex-NBA player fired blanks in their virtual championship game against Chinese Taipei-Blue, finishing with a tournament-low 12 points on an awful 4-of-16 field goal clip.
McCullough’s lackluster performance in that match drew criticism online, with fans even accusing him of game-fixing.
Now, McCullough joins forces with former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins, fellow import Malachi Richardson, naturalized Filipino big men Andray Blatche and Ange Kouame, as well as local standouts Mikey Williams, Jason Brickman, and Rhenz Abando, among others.
Strong Group — which is looking to bounce back from its heartbreaking runner-up finish last year — opens its campaign against the Dubai National Team on Friday, January 24, at 11 pm, Manila time. – Rappler.com
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