Heavily reinforced PH squad opens ‘three-peat’ bid vs Koreans

NBA veteran and Serbia national team standout Boban Marjanovic. –FIBA PHOTO

The souped-up Strong Group-Pilipinas squad swings into action on Friday against South Korean club team Wonju DB Promy as it puts into motion its “three-peat” bid in the William Jones Cup in Taipei that will use a different format.

No team since the Hamed Haddadi-led Iran national squad from 2009 has won this event three straight years, playing a round-robin format that gave the team with the best record the title outright.

This year, the eight-team field has been divided into two groups, with SGA headlining the tougher Group A that also has the national teams of Japan and Chinese Taipei.

“It’s definitely different from the past years. We have to be on our toes all the time because I think we’re in the tougher group,” SGA coach Charles Tiu said.

Like in the past years, SGA headed to Taipei with the best team it can build. The squad signed up 7-foot-5 Serbian center and NBA veteran Boban Marjanović and Filipino-American guard Remy Martin, while taking bright local talents headed by Dave Ildefonso and Matthew Wright.

Wonju DB Promy, a force in the Korean Basketball League, will be led by Filipino-American guard and former KBL MVP Ethan Alvano, alongside imports Rayshaun Hammonds and Henry Ellenson.

“Ethan will be a tough guard for us, but our guys will be ready,” Tiu said. “We know what he can do, so we have to be prepared from the opening tip.”

Teams play their groupmates twice—making for six games in seven days—before the top two squads from their brackets advance to the crossover semifinals, where the winners advance to play in the title game.

Jordan, Malaysia, UC Irvine, and Chinese Taipei’s developmental squad compose Group B.