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Strong Group-Philippines obliterated Malaysia after a compelling fourth quarter surge to pull off an 89-54 win, staying unblemished in the 2024 William Jones Cup on Wednesday, July 17, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.

Strong Group improved to 4-0, in a tie with Chinese Taipei National Team A, while Harimau Malaysia fell to 3-1.

Five players from SGA poured in double digits with Chris McCullough continuing to anchor the Philippines’s offense netting 16 points and five rebounds while Rhenz Abando played his best game of the tournament by finishing with 14 markers and 10 rebounds, some of which coming the late third-quarter flourish.

Tajuan Agee finished with 12 markers, seven boards and four steals, while Ange Kouame contributed 11 and 10 rebounds in the victory that saw Strong Group pull away after a nip-and-tuck battle in the first three quarters.

The Philippines squandered a double-digit lead in the first two quarters as they went into the half with a four point lead, 40-36.

Malaysia then led 47-46 midway through the third frame before it fizzled out as Strong Group ended the game on a 43-7 run.

Filipino-American DJ Fenner scored 10, while Barangay Ginebra-bound RJ Abarrientos had an all-around effort of nine points, 12 assists and five rebounds. Dave Ildefonso, on the other hand, added eight points, all coming in the fourth quarter.

John Murray II topscored Malaysia with 25 points, seven rebounds, and three assists while Joseph Obasa, who previously suited up for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 86, registered 13 markers, six boards, and three blocks.

Strong Group returns to action on Thursday, July 18, against Future Sports USA, hoping to shoot for its fifth straight win. 

In the recently concluded PBA Season 49 Rookie Draft, Northport head coach Bonnie Tan drafted another controversial player just like he did last year.

The Batang Pier added Gerry Mahinay to their roster whom they picked at number 46 overall during the fifth round. Mahinay still has an issue with the Games and Amusements Board (GAB). He was suspended indefinitely by GAB for his “deplorable act” after undercutting Joey Barcuma during their game in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.

Despite his act, Mahinay still took shot at the pro league and luckily for him, Coach Bonnie has a “tan” (ton) of second chances in him.

It was proven last season when the team drafted John Amores, who gained infamy for his rampage during his time with Jose Rizal University (JRU) in the NCAA. He was taken by NorthPort 51st overall and also in the 5th round.

Amores worked his way to be part of the lineup and he averaged 3.3 points, 1.5 rebound, 7.8 minutes in 19 games of play for the Batang Pier. 
Just like Amores, Tan clarified that Mahinay will have to work hard in order for him to secure a contract with them or in any other team that wants to give him a new lifeline while proving that he has really reformed himself for GAB to rescind his ban.

Another tour of duty is set for the 36-year-old Allen Durham as he is tapped by the Meralco Bolts to be their reinforcement in the season-opening Governor’s Cup.

Durham, the three-time best import of the said conference led the Bolts in 3 finals appearances (2016, 2017, 2019) only to succumb to eventual champions, Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel led by resident import Justin Brownlee.

Meralco finally won a championship last season by winning the Philippine Cup and the team now has experience on how to close out a championship series, which Durham also gained in his Japan B. League stint. The experience makes Durham and the Bolts a better opportunity to set some unfinished business.

Meralco is slotted with TNT, Magnolia, Northport, Terrafirma, and Converge in the Governors’ Cup.

In a recently shared post by a Magnolia Hotshots fan page from Vic Manuel’s IG story, he is seen working out and joking around with Magnolia forward Jackson Corpuz.

When the camera panned to the other side, it was also noticeable that another Hotshot, Russel Escoto was also present together with some of the team's personnel.

With the arrival of athletic forward Zav Lucero from their recent trade, are they looking to boost their front court furthermore by adding the “muscle man” to their line-up?

But who are they going to give up in order to land Manuel to their roster? Also, what team will be interested to be their conduit so that a trade may be pushed through? SMB and Magnolia cannot trade directly by being sister teams.

Is a trade really happening or are they just having a good bonding?

Things will be different when the PBA 49th Season Governor’s Cup opens on August 18 as it adopts a new format for the season-opening conference.

The new format will divide the 12 teams in two groups; Group A is composed of reigning Governor’s Cup Champion TNT Tropang Giga together with Meralco Bolts, Converge FiberXers, Northport Batang Pier, Terrafirma Dyip and Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots while Group B is composed of crowd-favorite Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel, together with Blackwater Bossing, Phoenix Fuel Masters, Rain or Shine Elasto Painter, NLEX Road Warriors and San Miguel Beermen.

Under the new setup that was announced by league Commissioner Willie Marcial, teams in each group will play each other twice in a double round robin.

The top four teams from each group will advance to the crossover quarterfinals, with No. 1 taking on No. 4 and No. 2 battling No. 3 in a best-of-five series.

The semifinals and finals will both be a best-of-seven affairs.

Meanwhile, the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup and season-concluding Philippine Cup will have the same format as used in the previous seasons.

Strong Group Athletics remained unblemished in the 43rd William Jones Cup after a 82-74 win over Ukraine on Monday, July 15, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.

Chris McCullough spearheaded the squad with a game-high 28 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one block while Jordan Heading poured in 24 markers built on four 3-pointers.

The team also drew brilliant playmaking from Kiefer Ravena, who notched 10 points and nine assists.

Ukraine led 72-67 before Strong Group went on an 11-0 tear highlighted by McCullough completing a three-point play, sinking a triple, and making a pair of free throws in succession to seize the upper hand at 78-72.

Free throws by Heading and Ravena then sealed the comeback win for SGA, which remained undefeated after back-to-back wins against UAE and Australia’s BSBL Guardians.

Anatoliy Shundel’s 17-point outing was all for naught while Rostylav Novitskyi added 12 for Ukraine.

Strong Group will look to solidify its hold on the top sport when it takes on Malaysia on Wednesday, July 16, at the same venue.

Strong Group Athletics continued its impressive start in the 43rd William Jones Cup, defeating the Brisbane South Basketball League (BSBL) Guardians of Australia 91-67 for its second win on Sunday, July 14, at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.

SGA cruised to a 2-0 win-loss card while keeping the Australians winless at 0-2.

American import Chris McCullough once again led Strong Group pouring in 23 points and hauled down seven rebounds as the team remained on track in breaking a five-year title drought in the tournament.

McCullough previously scored 15 points in Strong Group’s massive 107-49 victory over United Arab Emirates (UAE) on opening day last Saturday, July 13.

Also standing out for the Philippines were Gilas naturalized big man Ange Kouame chipping in 16 markers, 10 boards and one steal while Tajuan Agee contributed 14 points, four rebounds and two steals.

Meanwhile, Jesse Ghee paced the Australian team with his own double-double 19 points and 10 rebounds while Atem Bior scored with 14 markers.

Strong Group will aim for its third win when it battles Ukraine on Monday, July 15.

Gilas Pilipinas Women ended their 43rd William Jones Cup campaign with a tough 82-66 defeat to Chinese Taipei A on Wednesday July 10, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.

The nationals fell behind early, trailing 26-10 at the end of the first quarter and never recovered from that initial onslaught by the host country.

It did not help that Jack Animam was held down to just six attempts for eight points and nine rebounds, while Janine Pontejos and Afril Bernardino battled foul trouble the entire game.

Naomi Panganiban top-scored for them with 19 points, four rebounds, and two assists, while Bernardino had 12 markers and six rebounds for Gilas Women.

Panganiban and Stephanie Berabe tried everything they could to spark a comeback, but Chinese Taipei’s lead proved to be too much to overcome.

Yu-Ting Lin led her pack with 15 points. Tieh Lin finished with 14 markers, Wenyou Lin contributed 10, while Shihan Xu and Mengxin Chen added nine points each.

With the loss, the Philippines finished fourth among six teams in the competition with a 2-3 slate while Japan bagged the title with a 5-0 record.

Gilas defeated Malaysia and Thailand, marking a one-game improvement from last year’s run.

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) hopefuls get a chance to showcase their skills for potential interested teams as the pro league holds its two-day Draft Combine at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig on Wednesday, July 10.

This year’s Draft consists of top collegiate stars with Justin Baltazar leading the top selection, the likes of RJ Abarrientos, CJ Cansino, Evan Nelle, Peter Alfaro, Serick Barefield, Mark Nonoy, Kai Ballungay, Caelan Tiongson, Jerom Lastimosa, Dave Ildefonso, Jonnel Policarpio, and Ben Philips make up the list of leading the newest crop of future PBA stars.

They will undergo biometrics and get to perform various athletic tests and shooting drills. The cagers will be grouped into six teams and play 5-on-5 matches starting in the afternoon of the opening day leading up to the second and final day of the event where Asia's first pro basketball league coaches or their deputies are expected to show up to scour their picks.

Top performers at the end of the mini tournament will be recognized with the Most Valuable Player and Mythical Team selection honors.

All 70 aspirants who declared for the Rookie Draft in Glorietta in Makati slated for July 14 are expected to show up. 

San Miguel big man June Mar Fajardo further embellished his status of potentially winning his eighth PBA MVP crown as he currently leads the race at the conclusion of the two-conference PBA Season 48 last month.

The official tally released by the league on Tuesday showed the 6-foot-10 Fajardo accumulating 42.1 statistical points after the two-conference season which saw the Beermen win the Commissioner’s Cup and settle for runner-up honors in the Philippine Cup. 

Fajardo, who just wrapped up Gilas Pilipinas duty at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, also posted averages of 17.8 points and a league-best 13.4 rebounds together with 2.8 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 0.7 steals.

Challenging him for the MVP award are Barangay Ginebra’s Christian Stanhardinger and his own San Miguel Beermen teammate CJ Perez.

Stanhardinger is in second spot with a 37.8 statistical points after averaging 19.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists. Meanwhile, Perez occupies the third spot with 37,4 statistical points.

Apart from his edge in statistics, Fajardo also won the Best Player of the Conference Award in the Philippine Cup despite San Miguel losing to Meralco in the championships.

Gilas Pilipinas Women bagged its second win following a 68-58 victory over Thailand in the 2024 Jones Cup on Tuesday, July 9, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.

The Philippines now holds a 2-2 win-loss record after bouncing back from a heartbreaking 83-85 loss to Japan.

The Filipina cagers utilized their size and shooting by grabbing 63 rebounds and unloading 10 triples against the Southeast Asian neighbor.

Veteran cager Jack Animam delivered her usual strong performance, leading the pack with a double-double game of 10 points and 15 rebounds while both Naomi Panganiban and Camille Nolasco scored nine markers each.

Afril Bernardino helped Animam on the boards, adding five points and 17 rebounds, while youth player Gabby Ramos hauled eight rebounds to go along with her eight markers for the squad.

Sasiporn Wongtapha, a long-time member of Thailand national team, paced her team with 18 markers alongside nine rebounds and two assists.

The Philippines will face Chinese Taipei A on Wednesday, July 10.

For his exceptional effort and stellar performance for Gilas Pilipinas, Justin Brownlee earned a spot in the All Star 5 of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.

The naturalized player was the lone Gilas Pilipinas to be included in the list, joining Rihards Lomazs of Latvia, Jeremiah Hill of Cameroon, and the Brazil duo Leo Meindly and Bruno Caboclo, who won the MVP trophy.

Despite the lavish praise he received in the past week, Brownlee has been his trademark humble self.

"I definitely appreciate the compliment, but I would be nothing without my teammates," he said.

Brownlee averaged 23 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the FIBA OQT where they came two wins short of qualifying in the Paris Olympics.

He set the tone for Gilas when he produced 26 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in the historic upset of world No. 6 Latvia, 89-80, on their home soil.

Gilas teammate Kai Sotto even hailed Brownlee as the ‘Michael Jordan of the Philippines’ after demonstrating an epic performance in the competition. 

After the FIBA OQT, Brownlee is set to rejoin Barangay Ginebra in its campaign in the PBA 49th Season Governor’s Cup where he will be eyeing for his seventh title in the domestic league.

The national women’s basketball team failed to complete its comeback bid as it ultimately ran out of steam following a two-point loss to Japan Universiade, 85-83, in the 2024 William Jones Cup in Taiwan on Monday evening, July 8.

The loss sent the Filipina cagers to a 1-2 win-loss card and are currently in fourth place, while the Japanese team kept its record unblemished at 3-0.

Afril Bernardino starred for the Philippines yet again, putting up 21 points, and 11 rebounds, while Jack Animam finished with 20 markers and finished with the same number of boards.

Naomi Panganiban and Khate Castillo also displayed brilliance in their playoffs as the duo finished with 12 points each.

Yamada Aoi, meanwhile, made two free throws for Japan after drawing a foul on her drive to the basket with 5.3 seconds left to break the tie after the Philippines came back from a 15-point deficit.

Gilas will look to bounce back once more when it takes Thailand on Tuesday, July 9.
 

As the PBA nears its 50th Season, the league targets to become the best sports entertainment not only in the country but also in Asia.

Asia's first play-for-pay league is the most followed sport in the land, and the PBA wants to keep that status, and now looks forward to improving the brand by making the games more exciting and giving in-venue fans an experience that they will never forget.

The PBA wants the crowd to be back in the playing venue even though the league is still the most dominant when it comes to TV ratings.

In the recently-concluded annual planning session of the PBA board of governors, they established pillars on how to attain their goal of showcasing the league to global fans and make it as the No. 1 basketball entertainment league in Asia.

However, chairman Ricky Vargas said that “the challenge is how to execute it.”

The ideas include improving the quality and competitiveness of play, re-establishing the league as the source of best talent for the national team and net exporter of players in Asia. They also want to focus on fan engagement by investing in supplementary business like the construction of an own arena and expanding in CSR (corporate social responsibility) programs.

In addition to making the game more exciting, PBA will introduce a new set of rules in the coming season highlighted by the implementation of the “four-point shot” from beyond a 27-foot arc.

Newly-elected vice chairman Alfranchis Chua said in Filipino, “We have done this in the All-Star Game. With this rule, the zone defense will be lessened, man-to-man will be seen more and the game will be faster.”

The PBA will continue to support the national team program and will embrace the thought that a strong Gilas team will be beneficial to the league and vice versa.

They will also have programs for the fans where they can mingle, interact and engage with their favorite players. Chua said, “Like those in the upper box, they paid a pricey ticket when they entered the venue and all they got to do was wave to the player. I will tell the coaches that they allow players to go near the fans.” (@braveheartkid)

LeBron James was selected by his Team USA peers across all sports to be their 2024 flag bearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

James became the first men’s player selected as a flag bearer following women’s basketball stars Dawn Staley in 2024 Athens Games and Sue Bird for the Tokyo Games in 2021.

The four-time NBA champion and all-time NBA leading scorer who will make his fourth appearance in the Summer games will lead a boat of American athletes down the Seine River where the Olympic Opening Ceremony will be held.