If there’s one familiar name in the Jordan National Team here in the Philippines for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, it has to be Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Hollis-Jefferson, a six-year NBA veteran, played for TNT Tropang Giga in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup and had a significant impact.
He was brought in by the Tropang Giga after their first six games, during which former import Jalen Hudson led them to a 5-1 record.
That gamble worked wonders, as eventual Best Import winner RHJ powered TNT to the championship, defeating Ginebra in six games.
With Hollis-Jefferson representing Jordan as its naturalized player, head coach Wesam Al-Sous hopes that the former PBA import – apart from his intelligence and skills – can also garner more support for the country when they play at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, starting on Saturday.
“We’re really excited to have Rondae. He’s truly an excellent player and an excellent person,” said Al-Sous, who was a player of the 2010 Jordan team in the World Cup – their first-ever appearance.
“We expect him to provide us with what he gave us in the last two months during the preparation: the experience, good games, competitiveness, and hopefully, we’ll also gain some Filipino fans. We know how much the Filipino fans adore him, so that’s an addition we’re looking forward to.”
The West Asian squad will kick off its Group C schedule on Saturday against Greece at 4:45 p.m. before facing New Zealand and the USA on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.
Zaid Abbas, Jordan’s captain and long-time cornerstone, also expressed his excitement about his third World Cup appearance.
Abbas has been a part of all three instances (2010, 2019, 2023) that Jordan qualified for the sport’s biggest stage – and to have it hosted here in the Philippines this time, he couldn’t wait to play in front of the basketball-crazed fans.
“It’s exciting because it’s in the Philippines; I think it’s where the most basketball enthusiasts in Asia are, so the games are going to be exhilarating, and I hope everyone will have fun,” said Abbas.
Grouped against the global powerhouse USA, the European force Greece, and New Zealand, Al-Sous loves the challenge and aims to turn heads when the action starts.
He also shared that his players are geared up to face the world’s best and prove that they belong among the cream of the crop.
“You know, it’s an extremely exciting group. We understand how challenging it is, we acknowledge that the three teams we have are top-level teams, but it’s exciting for us, and it’s exciting for our players,” said Al-Sous.
“We’re motivated; we want to prove something. We’re not here just to have fun and play around; we’re here to take care of business, give good games, and show people that Jordan has advanced basketball skills, and we can play at that level. We belong with the top teams.”
