Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Mighty Sports’ Tiu wary of high competition Merlion Cup brings


Despite a shorter schedule, and with just a handful of teams involved compared to the Jones Cup, breezing through the Merlion Cup will not be an easy task, warns PH-Mighty Sports head coach Charles Tiu.

The Singapore cagefest, which will last for only five days and featyres six club teams, will still display a high level of competition, according to Tiu.

“Hopefully we want to win it all, but we have to understand that the other teams are much stronger,” Tiu said on Friday morning after Mighty Sports’ practice session.

The Merlion Cup will feature five more club teams aside from Mighty Sports — the Shanghai Sharks, Westports Malaysia Dragons, Kinmen Kaoloang Liquor, Seoul Samsung Thunders, and Singapore Slingers — and Tiu is aware that theses squads will bring tough competition to the tourney.

“Yung Samsung Thunders, they have imports just like us. Shanghai Sharks din.

“Their advantage is that they’ve been playing for a long time. They’re more familiar with each other,” the youthful head coach shared

As far as imports are concerned, the Mighty Sports’ roster for the Merlion Cup is not the same as the one that played in the Jones Cup, as this version is largely made up of local players — different from the team that was led by seven imports.2016-Jones-Cup-PH-IND-Al-Thornton Mighty Sports' Tiu wary of high competition Merlion Cup brings Basketball News  - philippine sports news

Tiu explained the move, saying that the tournament only allowed a limited number of foreign players. However, Tiu is upbeat about the vast participation of local players for Mighty Sports.

“We’re only allowed to bring three imports. Marcus [Douthit] is considered a local, so that’s okay.

“Now that we have no more [PBA] DLeague and we have guys that are about to join the [PBA Rookie] Draft, we have more guys so it’s a much better team,” Tiu stated.

#ReadMore  Charles Tiu stresses importance of top two finish for CSB

And despite the challenges the defending Jones Cup champions will be facing in the tourney, Tiu was quick to add that the Philippine contingent possesses a huge advantage in terms of talent.

“I think talent-wise, we’re definitely much better especially sa local players,” said Tiu, who has taken over the head coaching spot from Bo Perasol.

“We’ve got some good guys, so hopefully we can just compete. And if we’re lucky enough, win the championship.”

Written By

Oftentimes on the sidelines. Forever a student of the game. Morayta-bred.


You May Also Like

Basketball

In a controversial finish, Lyceum of the Philippines University edged out College of St. Benilde, 82-81, to claim the last Final Four spot in...

Basketball

By: Bjorn Del Deade College of Saint Benilde had to withstand tough back-to-back matchups against Mapua and San Beda, with each game going down...

Basketball

By: Bjorn Del Deade San Beda still had no answer for Jhomel Ancheta. Much like their Round 1 match-up, Ancheta came through once again,...

Basketball

Filipino-Australian guard Jordan Heading is finally set to make his debut in the Philippine Basketball Association as he joins Converge. In a trade with...

Basketball

Clint Escamis just proved why he’s the reigning MVP of the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament. The former UE Red Warrior sank a...

Basketball

College of Saint Benilde strengthened its lead atop the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament standings, defeating Colegio de San Juan de Letran 83-78...

Basketball

College of Saint Benilde built a sizable lead in the first three quarters, holding on just enough to secure a 61-56 victory over University...

Basketball

Converge has tapped 6-foot-8 Cheick Diallo for the 2024-25 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, which is set to kick off on November 27. FiberXers assistant coach...

Advertisement