Already assured of a second straight championship, Strong Group still brought the fireworks, trouncing the United Arab Emirates, 87-62, to complete a clean sweep of the 44th William Jones Cup on Sunday at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.
The win capped off another dominant run for the Athletics, who went 8-0 for the second straight year — extending their undefeated streak in the Jones Cup to 16 games, after also sweeping the tournament in 2024.
“It’s special, especially because I don’t know if we will be able to have this group again,” said head coach Charles Tiu.
“DJ [Fenner] and [Jason] Brickman are probably joining the draft, Javi [Gomez de Liaño] and Rhenz [Abando] will probably have different teams already, and we don’t know where our other guys will be next year. But we had a great group of guys — guys committed to winning and sacrificing for the team. It’s rare to have this kind of chemistry and character on one team.”
Even with the title already secured, Strong Group didn’t take the foot off the gas.
The Philippines led by just one at the half, 37-36, after a slow start against the winless UAE squad. But a blistering second half — spearheaded by Tajuan Agee and Allen Liwag in the third quarter — swung the momentum as Strong Group built a double-digit lead, 62-52, entering the final frame.
Kiefer Ravena and Dave Ildefonso then took over in the fourth, helping seal the wire-to-wire tournament sweep with clutch plays on both ends.
Agee led five players in double figures with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Ravena followed suit with 13 points, highlighted by three three-pointers, while also dishing out nine assists.
DJ Fenner and Ian Miller each added 12 markers, while Ildefonso chipped in 10.
With the job already done before tip-off, Andre Roberson was given the night off after a string of strong performances throughout the tournament.
“It’s always an honor to win a championship again — we never take anything for granted,” added Tiu. “Our bosses go all out every time to win and support our teams whenever we represent the country.”
Strong Group’s path to perfection included victories over Chinese-Taipei Blue (67-56), Japan Developmental (79-67), Qatar (81-54), Australia’s NBL1 Rising Stars (91-75), Chinese-Taipei White (107-75), Malaysia (106-98), and Bahrain (92-68) — with an average winning margin of 19.38 points.
Completing the powerhouse roster were Jason Brickman, Geo Chiu, Javi Gomez de Liaño, Rhenz Abando, Angelo Kouame, and reserve Anthony Roberson.
Looking ahead, Tiu revealed that plans may already be brewing for another international showcase — this time on home soil.
“We haven’t figured out what’s next, but Boss Frank [Lao], Boss Jacob Lao, and I are talking about potentially hosting an invitational in Manila. I’ve spoken to some teams and they’re interested, so let’s see,” he said. “But for now, we’re just going to enjoy the moment here.”
Despite the loss, UAE got a solid performance from Filipino-Emirati guard Khalifa Khalil Salem, who tallied 18 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals.
Omar Alshabebi added 15 points, while Ahmed Albreiki contributed 11.
