Strong Group will face its toughest test to close out its campaign in the 43rd William Jones Cup tonight at 7:00 PM.
The Philippine-based club team will take on Chinese-Taipei A.
Both teams have swept their first seven games.
Strong Group has won all of its games by an average margin of 21.57 points per game, while Chinese-Taipei A is equally impressive, winning with a margin of 17.85 points per game.
Already facing an expected hostile crowd at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei, Taiwan, they will take on a retooled Chinese-Taipei national team, bolstered by new naturalized player Brandon Gilbeck and a couple of upstarts playing in Division I schools: the Hinton brothers.
(C) Jones Cup
“This is a revamped Chinese-Taipei team compared to the past,” said Tiu. “They are younger and have more international experience.”
Gilbeck, who stands at 7 feet and plays for the P.League+ team Formosa Dreamers, is averaging 13.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game. He is also the reigning P.League+ Defensive Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, Robert Hinton is playing for Harvard Westlake, while Adam Hinton plays for Cornell. Both stand at 6 feet 5 inches.
(C) Jones Cup
The Hinton brothers have also been performing well in the Jones Cup, with 18-year-old Robert averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game so far.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Adam is putting up 11.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Strong Group is looking to give the Philippines its seventh Jones Cup title. Northern Cement and San Miguel won the title in 1981 and 1985, respectively.
The Philippine Centennial Team ended a 13-year title drought in 1998 before Gilas ruled the tournament in 2012. Mighty Sports are two-time champions in the event, ruling in 2016 and 2019.
“Hopefully, we give our A-game in this last game,” said Tiu.
