MANILA, Philippines – Strong Group-Pilipinas looks to open its 43rd William Jones Cup campaign on a high note when it battles the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, July 13.

Bannered by the likes of overseas-based Filipino basketball stars Kiefer Ravena, Jordan Heading, and Rhenz Abando, as well as former San Miguel Beermen import Chris McCullough, the star-studded Strong Group squad aims to live up to its billing and reclaim the gold the country last won in 2019.   

Last year, the Philippines – which was then represented by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters – finished seventh in the nine-team field with a disappointing 2-6 slate. 

Mentored by coach Charles Tiu, Strong Group takes on a familiar UAE national team, which it previously dominated in the Dubai International Basketball Championship earlier this year, 82-66.

However, it’s going to be a completely different ball game this time for the Filipinos as they no longer have former NBA players Dwight Howard and Andre Roberson on their roster. 

In that 16-point demolition of UAE in the Dubai International Basketball Championship last January, Roberson and Howard paced the Philippines with 15 and 14 points, respectively. 

Now with an all-new lineup, count on McCullough to show the way for Strong Group in this opening-day showdown, as well as solid contributions from Ravena, Heading, RJ Abarrientos, and Filipino-American guard DJ Fenner, among others. 

On the other side, look for Qais Alshabebi, Hamid Abdullateef, and DeMarco Dickerson to lead UAE as they hope to redeem themselves against Strong Group.

Game time is 1 pm. – Rappler.com