IT will be a tough grind for the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball when they see action in the 2017 William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan.
Assistant coach Josh Reyes said the presence of Canada and Lithuania in the weeklong meet makes it so.
“We have tough opponents out there. Canada and Lithuania are among them. And Taipei wants to win it, too,” said Reyes.
Reyes talked about the tournament during yesterday’s sendoff at the Bar One restaurant of Crowne Hotel in Ortigas.
He was in the company of top Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas officials led by SBP vice chairman Robbie Puno and Butch Antonio, along with members of the team.
This could be the strongest team that will be fielded in the competition after Mighty Sports-Philippines won it last year.
The team is bannered by Blackwater’s Mac Belo, who is back after suffering a meniscus tear on his left knee that required surgery.
He joins fellow Gilas cadets Matthew Wright, RR Pogoy, Mike Tolomia, Carl Bryan Cruz in the the cagefest. They will be leading the team with Von Pessumal, Jio Jalalon, Kevin Ferrer, Ed Daquioag, and Alfonso Gotladera.
Kobe Paras, Kiefer Ravena, Fil-German Christian Standhardinger, Raymar Jose, Almond Vosotros, and Mike Myers have also been listed.
For Wright, Pogoy, and Jalalon, it will be their second international stint after they helped Gilas win the gold during the 2017 SEABA Championships in Manila last May.
On the other hand, Paras, Ravena, Jose, Tolomia, Vosotros, Pessumal, Standhardinger, Cruz, and Ferrer are also joining the national team in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.