Jones Cup: Philippines Coach Says Controversial Rule May Affect Next Year's Participation; Owner 'Very Unhappy'

The Philippine basketball team secured fifth place in the 45th William Jones Cup International Basketball Invitational after defeating Jordan 96-91 in their final classification match. The team, competing as "Strong Group Athletics" (SGA), aimed to be the first to achieve three consecutive championships since Iran in 2011.

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We regret not winning the championship, but I think we played well. We played very poorly in the first game, but we played excellently in the subsequent games, so in a way, we are quite disappointed.

Despite a strong showing after an initial loss to South Korea's Wonju DB Promy, the Philippines finished with a 5-1 record in the group stage. However, a controversial tournament rule granting Taiwan's Blue team a direct bye to the semifinals relegated the Philippines to a 5th-6th place playoff. Head coach Tab Baldwin stated, "We regret not winning the championship, but I think we played well. We played very poorly in the first game, but we played excellently in the subsequent games, so in a way, we are quite disappointed." He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to compete and represent the Philippines.

Baldwin voiced concerns that the tournament's controversial format might deter the team from participating next year. "I think it might, I don't know if we will come next year, we have to ask our owner first, he is actually very unhappy about this," Baldwin revealed. He explained that the owner considers SGA one of the tournament's biggest supporters and always wishes to bring star players, like the popular 224cm Serbian center Boban Marjanović, to Taiwan. "He always hopes to bring big stars for the fans, and everyone can see that everyone likes Boban," Baldwin added, noting Marjanović's popularity. "But we'll see, who knows what will happen in a year. I personally hope to come again, but we'll have to see the situation then."

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I think it might, I don't know if we will come next year, we have to ask our owner first, he is actually very unhappy about this.

The SGA team's roster this year included NBA-level players and was reportedly assembled with a budget exceeding NT$10 million. The team's participation is a significant investment, and the owner's dissatisfaction with the tournament's rules could impact future involvement.

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He always hopes to bring big stars for the fans, and everyone can see that everyone likes Boban.