Jones Cup bound: Buildup shifts to high gear for Nationals

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas vies in the 2015 Jones Cup Invitational Basketball Tournament in Taipei beginning tomorrow., hoping to use the event to reach competitive form for the FIBA Asian championship.

Team Phl takes the 12:30 p.m. Eva Air flight to Taipei today, bringing along 17 players for their lone warm-up competition for the Asian meet that doubles as regional qualifier for the 2016 Olympics.

“We requested that we be allowed to enter all our players, choosing 12 at a time,” said Gilas team manager Butch Antonio.

Jimmy Alapag, Gabe Norwood, Sonny Thoss, Jayson Castro, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and Ranidel de Ocampo are returnees from the Gilas team that annexed the Jones Cup crown in 2012, an event presaging Gilas’ stirring run all the way to the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

In their Jones Cup return after a two-year absence, the Filipinos get to test their mettle against four Asian rivals in Iran, South Korea, Japan and the home team and play other games against the Chinese Taipei B, the Wellington Saints of New Zealand, Spartak-Primorye of Russia and a US selection.

Gilas takes a first-day bye today and plays Chinese Taipei A to start its Jones Cup campaign at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

LA Laker guard Jordan Clarkson, who could play for the national team in the future, will observe at least three games of Gilas in Taipei.

Coach Tab Baldwin looks forward to the trip to further enhance the team’s bonding and be better in all aspects nearing the FIBA Asia tourney in Changsha, China.

Gilas Pilipinas is behind most of its Asian rivals in terms of preparation. Korea, for one, has named its Final 12, seven (Yang Donggeun, Kim Taesul, Kim Sunhyung, Park Chan Hee, Cho Sungmin, Kim Jongkyun and Lee Jonghyun) of them were members of the Korean team to the 2014 World Cup.

Yoon Ho-youn, Moon Taeyoung, Lee Seunghyun, Ha Seung-Jin and Kim Jongkyu complete the roster that will defend the Korean crown in the 2015 Jones Cup.

Missing a podium finish last year with their second team, the Iranians will be back this year with their premier team led by 7-foot-2 center Hamed Haddadi, top gun Samad Nikkah Bharami and chief playmaker Mahdi Khamrani.

 Iran won four titles in a five-year span from 2009 – its dominant run stopped in 2012 by the Gilas side led by Marcus Douthit and tournament MVP winner LA Tenorio.

For the record, the United States is the winningest team in the Jones Cup with 15 championships followed by the Philippines and Iran with four each.

The Philippines ruled the event in 1981 with the NCC team led by Ricky Brown, in 1985 with a group including Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma, Franz Pumaren, Chip Engleland, Dennis Still and Jeff Moore, in 1998 with the Phl Centennial Team by coach Tim Cone then in 2012 with Gilas under coach Chot Reyes.

Marc Pingris will be an addition to the Gilas team that competed and lost all its three games in the Estonian journey.

“We’re looking forward to getting Ping. Hopefully everything will go well and he’ll be with us through the Jones Cup and onward,” said Baldwin.