The Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas (SGA-PH) has added three collegiate players to their roster for the upcoming 43rd William Jones Cup, scheduled from July 13 to 21, in Taipei, Taiwan.
SGA president Jacob Lao said the addition of College of St. Benilde Blazers’ Allen Liwag and Winston Ynot and Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights rookie Jonathan Manalili is part of the team’s commitment to nurturing young talents.
“Having Jonathan, Allen, and Tony on our team is our way of helping develop the future of Philippine basketball. We always make sure to have young players on our team to give them an early glimpse of what international basketball is like,” said Lao.
Manalili, an incoming rookie for the Knights, played a key role in Letran Squires’ NCAA Season 99 Juniors Basketball championship as he averaged 16.08 points, 6.92 assists, 4.23 rebounds, and 2.46 steals per game.
Ynot and Liwag, on the other hand, are both returnees to the SGA-PH after joining the squad in the 2024 Dubai Basketball International Tournament in Dubai, UAE, earlier this year.
SGA-PH head coach Charles Tiu is confident that this experience will benefit the young players in the upcoming NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament and beyond.
“This will not only prepare Allen, Tony, and Jonathan for the upcoming NCAA Season 100 tournament but will also help them have a bright future in basketball,” Tiu said.
Also part of the SGA-PH roster are veterans Kiefer Ravena, Rhenz Abando, Angelo Kouame, RJ Abarrientos, Jordan Heading, DJ Fenner, Chris McCollough, Caelan Tiongson, and Tajuan Agee.
