GILAS Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone has questioned the controversial format of the 2026 William Jones Cup, particularly the decision to guarantee Chinese Taipei Blue a semifinal berth despite its 1-5 win-loss record.
Cone, who served as an assistant coach on the Philippine team that won the Jones Cup gold medal in 1998, said it was unusual for tournament organizers to introduce such a provision without clearly informing participating teams beforehand.
“Seems rather odd to seed someone and not tell anyone until you land in country. Frankly, why have a tournament then?” Cone said in a Viber message to Fastbreak on Friday.
The format drew widespread criticism after Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas was eliminated from semifinal contention despite finishing Group A with a 5-1 record. South Korea’s Wonju DB Promy claimed the group’s lone qualifying spot through the tiebreaker system.
Chinese Taipei Blue, meanwhile, advanced to the semifinals despite finishing the group stage with a 1-5 record after being guaranteed a spot under the tournament rules.
Cone also lamented the controversy surrounding a tournament with a long history in Asian basketball.
“Sayang, because that has been one of the great Asian tournaments over the years,” Cone said.
The Chinese Taipei Basketball Association has acknowledged the criticism and said it would review and improve the tournament format and scheduling for next year. (Adrian Co)
