FORMER PBA Commissioner Noli Eala has strongly criticized the controversial format of the 2026 William Jones Cup, calling it a “farce” and accusing the tournament organizers of implementing rules that favored the home team.
Eala reacted after Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas saw its bid for another William Jones Cup title come to an end despite finishing the group stage with a strong record, as the tournament’s format created an uneven path to the semifinals.
“It is an absolute insult to William Jones, one of the founding fathers of FIBA, that the current organizers of the Cup and tournament named after him riddled its format with egregious rules to favor the home team,” Eala said.
The former PBA commissioner, who has long been involved in Philippine basketball, expressed disappointment that a tournament with the history and reputation of the Jones Cup would adopt a format that drew questions over competitive fairness.
“This is really surprising considering how professionally organized the Jones Cup has been for so many decades that I can recall being involved in it,” Eala added.
The criticism centered on the tournament setup, which gave different groups different paths to the semifinals and ultimately resulted in Strong Group being eliminated despite putting together a better record than some of the teams that advanced.
The situation sparked outrage among Philippine basketball fans after Strong Group closed its Group A campaign with a dominant 117-74 victory over Chinese Taipei Blue but still failed to advance to the Final Four.
For Eala, however, the issue was bigger than Strong Group’s elimination.
“This farce and ‘home-cooked’ format should be condemned and never be acquiesced to by any team in the future,” he said.
Eala’s strong words reflected the growing frustration surrounding the competition, particularly because the William Jones Cup has long been regarded as one of the region’s most established international basketball tournaments.
Strong Group entered the tournament as the defending champion and was hoping to continue its run, but its title defense was ultimately cut short by a format that Eala believes compromised the integrity of the competition.
For the former PBA commissioner, a tournament carrying the name of William Jones should be remembered for the quality of its basketball not for a format that leaves teams questioning whether the playing field was truly level. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
