Lebanese teams big threats to Strong Group's title bid
As expected, the Lebanese teams are emerging as the top threats to Strong Group's bid to bring the title back to Philippine shores in the 32nd Dubai International Basketball Championship in Dubai, UAE.
So far, Strong Group, owned by Frank and Jacob Lao, has already clinched a quarterfinals seat along with three other Lebanese teams namely the Al Riyadi, Sports Club Beirut and Dynamo.
“All teams are very tough,” said coach Charles Tiu.
Among the three, Dynamo seemed to be the better offensive team averaging 99.6 points through three games with an average winning margin of 23 points.
Dynamo is currently the No. 1 club team in Lebanon because of its explosive imports in Ibrahima Thomas and Cleanthony Early.
Al Riyadi is no pushover as it is bannered by Lebanon national team members Wael Arakji, Amir Saoud, Hayk Gyokchan and import and former NBA second round draft pick AJ Majok.
Even Sale of Morocco, the tail-ender in Group B, is another cause of concern for the team backed by Mighty Sports and Acrocity.
“Morocco is super big,” added Tiu, Good thing, the Philippine representatives are playing Dynamo in its last game in the elimination round which means they would not be facing in the knockout stage until the semifinals at least.
The game though will certainly give Strong Group an idea how it would fare against the other Lebanese squads with former NBA player Nick Young nursing a knee injury.
“It’s game time decision,” said Tiu. Arakji, a familiar face for Filipinos after he towed Lebanon past a Jordan Clarkson-led Gilas Pilipinas in the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers, has been averaging 16.5 points per game while Majok has been norming 16 points and 14 rebounds per outing.
Sports Club Beirut is also a formidable squad with Gerard Hadidan and Kenneth Hays forming a deadly onetwo punch for the team.
Centro Escolar University goes for history as the mighty Scorpions try to reclaim the title in the 5th PG Flex Linoleum-Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL) via a grand sweep Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Paco Arena in Manila.
No team has ever swept the tournament and that will be CEU’s mission when they clash with the Olivarez College Sea Lions at 2 p.m.
The Scorpions inched closer to regaining the crown they won in the inaugural edition of the event in 2017 with a 78-73 victory in Game 1 of their
The country’s top wood pushers headed by defending champion International Master Daniel Quizon, Grandmasters John Paul Gomez, Darwin Laylo and Joey Antonio battle it out for glory in the Philippine National Chess Championship at the Malolos City Auditorium.
Host Malolos City Mayor Atty. Christian Natividad ushered in the nine-round tournament Wednesday, Feb. 1, along with Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre, National Chess Federation of the Philippines chairman-presititle series on Monday.
CEU advanced outright to the finals after sweeping the two-round elims of the 7-team tournament also presented by Vespa and supported by Gerry’s Grill.
Out to lead the Scorpions are Ayodeji Balogun, Leonard Santiago, Franz Diaz and Vince Ferrer who all finished in double figures in Game 1.
John Umali and Edmund Dela Cruz need to produce significant numbers if the Sea Lions are to force a winner-take-all match on Monday.
dent Butch Pichay and tournament director GM Jayson Gonzales and chief arbiter Reden Cruz.
The 19-year-old Quizon was battling Dasmarinas teammate Mark Jay Bacojo in the opening round at press time and the former hopes to retain the crown he won in the last staging two years ago in Lapu Lapu, Cebu.
Gomez and Laylo, who were part of the national team that saw action in the Chennai World Chess Olympiad last year, were battling IM Michael Concio, Jr. and Woman GM Janelle Mae Frayna at press time, respectively.
Antonio, a many-time national champion, for his part, was tackling Olympiad regular Paulo Bersamina
Also seeing action in this event backed by Philippine Sports Commission chair Richard Bachmann and Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino and staking a total cash purse worth ₱322,000 including ₱100,000 to the winner are reigning women’s champion WIM Antoinette Mae San Diego, IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia.
After the opening round, two rounds will be played each today and tomorrow, and takes a break on Saturday and resumes with two games each on Sunday and Monday.
Also being staked are ₱80,000 to the second placer and ₱50,000, ₱30,000 and ₱20,000 to the third to fifth placers.
UCBL