Kiefer Ravena, Rhenz Abando lead Strong Group Athletics in Jones Cup title defense
Mainstays Kiefer Ravena and Rhenz Abando will spearhead the Strong Group Athletics when they defend the title in the 2025 William Jones Cup that fires off next month.
Ravena and Abando will be returning for another tour of duty for the Philippine representatives alongside Jason Brickman, Dave Ildefonso, Ange Kouame, Geo Chiu, and reigning NCAA MVP Allen Liwag.
Reinforcing the squad are 6-foot-6 guard DJ Fenner, 6-foot-9 big man Tajuan Agee, and NBA veteran Andre Roberson with longtime coach Charles Tiu still calling the shots.
'Yeah, I'm excited to bring back some guys from our championship squad. This might be the first time we're able to run it back with this many returning players,' said Tiu.
SGA, however, will open its campaign without Ravena, who is expected to miss the first two games against Chinese-Taipei Blue on July 13 and the Japan Under-25 Akatsuki Five squad on July 14 due to prior commitments.
Despite that, SGA is focused on defending the crown they won last year by defeating Chinese Taipei A in a classic overtime showdown that saw the Filipinos eking out an 83-79 victory.
'The big challenge is that we'll be facing Taipei A in our very first game, and we haven't played any tune-up games yet. We'll have to see how quickly the team can gel. Kiefer will also miss a couple of games, but we're definitely looking to defend our crown,' added Tiu.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
19 hours ago
- GMA Network
Javi Gomez de Liaño, Ian Miller join Strong Group in Jones Cup
Javi Gomez de Liaño and Ian Miller have been tapped to join Strong Group Athletics' title defense bid in the 2025 William Jones Cup set from July 12 to 20 at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The two additions will join a stacked lineup headlined by local stars Kiefer Ravena, Rhenz Abando, Jason Brickman, Dave Ildefonso, Ange Kouame, Geo Chiu, and reigning NCAA MVP Allen Liwag. 'These are excellent additions to our team,' said head coach Charles Tiu. 'Javi and Ian bring high-level experience and versatility. They'll really complement the core group we already have.' The 26-year-old Gomez de Liaño is heading into his second year with Korean club Anyang. He posted averages of 8.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in his debut campaign. American reinforcement Miller, meanwhile, saw action in the Basketball Champions League Asia and was named the MVP in the Asia-East division after averaging 17.9 points on 44.1% shooting, alongside 2.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists. 'He's coming off an impressive run in BCL Asia, so we're excited to bring that firepower to our backcourt,' said Tiu. SGA will kick off its campaign for back-to-back championships on July 13 against Chinese-Taipei A, followed by matchups against Japan's Under-25 team, Qatar, Australia, Chinese-Taipei B, Malaysia, Bahrain, and UAE. —Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
Marcos proud of Alex Eala's historic stint in Eastbourne Open
Tennis - Eastbourne Open - June 28, 2025 Philippines' Alexandra Eala reacts during her women's singles final against Australia's Maya Joint Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs Philippine president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. said he is proud of Alex Eala's historic run in the Eastbourne Open. Eala became the first Filipino to play in a WTA Tour level finals, but eventually fell short against Australia's Maya Joint. "We all watched you make history as the first Filipino to reach a WTA 250 singles final. That alone is already a victory for our country and for the millions of Filipinos who stand proudly behind you," Marcos said in his social media post. "You've made us all proud! Keep going, your best is yet to come." Eala will next compete in Wimbledon where she will face defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
3 days ago
- GMA Network
Kiefer Ravena, Rhenz Abando lead Strong Group Athletics in Jones Cup title defense
Mainstays Kiefer Ravena and Rhenz Abando will spearhead the Strong Group Athletics when they defend the title in the 2025 William Jones Cup that fires off next month. Ravena and Abando will be returning for another tour of duty for the Philippine representatives alongside Jason Brickman, Dave Ildefonso, Ange Kouame, Geo Chiu, and reigning NCAA MVP Allen Liwag. Reinforcing the squad are 6-foot-6 guard DJ Fenner, 6-foot-9 big man Tajuan Agee, and NBA veteran Andre Roberson with longtime coach Charles Tiu still calling the shots. 'Yeah, I'm excited to bring back some guys from our championship squad. This might be the first time we're able to run it back with this many returning players,' said Tiu. SGA, however, will open its campaign without Ravena, who is expected to miss the first two games against Chinese-Taipei Blue on July 13 and the Japan Under-25 Akatsuki Five squad on July 14 due to prior commitments. Despite that, SGA is focused on defending the crown they won last year by defeating Chinese Taipei A in a classic overtime showdown that saw the Filipinos eking out an 83-79 victory. 'The big challenge is that we'll be facing Taipei A in our very first game, and we haven't played any tune-up games yet. We'll have to see how quickly the team can gel. Kiefer will also miss a couple of games, but we're definitely looking to defend our crown,' added Tiu. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
