MANILA, Philippines – For the first time ever, the Philippines will be represented by two teams in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship slated from January 24 to February 2.
Strong Group Athletics and the Zamboanga Valientes both look to capture the title the Philippines last won in 2020 under the Mighty Sports banner as they duke it out against powerhouse teams from the Middle East.
Led by former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins, Chris McCullough, and Mikey Williams, Strong Group seeks to redeem itself following a heartbreaking runner-up finish last year, where it lost in the final off a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
Meanwhile, the Valientes, bannered by the likes of Nic Cabañero, Forthsky Padrigao, Malick Diouf, and Kyt Jimenez hope to make some noise as they make their tournament debut.
Here are the rosters and the schedules of Strong Group and Zamboanga in this year’s Dubai International Basketball Championship:
Strong Group Athletics
Roster
- DeMarcus Cousins
- Chris McCullough
- Malachi Richardson
- Andray Blatche
- Ange Kouame
- Mikey Williams
- Jason Brickman
- Rhenz Abando
- Dave Ildefonso
- Allen Liwag
- Chris Koon
- Justine Sanchez
- Tony Ynot
Schedule (Manila time)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24
11 pm – Strong Group Athletics vs UAE National Team
SUNDAY, JANUARY 26
1 am – Strong Group Athletics vs Al Nasr
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28
1 am – Strong Group Athletics vs Beirut First
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30
1 am – Strong Group Athletics vs AmmanUnited
Zamboanga Valientes
Roster
- Samuel Deguara
- Adonis Thomas
- Malick Diouf
- Nic Cabañero
- Forthsky Padrigao
- Kyt Jimenez
- Mike Tolomia
- Prince Caperal
- Rashawn McCarthy
- Ken Holmqvist
- Rudy Lingganay
- Job Alcantara
- Denver Cadiz
- Das Esa
Schedule (Manila time)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25
11 pm – Zamboanga Valientes vs Sharjah SC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 26
11 pm – Zamboanga Valientes vs Al Ahli Tripoli
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29
1 am – Zamboanga Valientes vs Sagesse SC
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30
9 pm – Zamboanga Valientes vs Tunisia National Team
– Rappler.com