THE REINFORCEMENTS have arrived as Strong Group Athletics braces for a redemption tour in the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championships.
NBA legend Dwight Howard and Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player Andray Blatche landed in the country on Sunday night after the first arrival of fellow NBAer Andre Robinson and seasoned import McKenzie Moore.
All four players will serve as imports of Strong Group when it slugs it out against the world’s best ball clubs in the bustling United Arab Emirates city on January 19 to 28.
“Welcome to Manila, Dwight Howard. Let’s win this championship with Strong Group,” said head coach Charles Tiu.
“We finally made it to the Philippines. We finally made it,” said Mr. Howard, who arrived with Mr. Blatche, after a delayed flight from the United States.
Expectations are high for the 38-year-old Mr. Howard, who had an illustrious NBA career highlighted by three Defensive Player of the Year awards and a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers before claiming Most Valuable Player (MVP) honor in Taiwan’s T1 League. Aside from a bumper crop of fellow reinforcements, the hulking center will join a stacked local cast led by UAAP Season 86 MVP and Finals MVP Kevin Quiambao of De La Salle University.
Sniper Francis Escandor of the DLSU Green Archers is also in the fray with College of St. Benilde’s Allen Liwag, Tony Ynot and Justine Sanchez.
De La Salle head coach Topex Robinson, along with Australia head coach and former Bay Area mentor Brian Goorjian, have also been tapped to boost Mr. Tiu’s coaching staff.
Strong Group, owned by Frank and Jacob Lao, is out to avenge a quarterfinal finish last edition and replicate the feat of Mighty Sports as the first non-Middle Eastern champion team in Dubai in 2020.
More players from the collegiate and pro leagues are anticipated to be announced this week as Strong Group hits training camp before trooping to Dubai. — John Bryan Ulanday