COACH Charles Tiu is pleased with the progress of the recently-assembled Strong Group team set to compete in the Dubai 2023 International Championship.
The team featuring former NBA players Nick Young and Renaldo Balkman has been drawn in Group A of the tournament with the United Arab Emirates national team, Al-Wahda from Syria, Dynamo from Lebanon and Al Nasr from Libya.
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The tournament starts on Jan. 27.
“Team chemistry is slowly picking up. Balkman has been our clear cut leader as always. They’re slowly getting in shape too. So that’s a good sign,” said Tiu.
The team also has Naturalized Filipino Ange Kouame from Ivory Coast, Fil-Am guard Sedrick Barefield, Korean league-bound Justine Baltazar, Will Gozum, Francis Lopez, Inand Fornillos, JD Cagulangan, Jerom Lastimosa and BJ Andrade.
“Jerom Lastimosa is really good. Best point guard in college for sure. He’s so much better than I thought,” Tiu said.
“Bj Andrade also has impressed me, great teammate, does a lot of the little things apart from being a great shooter. It’s no wonder Ateneo won all those championships,” he added.
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