AFTER an outpouring of support from Filipino basketball fans worldwide, especially in Dubai where they finished second in a major international event, Strong Group Athletics Philippines is by no means ready to pack it up.
Strong Group coach Charles Tiu told SPIN.ph the support and prayers given by fans and the respect they earned from the international community will push the group to vie in different tournaments overseas, not just in Dubai alone.
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“What’s next? We will see. We’d love to come back here (in Dubai), grabe yung mga Filipino fans dito, they were so happy, they were all so thankful because we came. Grabe ang pagsuporta nila, sobrang nakakataba talaga ng puso. Kahit natalo kami, sobrang positive,” said Tiu shortly after Strong Group's loss to Dubai International Basketball Championships champion Al-Riyadi in the final.
Heartened by the warm reception from fans who mostly stayed up late to watch the games even on Arabic annotated broadcast, Tiu said they can no longer wait for January 2024 for the next Dubai tournament.
Tiu disclosed that after a few days of rest, he and Strong Group team owner and billionaire businessman Frank Lao will sit down to study other international options.
“If there are other tournaments that we will be invited, we’d love to form a team and be able to compete with whoever will invite us. You know naman we’re an up-and-coming team din, bago kami, hopefully may magawa kaming bago for Philippine basketball,” said the brother of former Gilas pioneer Chris Tiu.
The concurrent College of Saint Benilde Blazers head coach also shared that the owners of Strong Group were so happy with how the team left an indelible mark in the hearts of Filipino basketball fans.
“Amazed at how Filipinos sacrificed their sleep to watch our games and show support. And the fact the our finals game ended to be that exciting, it made boss Frank broach a more aggressive plan for Strong Group,” he said.
“Grabe rin 'yung pagmamahal sa team ng mga kababayan natin sa Pilipinas, we’re thankful to those who found ways to watch, mga online, kahit hindi nila naiintindihan yung livestream, they stayed til the end. The messages from fans are just encouraging,” he said.
PBA guest stint for Strong?
The Dubai games could've used a bigger venue, Tiu said.
“Sobrang sold-out I wish they had a bigger venue. Mas marami pa sana ang supporters ng team dito, ang daming hindi nakapanood. Players here feeling nila rock star sila.”
Asked if a PBA guest stint is part of the plan, Tiu said the team is aware of fans' strong sentiment on such a possibility.
“We will see. But if they will open their door to us, we can work it out as long as kaya ng sked ng players namin, kami as coaches who are also handling collegiate teams, game naman kami dun,” he said.
Tiu said more than anything else, he felt bad for the fans after the 97-94 loss to Wael Arajki-led Lebanese side in the final.
“We did the best that we can," he said. “Breaks of the game, to be down that much 19 points, we’ve only been together for 10 days before this tournament, going up against a high-level team like Al Riyadi.
"We really put them on the brink, coming from behind by 20, going up by 4 points, could have been 6. But you know we missed some free throws, they hit some tough threes late in the game from broken play that really hurt the shot clock.
“Sayang lang, kinapos kami this year. It was nice sana to give them a good show, but hopefully makabawi pa kami in the future. Mckenzie Moore getting hurt was really a game-changer for us, a turning point coz he was playing great,” he added.
“No excuses the guys fought, we’re really proud of the effort, this wasn’t just our day. I guess, God has other plans for us.”
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