Beefed up by a trio of high-octane imports, Mighty Sports looks forward to making heads turn when it locks horns with crack squads from Africa and the Middle East when the 28th Dubai International Basketball Championship gets off the wraps Friday in the United Arab Emirates.
Joined by Rain or Shine standouts Ryan Arana and Beau Belga, former PBA MVP Willie Miller, the resurgent resurgent JC Intal and ex-Gilas stars Kiefer Ravena and Chris Tiu, Mighty Sports is raring to showcase its wares with Hasheem Thabeet, Dominic McGuire and Justin Brownlee as its reinforcements in the cagefest that will last until Feb. 25.
Charles Tiu, younger brother of Chris, will call the shots for Mighty Sports, which is bidding to duplicate its 2016 Jones Cup showing.
Also tapped to make the squad rock-solid from top to bottom are Jeron Teng and Jett Manuel, a move that only showed Mighty Sports’ desire to show that the Philippines is a country oozing with talent.
Tournament organizers initially had second thoughts of inviting a Philippine squad as previous performances turned out to be forgettable.
But knowing Mighty Sports’ commitment to excellence, they decided to bring in the crew that is owned by company president John Sy, who also drew support from Scratch It and Rain or Shine, perennial patrons of basketball.
Lebanon, the home of Fahdi El Khatib, will be represented in the event, while Egypt and even a selection from the US are also entered, giving Mighty Sports a reason not to believe that the trip is going to be characterized with frequent shopping and countless sight-seeing.
