TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On the first day of the 42nd William Jones Cup men's competition on Saturday (August 12), the Taiwan (blue) team defeated the Philippines 98:79.
The game was also notable as it was the international debut of Mohammad al Bachir Gadiaga for a Taiwan team. Recently cleared by international basketball’s governing body, FIBA, Mohammad, known locally as "Abassi," is the reigning T1 League Rookie of the Year.
His eligibility was granted after living in Taiwan since the age of eight, and receiving Taiwanese citizenship in 2020, per UDN. Mohammad scored 22 points off the bench, and was the second-leading scorer against the Philippines, while also contributing on defense.
The blue team is mainly players from Taiwan's national team, while the white team is primarily comprised of younger up and coming players. The blue team takes on Japan on Sunday (Aug. 13), which was defeated by the white team on Saturday.
The white team was bolstered this year by the addition of U.S. high school basketball players Robert and Adam Hinton, a young California pair with a Taiwanese mother who were granted Taiwan citizenship at the age of 16. The Hinton brothers helped propel the white team to an 85-59 win over Japan in front of a raucous crowd at Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
Other results on the first day of play include a Korean victory over the United Arab Emirates by a score of 100:84, and the U.S. team represented by the UC Irvine Anteaters defeating Qatar 105:38.
UC Irvine may be the most formidable team in the tournament, as they led the NCAA Big West Conference last year, are well coached, and have experience playing together.
The William Jones Cup is an invitational tournament hosted by Taiwan's Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA), with both men’s and women’s competitions. Each country is represented by one team, which can be their national team, a youth team, a club team, or an all-star team. Meanwhile, as the host, Taiwan can opt to have two teams.
The tournament is not sanctioned by FIBA and is overseen by CTBA, with the champion determined by the team with the best record after the single round-robin competition. The Jones Cup has daily men’s games from 1–9 p.m., concluding on Sunday (August 20).
