Gilas Pilipinas William Jones Cup 2013, Taiwan may opt NO INVITE

By Under The Sun / Published on 21/05/2013

gilas-pilipinas-2013-jones-cup_m.jpg, Jan 2022

Gilas Pilipinas may not be able to defend their title in the annual William Jones Cup this July if the host country, Taiwan, opt not to invite the Philippine national basketball team. According to the news report of ABS-CBN, the current diplomatic tension between Taiwan and the Philippines stemming from the death of a Taiwanese fisherman in Philippine waters last May 9 may affect their decision to not invite Gilas Pilipinas.

On his Twitter account, Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes said he has "no answers" about the situation regarding the Jones Cup. Chot is also worried about the security of the national team players, especially in light of reports that some Filipinos were being attacked in Taiwan. The Jones Cup would have been part of the national team’s preparations for the upcoming FIBA Asia tournament, which will be held in August in Manila.

Gilas Pilipinas won the Jones Cup last year, with Ginebra point guard LA Tenorio winning tournament MVP honors.