Mighty Sports defends fielding seven imports in Jones Cup

TAIPEI – Mighty Sports Apparels has fielded a heavily reinforced team in the 38th Jones Cup to honor a commitment to bring a competitive team in the annual international invitational cage joust here.

“When we were invited by the Jones Cup organizers since our Gilas team and cadets weren’t available, they had specific instructions to make sure that the team that we are going to assemble is a competitive one. It was difficult to sign up local players as most of them are playing in the PBA or the D-League and have existing contracts,” said Mighty Sports coach Bo Perasol.

“The most logical recourse, with the very limited time of about two weeks, was to sign up ex-PBA imports and other available ex-PBA players,” added Perasol on their decision to bring in Al Thornton, Hamady N’Diaye, Zach Graham, Michael Singletary, Vernon Macklin, Dewarick Spencer and Troy Gillenwater.

As per the Jones Cup rules, Mighty Sports is allowed to enlist any player. Neither it is breaking a FIBA rule since it is a club team.

Mighty Sports is the lone club team entered in the 38th Jones Cup participated in by the national teams of Korea, Japan, India and Egypt, the lead squad and cadet team of the host country and the Cal State-Sacramento Hornets, a Division I team in the US NCAA.

The United States is the winningest country in the Jones Cup with 15 titles.

The Philippines won the Jones Cup crown for the first time in 1981 with a team dominated by prospective naturalized players under coach Ron Jacobs.

The Phl side reigned supreme again in the Jones Cup in 1985, 1998 and 2012 with the national teams under coaches Jacobs, Tim Cone and Chot Reyes, respectively.