Strong Group eyes Dubai title with Dwight Howard on board

MANILA, Philippines -- Dwight Howard's addition to the Philippines' Strong Group side will give the team a huge boost both offensively and defensively, head coach Charles Tiu said.

Tiu, who coaches the team, confirmed that Howard will be suiting up for the country in the upcoming Dubai International Basketball Championships.

Tiu told Philstar.com that he hopes the one-time NBA champion and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year will help the Strong Group side bring home the bacon.

"I hope we can win it all this time. Last year we had some misfortune with Ange Kouame getting sick before the tournament and miss it completely," Tiu said.

"Hopefully if we are healthy we can win it all," he added.

Last year, Strong Group fell in the quarterfinals of the Dubai tourney.

The coach bared that they went after Howard, "primarily because we feel he could still give us a huge presence defensively and also a good inside presence offensively."

He revealed that former Gilas Pilipinas import Andray Blatche connected the team to the former NBA superstar.

"Andray Blatche connected me to him, I gave him a call and after a few hours of talking decided it was a good fit," Tiu said.

"I’m thankful to our owners Frank and Jacob [Lao] who agreed and fully supported this."