TAIPEI, Taiwan — The William Jones Cup’s new tournament format has drawn criticism after host Chinese Taipei advanced to the semifinals despite a 1-5 record, while Strong Group-Philippines was eliminated despite finishing the preliminary round at 5-1.
The Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CBTA) apologized Thursday following criticism of the format, which gave the host team a direct semifinal berth despite its record.
“SGA, the two-time champion from the Philippines that was placed in the same group as Chinese Taipei Blue, may have been the biggest victim of this year’s new format,” the CBTA said in a statement.
The association said it accepted the criticism and would review the tournament format and scheduling for next year.
Strong Group-Philippines capped its preliminary-round campaign with a 43-point win over Chinese Taipei Blue but still missed the semifinal round. The Philippine team finished tied with KBL club Wonju DB, which secured the higher ranking through a better quotient after the teams split their two meetings.
The new format originally placed the top two teams from each group into the next phase. Organizers later announced that Chinese Taipei, as the host, would receive a direct spot in the Final Four.
Strong Group coach Charles Tiu said his team entered the game against Chinese Taipei determined to win by a wide margin.
“We wanted to really blow out Taipei to show that we were the ones who deserved to be playing for the championship,” Tiu said.
Tiu said the team had been playing at a high level but expressed disappointment with the tournament format.
“It’s just so, so unfortunate that this is the way things are set up,” he said.
The Philippines has a long history in the William Jones Cup, with several Philippine national teams winning the tournament under coaches including Ron Jacobs, Tim Cone and Chot Reyes.
Strong Group had won the previous two editions and was seeking a third consecutive title.
UC Irvine and Chinese Taipei White also advanced to the semifinals from the other group.