MANILA – Young Pinoy hoopers RJ Abarrientos and Dave Ildefonso want nothing less than the 43rd William Jones Cup crown.

And now that Philippine-based squad is only two wins away from the title, they won’t let that chance slip away from their hands.



 

“Ang goal namin now is mabalik yung Jones Cup sa bansa natin,” said Abarrientos.

In case Strong Group emerges victorious in the Taiwan tilt, it will be the country’s seventh overall Jones Cup championship.

“My goal right now first is to help the team and Coach Charles (Tiu) win the Jones Cup. I’m going to do whatever it takes and do whatever is needed of me on the court,” Ildefonso said, echoing his teammate’s sentiment.

 

The team has secured a top-two placement in the tourney after a demolition of Japan’s under-22 team, 92-79, on Friday.

 

Reflecting on his playing time with SGA, Ildefonso said this stint prepares him for the PBA.

“SGA really helped me a lot para I can get more runs under my legs and more wind in my lungs. I really need the games and the runs. It really helped me prepare for the PBA,” he said.

Abarrientos could be considered as one of the main guys in playmaking as he averages a team-high 5.7 assists, 7.8 points on a 40.6-percent shooting on three-point range, and 2.3 rebounds per game.

For his part, Ildefonso tallies 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per match.

 

Ginebra used its third pick overall in the 2024 PBA Rookie Draft to select the 5-foot-11 player RJ — which marked that another Abarrientos would be playing for the PBA’s winningest coach, Tim Cone.



“Sobrang excited to play with Ginebra. Gusto ko na makasama yung mga coach lalo na si Coach Tim Cone at Coach Olsen Racela na dati kong head coach sa FEU. Of course, gusto ko na rin makasama ang mga kuya ko na sina Kuya Scottie (Thompson), Kuya Jamie (Malonzo), at Kuya Japeth (Aguilar). So ganun ako ka-excited,” Abarrientos said.

Ildefonso, who was drafted by NorthPort, embraces the thrill of extending the legacy of his dad, former PBA MVP Danny Ildefonso.



“I’m very excited for my new PBA team. I’m happy that Northport selected me as the fifth pick. I’m looking forward to repaying their trust because they picked me so high. I was just really surprised that they picked me. I’m going to work on my game more to repay their trust,” said the younger Ildefonso.

Strong Group-Pilipinas’ last assignments would be Chinese-Taipei White on Saturday, 5 p.m., before facing Chinese-Taipei Blue the following day at 7 p.m.