Strong Group adds troika of Manalili, Ynot, Liwag for Jones Cup

Before they turn into NCAA rivals, Jonathan Manalili, Tony Ynot, and Allen Liwag will first play for one cause as they joined the Strong Group Athletics ahead of the 43rd William Jones Cup next month.

The trio has been added to the stacked Strong Group roster that already banners Kiefer Ravena, Chris McCullough, Rhenz Abando, Angelo Kouame, RJ Abarrientos, Jordan Heading, Caelan Tiongson, DJ Fenner, and Tajuan Agee.

The upcoming tournament comes just months away before Manalili's expected seniors debut with Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Season 100, where he will go up against Liwag and Ynot of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. 

"Having Jonathan, Allen, and Tony in our team is our way of helping develop the future of Philippine basketball. We always make sure to have young players in our team to give them an early glimpse of what international basketball is like," said SGA president Jacob Lao.

Manalili averaged an impressive 16.08 points, 6.92 assists, 4.23 rebounds, and 2.46 steals per game for the Squires last season, where he led Letran to rare back-to-back juniors titles on top of bagging the Finals MVP plum. 

Ynot and Liwag, on the other hand, are set for another tour of duty with SGA after suiting up during the squad's silver medal finish in the 2024 Dubai Basketball International Tournament last January. 

"This will not only prepare Allen, Tony, and Jonathan for the upcoming NCAA Season 100 tournament but will also help them have a bright future in basketball," SGA head coach Charles Tiu added.

—Bea Micaller/JKC, GMA Integrated News