William Jones Cup 2014: Dates, Bracket, Schedule and More
The United States is the most successful country in William Jones Cup history with 15 titles. More recently, however, the tournament has been dominated by Iran. Iran has won the championship four times in the past five years.
Last year, Iran won all seven of its games en route to the title. In order to defend its title, the team will be forced to fend off challenges from Africa, Asia and North America. All teams will play preliminary games before being seeded into the final brackets.
Let's check out all of the important information for the event, along with the schedule for the opening round and the breakdown for both brackets. It's followed by an outlook for the United States squad, which looks to win its first Cup since 2006.
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Tournament Info
Location: University Campus Stadium in Tianmu, Taipei
Dates: Saturday, Aug. 9 – Sunday, Aug. 17
Preliminary Schedule
| 1 | Aug. 9 | 1 a.m. | Iran | United States |
| 2 | Aug. 9 | 3 a.m. | South Korea | Egypt |
| 3 | Aug. 9 | 5 a.m. | Jordan | Chinese Taipei B |
| 4 | Aug. 9 | 7:30 a.m. | Chinese Taipei A | Japan |
| 5 | Aug. 10 | 1 a.m. | Egypt | Jordan |
| 6 | Aug. 10 | 3 a.m. | Chinese Taipei B | South Korea |
| 7 | Aug. 10 | 5 a.m. | Japan | Iran |
| 8 | Aug. 10 | 7 a.m. | United States | Chinese Taipei A |
| 9 | Aug. 11 | 1 a.m. | Iran | Egypt |
| 10 | Aug. 11 | 3 a.m. | Jordan | Japan |
| 11 | Aug. 11 | 5 a.m. | South Korea | United States |
| 12 | Aug. 11 | 7 a.m. | Chinese Taipei A | Chinese Taipei B |
| 13 | Aug. 12 | 1 a.m. | Chinese Taipei B | Iran |
| 14 | Aug. 12 | 3 a.m. | United States | Jordan |
| 15 | Aug. 12 | 5 a.m. | Japan | South Korea |
| 16 | Aug. 12 | 7 a.m. | Egypt | Chinese Taipei A |
| 17 | Aug. 13 | 1 a.m. | Chinese Taipei B | Japan |
| 18 | Aug. 13 | 3 a.m. | Egypt | United States |
| 19 | Aug. 13 | 5 a.m. | South Korea | Iran |
| 20 | Aug. 13 | 7 a.m. | Chinese Taipei A | Jordan |
| 21 | Aug. 14 | 1 a.m. | Japan | Egypt |
| 22 | Aug. 14 | 3 a.m. | United States | Chinese Taipei B |
| 23 | Aug. 14 | 5 a.m. | Jordan | South Korea |
| 24 | Aug. 14 | 7 a.m. | Iran | Chinese Taipei A |
| 25 | Aug. 15 | 1 a.m. | Egypt | Chinese Taipei B |
| 26 | Aug. 15 | 3 a.m. | Jordan | Iran |
| 27 | Aug. 15 | 5 a.m. | United States | Japan |
| 28 | Aug. 15 | 7 a.m. | Chinese Taipei A | South Korea |
Brackets
Championship
| Semifinals (Aug. 16) | Finals (Aug. 17) |
| Game 31: No. 1 vs. No. 4 | Title: Game 31 winner vs. Game 32 winner |
| Game 32: No. 2 vs. No. 3 | 3rd Place: Game 31 loser vs. Game 32 loser |
Consolation
| Crossover Games (Aug. 16) | Seeding (Aug. 17) |
| Game 29: No. 5 vs. No. 8 | 5th Place: Game 29 winner vs. Game 30 winner |
| Game 30: No. 6 vs. No. 7 | 7th Place: Game 29 loser vs. Game 30 loser |
For a complete breakdown of the knockout schedule, visit the tournament's official site.
Team USA Outlook
| Guard | MaJic Dorsey |
| Guard | Jermaine Barnes |
| Guard | Cory Bradford |
| Guard | James Justice |
| Guard | Freddie Williams |
| Guard | Will De La Cruz |
| Forward | Marquin Chandler |
| Forward | Jumaine Jones |
| Forward | Marcus Melvin |
| Forward | Jermaine Dailey |
| Forward | Craig Williams |
| Forward | Jay Bowdy |
| Center | Keith Closs |
| Center | Chris Alexander |
| Center | Desmond Blue |
The Team USA Jones Cup squad is separate from USA Basketball, which will be taking part in the 2014 FIBA World Cup, which also begins this month. That's why the roster is populated with players not usually associated with the American national team.
General manager Travis McAvene was able to bring in former Toronto Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell to lead the group. He talked with Asia-Basket.com about what made the longtime forward a good fit as the team looks to end a trophy drought in the event.
"He's really excited," McAvene said. "There's so many things about Sam that you love. I love the fact that he loves the game so much. He cares about this event as much as the NBA Finals. That's what makes him so special. Everything is about being great."
Jumaine Jones is a name most basketball fans will probably recognize. He spent nearly a decade in the NBA with six different teams. His best season came with the Charlotte Hornets in 2005-06 when he averaged more than 10 points while also grabbing nearly five rebounds.
Keith Closs also spent some time in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite averaging less than 13 minutes per game across three seasons, the rim protector still averaged more than a block per contest. He also shot 47 percent from the field.
One other player to keep an eye on is Majic Dorsey. A former D-League player, he's traveled the globe and found more success elsewhere, including strong stints with Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia and Piratas in Colombia. He will likely run the U.S. offense.
Ultimately, it's a group with plenty of international experience at the club level. That should bode well in terms of bringing them together to create one cohesive unit in a short period of time. A lack of chemistry is often an issue in the event.
Mitchell is a good coach for the group. He won NBA Coach of the Year honors in 2007 by helping lead an unheralded Raptors group to third place in the Eastern Conference. His ability to motivate will come in handy with so many games in a short span.
A top-three finish is a reasonable expectation with a championship possible if everything falls into place perfectly over the next few weeks.
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