William Jones Cup 2015: Dates, Bracket, Schedule, Teams and More
Saturday marks the start of the 2015 William Jones Cup, an annual international basketball tournament held each year in Chinese Taipei.
Nine teams—some professional clubs, some national—from countries all over the globe are scheduled to compete in the 37th edition of the tournament, including the United States, New Zealand and Russia.
Ulsan Mobis Phoebus of South Korea is the defending men's champion at the William Jones Cup, but Iran lurks in the field as a perennial contender. The Middle Eastern nation has won the tournament four times since 2009. The United States is the top country overall, with 15 championships.
Here are the dates, schedule and teams set to hit the hardwood in Taiwan, followed by a look at some of the players representing the United States in Chinese Taipei.
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2015 William Jones Cup
Dates: August 29 to September 6
Playing Location: Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei
| Republic of China A | Taiwan |
| Republic of China B | Taiwan |
| Spartak Primorye | Russia |
| Iran | Iran |
| Philippines | Philippines |
| Overtake USA Pro Select | United States |
| Wellington Saints | New Zealand |
| South Korea | South Korea |
Teams
| August 29 | 1 p.m. | South Korea | Iran |
| August 29 | 3 p.m. | China B | New Zealand |
| August 29 | 5 p.m. | USA | Russia |
| August 29 | 7 p.m. | China A | Japan |
| August 30 | 1 p.m. | Russia | South Korea |
| August 30 | 3 p.m. | Iran | China B |
| August 30 | 5 p.m. | Japan | USA |
| August 30 | 7 p.m. | Philippines | China A |
| August 31 | 1 p.m. | New Zealand | Russia |
| August 31 | 3 p.m. | Japan | Iran |
| August 31 | 5 p.m. | South Korea | Philippines |
| August 31 | 7 p.m. | China A | USA |
| September 1 | 1 p.m. | Philippines | Russia |
| September 1 | 3 p.m. | Iran | New Zealand |
| September 1 | 5 p.m. | USA | South Korea |
| September 1 | 7 p.m. | China B | China A |
| September 2 | 1 p.m. | Iran | USA |
| September 2 | 3 p.m. | Japan | Philippines |
| September 2 | 5 p.m. | South Korea | New Zealand |
| September 2 | 7 p.m. | Russia | China B |
| September 3 | 1 p.m. | Philippines | Iran |
| September 3 | 3 p.m. | New Zealand | Japan |
| September 3 | 5 p.m. | China B | South Korea |
| September 3 | 7 p.m. | Russia | China A |
| September 4 | 1 p.m. | Philippines | New Zealand |
| September 4 | 3 p.m. | Japan | South Korea |
| September 4 | 5 p.m. | USA | China B |
| September 4 | 7 p.m. | China A | Iran |
| September 5 | 1 p.m. | China B | Japan |
| September 5 | 3 p.m. | Iran | Russia |
| September 5 | 5 p.m. | USA | Philippines |
| September 5 | 7 p.m. | New Zealand | China A |
| September 6 | 1 p.m. | Philippines | China B |
| September 6 | 3 p.m. | Japan | Russia |
| September 6 | 5 p.m. | New Zealand | USA |
| September 6 | 7 p.m. | China A | South Korea |
Schedule
Philippine's National Team Bringing Along Recognizable Faces
Gilas Pilipinas, aka the Philippine's men's national basketball team, will have one of the NBA's bright young stars in tow for this year's tournament. According to CNN Philippines' JC Ansis, Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson will be joining Gilas Pilipinas in Taiwan, although it is unclear whether or not he will be eligible to play in the tournament.
Sports5 Philippines posted a shot of Clarkson shooting buckets after practicing with the team:
Time is running out for the guard's tournament prospects. Clarkson is entering his sophomore NBA season after averaging 11.9 points and 3.5 assists in 59 games as a rookie. The Lakers might not like the idea of Clarkson playing in a faraway international tournament so close to the season, but his participation would be an important step for him both personally and professionally.
Even if Clarkson cannot play, there will still be another name known to NBA fans playing for Gilas Pilipinas. Andray Blatche, who last played in the NBA in 2013-14 as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, is in tow for the tournament, although it appears he will be playing with heavy hearts, per Alder Almo of the Philippine Star:
"Unknown to many, Gilas naturalized player Andray Blatche and Jc Intal practiced with grieving hearts on Wednesday night.
Blatche and Intal learned the death of a close member of their respectively families on Wednesday at the start of a grueling four back-to-back practices in their last two days in the country before flying to Taiwan to compete in the annual William Jones Cup.
The usually accommodating Blatche, who is mourning the death of his uncle Steve, begged off from media interviews and immediately walked away from the gym.
"
Blatche's journey to the Philippines national team and pro ball in China is quite the odyssey. Blatche has reaffirmed his commitment to playing in China, where he signed a three-year deal with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in March, per Eurobasket.com's David Pick.
Gilas Pilipinas will need top-shelf performances from Blatche and company. This tournament will hopefully be a stepping stone to bigger and better things for the team.
"Everything that leads up to (FIBA Asia) is about getting better, not about trying to win a game or get a medal. If it happens, and obviously we try to win every game we play, it’s a bonus for me,” said Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tab Baldwin, via Nelson Beltran of the Philippine Star.
The Philippines is an emerging basketball nation, and tournaments like these—although lacking in star power and global prestige—are important steps toward better play and a higher profile.
With NBA talent like Blatche already in the fold and Clarkson a looming addition, the future is bright for basketball in the Philippines.
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