32nd Jones Cup tidbits – Part II

July 21, 2010 | Posted by Benjie

Six grueling games in seven days of intense competition is over in Taipei. Here are more of my thoughts in the annual tournament in honor of Renato William Jones, one of the pillars of FIBA:

Japan and Chinese-Taipei national teams can match the speed and quickness of the Philippine national team. That’s the reason the Japanese were able to hold off the Filipinos in Day 6 of the tournament, 84-74. Chinese-Taipei, likewise, pushed the Filipinos to the brink with its cat-quick reflexes among their players. Philippines edged out Chinese-Taipei,96-93 though.
Iran cemented its status as a powerhouse in Asia. Winning the title in this tournament in succession plus their two consecutive crowns in FIBA-Asia championship prove to be enough to be considered at par with China. Iran is loaded with quality guards that can catch the quickness of East Asians. It has reliable wingmen that can break-off zone defense and more importantly, Iran has frontline that control the shaded lane. They are truly reaping the fruits of Rajko Toroman’s labor who guided their basketball program a few years back.
Spotty officiating was a major issue throughout the tournament. It was at its worst during the first half of the Lebanon-Philippines game where Lebanon’s Ghaleb Reda intentionally elbowed Filipino Marcio Lassiter’s head right before the very eyes of the two referees. Lassiter went down the floor and the two referees did not bother to blow their whistles. They must have swallowed their whistles in that particular moment. I wish the organizers should try to improve the officiating so as not to lose participants in this tourney. Remember last year between Iran and Jordan? That’s the reason behind Jordan national team did not participate anymore in this year’s edition.