Former Ginebra sweet-shooting import Justin Brownlee and NBA
veteran backup big man Hasheem Thabeet lead a team of seasoned cagers to
display their wares at the 27th Dubai International Basketball Championship
which kicks off next week, Feb. 18 at Al Ahli Sporting Club in Al Nahda.
The team, Mighty Sports, will also be composed of former UAAP MVP Kiefer
Ravena; former PBA scoring champion Gary David; Ryan Arana, Jeron Teng,
Beu Belga, playing coach Chris Tiu, two-time PBA MVP Willie Miller, Jett
Manuel Marcus Doughtit.
Aside from Brownlee and Thabeet, who had played for the Houston Rockets,
Dominic Mc Guire, who had played for Golden State Warriors.
Thabeet had also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trailblazers and
Oklahoma City Thunder.
What to expect? A cliffhanger match as the Philippine team put together a
formidable line-up for the tournament.
“Thabeet will bring us an inside presence, especially on the defensive end and
hopefully, can score on the post, too,” Tiu was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
Brownlee, Tiu is “versatile” and “can play both forward spots, defend well and
provide scoring.”
Aside from the Philippines, other countries that sent teams in last year’s
showdown were UAE, Philippines, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and the
US. The same countries will be sending contingents this year, organizers.
The tourney, which runs till Feb. 25, is an annual invitational event organized
by UAE Basketball Federation and supported by Dubai Sports Council.
