MANILA, Philippines – Strong Group Philippines is loaded for the upcoming Dubai International Basketball Championships, to say the least.
Aside from one-time NBA champion an d three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, the team will also have two other former NBA stars in tow.
Former Gilas Pilipinas import Andray Blatche and former Oklahoma City Thunder stalwart Andre Roberson will also see action for the team, which will compete in the Dubai tourney later this month.
Aside from the two, the team will also have former TNT Tropang Giga import McKenzie Moore.
Roberson, who played seven seasons in the NBA, averaged 4.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game for the Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets.
While these numbers are not eye-popping, Roberson’s defense is something to behold, as proven by an NBA All-Defensive Second Team nod for the player.
Blatche had numerous stints with Gilas Pilipinas in the international scene.
He played nine seasons in th e NBA.
Aside from the loaded roster, the Strong Group will have former Bay Area Dragons head coach Brian Goorjian as the team’s consultant.
Strong Group head coach Charles Tiu confirmed this to Philstar.com.
“Yes, he will be my assistant and consultant,” Tiu said of Goorjian, who also coaches the Australian men’s national basketball team.
Last year, the Philippine team fell in the quarterfinals of the Dubai competition .
Tiu earlier said the team is eyeing the title this year.
MANILA, Philippines — K-pop girl grou p TWICE is gearing up for the release of its 13th extended play “With YOU-th” next month after a teasing mood film.
The group and its agency JYP Entertainment released the short mood film on social media which sees the members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu all together in a forest.
The old-school, slow motion filming nature of the video gave the girls dressed in white, gray, and blue a dreamy, ethereal feel, holding hands at several clips.
“Just like we always do,” reads text in the mood film. “It’s our golden days.”
The mood film ended with the announcement of the pre-release single “I Got You” dropping on February 2 — already available for pre-save and pre-order — ahead of the “With YOU-th” extended play on February 23.
TWICE’s last extended play was 2023’s “Ready to Be” which it promoted as its third global tour, including a two-night stop at the Philippine Arena.
It was the group’s second time performing in the Philippines having previously brough its “Twicelights” tour to the Mall of Asia Arena last June 2019.
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