William Jones Cup format controversy eliminates defending champion SGA

The 45th William Jones Cup has faced significant controversy following a tournament format that eliminated the two-time defending champion, Strong Group Athletics (SGA), from semifinal contention. Despite finishing the group stage with a 5-1 record, the Philippine-based squad was denied a spot in the Final Four due to a revamped structure that guaranteed a semifinal berth for the home team, Chinese Taipei Blue, regardless of their performance.

Chinese Taipei Blue advanced to the semifinals with an inferior 1-5 record, while SGA was surpassed by Wonju DB Promy in the tiebreaker system despite having an identical win-loss record. The imbalance between groups, where one group allowed two advancing teams and the other only one, has drawn widespread criticism from fans and observers.

The Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) issued an apology, acknowledging that the new double round-robin format—intended to reduce consecutive playing days and injury risks—resulted in these shortcomings. The CTBA committed to reviewing the tournament's format and scheduling for future editions.

In their final group match, SGA delivered a dominant 117-74 victory over Chinese Taipei Blue. Isaiah Piñeiro led the scoring for SGA with 22 points.