NCAA Season 100 Most Valuable Player Allen Liwag will once again represent the Philippine colors in the upcoming 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship along with his Benilde Blazers teammates Winston Ynot and Justine Sanchez.

The Alfonso, Cavite native will suit up for Strong Group Athletics with Blazers coach Charles Tiu manning the sidelines.

Bannered by former NBA stars, Demarcus Cousins Andray Blatche, Chris McCullough, and Malachi Richardson, the Season 100 Defensive Player of the Year hopes to claim the crown this time around.

Also in the roster are former and present Gilas Pilipinas players Ange Kouame, Rhenz Abando, and Dave Ildefonso, veteran playmakers Mikey Williams and Jason Brickman, newly turned pro Chris Koon and DLSU Green Archers’ Luis Pablo.

“Syempre expectation, positive tayo, manalo, syempre makuha yung championship” Liwag told GMA Regional TV News.

The team is looking to bounce back from a painful finish in 2023 that featured 8x NBA All-star Dwight Howard, Andre Roberson, McKenzie Moore, former Gilas Pilipinas players Andray Blatche, Justine Baltazar, and Jordan Heading, and UAAP and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde standouts.

“‘Yun yung goal namin… kinapos kami last year so we’ll try again our best na makuha yung championship this time,” he added.

An unblemished record heading to the finals went for naught when Al Riyadi-Lebanon’s Ismail Ahmed Abdelmoneim sank a championship clinching triple at the buzzer, 77-74.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Sharing the hardcourt alongside Howard and Cousins, is a confidence booster for the Benilde troika of Liwag, Sanchez, and Ynot who finished first runner-up in the recent NCAA Season 100 Men’s Basketball, succumbing to the hands of the Mapua Cardinals.

Both Howard and Cousins were once being called as the most dominant center in the NBA during their tenure in the league and even won a gold medal with Team USA in the FIBA World Championships and Olympic Games.

“Maboboost yung confidence namin pagdating sa loob ng court, yung chemistry din namin makikita namin kung ano yung mas better gawin para mas mag-gel kami sa isa’t isa,” he stated.

Their attention to detail is something that he admires the most.

“Yung focus sa practice and paano mo ma-sisimulate yung ginagawa namin sa practice pagdating sa game… napapansin ko din sa kanila na talagang sobrang matataas yung standard nila pagdating sa kahit sa mga simpleng bagay lang, so, ayun yung nakikita ko at natutunan ko sa kanila.”