GUAM IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR FIBA ASIA CUP

By Jay Leon Guerrero

If Tony Thompson were alive, he’d be very proud of Guam Basketball! Before the former men’s national team coach passed away suddenly in 2018, he laid the foundation for current head coach EJ Calvo to take Guam to another level.

Two Pacific Games Gold medals later, the boys from Guam accomplished another milestone by qualifying for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Calvo stated: “When Tony Thompson asked me to coach our Guam Men’s National Team in 2013, I said ok, I’ll work hard to bring the Gold at the Pacific Games back and then I’m done”.

“Twelve years later (2 Gold medals & a Silver from the Pacific Games)…I would have never thought that we would be at this tournament,” added Calvo.

It has been one heck of a decade for Guam Basketball. Guam has several athletes playing overseas professionally and the number of players playing collegiate ball (both male and female) has increased every year.

After winning Pacific Games Gold medals in 2015 and 2019, Guam went on a wild run with big wins over Thailand, Mongolia, Malaysia, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The big victories earned them a spot to compete against higher-ranked countries which included Japan and China.

In six years, Guam emerged as the biggest gainer in the World and Asian rankings. In the last year, Guam moved up three more spots and is currently ranked 16th in Asia.

The Guam Asia Cup Roster will have 10 players, once again a mixture of veterans and young players to play in Group B.

Guam’s roster
Blaise Ada
Ben Borja II
Jericho Cruz
Matthew Fegurgur
Jonathan Galloway
Mark Johnson Jr.
Alexander Kamai
Earnest Ross Jr.
Takumi Simon
Tai Wesley

Group B starts pool play on August 7th and the other three teams in the pool include Iran, Syria, and Japan. Guam was given the role of underdog in all three games, however, this particular group has been in this position before.

Philippine Basketball Association MVP Jericho Cruz will run point guard but will look for his shots off the pick and roll with center Jonathan Galloway. Cruz will look for sharp-shooting guards Earnest Ross Jr and Takumi Simon to knock down shots behind the arc. 

Forwards Ben Borja II and Mark Johnson Jr will look to provide a spark in the offense. Borja has a smooth mid-range jumper and Johnson can lock down any position on the defensive side of the court. 

Calvo will look to young guards Alexander Kamai and Blaise Ada to come off the bench and play hard on both sides of the court. Matthew Fegurgur has seen his role increase at center and will need to defend the paint. Last, but not least, the heart and soul of the Guam Team is Tai Wesley.

Wesley has anchored the team since the Pacific Games and recently put on a scoring clinic against China. Wesley’s scoring and leadership will be a key factor if Guam looks to advance in Pool B.

Guam’s first game will be against the tournament’s seventh-ranked team, Iran. Iran is a two-time FIBA Asia Cup champion and qualified for the Olympics in 2008 and 2021.

The second game will be a battle against 13th-ranked Syria. The last game in group B will be against a familiar foe, second-ranked Japan.

In group play, the top team goes straight to the quarterfinals. The second and third-place teams after group play will have to go through qualifications to advance to the quarterfinals.

How to watch
All games will be available via live stream on the Courtside 1891 streaming app. Live play-by-play updates will also be available on the FIBA Asia Cup website. Game times will be announced on the GSPN social media pages.