Ateneo de Manila University’s men’s basketball varsity squad—the Blue Eagles—represented the Philippines in the 40th William Jones Cup tournament in Taipei and did not disappoint. It was the first time the country sent a college team in this annual international tournament, which initially raised eyebrows. The Philippines is usually represented by the national men’s team or a professional squad bolstered by foreign imports. For the record, the country has won five Jones Cup titles, the last in 2016 by the import-laden Mighty Sports squad that swept the tournament. Two other foreign player-reinforced Philippine teams won this tournament previously—Northern Cement in 1981, and San Miguel Beer (with Chip Engelland, Jeff Moore and Dennis Still) in 1985. The Philippine men’s national team also did the trick twice—in 1998 by the Tim Cone-led Centennial team and in 2012 by Gilas 2.0 of coach Chot Reyes. Earlier this year, defending NCAA champions San Beda Red Lions also represented the country in another major international joust—the Dubai International Basketball Championship—but failed to notch a single win in four outings versus top caliber and import-reinforced professional teams in West Asia.