Sunday, July 30, 2000

New Zealand Wins Jones Cup ; Rampton MVP

Powered by towering frontline, New Zealand defeated South Korea 78-67 in the championship game of the 23rd William Jones Cup on July 29. New Zealand's 7-foot center Tony Rampton(Iowa State '00) was voted tournament MVP.

Taiwan NT beat Philippines 83-73 in the bronze medal game. Japan knocked down South Africa 75-58 and finished fifth. South Africa's sixth place finish marked the best performance in their Jones Cup history.

New Zealand finally took home the title in their sixth Jones Cup appearance. "Tall Black" lost to Taiwan NT in last year's semifinal. New Zealand finished 5th, 8th, 7th and 4th during 1980-83 in the Jones Cup, they did not return to the tournament again until last year.

Head Coach Keith Mair was pleased with his team's performance. He said, however, New Zealand still has a long way to go since they are in the same group woth USA, Lithuania, Italy, France and China in the upcoming Sydney Olympics.

With veteran Cheng Chih-Lung's 21 point, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals all-around performance, coupled with Lo Shin-Liang's 14 points, Taiwan NT edged Philippines to finish third, one spot below last year. Philippines was led by Christopher Clay's 23 points and Jeffrey Flowers' 18. They grabbed 20 more rebounds than the home team but 19 turnovers hurt them down the stretch.

Former University of Texas Longhorn Christopher Clay, who scored 109 points in six games, is the leading scorer in the tournament with a 18.2 average.

FINAL STANDINGS
1- New Zealand; 2- South Korea; 3- Taiwan; 4- Philippines; 5- Japan; 6- South Africa; 7- Costa Rica; 8- Malaysia; 9- Taiwan 2nd; 10- Hong Kong

Taiwan Basketball Notes

NT COACH CHIEN YI-FEI RESIGNS
Citing health problems, NT head coach Chien Yi-Fei resigned after leading Taiwan NT to third-place in the 23rd William Jones Cup. Chien said he was pleased to see the younger players' development over the period and hope the new coaching staff will lead the national team to a new generation.

CTBA(Chinese Taipei Basketball Association) was surprised at Chien's announcement and will try to talk Chien out of the decision. CTBA hope Chien make his final decision after next year's ABC Championship and EastAsia Games.

TAIWAN PULLS OUT OF ABC U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP
Not happy with Taiwan NT 2nd's performance in the Jones Cup, CTBA announced on July 29 that Taiwan will pull out of the ABC U-20 Championship, which will take place in Doha, Katar next month. The announcement marks the first time a Taiwanese basketball team withdraw from an official FIBA-sanctioned tournament not by political reasons(with China).

Taiwan NT 2nd's poor play in the Jones Cup, where they lost to New Zealand by 56 points while scoring only 12 points in the first half, drew numerous criticism from the local media and fans. They finished only 9th in the tournament, compared to a surprising third-place finish in 1999. Observers think the coaching staff failed to prepare the team and carry out the discipline, and the players plainly don't know how to play team basketball.

Saturday, July 29, 2000

Day 6 Report : South Korea, New Zealand to Meet in Final

South Korea upset home team Taiwan NT 87-78 in the July 28 semifinal of the 23rd William Jones Cup and advance to the championship game, where they will face New Zealand NT, which trounced Philippines 67-37 in the other semifinal action.

205cm center Kim Joo Sung and 185cm shooting guard Kim Byong Chul combined for 58 points, 20 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals to lead the Koreans' attack. Kim Joo Sung single-handedly ripped Taiwanese interior defense with 36 points and 11 rebounds, while Kim Byong Chul, one of the two professional players on Korean side, connected 5 of 7 three-pointers and scored 22.

South Korea, which sent its collegiate all-star team to Taiwan instead of national team, jumped to a 10-4 lead in the opening minutes on consecutive three-pointers and led most of the game on small margin. Taiwan managed to even the score at 52 all early in the second half, but South Korean again pulled away on a 7-0 spurt.

With 6 minutes remaining, home crowd favorite Chen Hsin-An returned to the court after suffering a minor cut above his right eyebrow before halftime. Chen tried to bring the Taiwanese into the game with a high-power baseline driving dunk, but Kim Joo Sung again silenced the crowd with three consecutive baskets to boost the lead to 11 points.

Taiwan failed to scored on 4 consecutive possesions afterwards and again was stopped by their long-time rival South Korea. Taiwan also lost to South Korea NT in the Jones Cup final last year.

In the other action, Andres Barrantes and 34 year-old veteran Hernan Robertson scored 18 each to lead Costa Rica to a 87-59 victory over Malaysia and took home the seventh place. Malaysia finished eighth.

Taiwan NT 2nd, whose poor play being harshly criticized by local media and fans, finally defeated Hong Kong 77-46 and finished 9th in the tournament, thanks to SG Chang Chi-Fung's all-around performance of 22 points(5-7 3PTs), 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Yung Kam Wah scored 20 to lead last-place Hong Kong.

Taiwan NT 2nd will head for Dohar, Katar next month for the Asian U-20 Basketball Championship. NT player Chen Hsin-An will join the U-20 team after the Jones Cup.

Friday, July 28, 2000

Taiwan Junior NT finished 3rd in ABC Championship

Taiwan Junior NT escaped with a 77-76 victory over Japan and finished third in the 16th ABC Championship for Junior Men on July 27.

It's the best finish for the Taiwanese in the tournament since 1989, when they took home the runner-up trophy. And for the first time in 11 years, Taiwanese squeeze in the top 3 in ABC Junior Men Championship.

Facing Japan for the second time in three days, Taiwanese again held off a furious comeback by Japanese. PG Huang Chih-Chun made three clutch three-pointers in the final ten minutes, when Japan cut the 11 point halftime deficit to two(72-74) with one minute remaining. Huang scored 12 points.

199cm center Tien Lei finished with team-high 16 points, while forward Lin Chih-Chieh contributed 12. 15 year-old 6-8 center Wu Tai-Hao collected 11 points and six rebounds in 11 minutes.

The victory also marked the farewell to Korean head coach Chung Kwang Suk, whose contract with CTBA(Chinese Taipei Basketball Association) will be expired in September. Chung is not expected to be re-signed and probably will go back to South Korea.

Surprisingly, South Korea routed traditional power China 120-94 in the championship game and won for the third time in tournament history. Koreans led 60-54 in halftime.

FINAL STANDINGS
1. South Korea
2. China
3. Taiwan
4. Japan
5. Saudi Arabia
6. Hong Kong
7. Katar
8. Kuwait
9. Iran
10. Lebanon
11. Malaysia
12. India
13. Yemen
14. Thailand
15. Sri Lanka
16. Singapore


NOTES
*In 16 tournaments to date, China and Philippines led with six titles. South Korea followed with 3, while Japan won only once. Taiwan had never won the tournament.

Day 4- 5 Report : Taiwan, New Zealand Won Preliminary

Taiwan and New Zealand national team both finished with a perfect 4-0 record in the preliminary round of the 23rd William Jones Cup. Taiwan trounced Hong Kong 82-30 in the final first round game and won the Group A. New Zealand topped Group B with a 75-52 victory over South Korea.

Philippines upset Japan NT 93-82 in the most exciting game in day 4 and squeezed in the final four. In today's crossover semis, Philippines will face Sydney-bound New Zealand, Taiwan will take on Korea. Taiwan and New Zealand are favored to advance to the final.

Day 5, July 27
Taiwan 82-30 Hong Kong
All Taiwanese scored in this "exhibition game". Chiu Chi-Yi led with 17 points on 5 three-pointers. Young phenom Chen Hsin-An collected 9 points and 7 rebounds in limited action.

New Zealand 75-52 South Korea
Trailing 30-43 in halftime to the taller and stronger New Zealand, Koreans twice managed two points lead on hot-shooting of Lee Hyung Joo early in the second half. However Lee left the court after suffering two elbows, Koreans collapsed and scored only 8 points in the final 11 minutes. 205cm center Kim Joo Sung led the Koreans with 13 points. Tony Rampton and Ralph Lattimore paced New Zealand with 18 points each.

Philippines 93-82 Japan
American Christopher Clay again tallied 33 points to lead the Philipinos, which dominated the paint with 19 offensive rebounds. Japan did make 13 three-pointers on nearly 60% accuracy, but it's not enough to overcome their miserable 33% shooting in the two-point territory and poor execution.

South Africa 57-49 Costa Rica
South Africa finally recorded the first win in their 8-year Jones Cup history. Costa Rica lost a game it was supposed to win, surrendering 16 offensive rebounds to the younger and energetic South Africans.

Day 4, July 26
Taiwan 90-80 Japan
New Zealand 89-33 Taiwan 2nd
South Korea 88-69 Costa Rica
Malaysia 74-45 Hong Kong

STANDINGS
GROUP A
1. Taiwan 4-0
2. Philippines 3-1
3. Japan 2-2
4. Malaysia 1-3
5. Hong Kong 0-4

GROUP B
1. New Zealand 4-0
2. South Korea 3-1
3. South Africa 1-3
4. Costa Rica 1-3
5. Taiwan 2nd 1-3

Wednesday, July 26, 2000

2000 William Jones Cup Day 1 - 3 Report

Day 1 - July 23
Taiwan 102-85 Philippines
Chen Hsin-An 27p(5-7 3PT), Chen Chih-Chun 10p+11a, Chiu Chi-Yi 15p
Christopher Clay 33p, Jeffrey Flowers 16p

Costa Rica 67-57 Taiwan 2nd
Yan Shi-Hao 15p, Lee Feng-Yung 11p

Japan 90-65 Malaysia
South Korea 86-66 South Africa

Day 2 - July 24
Taiwan 80-44 Malaysia
Chen Chih-Chun 17p+5a, Cheng Chih-Lung 13p

South Korea 83-58 Taiwan 2nd
Kim Byong Chul 13p
Tan Buo-Cheng 12p+9rb, Chang Chi-Feng, Yang Shi-Hao and Lin Cheh-Li with 11p each

Philippines 87-52 Hong Kong
New Zealand 89-57 South Africa

Day 3 - July 25
Taiwan 2nd 74-73 South Africa
Taiwan 2nd pulled out their first win in the tournament with a 22-10 rally in the last 10 minutes, when they overcame the 12 points deficit.
Lin Cheh-Li 16p, Chang Chi-Feng 14p

Philippines 83-58 Malaysia
Christopher Clay 17p, Jeffrey Flowers 10p

Japan 84-61 Hong Kong
New Zealand 76-58 Costa Rica

STANDINGS
GROUP A
Taiwan 2-0
Japan 2-0
Phillipines 2-1
Hong Kong 0-2
Malaysia 0-3

GROUP B
South Korea 2-0
New Zealand 2-0
Costa Rica 1-1
Taiwan 2nd 1-2
South Africa 0-3

Tuesday, July 25, 2000

Taiwan Junior National Team Roster - Year 2000

(16th Asian Basketball Championship for Junior Men)

Name     Position Height DOB
Wu Yung-Jen   G    176  1982.9.22
Chou Shih-Yung  F    188  1983.11.16
Tien Lei     C/F   199  1983.6.1
Hsu Hao-Cheng  G    176  1982.9.14
Hsu Tse-Hsin   G    176  1982.6.4
Ho Shou-Cheng   F    195  1983.5.15
Chao Chia-Chun  G    184  1982.1.12
Tseng Wen-Ting  C    202  1984.7.6
Huang Chih-Chun G    180  1982.4.23
Hsu Cheng-Wen  F    195  1983.4.6
Lin Chih-Chieh  F    190  1982.6.11
Wu Tai-Hao   C    202  1985.2.7

Head Coach - Chung Kwang Suk(Former South Korean NT coach)
Coach - Huang Wan-Lung, Hsu Chin-Che

Taiwan Junior NT in Asian Championship Final Four

Led by former Korean NT coach Chung Kwang Suk, Taiwan Junior NT edged Japan 78-73 and advanced to the final four of the 16th Asian Championship for Junior Men in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Bulky forward Hsu Cheng-Wen surprised with his 17 points performance and helped Taiwan NT overcome a late Japanese comeback.

Taiwan led the game throughout and held a 76-64 advantage with 1:34 remaining, but Japan knocked down three three-pointers within one minute and cut the deficit to three points. PG Huang Chih-Chun iced the game with two clutch free-throws in the waning seconds.

Taiwan NT will face South Korea in the cross-over semifinal later tonight, while China takes on Japan in the other semi. Winners advance to the championship game.

Previous Results
(Preliminary Round)
July 18 - defeated Saudi Arabia 74-69(41-36 Halftime)
Hsu Tse-Hsin 19p, Tien Lai 17p+8rb, Ho Shou-Cheng 14p, Huang Chih-Chun 6p+4a

July 19 - defeated Lebanon 99-69(54-40)
Chou Shih-Yung 17p, Tien Lei 16p, Chao Chia-Chun 16p

July 20 - defeated Iran 84-82

July 22 - defeated Hong Kong 115-54(56-37)

(Second Round)
July 23 - defeated Kuwait 96-82(40-25)...clinched semifinal birth
Tien Lei 14p, Chao Chia-Chun 14p, Huang Chih-Chun 11p, Hsu Tse-Shin 11p, Hsu Hao-Cheng 10p

July 25 - defeated Japan 78-73(44-41)
Hsu Cheng-Wen 17p, Huang Chih-Chun 13p, Tien Lei 12p, Lin Chih-Chieh 12p

Monday, July 24, 2000

2000 William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament Complete Team Roster

PHILIPPINES NATIONAL TEAM(Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball League)
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
4 Christopher Clay 29 F 198
5 Jerome Barbosa 23 F 185
6 Rolando Basilides 28 F 193
7 Jasper Ocampo 26 G 173
8 Genesis Sasuman 32 G 185
9 Christian Nicdao 24 F 198
10 Chrisado Bade 30 F 191
11 Michael Garcia 27 F 191
12 Ryan Bernado 23 C 196
15 Jeffrey Flowers 22 C 208
Head Coach:Edgardo Cordero


TAIWAN NATIONAL TEAM
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
3 Chen Hsin-An 20 F 193/89
4 Chou Hong-Yu 24 F 195/88
5 Lin Yu-Shu 24 F 193/91
6 Huang Pao-Tzu 24 G 180/70
8 Chen Chih-Chung 23 G 183/74
9 Chiu Chi-Yi 25 G 182/72
12 Cheng Chih-Lung 31 F 192/85
13 Lo Shin-Liang 29 G 182/80
15 Lee Chi-Yi 22 C 198/90
17 Yang Yu-Ming 21 G 180/72
32 Wu Chih-Wei 24 C 202/92
33 Lin Hsin-Hua 25 C 199/90
Head Coach:Chen Yi-Fei


TAIWAN NATIONAL 2ND TEAM
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
4 Fan Kan-Hsiang 20 G 165/65
5 Chang Chi-Fung 19 G 182/82
6 Huang He-Cheng 20 G 180/72
7 Yang Shi-Hao 20 F 190/88
8 Tan Buo-Cheng 20 C 203/114
9 Chen Pen-Huang 20 F 195/91
10 Yu Yue-Lun 20 G 176/70
11 Lee Feng-Yung 20 C 196/87
12 Lo Cheng-Kuan 19 C 197/103
13 Ha Hsiao-Yuan 19 C 198/98
14 Lin Cheh-Wei 20 F 194/85
15 Lin Cheh-Li 19 F 186/84
16 Wu Yi-Min 19 F 194/75
Head Coach:Tean Jia-Shiang


JAPAN NATIONAL TEAM
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
4 Kazuhiro Shoji 26 F 191/92
5 Fumihiko Aono 22 C 210/120
6 Kiyofumi Shioya 30 C/F 200/105
7 Kenichi Sako 30 PG 179/82
8 Koji Naya 27 SG 190/95
9 Takehiko Orimo 30 SG 190/77
10 Takahiro Setsumasa 28 PG 180/75
11 Tatsuya Miyahokoshi 26 SG 188/90
12 Motohiro Obuchi 26 F 195/90
13 Satoru Furuta 29 C/F 199/95
14 Satoshi Sakumoto 28 SG 190/83
15 Takuya Kita 28 SG 185/83
Head Coach:Thomas Newell


KOREA NATIONAL TEAM
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
4 Kim Tae Wan 21 C 202/105
5 Kim Seung Hyun 22 G 178/72
6 Jeon Hyung Soo 22 G 183/78
7 Kim Byong Chul 27 G 185/78
8 Lee Hyung Joo 22 G/F 183/76
9 Hwang Jin Won 22 G/F 189/77
10 Kim Jong Hak 22 C/F 198/87
11 Lee Han Kwon 22 C 197/83
12 Park Jae Il 25 F 190/80
13 Song Young Jin 22 C/F 198/80
14 Kim Joo Sung 21 C 205/93
15 Jung Hoon 21 F 200/85
Head Coach:Lee Jong Ho


COSTA RICA NATIONAL TEAM
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
4 Stephen McDougal 22 F 192/82
5 Alberto Beckford 19 C 190/88
6 Dario Fraite 19 C 195/82
7 Andres Barrantes 20 G 183/83
8 Juan Arguedas 25 G 187/86
9 Franklin Ferguson 24 C 198/95
10 Hernan Robertson 34 G 195/86
11 Edgar Barrantes 25 F 189/91
12 David Barrantes 21 F 193/79
13 Hernal Gardener 18 C 202/88
14 Warner Bolanos 21 C 194/88
15 Yamil Bukele 23 F 195/92
Head Coach:Ricardo Sanchez


NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL TEAM
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
4 Chris Tupu 32 G 170/73
5 Nenad Vucinic 35 G 193/89
6 Kirk Penney 20 G 195/99(Wisconsin)
7 Paul Henare 21 G 182/94
8 Phillip Jones 26 G/F 197/90
9 Brad Riley 26 F 198/95
10 Ralph Lattimore 33 G 194/92
11 Mark Dickel 24 G 187/84(UNLV)
12 Tony Rampton 24 C 212/105(Iowa State)
13 Peter Pokai 35 F/C 200/120
14 Robert Hickey 26 C 212/115
15 Pero Cameron 26 F/C 199/128
Head Coach:Keith Mair


HONG KONG NATIONAL TEAM
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
Sam Lap Ping 178/65
Lai Long Hei 184/70
Tse Wai Hung 184/62
Siu Chun Yip 193/79
Poon Chi Ho 180/70
Leung Kwok Shing 183/75
Shek Siu Kei 180/70
Tang Yiu Ho 189/75
Poon Wei Hoi 183/85
Yung Kam Wah 183/70
Chan Kwok Keung 179/70
Head Coach:Leung Hay


MALAYSIA NATIONAL TEAM
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
4 Tan Gan Soon 20 G 176/73
5 Ng Joo Lay 22 G 178/67
6 Ong Hung Thiam 19 G 179/67
7 Chew In Lai 20 F 173/73
8 Ng Yeo Seng 19 F 188/79
9 K. Satyaseelan 22 F 185/74
10 Lim Yik Kean 20 F 185/85
11 Toh Chin Thaiam 24 F/C 191/95
12 Fadlisyam Ismail 21 F 191/82
13 Oliver Sejas Tingin 19 G 178/72
14 Chong Yu Chung 20 G 180/63
15 Chang Chin Ho 23 C 196/83
Head Coach:Tan Kok Heng


SOUTH AFRICA NATIONAL TEAM
NO. NAME AGE POSITION HEIGHT/WEIGHT
4 Tshepo Ditshego 21 G 177/63
5 Bereng Ntete 21 G 185/70
6 Tshwantsho Melato 21 G 188/68
7 Joseph Mazibuko 20 G 188/80
8 Kenneth Motaung 22 G 190/82
9 Thabang Kgedi 22 F 199/87
10 Lebogang Nxumato 22 G 184/74
11 Sifiso Ngeobo 25 G 187/84
12 Nyakallo Nthuping 20 C 200/85
14 Floyd Mtimkulu 19 F 194/87
15 Nakedi Maputla 23 G/F 194/86
Head Coach:Michel Katalay

2000 William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament Facts and Schedules

TIME
July 23-July 29, 2000

VENUE
Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium

GAME FORMAT
Teams will be seperated into two brackets A and B, playing on a single round robin system.
The top two teams from each bracket will advance to the cross-over semifinals.

BRACKETS
A - Taiwan NT, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines
B - Taiwan NT 2nd, Costa Rica, Korea, New Zealand, South Africa

SCHEDULES

July23
Japan-Malaysia
Taiwan-Philippines
Costa RIca-Taiwan 2nd
Korea-South Africa

July 24
Philippines-Hong Kong
South Africa-New Zealand
Taiwan 2nd-Korea
Malaysia-Taiwan

July 25
Malaysia-Philippines
Hong Kong-Japan
New Zealand-Costa Rica
Taiwan 2nd-South Africa

July 26
Hong Kong-Malaysia
Costa Rica-Korea
New Zealand-Taiwan 2nd
Japan-Taiwan

July 27
South Africa-Costa Rica
Philippines-Japan
Korea-New Zealand
Taiwan-Hong Kong

July 28
9th-10th place game
7th-8th place game
Semifinal I
Semifinal II

July 29
5th-6th place game
3rd-4th place game
Final
Awards Ceremony