Saturday, July 28, 2001

Q & A with coach Hung Jun-jen

In his playing days, Hung Jun-jen was regarded as one of the most prolific scorers in Taiwan hoops history. He was also one of the most relaible playmakers on the national team. Hung Jun-jun and his older brother Hung Jun-cheh were the most outstanding brother tandem in Taiwan hoops history, in addition to the Cheng family, which sees as many as five brothers making the NT roster in different time period.

After hanging up his sneakers, Hung went into coaching. He coached CBA's Dacin Tigers in 1996-97 season and compiled a 17-43 record. Most recently he coached Nanya Plastics Women's Basketball Team, which folded last month, in A-League.

Hung lives in California, USA now. With help from my friend Jeh Lin, Taiwan Hoops E-Zine is glad to have an opportunity to sit down with coach Hung talking about the CBA and the Taiwanese basketball.

Coach Hung's point of view about CBA's rise and fall and suggestions on how to strengthen Taiwan's professional basketball movement again.-

===

Q1. How did CBA really begin and what made it successful?

A. The beginning is really because of love, people's plain and simple love of basketball. Because of that strong love, people try really hard to jump start the league on the right foot. It was truly the dreams of basketball enthusiasts to have a professional basketball league in Taiwan, just like the NBA in the States. It's for national pride and for the sake of basketball movement. However, if the beginning point was only because of love, then it will lose the luster and the drive. It will be a temporary growth with no organization and stronger force to make it work.


Q2. Why did the CBA fall?

A. In essence, with no proper planning and organization, the league does not last long. The initial love of basketball pushing the growth of CBA ought to be sustained and nurtured by proper and experienced and willingness to develop organized structure of management, but there was none. Instead, the management of CBA overall was very inconsistent. It was lacking professionalism at all infrastructure level. Another sign of CBA demise was that the lack of good, fundamental, coaching infrastructure. Foreign player movement was also constantly changing and unstable. Overall, from the league management to coaching to the player development, along with lack of strong, consistent marketing, lead to the demise of CBA.


Q3. What are your suggestions on how to get CBA and professional basketball back on its ground?

A. Taiwan still has the huge market potential for the development of professional sports.

* A) It has the potential in coaching. College level PE dept needs to have classes in coaching to develop quality coaches.
* B) Even though CBA is supposedly geared toward general masses and consumers, but it has many good things and benefits for the society as a whole, thus the government should strongly sponsor in a effective manner and systematic manner, from the central to state to local governments.
* C) Location is very important; the placements of the teams and growth of team identity. Fan target audience in the past was based on junior and high school level students. However, in order to grow a stronger fan base, the target should be family level, leading to broader and more stable fane audience. Local teams have its local cities, thus need to grow better management, leading to better identity and awareness of the team.
* D) To go a step further, family level audience is important first of all to reach, but the next level with the potential and the financial help needed will be the corporations, thus having good ties with corporations, corporate sponsorships will be important. Discounts and etc to corporations will be an example. Local basketball organizations need to help as well. Season ticket is important with corporation sales.
* E) Overall planning is very important, draft and player development and etc. Confusion with League A is an issue that needs to be solved. In the past it used to league A who, with its own long history, dominating the basketball circuit. There has to be cooperation between league A and CBA, developing proper relationship in jointly developing players, an example would be the minor leagues system.

-Coach Hung's current projects and involvements here in the States.-

* 1. Helping and sponsoring local churches to do sports outreach toward the Chinese community, mainly immigrants and students, helping them to adjust to local areas thru basketball, and, in turn, leading them to Christianity through discussions and sharing. Coach Hung leads a group of young players to play in various basketball tournaments locally in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.
* 2. Actively planning and structuring basketball camps for the next generation during summer. Effective basketball camps, teaching players from age range of 10-18 year olds, have taken place in local cities and towns, such as Fremont, Cupertino, and etc. There will be a camp coming up in the metropolitan city area of Los Angeles. Later on there is planning to be in the East Coast, NY. Vancouver, Canada, Chinese community has also shown interests in setting up camps there. Even Southeast Asia, Thailand Chinese community would like to have camps there as well. A vast growth of basketball camps leading the next generation to fundamental basketball.
* 3. Very blessed to have these experiences in North America, coordination with churches and helping kids in basketball and in their understanding of faith and Christianity is very rewarding.

===

Many thanks to Jeh Lin, who helps with the interview session and this Q & A article for Taiwan Hoops.

Jeh Lin Profile

Currently president and founder of start-up firm, Zimba Sports Marketing Inc. Zimba Sports company objective is to connect global sports to the Greater Chinese Community worldwide, hence the Zimba model of " G-to-G". We specialize in marketing and public relations for sports organizations, develop broadcasting efforts for the overseas Chinese community, and create sports event planning to foster & unite Chinese community relationship.Currently Jeh is also hosting a 5 minute sports news show at a local Chinese radio station. Contact info: jeh@zimbasports.com

FINAL - China Still Asia's Best

With the self-claimed "Asian Dream Team" and the huge home court advantage, China slammed Lebanon 97-63 in the 21st ABC championship game and made a strong statement that they are still Asia's best.

China wins the 12th title in their 14 appearances in the ABC Championship. Since 1975, China failed to reach the championship game only twice, finishing third both in 1986 and 1997.

With the expected opponent South Korea losing in the semi, China had no problem dealing with Lebanon in light mood, jumpstarting to a 22-10 opening lead and led as many as 43 points. Minutes into the final quarter, China head coach Wang Fei had cleared all his bench. Chang Chen, who served a two-game suspension after initiating a bench-clearing brawl in China's last game with Lebanon, also played with 2:30 remaining.

China put six players on double-digit. Yao Ming had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Menk Bateer had 17. Liu Yu-dong had 13 while Wang Zhi-zhi had 10. Lebanon was led by Fadi Khatib's 18 points.

■Award
MVP - Yao Ming, China
Best Five - Yao Ming, China ; Wang Zhi-zhi, China ; Fadi Khatib, Lebanon ; Walid Doumiati, Lebanon ; Seo Jang-hoon, South Korea
Best Coach - Wang Fei, China
Best Guard - Walid Doumiati, Lebanon
Rebounding Leader - Yao Ming, China
Three-Point Leader - Yang Kyung-min, South Korea
Best Sportsmanship - Oussama Madani, Syria

Final Day: Taiwan Finish 7th in 2001 Asian Championship

Destined to a worst-ever finish, Taiwan NT figured 7th place is better than 8th. Taiwan staged an unbelievable comeback, when they overcame a 13-point deficit with three minutes remaining in regulation, to beat India 92-90 in overtime and finished 7th in the 21st ABC Championship today.

Apparently over-confident after an 85-55 victory in the preliminary round, Taiwan took India lightly and quickly found out India was for real in their final game. After a 24-22 first quarter, Taiwan trailed by three, 38-41 in halftime. Things got worse when India pulled out a 14-0 run in the third and boosted the lead to 64-49.

Still trailing 65-78, Taiwan head coach Lee Yun-kwang had no choice. Going to a full-court press defense, Taiwan forced India to consecutive turnovers and made three three-pointers to cut the deficit to one point, 78-79, with 50 seconds remaining. Following an India miss, Chou Hong-yu made one of two free-throws to even the score but Yen Shin-shu failed to make the tie-breaker and the game went into overtime.

Taiwan's three-point-attack hasn't finished yet. Yang Yu-min and Chen Chih-chung swished three three-pointers in OT to ice the win with one minute left. Taiwan shot a combined 16-44 behind three-point arch, both national team single-game record. Yang Yu-min finished with 25 points, including 6-12 from three-point territory. Chen Chih-chung had 20 points. Yen Shin-shu scored 14 while SF Tien Lei had 11 points.

Taiwan's poor rebounding effort (Taiwan 39-51 India) again force them to a hard-fought game. They are really fortunate to win the game.

South Korea 95-94(OT) Syria
Coming off a disheartening loss in the semi, South Korea lost their confidence and outside shooting in the last game. Thanks to a surprising three-pointer from seldom-used PF Lee Gyu-sup, South Korea managed to a 95-94 overtime victory over Syria and finished third in the ABC Championship.

Syria pounded the Koreans on the boards and challenged South Korea's outside shooting. South Korea only made 4-24 from the three-point line and fell to a 39-51 rebounding disadvantage. With a little luck, South Korea came home with a 3rd place trophy, the worst finish in their last three ABCs. South Korea won the 1997 ABC and lost to China in 1999 title game.

Seo Jang-hoon had 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead South Korea. Choo Seung-gyun had 24 points. Syria was led by Oussama Madani's 30 points and 10 rebounds. Mohamad Hajar also had 27 and 15.

■Final Day Score
Final - China 97-63 Lebanon
3rd-4th Place - South Korea 95-94(OT) Syria
5th-6th Place - Qatar 74-65 Japan
7th-8th Place - Taiwan 92-90(OT) India

Friday, July 27, 2001

SEMI - Lebanon Upset South Korea

Lebanon pulled out the biggest upset in the ABC Championship today when they edged South Korea 75-72 in the semifinal and advanced to the championship game. The inspiring win also means Lebanon is going to the 2002 World Championship in Indianapolis, USA, along with China, which pounded Syria 94-55 in another semi match-up.

Lebanon used their man-to-man defense to contain the Koreans' perimeter shooting successfully, holding slight lead throughout the whole game. Led by Fadi Khatib, who scored 24 points, Lebanon twice overcame the Koreans' furious comeback rallies which cut the deficit to one point. Lebanon PG Toni Fahed also had 23 points.

South Korea center Seo Jang-hoon had 17 points and 12 rebounds but saw his shots blocked three times by Lebanon center Joe Vogel. Choo Seung-gyun scored a team-high 18 points. South Korea head coach Kim Dong-kwang complained about the officiating after the game, claiming one of the refs from middle-east country favored Lebanon.

South Korea lost to Lebanon twice in the previous three match-ups, with the other loss coming from the 1999 ABC Championship. They did rout Lebanon 97-71 in the preliminary round.

Without surprise, China breezed past Syria 94-55 and went to the championship game. China led by as many as 28 points in the second half. 6-6 SG Hu Wei-dong had 20 points while Yao Ming had 17.

■Semi-final Score
Lebanon 75-72 South Korea
China 94-55 Syria

■Classification Score
9th-10th Place: Uzbekistan 73-66 UAE
11th-12th Place: Hong Kong 86-72 Kuwait
13th-14th Place: Thailand 100-72 Singapore

Thursday, July 26, 2001

Four Teams in ABA Taipei Round

ABA (Asian Basketball Association) president Cheng Man-kee, who also heads the ABC, confirmed that four teams from China and Taiwan will participate in the 2001 ABA Taipei Round in September 12-14.

Cheng said a total of eight teams, including Beijing Shogang and Shanghai Sharks of China, Dacin Construction and Yulon Dinos of Taiwan, Samsung Thunders of Korea, Isuzu Gigacats of Japan, Laguna Lakers of Philippines and Hong-yuan of Hong Kong, will play in this year's ABA season, which is comprised of rounds in different Asian cities. The Taipei round features a single round robin format and will be held in Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium.

Day 6: East/West Asia Split 4 Semi Seeds

China and South Korea each stormed into the semi of the ABC Championship as expected with a perfect 3-0 record in the quarterfinals. Little did everyone expect Syria and Lebanon make it to the final four. Lebanon beat Japan 83-73 to secure the second seed in Group I, while Syria upset Qatar 80-68 in Group II to advance.

This marks the first time in ABC Championship history that two nations from middle east region advance to the semifinals. China will meet Syria and South Korea takes on Lebanon in the crossover semifinals.

In the classification games, Qatar will meet Japan for 5th place, Taiwan and India fight for 7th. Uzbekistan and UAE will meet in the 9th place game, Hong Kong and Kuwait will fight for 11th, while Thailand and Singapore fight for 13th.

China 100-71 Taiwan
Taiwan head coach Lee Yun-kwang's " 2-1-2 " zone defense was not enough to contain China's "Multiple Towers". China used their height advantage with consecutive 11-0 and 13-0 runs. Before halftime, the score was already 61-33 and out of reach.

China received 19 points from Gong Xiao-bin and 17 points from Lee Nan. "Twin Towers" Yao Ming had 14 and 7 in 26 minutes while Wang Zhi-zhi only had 2 points in limited action. Taiwan was led by Yang Yu-min's 18 points (4-6 3-PT). Tien Lei and Chou Hong-yu scored 11 apiece, with Tsun Wen-ding and Chen Chih-chung each had 8 points.

South Korea 97-76 India
South Korea's firing squad put on another show yesterday, making 19 three-pointers out of 47 tries to slash the Indians 97-76. Yang Kyung-min followed his 7-9 outburst in the previous day with 6-10 performance. Cho Sung-won made 5 out of 13 and Kim Byung-chul also made three three-point shots.

Lebanon 83-73 Japan
Lebanon won the three-point shootout with the Japanese and advanced to the semi with an 83-73 win. Lebanon made 11 of 22 three-point attempts while Japan made 12 of 31. Fadi Khatib paced Lebanon with 24 points, Joe Vogel followed with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Japan was led by Masaki Goto's 24 points (4-7 3-PT).

▓Quarterfinal Score
South Korea 97-76 India
Lebanon 83-73 Japan
Syria 80-68 Qatar
China 100-71 Taiwan

▓Quarterfinal Standings
Group I
China 3-0 *
Lebanon 2-1 *
Japan 1-2
Taiwan 0-3

Group II
South Korea 3-0 *
Syria 2-1 *
Qatar 1-2
India 0-3
(* - Advance to semifinals)

▓Classification Score
Kuwait 77-55 Thailand
Uzbekistan 76-75 Hong Kong

Wednesday, July 25, 2001

Day 5: Goodbye, Final Four - Taiwan Lost Again

Taiwan's hope of a second consecutive semifinal appearance crushed on July 24, after losing their second straight quarterfinal game to Lebanon 72-87. Looks like they can only finish seventh at best, if they beat India in the classification game.

Taiwan NT will meet powerful China in their final quarterfinal game today, which no one thinks they have a chance to win. With a potential 0-3 record in the quarterfinals, Taiwan will have to fight with India for the seventh place. The previous worst finish for Taiwan NT is 6th place in 1985 (Malaysia) and 1997 (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia).

Taiwan trailed only by six, 30-36, early in the second quarter before Lebanon scored 12 unanswered points to pull away. Taiwan did not match up well inside and outside and trailed by as many as 21 in the second half.

Tien Lei led Taiwan with 18 points (4-7 3-PT) and 5 rebounds. Chou Hong-yu had 15 points and 9 rebounds. Wu Chih-wei had 12 and 8, while Yen Shin-shu had 11 and Yang Yu-min had 10.

South Korea 85-71 Syria
Syria's 11-0 opening run is nothing for the Koreans, because South Korea came back to make 10 of 20 three-point attempts and pounded Syria 85-71. South Korea clinched the first place in Group II and secured their seed in the semifinals. Kim Byong-chul had 19 points and 8 rebounds. Centers Seo Jang-hoon and Kim Joo-sung each had 17 points and pulled down 9 and 8 rebounds respectively.

China 126-67 Japan
Dalls Maverick Wang Zhi-zhi had 22 points and 8 rebounds to lead China breeze by Japan, 126-67, with an astonishing 77 % from the field. Wang made all of his four three-point attempts. Yao Ming had 13 points and 8 reobunds for the Chinese. Veteran Gong Xiao-bin and Hu Wei-dong had 17 and 16 points respectively. Menk Bateer scored 12.

▓Quarterfinals Score
South Korea 85-71 Syria
Qatar 85-60 India
Lebanon 87-72 Taiwan
China 126-67 Japan

▓Quarterfinals Standings
Group I - China 2-0, Lebanon 1-1, Japan 1-1, Taiwan 0-2
Group II - South Korea 2-0, Qatar 1-1, Syria 1-1, India 0-2

▓Classification Score
Uzbekistan 85-65 Singapore
UAE 80-77 Kuwait

China's Chang Chen Suspended

China's rookie NT member Chang Chen was suspended for two games because of initiating the confrontation between China and Lebanon team in the previous day's competition, the ABC announced on July 24.

A Lebanon guard was also "severely reprimanded" by the ABC. However the ABC takes no action on Liu Yu-dong and Lee Nan, both of whom accused stabbing Lebanon players in the confrontation with a scissor.

In the bench-clearing brawl, four or five Lebanese players were taken to nearby hospital because of injury. Joe Vogel had seven stitches on his forehead while the other Lebanese player had five stitches.

ABC's announcement was harshly criticized by media from various countries. Observors said ABC president Cheng Man-kee picked the easy road by suspending only Chang Chen because he doesn't want to mix it up with hosting China.

Tuesday, July 24, 2001

Day 4: Taiwan's High Hope Diminish After Loss to Japan

Talent can take you only so far, after all. Young and inexperienced Taiwan NT saw their high hope of making to the ABC final four diminish after losing to Japan, 60-69, in the first and most important game in the quarterfinals yesterday (July 23). Unless Taiwan routs Lebanon and Lebanon beat Japan, it will be almost impossible for Taiwan to finish in the top 4 this year.

Trailing in most of the first three quarters, Taiwan pulled ahead with a 13-2 spurt, including three three-pointers from Yen Shin-shu, Chiu Chi-yi and Chen Chih-chung, and took the lead 50-41 late in the third.

Just as when Taiwan NT finally seemed to find the tempo and control the game, the Japanese countered back with a shocking 25-10 fourth-quarter rally and led as many as 13 points. The game was already over in the final five minutes. Japan controlled the backboard with a 44-27 (ORB 18-7) rebounding advantage and forced Taiwan NT to 24 turnovers. SG Masaki Goto again led Japan with 19 points, 192cm F Yuki Orihara turned in 14 and 10.

Taiwan NT had nobody to blame after the critical loss and the sub-par performance. Last game's hero Tien Lei managed only 2 points and 6 rebounds and committed 4 turnovers in 25 minutes. Chiu Chi-yi led the team with 13 points, while Chen Chih-chung, Yen Shin-shu and Wu Chih-wei each scored 10 points.

In the must-win game today vs. Lebanon, Taiwan NT is waiting for the decision on whether the ABC will impose any suspension on Lebanon's 6-11 center Joe Vogel, who engaged in a punch-throwing fight in the game vs. China yesterday. If Vogel is not allowed to play, Taiwan will have a better chance winning.

Day 4: Emotions Run High in China - Lebanon Game

The game between China and Lebanon, which China won 87-76, ended in the biggest brawl in ABC Championship history. In the bench clearing fight that also involved numerous fans, at least three Lebanon players were injured and taken to the hospital. Both teams are waiting for further announcement and punishment from the Asian Basketball Confederation.

Emotions ran high in the whole game, in which you can see coaches of both teams screaming at refs and players throwing cheap-shots again and again at each other. With two seconds remaining and the outcome set, the worst thing happened. First-time Chinese NT member Chang Chen threw punches at one of the Lebanon guard and the two began fighting. Immediately players from two teams poured onto the court to join the brawl.

Chinese forward Liu Yu-dong also confronted Lebanon center Joe Vogel at the center court. To support their home team, crowds began throwing mineral water bottles and other objects at Lebanese players with no mercy. Within minutes, the whole stadium exploded into a war zone. The most unbelievable thing is, due to the lack of securities, the fight lasted more than 10 minutes. It's said that either Liu Yu-dong or Lee Nan picked up a scissor from team trainer and tried to stab the Lebanese players.

Finally both teams finally were taken to the locker room. And the post-game press conference was cancelled. Lebanon head coach Johnny Neumann complained to the media and threatened pulling out of the tournament if the ABC failed to provide 100% security.

After the protest from the Lebanese side, ABC president Cheng Man-kee said he will decide the final punishment after the technical committee completed the investigation report.

In another important quarterfinal matchup, South Korea regrouped in the final quarter with timely help from veteran Cho Sung-won and center Seo Jang-hoon to beat Qatar 89-72. Seo had 26 points and 16 rebounds to lead South Korea. KBL MVP Cho Sung-won had 18 points and made several key jumpers in the final quarter to open up the game.

South Korea limited Qatar to 30% shooting percentage but was 4-24 from the three-point line. The Koreans also were plagued by their athletic opponents, committing 32 fouls in the game . Qatar's Yaseen Mahmoud scored a game-high 29 points.

▓Quarterfinal Score
China 87-76 Lebanon
Japan 69-60 Taiwan
South Korea 89-72 Qatar
Syria 88-62 India

▓Quarterfinal Standings
Group I - China 1-0, Japan 1-0, Lebanon 0-1, Taiwan 0-1
Group II - South Korea 1-0, Syria 1-0, Qatar 0-1, India 0-1

▓Classification Score
Hong Kong 92-71 Singapore
UAE 83-63 Thailand

Ho Back to Taiwan to Be with Dad

Ho Sho-jen (SF, 195cm), one of the four high schoolers on Taiwan NT, flew back to Taiwan after the preliminary round to be with his ill father. Ho's father is said to be in critical condition.

Upon knowing the serious illness of Ho's father, Taiwan NT coaching staff decided to let Ho drop out of the championship and head back to Taipei as soon as possible. Ho, the youngest of four children in the family, will not be back in the ABC Championship. He was accompanied by Cheng Chih-lung, who was going back to Taiwan to start his campaign for the legislator election after finishing China's Division II season.

Monday, July 23, 2001

Day 3: Tien Lei Lead Taiwan to Quarterfinal

18 year-old sensation Tien Lei shows why he wowed a tons of people in the East Asia Games in May. Tien's 19 points and 8 rebounds led Taiwan NT past Uzbekistan 79-65 in the final preliminary game on July 22. Taiwan advances to the quarterfinal as expected and will meet Japan in the first quarterfinal game today. Also advancing to the quarterfinals are China, South Korea, Lebanon, Syria, India and Qatar.

After leading 40-28 in the first half, Taiwan PG Yen Shin-shu committed three turnovers early in the third quarter. Uzbekistan responded with three consecutive three-pointers to even the score at 50-50 with three minutes remaining in the quarter.

Taiwan NT regrouped and regained the momentum on a three-pointer from SG Chiu Chi-yi, who scored 15 in the game, and never look back. Yen Shin-shu dished out 9 assists to go with 8 points. Uzbekistan made 10 three-pointers in the game.

South Korea routed UAE 85-50 and averaged an eye-popping 45-oint winning margin in three preliminaries. 205cm center Kim Joo-sung had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while 206cm center Seo Jang-hoon and SG Cho Sung-won scored 14 apiece. Sharp-shooting South Korea is believed to be the only team that can dim China's title hope.

China also slammed Hong Kong 99-44 in the final game, but 223cm C Yao Ming's injury is a concern in the quarterfinal. Yao was taken to the locker room after a minor injury in the game. His status is unclear.

The only upset of the day came in Group D when Syria beat Japan 75-65 and won the group, forcing Japan to the same group with China, Lebanon and Taiwan in the quarterfinal. It's possible that Japan intentionally lost the game, though. Syria dominated the backboard with a 48-29 rebounding advantage. Japan was led by Masaki Goto's 20 points.


■Game Summaries
Taiwan 79-65 Uzbekistan
Syria 75-65 Japan
South Korea 85-50 UAE
Qatar 80-60 Thailand
Lebanon 90-56 Singapore
China 99-44 Hong Kong


■Final Preliminary Standings
Group A
1. China 3-0 *
2. Qatar 2-1 *
3. Hong Kong 1-2
4. Thailand 0-3

Group B
1. South Korea 3-0 *
2. Lebanon 2-1 *
3. UAE 1-2
4. Singapore 0-3

Quarterfinal/Classification Schedule

■Quarterfinal Grouping
Group I - China, Lebanon, Taiwan, Japan
Group II - Qatar, South Korea, India, Syria


■Quarterfinal Schedule
7.23
13:00 South Korea - Qatar
15:00 Syria - India
18:30 Japan - Taiwan
20:30 China - Lebanon

7.24
13:00 South Korea - Syria
15:00 India - Qatar
18:30 Taiwan - Lebanon
20:30 China - Japan

7.25
13:00 South Korea - India
15:00 Japan - Lebanon
18:30 Qatar - Syria
20:30 China - Taiwan

■Classification Schedule
7.23
09:00 Singapore - Hong Kong
11:00 UAE - Thailand

7.24
09:00 Uzbekistan - Singapore
11:00 Kuwait - UAE

7.25
09:00 Thailand - Kuwait
11:00 Hong Kong - Uzbekistan

Sunday, July 22, 2001

NBA Players to Visit China, Taiwan

Gary Payton, Ray Allen and Shareef Abdur-Rahim will be among a group of NBA players who will travel to China and Taiwan in September for two exhibition games against local players.

Wang Zhi-zhi of the Dallas Mavericks and 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming of the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association will play in the first exhibition game, Sept. 16 at Shanghai Stadium, the NBA said. The second game is Sept. 19 at National Taiwan University Multiple Stadium in Taipei.

"With the eyes of the sporting world looking to Asia, we are pleased to showcase our game and build valuable partnerships which will help develop a foundation for a promising future," said Sam Strang, the NBA's vice president for global marketing partnerships.

Other NBA players who will participate include Vin Baker of Seattle, Terrell Brandon of Minnesota, Todd MacCulloch of New Jersey Nets, Corey Maggette of the Los Angeles Clippers, Cliff Robinson of Detroit, Damon Stoudamire of Portland and Robert Traylor of Cleveland.

Among the 10 NBA players, Gary Payton, Damon Stoudamire, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Terrell Brandon have all visited Taiwan before. Stoudamire, Brandon and Abdur-Rahim visited Taiwan for NIKE's Asia promotion tour. Gary Payton's case is the most special one. He visited Taiwan as a college freshman in 1987, when local sports management company somehow arranged two NCAA games between Oregon State and Clemson, which has Elden Campbell at the time. Little did everyone knew that Payton will become a No.2 pick overall in the NBA Draft four years later.

Eight Taiwanese players who will play in the exhibition games are Tien Lei, Yen Shin-shu, Chen Chih-chung, Chen Hsin-an, Lo Shin-liang, Yang Tse-yi, Chen Huei and Lin Hsin-hwa.

(AP story is used in this report)

Day 2: Quarterfinal Almost Set

China and South Korea again toyed with their opponents on the second day (July 21) of the 21st ABC Championship and won the respective preliminary group, with China defeating Qatar 87-58 and South Korea hammering Lebanon 97-71. Just after two days of action, the 8-team quarterfinal field is almost set, which says a lot about this year's imbalance among participating teams.

Facing the strongest opponent Qatar in Group A, China did not get serious until the second half. G Lee Xiao-yung scored 18 points and helped China win Group A while SF Lee Nan scored 13. Five Chinese players scored in double-digit.

In Group B, South Korea pounded Lebanon with an unbelievable 16-32 from three-point territory, including a 7 for 9 shooting exhibition - in only 24 minutes --from 193cm F Yang Kyung-min, who scored game-high 23 points.

Not every game ended lopsided. Upsets highlighted the second day although they came in the second-tier of the tournament. Hong Kong upset Thailand 92-87 in overtime. Hong Kong SG Yung Kam-wah, who once played for Taiwan CBA's Mars, scored 7 of his 21 points in the overtime. In Group C, India shocked Uzbekistan 63-61 by Murli Mohan's baseline jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining. Uzbekistan failed to complete a dramatic comeback, when they rallied from a 20-point deficit with 1:30 left in the third quarter and evened the score at 61 with 7.8 seconds left in the game.

After just two days, the quarterfinal field is almost set. Under the game format, the prediction of the quarterfinal grouping is as follows:

Group I : Group A Winner China, Group B runner-up Lebanon, Group C winner Taiwan, Group D runner-up Japan/Syria

Group II: Group A runner-up Qatar, Group B winner South Korea, Group C runner-up India/Uzbekistan, Group D winner Japan/Syria

Taiwan has virtually clinched the Group C, as long as they beats Uzbekistan or keeps the losing margin under 16 points today in the final preliminary game. The only seeds unset are Group D winner and runner-up - Kuwait has been eliminated after two losses -- and Group C runner-up between India and Uzbekistan.


■Game Summaries
India 63-61 Uzbekistan
Hong Kong 92-87(OT) Thailand
South Korea 97-71 Lebanon
UAE 79-60 Singapore
Syria 107-95 Kuwait
China 87-58 Qatar


■Preliminary Standings
Group A
China 2-0, Qatar 1-1, Hong Kong 1-1, Thailand 0-2
Group B
South Korea 2-0, Lebanon 1-1, UAE 1-1, Singapore 0-2
Group C
Taiwan 1-0, India 1-1, Uzbekistan 0-1
Group D
Japan 1-0, Syria 1-0, Kuwait 0-2

Friday, July 20, 2001

2001 Asian Championship Complete Roster

Hong Kong NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
G
Lui Chor-wai
183/-
1978.8.27

G
Chung Ming-tat
174/-
1978.8.7

G
Wu Kwok-fung
175/-
1976.10.22

C
NgWah-fung
196/-
1978.6.16

C
Sung Fong
212/-
1971.3.18

F
Tam Wai-yeung
193/-
1982.8.7

G
Yung Kam-wah
186/-
1977.2.6

F
Yeung Man-wah
188/-
1976.7.26

G
Heung Chung-keung
174/-
1978.10.7

F
Leung Kwok-shing
187/-
1979.6.27

F
Chak man-keung
197/-
1978.10.20

F
Ho Kwok-man
191/-
1977.8.12
Head Coach: Chu Chung-sang

Thailand NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
G
Piya Sarthiyakul
180/-
1975.10.23

G
Apaipong Netsiriswan
175/-
1971.6.2

F
Jirawut Hougsa
190/-
1978.2.6

C
Dilip Rai
203/-
1975.9.21

F
Worrapot Tongsawsngjang
190/-
1976.6.14

F
Chainarong Soontreeyapas
180/-
1974.4.28

F
Pramoch Jantharaniyom
189/-
1975.7.3

F
Taweesak Hansawanpist
190/-
1973.10.9

C
Rcrngrit Boonyoung
198/-
1976.1.29

F
Watcharin Francis Angus
193/-
1974.2.9

C
Boonchuy Popark
190/-
1973.2.7

C
Shongphop Phairotepeeraphais
193/-
1968.9.24
Head Coach:

Qatar NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
Salman Ahmed
Khalid Sulaiman
Khalid Masoud
Ibrahim Obaid
Ahmed Ghanim
Mohammed Mubarak
Mohd Orabi
Daoud Mousa
Baker Ahmad
Ibrahim Basher
Mohd Yousuf
F
Yaseen Ismail Mahmoud
203/-
Hashim Zaidan
Husam Omar
Mohd Selaim
Marzouq Faraj
Abdul Aziz Saeed
Head Coach: Rodney Popp

UAE NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
Youssef Belal
190/-
1971

Youress Mohammed
165/-
1982

Abdul Latif Elah
206/-
1965

Abdulla Rashid
175/-
1983

Jassem Abdul Reda
165/-
1981

Ali M.Abbass
190/-
1979

Salem Mousa
180/-
1981

Qassen Qassem
185/-
1977

Hisham Mubarak
185/-
1972

Salem Mohamed
195/-
1982

Adnan Al Khayal
175/-
1980

Ibrahim Saeed Saif
175/-
1981
Saed Asaad Arar
175/-
1970
Ibrahim M. Abass
190/-
1976
Hamdan Said Salem
165/-
1969
Zved Al Quadum
185/-
-

Head Coach: B. Wilson

India NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
C
M.S. Shabber Ahmed
206/-
1979.4.16

C
Robinson
206/-
1983.6.23

G
Sridhar S.
186/-
1978.3.10

G
Gopinth
178/-
1976.2.13

C
Pattrrinder Singh
200/-
1968.3.15

G
S.P. Kadam
175/-
1980.3.15

C
Ranjit Singh
194/-
1981.7.13

F
Dos. Raj
187/-
1980.3.18

G
Mohit Bhandari
186/-
1981.11.22

F
S. Vinay Kumar Yeday
191/-
1981.9.4

F
Murli Mohan
191/-
1975.8.20

C
Austin Almdia
198/-
1973.7.3

Head Coach: K.K. Chansoria

Singapore NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
Wong Soon-yuh
Goh Win-leong
Koe Meng-koon
Pathman So Matalakan
Lim Chin-kiat
Ang Choon-yong
Goh Loon-aik
Teo Choon-liang
Lim Yuan Szr Derrick
Pang Chin-hong
Zheng Yong-han
Cheng Wei-lung
Mah Swee-sung
Head Coach: Chen Cheng-hao

Uzbekistan NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
G
Oleg Levin
185/-
1963.7.2

F
Ruslan Abdurakhmanev
205/-
1976.4.13

G
Batir Mirodilov
200/-
1977.7.23

F
Vyacheslav Belokurov
200/-
1977.2.20

F
Mikhail Safenov
203/-
1974.1.19

C
Zinnur Khaibullin
207/-
1974.7.3

F
Igor Falin
205/-
1981.11.29

C
Sergey Karaulov
215/-
1982.4.15

G
Evgeniy Gorbunov
190/-
1981.9.5

C
Sergei Demurin
205/-
1965.11.6

G
Stanislav Ishenko
183/-
1973.5.26

F
Andrey Ryazanov
198/-
1970.6.20

Head Coach: Alexander Adisman

Kuwait NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
G
Ahmad Al-Muttiry
188/98


G
Hamad Al-Othman
183/75


F
Humod Al-Hajras
186/90


F
Eid Al-Shamary
190/85


F
Haitham Batoon
190/105


C
Khaled Al-Hajras
198/135


F
Hesham Al-Myal
189/89


G
Abdullah Al-Saraf
190/75


G
Sager Hassan
181/70


F
Hamad Al-Shamaty
190/77


C
Abdulrahman Helal
198/105


G
Ousama Al-Farhan
188/87


Head Coach: Mohamad Al-Bader
Assistant: Faisal Buresly

Syria NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
Hekmat Haddal
1978

Firas Hamwe
1972

Michel George Madeli
1981

Radwan Saeed Hasabalah
1980

Talal Youaes
1975

Amar Kassas
1971

Omar Lutfi Karkokli
1983

Mohamed Imam
1974

Ahmad Sahadi
1974

Khalud Yehya Zedan
1980

Mohamad Hajar
1980

Oussama Madanl
1973

Head Coach: Onikas Staniflan

Lebanon NT Roster

Lebanon NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
DOB
Note
PG
Walid Doumiati
179/-
1968

PG
Roni Fahed
183/-
1981

PG
Georges Chibani
178/-
1974

PF/C
Elie Nasr
197/-
1970

C
Elie Kassouf
195/-
1977

PF/C
Yasser El Hajj
197/-
1970

C
Joseph Vogel
210/-
1973

PF
Richard Hallet
198/-
1977

C
Ali Awarke
192/-
1980

F
Elie Mchantaf
193/-
1970

F
Ghazi Boustani
188/-
1967

F
Fadi Al Khatib
198/-
1979

Head Coach: John Neumann (USA)

Japan NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
Team/Status Note
SG
Masaki Goto
189/83
Aishin
PG
Takahiro Setsumasa
180/75
Toshiba
PG
Makoto Okita
176/70
Mitsubishi
SG
Takuya Kita
185/83
Toshiba
SG
Takuma Watanabe
188/83
Toyota
SF
Yuki Orihara
192/85
Toshiba
SF
Kazuhiro Shoji
191/92
Niigata
SF
Atsushi Ono
197/90
Mitsubishi
PF
Satoru Furuta
199/95
Mitsubishi
PF
Hidekazu Ishizaka
198/92
Matsushita
C
Fumihiko Aono
210/99
Matsushita
C
Shunsuke Ito
197/98
Chuo Univ.
Head Coach: Kenji Yoshida(Toshiba)
Assistant: Masaya Hirose (Niigata), Brian Goorjian (JABBA)

China NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
Team/Status
Age
C
Wang Zhi-zhi
214/108
Bayi
22
C
Yao Ming
223/107
Shanghai
21
C
Menk Bateer
210/110
Shogang
26
F
Liu Yu-dong
198/99
Bayi
31
F
Gong Xiao-bin
202/104
Shandong
32
F
Lee Nan
198/96
Bayi
27
F
Chang Wen-chi
201/93
Shanghai
29
F
Chang Chen
197/97
Jiangsu
23
G
Chang Jin-song
198/95
Bayi
29
G
Hu Wei-dong
197/90
Jiangsu
30
G
Lee Xiao-yung
189/80
Liaoning
32
G
Fan Bin
178/80
Bayi
31
Head Coach: Wang Fei(Bayi Rockets)

Note:
China went for the veterans, cutting six younger players at the last minute: G Hu Sher-feng (185, 19, Jiangsu), F/C Mok Kerr (209, 19, Shenyang), F Ju Fang-yu (200, 18, Guangdong), F Chen Co (204, 22, Bayi), G Kuo Shi-chan (193, 26, Liaoning), F Du Feng (202, 19, Guangdong)

Taiwan NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
Team/Status Note
PG
Yen Shin-shu
182/74
Military
PG
Chen Chih-chun
181/74
Military
SG
Chiu Chi-yi
182/72
Yulon
SG
Yang Yu-min
180/72
Dahwa Construction
SF
Chen Hsin-an
196/90
Yulon Injured
SF
Chou Hong-yu
195/92
Yulon
SF
Ho Sho-jen
195/89
Bank of Taiwan
PF
Tien Lei
201/86
Dacin Construction
PF
Lee Chi-yi
200/90
BCC Mars
C
Wu Chih-wei
202/94
Yulon
C
Tsun Wen-din
202/86
Tsai-shin HS. Jr.
C
Wu Dai-hao
200/98
Tsai-shin HS. So.

Head Coach: Lee Yung-kwang(Yulon)
Assistant: Dong-fang Che-ter, Lin Jian-ping(Yulon)
Technical Counsellor: Chien Yi-fei(Yulon)


South Korea NT Roster
Pos.
Name
Ht./Wt.
Team/Status Note
C
Seo Jang-hoon
207/105
SK
C
Kim Joo-sung
205/93
Joongang Univ.
C
Lee Gyu-sup
198/100
Samsung
C
Kim Tae-wan
202/105
Hanyang Univ.
F
Choo Seung-gyun
190/93
KCC
F
Cho Sang-hyun
190/88
SK
F
Song Young-jin
198/90
LG Dropped
F
Bang Sung-yoon
198/92
Yonsei Univ. Injured
F
Kim Dong-woo
200/80
Yonsei Univ.
F
Yang Kyung-min
193/88
Sambo
G
Cho Sung-won
180/77
LG
G
Lim Jae-hxun
183/77


G
Joo Hee-jung
180/80
Samsung Replaced
G
Hwang Sung-in
180/75
Armed Forces
G
Kim Byung-chul
185/80
Dongyang
Head Coach: Kim Dong-kwang(Samsung)
Assistants: Lee Jae-ho/Park Kun-youn