South Korea downs Japan, finish 3rd in Asian Junior Women

South Korea edged Japan,77-72, in the bronze medal game of the 16th Asian Basketball Championship for Junior Women tonight in Taipei.

Leading scorers:
South Korea - Jung Mi-ran 25p, Kim Jin-young 21p
Japan - Saki Inoue 19p, Kozue Kawai 13p

North Korea cruised past Thailand, 104-67, to finish for the 5th-place. North Korea also finished for 5th in the last Asian Junior Women in 2000.

Asian Junior Women - China, Taiwan meet in finals

Dec. 28 - Semifinals
Taiwan 79-76 Japan
Taiwan - Tsai Pai-shen 24p+9b, Shen Pi-hua 17p, Wen Chi 15p+9rb+6a
Japan - Yoshie Sakurada 28p, Yuki Morimoto 14p+12rb

China 81-61 South Korea
China - Bian Lan 20p+7rb+6s, Ji Xiao 20p+6rb
South Korea - Han Chae-jin 20p+7rb

Asian Junior Women - Taiwan upset China to win preliminary group

Backcourt Wen Chi and Shen Pi-hua combined for 50 points and 25 rebounds as Taiwan upset heavily-favored China, 88-82, to win the preliminary group A last night in the 16th Asian Basketball Championship for Junior Women. The victory marks the first win over China in Asian Junior Women for Taiwanese in the last 16 years.

In order to beat China, Taiwan has to play a perfect game, which they almost did. Taiwan made 30 of 58 field goal attempts, pulled down 45 rebounds over China's 41, while limited China to a miserable 32-92 shooting and led from start to finish.

SG Shen Pi-hua led the team with 27 points (11-16 FG, including 5-8 3PT)and 10 rebounds. PG Wen Chi had 23 points, 5 assists and pulled down a team-high 14 rebounds. SF Lin Wei-mei had 18 points, 7 rebounds and team-high 6 assists.

Li Dan-dan led China with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Lead guard Bian Lan scored 16 but was an unbelievable 7 for 33 from the field because of Taiwan's brilliant defense.

Taiwan won the Group A with 4 straight win and will face Group B second seed Japan in the cross-over semifinal. China will meet Group B winner South Korea in the other matchup.

**Game Results
Dec. 26
Taiwan 88-82 China
Korea 73-65 Japan
India 110-48 Macau
Thailand 127-41 Mongolia

Dec. 25
Japan 205-21 Mongolia
North Korea 125-20 Macau
China 100-45 India
Thailand 69-60 Malaysia

**Preliminary round final standing
Group A
Taiwan 4-0
China 3-1
North Korea 2-2
India 1-3
Macau 0-4

Group B
Korea 4-0
Japan 3-1
Thailand 2-2
Malaysia 1-3
Mongolia 0-4

China beat Iran for Asian Junior gold

China beat Iran, 81-70, as it wins back the Asian Junior Men gold medal lost two years ago in Malaysia to Korea. China has now won three of the last four Asian Junior Men Championships.

Defending champ Korea managed to beat Qatar, 105-88, in the bronze medal game to finish for the third place. China, Iran and Korea will represent Asia in the World Championship for Junior Men that will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next June.

Taiwan lost to Japan to finish 6th

Taiwan Junior NT lost to Japan, 68-76, to finish for the 6th place -- their worst performance since 1995 -- in the 17th ABC Championship for Junior Men in Kuwait.

Without starting PF/C Wu Dai-hao, who sprained his ankle badly in the game vs. South Korea, Taiwan could not match up with the Japanese. PG Chang Yi-wen also did not play because of knee injury. Taiwan was thrid place in 2000, 4th in both 1998 and 1996.

In the final day of the competition tomorrow, China will play Iran for gold. Qatar will meet South Korea for bronze and the final ticket to the World Junior Championship next year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

SINA sign Ajani Williams

SINA Lions signs Ajani Williams to replace Jason Jennings after losing six straight to open the season. Another import, Stanley Blackmon, is also expected to be replaced soon.

==

Ajani Williams

Nationality: JAM-USA
College: E.Michigan (MAC)
Previous teams: Mobile (USA-NBDL), Karsiyaka (TUR), Levski (BUL), Florida S. (USA-USBL)
235lbs / 107kg
Born: Feb.8, 1977 in Kingston, JAM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outlook:
Excellent shot blocker. He is a strong rebounder. He proved that he can scored consistently in the paint. Ajani is very active on the offense glass. He has a 40 inch vertical leap. Played soccer and tennis as a youth and didn’t begin playing basketball until age 15
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Career:
1994-1995: Georgia Tech (NCAA)
1995-1996: Georgia Tech (NCAA)
1996-1997: DNP
1997-1998: E.Michigan (NCAA): 2ppg, 2.3rpg
1998-1999: E.Michigan (NCAA): Missed 15 games his senior year with a
broken foot: 8ppg, 7.4rpg
1999: IBL Veteran Camps
1999: CBA Veterans Camp: cut last
2000: Florida Sea Dragons (USBL): 3.5ppg, 2.3rpg, released in June
2000-2001: Levski Sophia (BUL): Korac Cup: 16.6ppg, 8.7rpg, left the team in April '01
2001-2002: Pinar Karsiyaka SK Izmir (TUR): never reported to Turkey due to September 11 events in NY, in Dec.'01signed at Mobile Revelers (NBDL): 3.4ppg, 1.7rpg
2002: Philippines
2002-2003: Club Central (LEB)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Awards/Achievements:
Jamaican National Team -99
Aug.'00 - played for the Bulgarian NT in the firendly tournament in Sophia
Bulgarian Cup Winner -01
NBDL Semifinals -02

Asian Junior Women - Taiwan, South Korea clinch semi seeds

Taiwan Junior Women NT blasted India, 113-55 yesterday as they clinched the semifinal seeds along with South Korea, who beat Thailand, 91-65. Taiwan and South Korea are both 3-0.

China and Japan, who are both 2-0, should have no problem advancing. North Korea showed it's a team that can play, with their brilliant two-man game and hard=drive, hard-pick style. Unfortunately, they are in the same group with Taiwan and China and being blocked out of the semi.

**Game results:
Taiwan 113-55 India(Liu Yi-chun 21p, Wen Chi 19p, Tsai Pei-chen 12p+10rb)
China 93-67 North Korea(Bian Lan 30p)
South Korea 91-65 Thailand(Kim Ji-hyun 24p+11s, Han Chae-jin 19p)
Malaysia 124-58 Mongolia
No games scheduled for today, action resumes on December 25


**Standings

Group A
Taiwan 3-0
China 2-0
North Korea 1-2
Macau 0-2
India 0-2

Group B
South Korea 3-0
Japan 2-0
Malaysia 1-2
Thailand 0-2
Mongolia 0-2

China, Iran in Asian Junior Men final

With 16 year-old Yi Jian-lian(211cm) dominant inside, China beat South Korea, 102-90, to reach the final of the 17th Asian Basketball Championship for Junior Men in Kuwait. China will meet a surprising opponent Iran, who edged Qatar 49-48, in the championship game.

Iran charged into the final behind the solid play of two giants -- 221cm Jaber Rozmahani and 218cm Hamed Ahadadi. Ahadadi was especially impressive in the tournament, drawing high interest among observers. He had a 20-point, 13-rebound outing in the game vs. China. According to Taiwan NT head coach Hsu Jin-tse, 16 year-old Ahadadi has drawn interests from international and NBA scouts.

Asian Junior Women - All lopsided games

All four games ended with lopsided results with no surprise in the second day of the 16th ABC Championship for Junior Women. It shows that ABC probably should consider dividing participating teams into Division I and II next time.

Taiwan 107-30 Macau(Liu Yi-chun 16p+10rb, Chou Hsiang-lan 14p)
South Korea 134-23 Mongolia(Han Chae-jin 36p+5a+5s)
Japan 122-33 Malaysia
North Korea 120-38 India

Standings

Group A
China 1-0
Taiwan 2-0
North Korea 1-1
Macau 0-2
India 0-1

Group B
South Korea 2-0
Japan 2-0
Malaysia 0-2
Thailand 0-1
Mongolia 0-1

Asian Junior Men - Taiwan's top 3 dream dashed

Taiwan suffered another heartbreaking loss last night, when they lost to long time rival South Korea 90-117 and saw the chance going to Kuala Lumpur next year pass them by. With the loss, Taiwan Junior is out of the final four of the 17th Asian Basketball Championship for Junior Men.

Taiwan is only good enough for the third place in Group I and will play Japan for the 5th place, the worst finish for Taiwan Junior since 1995, on December 25. South Korea advance with No.1 in Group I. Qatar beat Saudi Arabia to gain the No.2 seed. In Group II, Japan upset China 85-83 yesterday but still finished third.

Taiwan was plagued by foul trouble only 5 minutes into the game. Frontlines Wu Dai-hao, Tsun Wen-din and Wu Jun-hsiung all were whistled for two personal fouls. Wu was tripped by a Korean player and twisted his ankle. He was unable after that and was in cast after the game. To protest the unfair officiating, Taiwan head coach Hsu Jin-tse almost pulled his team out and refused to play.

The game is already over by the third quarter. Wu Dai-hao was on the sideline, Tsun and Wu Jun-hsiung fouled out. Taiwan can only put five little guys on the court and finished the game.

Chen Shi-jay led Taiwan Junior with 27 points. PG Chen Shi-nian had 16. Tsun Wen-din had 13. Lee Chih-ming and Wu Dai-hao had 8 points each, with Wu scoring all his points in the first five minutes. After the game, coach Hsu expressed his disappointment with the results but said he could do nothing about it.


Dec. 22 Second Round Scores:
Japan 85-83 China
South Korea 117-90 Taiwan
Iran 89-53 Kuwait
Qatar beat Saudi Arabia(Score unavailable)


**Second Round Standings
Group I
1. South Korea 2-1
2. Qatar 2-1
3. Taiwan 1-2
4. Saudi Arabia 1-2

Group II
1. Iran 2-1
2. China 2-1
3. Japan 2-1
4. Kuwait 0-3

**Upcoming games
Semifinals: South Korea vs. China, Qatar vs. Iran
5th-place game: Taiwan vs. Japan
7th-place game: Kuwait vs. Saudi Arabia

Taiwan Junior Women beat North Korea in opening games

Tsai Pei-chen had 22 points and 8 rebounds to pace Taiwan Junior Women past North Korea, 82-71, last night in the opening game of the 16th Asian Basketball Championship for Junior Women, which is held in Taipei, Taiwan. Lin Wei-mei and Wen Chi had 16 and 13 points respectively for the home team.

Othe score(Dec. 21):
China 155-24 Macau(Ji Yan-yan 32p+8rb+7s)
Japan 106-50 Thailand(Yoshi Sakurada 30p)
South Korea 109-30 Malaysia(Han Chae-jin 31p+4s)

Taiwan Junior beat Saudi Arabia

Taiwan Junior NT beat Saudi Arabia, 78-64, to boost their record to 1-1 in the second round. If they beat South Korea in the final group game, they're in the semifinal.

SG Chen Shi-jay led Taiwan with 16 points, but Taiwan's 14-point win has a lot to do with the frontline. 202cm Wu Dai-hao had 12 points and 13 rebounds, 204cm Tsun Wen-din had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 5 blocks, while 197cm reserve Wu Jun-hsiung scored 13 points. PG Chen Shi-nian had 8 points and dished out 5 assists.

In the other group, China edged Iran, 74-72, and Japan routed Kuwait, 98-45. China is expected to win the group with no problem.

Taiwan, South Korea and Japan shocked by West Asia

With Taiwan, South Korea and Japan all on the losing side, East Asia is shocked by West Asia in the first day of the second round in the 17th ABC Championship for Junior Men. After the upset loss to Qatar 74-85, Taiwan's road to the semifinal will be harder than planned.

South Korea and Japan are no better. South Korea was upset by Saudi Arabia, 77-88, while Japan lost to Iran by 8 points. China beat host Kuwait, 109-54, and is the only East Asia country passes the first test.

Taiwan wins Group C ; Final eight set

Taiwan beat hosting team Kuwait in the third and final preliminary game 73-46 to win the Group C with a 3-0 record. The final eight of the second round is set after three day's preliminary, with Iran knocking Lebanon out of the second round as the biggest surprise in the 17th Asian Basketball Championship for Junior Men so far.

Group I(A1, B2, C1, D2): South Korea, Qatar, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia
Group II(A2, B1, C2, D1): Iran, China, Kuwait, Japan

Each group will play a single round-robin format in the second round, with top two teams in each group advancing to a cross-over semifinal. Losers play in the classification games.

In the final preliminary game, C Wu Dai-hao had 17 points and 8 rebounds to pace the team, while Tsun Wen-din had 16 points and Lee Chih-ming 15. Taiwan led 41-27 in halftime and pulled away in the second. They will face Qatar in the first game of the second round on Dec. 20.

Other game scores(Some games are missing):
South Korea 77-73 Iran
Japan 91-73 Saudi Arabia
Malaysia 105-49 Sri Lanka
Hong Kong 98-78 India

Taiwan Junior cruise past India

Led by Lee Chih-ming's 31 points and Chen Shi-jay's 27 points, Taiwan Junior NT cruised past India 120-71 to win two straight in the preliminary round in ABC Junior Men's Championship.

In other games, China defeated Malaysia 79-47, Qatar routed Sri Lanka 99-73. Lebanon edged South Korea 56-54.

Taiwan Junior routs Hong Kong

Led by "Twin Tower" Tsun Wen-din and Wu Dai-hao, who combined for 30 points on 13-16 shooting, Taiwan Junior NT routed Hong Kong 101-59 in the first preliminary game of the 17th ABC Junior Men's Championship, which is held in Kuwait. Taiwan plays India today in the second game.

Tsun Wen-din had 16 points(7-9 FG) and 5 rebounds, while Wu Dai-hao had 14 points(6-7 FG) to go with three blocks. SF Yang Chin-ming also had 16 points. Chen Shi-jay and Lee Chih-ming had 14 and 12 points respectively. Cheng Kam Hing led Hong Kong with 16 points.

In other games, China beat Sri Lanka 145-45. Qatar beat Malaysia 73-58. Japan beat Yemen 137-64

Men and Women Junior NT set high hopes

Taiwan Men's Junior NT leave for Kuwait yesterday with the high hope of finishing in the top three in the 17th ABC Men's Junior Championship. If they are in the top three, Taiwan will be qualified for the World Men's Junior Championship, which will be held next year in Kuala Lumpur, Maylaysia, for the first time in 15 years, since the only appearance in the World Junior Men in 1987.

Taiwan Men's Junior features three players from the Senior Men's NT -- 204cm center Tsun Wen-din, 202cm forward/center Wu Dai-hao and 177cm combo guard Lee Chih-ming. This will be the second time Tsun and Wu participating the Asian Men's Junior Championship.

Taiwan Men's Junior have been climbing up in Asia, finishing 5-th place in both 1995 and 1996, fourth place in 1998 and third place in 2000. In the 1987 World Junior Men's, Taiwan finished 11th among 12 countries.

Meanwhile, CTBA will host the first Asian Basketball Championship in 35 years. The 16th ABC Women's Junior Championship will be held in Taipei, Taiwan in Dec. 21-30. Taiwan Women's Junior will look for the best finish since winning the silver medal in 1998. They were fourth both in 1996 and 2000.

2002 Asian Junior Men's Championship Japan/Korea NT Roster

No. Name P Ht. Wt. DOB
4 Takumi Ishizaki SG 187 80 1984/7/6
5 Shingo Utsumi SF 188 79 1984/4/28
6 Kosuke Takeuchi C 203 91 1985/1/29
7 Joji Takeuchi PF 201 91 1985/1/29
8 Atsuya Ota PF 206 100 1984/6/4
9 Akihito Inoue SF 196 81 1984/10/8
10 Yusuke Okada SG 181 75 1984/9/17
11 Masahiro Komatsu SG 191 79 1984/4/22
12 Takeshi Hasegawa SF 194 96 1984/8/1
13 Yu Abe SG 177 73 1984/9/17
14 Rei Matsumoto SG 173 66 1984/12/23
15 Toshiyuki Tomita PG 182 70 1985/6/18

Average Height: 189.9cm, Average Weight: 81.8kg

Head Coach: Hisao Sato
Assistants: Satoshi Tanaka, Yuji Yoshida, Shigetoshi Hisai

==

Thanks to my friend Son Dae-bum in Korea...........

Chris

===
They played with Korea Univ yesterday (lost 2-3 in 5 quarter games) and Yonsei Univ. today (win in the 5 quarter games, but Yonsei's starting members didn't played so much).

Head Coach : Kim Man Jin (Jeon-Ju highschool)
Coach : Kang Hwa Suk (Yang-Jung High)

Guards-
Shin Je Rock (191cm, Whimoon High)
-> have a great shooting skills, leadership, recruited by Korea Univ.
Kim Tae Sool (180cm, Dong-A High)
-> I call him "Korean DaJuan Wagner" or "Korean A.I. #3" haha., recruited by Yonsei Univ.
Jung Young Sam (188cm, KyeSung High)
-> Great Ball Handling, defense, and best penetration player
Jung Byung Kuk (186cm, CheMoolPo High)
-> Very Strong 3-point shooter

Forwards
Kim Young Hwan (195cm, KimHae Ka-ya High)
-> Other Scoring Machine, scored 55 pts in his last high-school game, recruited by Korea Univ.
Lee Kwang Jae (188cm, Yong-San High)
-> some experts told me "he knows basketball", good penetration skills, shooting touch
Park Goo Young (182cm, Sam-Il High)
Chun Dae Hyun (194cm, Dae-Kyung High)
Lee Young Hyun (194cm, Busan Joong-Ang High)


Centers
Kim Jae Hwan (197cm, WhiMoon High)
-> Recruited by Yonsei Univ. But he didn't play so much in last two exhibition games
Seo Jin (200cm, Chung-Ju High)
-> Plays well in the fast break. But Dribbling is his weakness. Plays like PF
Yoon Ho Young (198cm, Nak-Saeng High)
-> he is only sophomore player in this team

NOTES: Div-II, UBA updates

-- Jin-jin Design, which is conprised of mostly former Yulon players, wins the Division-II in 2002 President Cup with a 5-0 record in the single-round robin games. The fact that Jin-jin Design wins the division playing only 5 games and with mostly retired players from Div-I says something about the lifeless Taiwanese basketball. Also, two of the six Div-II teams are university teams.

Div-II Standings: 1. Jin-jin Design(5-0), 2. National Taiwan College of Physical Education, NTCPE (4-1), 3. Fushiang Hotel(3-2), 4. Tung-nan Institute of Technology, TNIT(2-3), 5. Tsaishin HS Alumni(1-4), 6. Jia-na Corp.(0-5)

Division-I games of the President Cup tipoff on January 15, 2003.

-- Elite Eight are determined after the preliminary round of the UBA(University Basketball Association). The single-round robin second round games will start on February 17, 2003.

Group A: Taipei Physical Education College(TPEC), National Taiwan College of Physical Education(NTCPE), Chinese Culture University(CCU), National Taipei University of Technology(NTUT)

Group B: National Taiwan Normal University(NTNU), National Taiwan University of Arts(NTUA), Fu-Jen Catholic University(FJU), Tung-Nan Institute of Technology(TNIT)

2002 Asian Junior Men's Championship Taiwan NT roster

Name Height Weight Age Position School
Lee Chih-ming 177 71 18 PG TPEC
Chen Shih-nian 180 74 18 PG TPEC
Lin Kuan-lun 185 78 18 SG NTNU
Chang Yi-wen 183 75 18 G TAU
Chen Shi-jay 173 73 18 SG Tsai-shin HS
Yang Chin-min 187 78 18 SF Fujen Univ.
Hsu Shi-chin 192 89 18 F Nanshan HS
Chen Tse-wei 195 78 17 PF Nanshan HS
Wang Chuan-jian 193 91 17 PF Kao-yuan HS
Wu Jun-hsiung 197 90 18 C TPEC
Wu Dai-hao 202 98 17 C Tsai-shin HS
Tsun Wen-din 204 86 18 C TTU

Head Coach: Hsu Jin-tse(Tsai-shin HS)
Assistant Coaches: Lin Ju-han, Lee Bo-lun

Average height: 188.9cm, Average weight: 81.7kg

Taiwan eyes for top three in ABC Junior Championship

With the selections of Tsun Wen-din, Wu Dai-hao and Lee Chih-ming, three 18-year-old players who played on senior level, Taiwan Junior NT will look for the top three finish in the upcoming ABC Junior Championship , which will be held in Kuwait in Dec.16-26.

Tsun Wen-din(204cm), Wu Dai-hao(202cm) and Lee Chih-ming(177cm) are part of the youngest Senior NT in Taiwanese basketball history. The 2002 edition Taiwan NT features only one player above 27 years-old and received mixed results -- mostly disappointing -- during this past year.

These three players, who often looked lost on the court in the Asian Games in Busan, will find much easier competition in Kuwait. They are joined by Chen Shih-nian, who at 18 is already considered the best point guard prospect in the nation. With Chen Shih-nian handling the point, the explosive Lee Chih-ming can be moved to the shooting guard spot, his position in high school, and takes advantage of his quickness and perimeter shooting.

Tsun and Wu, already have two years of international experience under their belt, will be the most formidable frontline in Taiwan Junior history. Tsun plays the game with smart and mobility and will provide his teammtes with reliable interior defense. Wu, only a high school senior, will also change opponents' shots with his 7-1 wingspan and be able to play on the wing to show his awesome athletic ability.

The most influential factor for this team will be their outside shooting, which looks suspect sometimes. They should have no problem breezing past the preliminary round, which they will face Kuwait, India and Hong Kong in Group C. The teams expected to make it to the semifinals are still traditional Asian powers - China, South Korea and maybe Japan or Qatar.

The other brackets are: Group A - South Korea, Iran, Lebanon, Mongolia ; Group B - China, Qatar, Malaysia, Srilanka ; Group D - Japan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Bahrain.

SINA bring in two new imports

SINA Lions brought in two new imports, Jason Jennings and Stan Blackmon, after releasing Luis Fernando and Carlos Booker. Also, 203cm C/F Tan Bo-chan, who's just signed two months ago, failed the pre-season physical in 3200M running and will be going back to Taiwan.

Jason Jennings
Height: 213cm / 7'0''
Position: Center
Born: 1979
College: Arkansas St.
Career:
Bald Knob(Bald Knob)
2000-2001: Arkansas St. (NCAA): 13.9ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.4apg
2001-2002: Arkansas St. (NCAA): 30 games: 14.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.9 apg
2002: Portsmouth Invitation Tournament
2002: Drafted by Portland TB (from Toronto via Chicago) (NBA,2rd(43))
2002: Drafted by Dakota Wizards (CBA,2nd round (16))
2002-2003: Portland Trail Blazers (NBA)

Stan Blackmon
Height: 198cm / 6'6''
Position: Forward
Born: 1978
Born: Sep.5, 1978 in Dallas (Texas)
Career:
97/98 Odessa JC (Tx.)
98/99 Odessa JC (Tx.)
99/00 Arkansas-Little Rock (Ncaa1)
2000-2001: UALR (NCAA): SBCScore-3(18.4), 7rpg, FGP-1(55.3%)
2001: Rocky Mountain Summer League (Dallas Mavericks)
2001-2002: Pico FC La Pampa (ARG): in Oct.'01 was replaced by Nick Dillon, in March '02 was signed by
Brest (FRA-ProB): 12games: 24.5ppg, 6.9rpg, 1.8apg, 1.3spg

Taiwan Beer, Yitong stay in Div-I

Taiwan Beer and Yitong Trust Agency, which finished 3-0 and 2-1 respectively in the Qualifying Series, will stay in the Division I in the upcoming President Cup. Taiwan Physical Education College, 1-2, and Fushiang Hotel, 0-3, will remain in the Division II after the single-round robin series.

TB and Yitong finished 7th and 8th in the 8-team Division I of the previous A-League Regular Season, which means they have to play the top two teams from the Division II in the Qualifying Series to stay in the upper division.

The 2002-03 President Cup will tip-off on November 11th, with Division II going first from Nov.11-27. The Div-I schedule will start on January 15th, 2003.

Qualifying Series Results:
TB 87-62 Fushiang
Yitong 77-72 TPEC
TPEC 93-71 Fushiang
TB 85-79 Yitong
Yitong 83-73 Fushiang
TB 81-68 TPEC

CTBA to keep the NT coaching staff

CTBA (Chinese Taipei Basketball Association) decided to keep the NT coaching staff intact after the Oct. 18 meeting, although fans criticized the staff's poor job in both the ABC Championship and Asian Games. But CTBA president Wang Jen-da said the association plans to hire an foreign consultant to help the inexperienced NT coaches. The long term goal for Taiwan NT is still to make it to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Current NT coaching staff:
Head coach: Lee Yun-kwang
Assistant: Dong-fan Che-ter

Chen Hsin-an cut by the Kings

Chen Hsin-an (also goes by the name of Sean Chen) was cut by the Sacramento Kings after the Oct. 16 pre-season game vs. the New York Knicks, ending his first trip to the NBA pre-season training camp. Chen plans to come back to Taiwan in early November but intends to look for opportunities to play and improve his skills in the States for the coming year.

Chen appeared in two of the Kings’ four games prior to the cut, collecting 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 12 minutes. He vows to be a better player if he has another chance to be in the training camp next time.

Asian Games - China beat South Korea for women's gold

China Women's NT stopped Korea's furious rally in the fourth quarter and held on for a 80-76 victory in the gold medal game of the 2002 Asian Games.

Led by F Sui Fei-fei who scored a team-high 18 points, China have four players in double-digits in scoring. Ren Lei has 16. 198cm C Chen Nan had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Chen Lu-yun, who made two critical baskets in the last minutes, has 13.

South Korea, which trailed in most of the games but took the lead in the last three minutes, was led by F Jung Sun-min's 29 points and 7 rebounds. Kim Kwe-ryong followed with 18.

Taiwan Women's NT beat Japan in the bronze medal game, 86-79. Japan couldn't find the way to stop the "Twin Towers" of Taiwan. Chiang Feng-chun made 11-of-17 shots and had 25 points and 9 rebounds, while 188cm C Cheng Hui-yun has 21 points and 18 rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting. G Chang Hui-yin had 11 points.

Noriko Hawaguchi led Japan with 20 points. Kahori Kawakami, Atsuko Watanabe and Mutsuko Nagata each scored 13 points.

Asian Games - South Korea stuns China in finals

South Korea pulls off one of the biggest upsets in its basketball history when they stuns China, 102-100, in overtime in Asian Games Final. South Korea wins the gold medal in Asian Games for the first time since 1982 in New Dehli and prevents China from winning its fifth consecutive Asian Games gold.

Trailed by as many as 17 in the first half, South Korea toughens up its zone defense and double-teaming in the second half. It works. With China turning the ball over again and again, South Korea comes right back into the game after a 26-18 third quarter.

Thanks to the instant firepower from Liu Yu-dong, China still hold the lead, 88-81, with 67 seconds to play. Kim Seung-hyun's steal and fastbreak layup make the score 83-88. Li Nan answered. With 32.5 seconds remaining and leading 90-83, it seems China has locked up the victory.

Koreans refuse to give up. Following Hoon Joo-yup's layup basket, South Korea knocked down a three-pointer off a backcourt steal. 15 seconds left, China still lead 90-88 with a last possession. The most unbelievable thing happened when Hu Wei-dong bricked two free-throws after South Korea's intentional foul. Hoon Joo-yup charged up frontcourt and scored on another twisting layup to tie the score with three seconds left.

In overtime, Korea immediately takes the lead, 93-90, after center Seo Jang-hoon's three-pointer. Hoon Joo-yup burned Liu Yu-dong twice and make the score 99-95, Korea. Yao Ming, who is forgotten by his coach and teammates during crunch time, is called for a goaltending on Bang Sung-yoon with 1:15 left, when Korea leads 101-95.

Chinese rally for the last time. Liu Yu-dong and Hu Wei-dong made five consecutive free-throws in the span of 20 seconds to make it 100-101. Moon Kyung-eun then made one of two free-throws before Hu We-dong's desperation three-pointer falls short.

205cm C/F Kim Joo-sung, who's still a college student, leads Korea with 21 points on 9-12 shooting. Hoon Joo-yup walked out of the shadow of his knee injury, scoring 20 points on 10-13 shooting. Another former star Chun Hee-chul, who also has been plagued by knee injury, made 8-of-16 shots and has 20 points.

After knocking out China in 1997 ABC Championship, South Korea scored another victory over China in major Aisan tournament. In the 1997 victory, Chun Hee-chul and Hoon Joo-yup also played major roles.

Yao Ming is closely guarded by at least two Korean defenders for the whole game, but still has a game-high 23 points and 22 rebounds. However he is virtually a non-factor in the last three minutes in regulation and overtime. It's sad to see the No.1 pick in the NBA Draft lost his last game before going to America.


GAME SUMMARY

Asian Games Final
South Korea 102-100(OT) China

Quarter score: 18-25, 36-49, 62-67, 90-90

KOR - Kim Joo-sung 21p(9-12 FG)+6rb, Chun Hee-chul 20p(4-7 3PT), Hoon Joo-yup 20p(10-13 FG), Seo Jang-hoon 15p+6rb, Bang Sung-yoon 10p, Moon Kyung-eun 10p, Lee Sang-min 6a, Kim Seung-hyun 9a

CHN - Yao Ming 23p(6-9 FG, 11-11 FT)+22rb, Liu Yu-dong 22p(8-13 FG), Li Nan 16p(6-8 FG), Hu Wei-dong 15p(4-8 FG), Liu Wei 11p

Asian Games Final Standings
1. South Korea, 2. China, 3. Kazakhstan, 4. Philippines, 5. DPR Korea, 6. Japan, 7. Taiwan, 8. Hong Kong

Asian Games - Korea to meet China in long-awaited final

Veteran PG Lee Sang-min calmly sank the go-ahead three-pointer at the buzzer as South Korea escaped with an inspiring 69-68 win over Philippines in the semifinal of 2002 Pusan Asian Games on Oct. 12. China cruised past Kazakhstan, 131-62, as expected and will meet the Koreans in the final tomorrow (Oct. 14).

Trailing most of the game, Philippines pulled ahead, 68-66, in the final minute after PG Rodericko Racela's consecutive three-pointers. South Korea intentionally fouled Racela on Philippines' last possession and got the ball back after Racela bricked both of his free-throw attempts under pressure and an unbelievable noise from the home crowds.

Lee Sang-min, who missed his previous three three-point tries, seized the moment and stunned the Filipinos with his buzzer-beating three-point shot. Korean players and home crowds all went crazy, hugging each other.

Upset at the semifinal loss, Philippines lost another heart-breaking game today as they lost 66-68 to Kazakhstan and failed to take home the bronze medal.

In the 5th-place game, Japan couldn't find any offense besides Michael Takahashi, who had a game-high 22 points, and Takehiko Orimo, who had 17. Japan lost to North Korea, 65-74, and finished 6th-place in the tournament.

GAME SUMMARY
Oct. 13
#Kazakhstan 68-66 Philippines (Half 37-37)
KAZ - V. Strebkov 30p, Y. Issakov 16p+9rb ; PHI - J. Cariaso 18p, E. Menk 13p+14rb, P. Taulava 15p+17rb

#DPR Korea 74-65 Japan (Half 43-30)
PRK - Pak Chon-jong 22p, Pak In-chol 18p+7rb, Ri Myong-hun 11p+8rb ; JPN - M. Takahashi 22p+8rb, T. Orimo 16p+5a, T. Shinohara 10p+9rb


Oct. 12 - Semifinal
#South Korea 69-68 Philippines (Half 36-34)
KOR - Moon Kyung-eun 18p(4-6 3PT), Lee Sang-min 15p, Seo Jang-hoon 14p+8rb ; PHI - R. Racela 14p, K. Duremdes 12p, Castillo 12p, E. Menk 2p+12rb, P. Taulava 8p+10rb

#China 131-62 Kazakhstan (Half 64-39)
CHN - Lee Nan 24p+7rb, Yao Ming 19p+7rb, Liu Yu-dong 16p, Zhu Fang-yu 14p+6rb, Menk Bateer 13p+9rb ; KAZ - Y. Issakov 16p, M. Dedov 15p

A bad game for Sean Chen

Sean Chen committed three turnovers in 8 minutes and failed to score today in the Kings' 92-74 win over the visiting Golden State Warriors. Stats: 0 points(No field goal attempt), 0 rebounds, three TOs and 1 personal foul.

Chen replaced Bobby Jackson with 2:21 left in the third quarter and had the first turnover when his bad pass was stolen by Warrior F/G Mike Dunleavy. He started the fourth quarter but was called for traveling and backcourt violation within 90 seconds before leaving, replaced by David Webber, the younger brother of Kings' star forward Chris Webber.

Chen went back again when he replaced Gerald Wallace with 2:37 left in the game, when the outcome was pretty much decided. But he didn't do much before the final buzzer.

This the first pre-season home game for Sacramento. The Kings learned before the game they will lost PG Mike Bibby for 6-8 weeks due to stress fracture. They will try looking for someone to fill in for Bibby and is expected to have a second cut before the end of the week.

Asian Games - All-time worst 7th-place for Taiwan

204cm C Tsun Wen-din had 23 points and 7 rebounds as Taiwan NT posted an 85-71 victory over Hong Kong yesterday (Oct. 10) afternoon. Taiwan finished for the 7th place in the 2002 Pusan Asian Games, the worst outcome in Asian Games Men's basketball history.

Taiwan also finished for 7th -- the worst ABC Championship performance -- in last year's ABC Championship.

Facing a must-win game, Taiwan head coach Lee Yung-kwang put only eight players on the floor. Only five of them scored. Other than Tsun, who made 10 of his 11 field goal attempts, backcourt partners Chiu Chi-yi and Yang Yu-ming each had 17 points. Taiwan trailed early in the first quarter but pulled ahead for good before halftime.

The defending champion China will meet Kazakhstan in semifinal tomorrow, while host South Korea takes on Philippines. On the final day of the tournament, October 14, semifinal winners will meet for gold. Japan will meet North Korea in the 5-th place game.

GAME SUMMARY
Oct. 10
#Qatar 69-41 UAE (Half 27-16)
QAT - O. Husam 22p+10rb, I. Yasseen 12p+11rb, A. Baker 17p ; UAE - M. Salem 13p

#Taiwan 85-71 Hong Kong (Half 47-39)
TAI - Tsun Wen-din 23p(10-11 FG)+7rb, Chiu Chi-yi 17p, Yang Yu-ming 17p, Wu Chih-wei 16p+6rb+4a, Lee Chi-ming 12p, Tien Lei 0p+1rb ; HK - Lui Chor-wai 23p, Tam Wai-yeung 18p+13rb

Oct. 9
#South Korea 114-98 Kazakhstan (Half 63-45)
KOR - Moon Kyung-eun 22p(6-7 3PT), Bang Sung-yoon 21p+7rb, Kim Joo-sung 16p+9rb, Seo Jang-hoon 18p+7rb, Chun Hee-chul 15p ; KAZ - M. Dedov 25p, Y. Issakov 22p+7rb, V. Strebkov 23p

#Kuwait 99-72 Mongolia (Half 68-36)
KUW - O. Mubarak 20p+6rb, H. Baroun 18p

Asian Games - China cruise past Philippines

Inspired by a 33-12 third quarter, China cruised past Philippines, 92-51, in the last game of the second round to remain undefeated in Pusan Asian Games. Although finishing only 12th-place in the WC, China is too strong for any Asian team. Their defense and height advantage held Philippines without a double-digit scorer in the game.

North Korea (DPR Korea) bounced back from a disappointing third quarter and upset Hong Kong, 74-64, by a 20-8 fourth quarter. 235cm giant Ri Myong-hun dominated Hong Kong with 22 points and 18 rebounds. North Korea will face Japan in the 5th-place game, while Hong Kong will meet Taiwan in the 7th-place game.

The semifinal matchups are almost set. China, winner of the Group I, will meet loser of South Korea/Kazakhstan game in one of the semifinals. Philippines will go up against the winner of SK/KAZ game in the other semi.

Game Summary
#China 92-51 Philippines (Half 38-21)
CHN - Hu Wei-dong 20p, Liu Wei 11p, Lee Nan 11p, Yao Ming 9p+5rb, Menk Bateer 6p+6rb ; PHI - D. Espino 7p

#DPR Korea 74-64 Hong Kong (Half 38-36)
PRK - Ri Myong-hun 22p+18rb, Pak In-chol 15p, Pyo Hyon-chol 14p ; HK - Lui Chor-wei 15p+8rb, Li Wai-lun 14p, Tam Wei-yeung 11p+9rb

Asian Games - Taiwan lost to Japan, 77-87

Taiwan NT suffered another blow when they lost to Japan, 77-87, today and dropped to 0-3 in the second round of the Asian Games. Chiu Chi-yi had a game-high 30 points and Yang Yu-ming had 12. Taiwan's frontcourt pales in comparison with Japan, as all frontcourt players failed to break double-digit in scoring and rebounding.

Japan's Michael Takahashi and Satoru Furuta combined for 25 points and 26 rebounds. SG T. Orimo again paced the team with 22 points.

Taiwan will have to play the Place 5-8 classification games. Also, they have to try to finish better than 7th-place, where Taiwan ranked in last year's ABC Championship -- the worst finish in Asian tournaments for Taiwan in the last 10 years.

Game Summary
#Japan 87-77 Taiwan (Half 53-46)
JAP - T. Orimo 22p, T. Setsumasa 17p+7rb, M. Takahashi 16p+16rb, S. Furuta 9p+10rb, T. Shinohara 12p ; TAI - Chiu Chi-yi 30p(8-16 FG, 9-10 FT), Yang Yu-ming 12p+7rb, Tien Lei 9p+8rb(3-12 FG), Wu Chih-wei 8p+7rb, Tsun Wen-din 4p+4rb

#Qatar 82-55 Kuwait (Half 41-29)
QAT - Z. Hashim 18p+18rb, I. Yasseen 16p+6rb ; KUW - H. Alshemmari 15p, S. Al Tabakh 14p+7rb

Asian Games - S. Korea beat Hong Kong

Game Summary
#Korea 101-58 Hong Kong (Half 54-27)
KOR - Moon Kyung0eun 14p(4-5 3PT), Hyun Joo-yup 14p+8rb, Seo Jang-hoon 14p+7rb, Chun Hee-chul

13p+8rb+4a ; HK - Li Wai-lun 17p

#UAE 109-84 Mongolia (Half 57-41)
UAE - S. Jassem 24p+12rb, A. Abdullateef 19p+9rb ; MGL - S. Sedbazar 18p, M. Tsogtbaatar 18p

Asian Games - S. Korea beat Hong Kong

Game Summary
#Korea 101-58 Hong Kong (Half 54-27)
KOR - Moon Kyung0eun 14p(4-5 3PT), Hyun Joo-yup 14p+8rb, Seo Jang-hoon 14p+7rb, Chun Hee-chul

13p+8rb+4a ; HK - Li Wai-lun 17p

#UAE 109-84 Mongolia (Half 57-41)
UAE - S. Jassem 24p+12rb, A. Abdullateef 19p+9rb ; MGL - S. Sedbazar 18p, M. Tsogtbaatar 18p

Asian Games - China slams Japan by 45

Led by Yao Ming's 19 points and 14 boards, China slamed Japan, 104-59, today to stay unbeaten in the Asian Games. China is riding on a five-game winning streak in Pusan while Japan has no hope to make the semifinal after losing the second consecutive game and dropped to 0-2 in the second round.

In the other game, Kazakhstan rallied in the second half to beat North Korea, 89-81, and clinched a spot in the semifinal with a 2-0 record in the second round. North Korea is knocked out of the semi after dropping two straight.

Game Summary
#China 104-59 Japan (Half 59-24)
CHN - Yao Ming 19p(7-9 FG)+14rb+5a, Liu Wei 17p, Gong Xiao-bin 13p+6rb ; JAP - T. Orimo 24p(13-16 FT)

#Kazakhstan 89-81 DPR Korea (Half 40-44)
KAZ - Y. Issakov 30p+16rb, V. Strebkov 22p+7rb, B. Tikhonenko 8p+18rb, M. Dedov 16p ; PRK - Pak Chon-jong 30p(11-21 FG), Ri Myong-hun 23p(8-13 FG, 7-11 FT)+17rb

Asian Games - Taiwan lost to Philippines again

Philippines beat Taiwan easily, 83-69, this afternoon as Taiwan NT suffered the third loss to the Filipinos for the third time in a month, combined with a pair of warm-up games in Manila last month. Taiwan fell to 0-2 in the second round, while Philippines likely seize the second-place in Group I behind China with a 2-0 record.

Just like the previous warm-up games, Taiwan NT was again dominated on the boards, trailing the Filipinos 32-45. Taiwan almost trailed from start to finish, failing to catch up with the Filipinos in every facet of the game.

Philippines is well-prepared. They locked up top shooter Yang Yu-ming, who shot 4-16 in the game and had 13 points. Starting center Tsun Wen-din was even held without a field-goal attempt! SF Tien Lei had a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. SG Chiu Chi-yi, at 26 the oldest player on the team, turned in his best effort with 19 points.

Philippines, led by P. Taulava’s 18 points and 10 rebounds, used a 19-8 third quarter to pull away. Once again, Taiwan couldn’t find the way to stop the bully Taulava and active rebounder Eric Menk underneath.

Philippines beat Taiwan in two warm-ups last month, winning both games by a combined 62 points.

In the last game of the second round, Taiwan will face the familiar opponent Japan, who beat them in this year’s Jones Cup opener with a last-second shot by Takahiro Setsumasa.

Game Summary
#Philippines 83-69 Taiwan (Half 43-34)
PHI - P. Taulava 18p+10rb, J. Cariaso 14p, R. Racela 12p, E. Menk 7p+11rb ; TAI - Chiu Chi-yi 19p, Wu Chi-wei 14p, Tien Lei 12p(4-10 FG)+11rb, Yang Yu-ming 13p(4-16 FG)

#Qatar 115-77 Mongolia (Half 59-32)
QAT - I. Yasseen 26p+9rb, O. Husam 17p+11rb, M. Abubaker 13p+11rb, I. Hashim 10p+12rb, S. Mohammed 17p ; MGL - M. Otgonbayar 19p, S. Sedbazar 8p+13rb, U. Orgil 14p

Asian Games - South Korea shoot down northern rival

Moon Kyung-eun is again unstoppable. In “ The war of south and north”, Moon scored 28, including 6-10 from the three-point land, as South Korea defeated their northern counterpart DPR Korea, 101-85, today in the second round of 2002 Pusan Asian Game.

Moon had a total of 80 points(26.7 PPG) in the last three games while shooting 18-27(66.7% FG) from the three-point range. Up until now, South Korea is still the best team in Pusan that can compete with China. The only problem for them is, they probably take it too easy in the first half. It seems they come out to play 100% only after halftime.

Game Summary
#South Korea 101-85 DPR Korea (Half 48-46)
KOR - Moon Kyung-eun 28p(6-10 3PT), Seo Jang-hoon 22p(10-19 FG)+14rb, Kim Joo-sung 18p+10rb, Lee Sang-min 11p+6rb+7a ; PRK - Pak Chon-jong 30p(12-24 FG), Ri Myung-hun 13p

#Kazakhstan 82-77 Hong Kong (Half 40-45)
KAZ - Y. Issakov 25p, S. Vdovin 11p+10rb, B. Tikhonenko 5p+12rb ; HK - Yung Kam-wah 30p, Yam Wai-yeung 15p+14rb

Asian Games - Taiwan spanked by China, 50-113

Taiwan NT gives it up before it even started. With five U-20 players as starters, Taiwan opened its second round games in Pusan spanked by China, 50-113, and set the biggest losing margin (63 points) between two sides.

Although there's virtually no hope of winning, local fans want to see the national team play their hearts out against the Chinese giants. Taiwan NT head coach Lee Yun-kwang's decision to give up the game is questioned. Not competing in the game and throwing five teenagers to the wolves are unacceptable.

Resting will not be a good explanation, because the second round schedule is kind of loose. Taiwan still has one day's rest before taking on Philippines and two off-days before the game vs. Japan.

In other games, Philippines used a 27-16 4th quarter rally to edge Japan, 79-74, and got an important win in Group I. After beating Japan, Philippines likely will rank second behind China and advance to the semifinal.

Game Summary
#Philippines 79-74 Japan (Half 34-40)
PHI - P. Taulava 27p+12rb, J. Cariaso 14p, R. Racela 13p ; JAP - T. Orimo 33p(11-24 FG, 9-13 FT), T. Kita 13p, M. Takahashi 8p+9rb

#China 113-50 Taiwan (Half 55-30)
CHN - Yao Ming 22p(9-9 FG)+13rb, Chen Ke 18p, Lee Nan 15p, Liu Yu-dong 12p, Menk Bateer 12p+8rb ; TAI - Yang Yu-ming 19p, Ho Sho-jen 8p+8rb, Wu Dai-hao 5p+5rb, Tien Lei 2p+1rb

#Kuwait 77-74 UAE
KUW - A. Alsarraf 23p+7rb, Al Tabakh 17p+7rb, H. Alshemmari 12p, O. Mubarak 12p ; UAE - A. Ayoub 20p, S. Hamda 20p+9rb

Asian Games - Preliminary and second round

#Preliminary round
Group A
China 2-0, Hong Kong 1-1, Kuwait 0-2
(CHN and HK advance)

Group B
South Korea 2-0, Japan 1-1, Mongolia 0-2
(KOR and JAP advance)

Group C
Philippines 2-0, DPR Korea 1-1, UAE 0-2
(PHI and PRK advance)

Group D
Kazakhstan 1-1, Taiwan 1-1, Qatar 1-1
(KAZ and TAI advance)

#Second Round groupings
Group I - China, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan (A1, B2, C1, D2)
Group II - Hong Kong, South Korea, DPR Korea, Kazakhstan (A2, B1, C2, D1)

Format: Single round-robin within each group. Top two teams of each group enter the cross-over semifinals. Other teams enter the classification games.

Asian Games - Taiwan lost key battle to Kazakhstan

Taiwan trailed from start to finish as they lost a key battle to Kazakhstan, 75-86, in the second preliminary game in Busan. With the 11-point loss, Taiwan also failed to grab the top seed in the Group D.

If Taiwan lost to Kazakhstan by no more than five points, they can win the Group D and have an easier second round schedule(with DPR Korea, S. Korea and hong Kong). Instead, Taiwan is the second seed and bracketed with China, Japan and Philippines in the second round.

Once again, Taiwan have problems dealing with taller and stronger opponents. With 206cm C Tikhonenko and 204cm F Issakov dominating the paint, Kazakhstan jumped to a double-digit lead in the first period. The bully bigmen scored off back-door plays, offensive rebounds and putbacks, while Taiwan interior defense could do nothing to stop them from scoring and attacking.

In other games, South Korea's Moon Kyung-eun is the hottest shooter in the first three days of the tournament, shooting 12-17 from three-point range and had 52 points in two preliminaries. South Korea got past Japan with no problem. China also blasted Hong Kong, 112-38. Zhu Fang-yu, who showed flash of brilliance in the WC, led with 24 points, while Yao Ming and Menk Bateer saw limited action. 11 of Philippines 12 players scored as the Filipinos knocked out DPR Korea 89-63 to win the Group C.

Game Summary
#Kazakhstan 86-75 Taiwan (Half 50-43)
KAZ - Y. Issakov 26p+8rb, B. Tikhonenko 16p+17rb, V. Strebkov 18p, Yemelyanov 16p ; TAI - Tien Lei 18p+8rb, Yang Yu-min 15p, Chou Hong-yu 13p+7rb, Tsun Wen-din 9p+5rb, Chiu Chi-yi 8p

#South Korea 79-62 Japan (Half 35-37)
KOR - Moon Kyung-eun 26p(6-9 3PT), Chun Hee-chul 15p+6rb, Seo Jang-hoon 13p, Bang Sung-yoon 11p, Lee Sang-min 4p+9a ; JAP - T. Kita 19p, T. Watanabe 13p, S. Furuta 10p+8rb, M. Takahashi 10p+8rb

#Philippines 89-63 DPR Korea (Half 49-31)
PHI - Duremdes 21p, Taulava 13p+15rb ; PRK - Pak Chon-jong 20p, Ri Myung-hun 13p+9rb

#China 112-38 Hong Kong (Half 47-18)
CHN - Zhu Fang-yu 24p, Chen Ke 16p, Liu Wei 12p, Hu Wei-dong 11p, Yao Ming 6p+8rb, Menk Bateer 6p+5rb

Asian Games - Taiwan surprise Qatar

Led by teenagers Lee Chi-ming and Tsun Wen-din, Taiwan NT pulled out a 12-0 run in the closing minutes to beat Qatar, 71-61, in the opening game of 2002 Asian Games. The surprising victory almost guarantees Taiwan NT a place in the second round -- if they win or lose by no more than 18 points vs. Kazakhstan tomorrow.

Utilizing a SMALL 2-3 zone defense with no one guarding the three-point line for almost the entire game, Taiwan NT head coach Lee Yun-kwang decided to lock down Qatar's interior offense and let their opponents shoot from outside. The strategy works for the Taiwanese, with Qatar shooting an disappointing 8 for 43 from three-point territory.

Trailed by as many as 14 in the third period, Qatar dominated the offensive boards to pull ahead by two later in the final period. Surprisingly, Taiwan closed out the game by scoring the last 12 points, including two fastbreak baskets by two 18-year-olds, Lee Chi-ming and Tsun Wen-din, to upset Qatar.

Lee Yun-kwang surprised everyone from the first minute, starting tiny PG Lee Chi-ming (175cm) instead of veteran Chen Chih-chun. Lee Chi-ming did not disappoint, collecting 6 points and 8 boards. 204cm C Tsun successfully limited Qatar's star center Mahmoud Ismail Yasseen to 4-15 shooting and 13 points.

180cm SG Yang Yu-min, who had a team-high 19 points, found his long-lost shooting touch by making 8 of 17 shots. Qatar defense couldn't match up Yang's quickness and stop-and-pop jumper all game.

202cm F Tien Lei silenced his critics by becoming his old self. He had 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Chou Hong-yu did not miss a shot in five attempts and scored 10.

In another surprising game, Hong Kong shocked Kuwait by the final score of 77-57. 180cm combo guard Poon Chi-ho, who was signed by SINA Lions recently, had 21 points.

Japan had seven players scoring in double-digit and easily got past Mongolia, 125-75. But Japanese-American star forward Michael Takahashi did not play.

Game Summary
#Hong Kong 77-57 Kuwait (Half 39-26)
HK - Poon Chi-ho 21p, Tam Wei-yeung 20p+9rb, Li Wei-lun 18p+7rb ; KUW - H. Alshemmari 13p, O. Mubarak 10p

#Taiwan 71-61 Qatar (Half 34-32)
TAI - Yang Yu-min 19p(8-17 FG)+6rb+5a, Chou Hong-yu 10p(5-5 FG), Tien Lei 10p+12rb, Tsun Wen-din 10p+5rb, Wu Chih-wei 7p+8rb, Lee Chi-ming 6p+8rb ; QAT - M. Yasseen 13p+12rb, O. Mohd 15p

#DPR Korea 85-64 UAE (Half 49-33)
PRK - Pak Chon-jong 30p(10-32 FG)+8rb, Ri Myong-hun 13p+17rb, Pak Kyong-nam 10p+10rb ; UAE - M. Salem 14p, A. Ibrhim 14p

#Japan 125-75 Mongolia (Half 62-28)
JAP - Shunsuke Ito 20p(10-12 FG), Takuma Watanabe 18p+5a, Takashi Shinohara 16p(8-8 FG), Takehiko Orimo 15p, Yuichi Kan 14p ; MGL - M. Otgonbayar 28p

Asian Games - China, S. Korea rout opponents

China and South Korea, both favored to win the tournament, open with
lopsided win today as Asian Games kick into action. South Korea set
the tone to challenge China from Day 1, as evidenced by their 80-
point win over Mongolia. China did not approach the opening game at
full strength, although they still beat Kuwait by 33 points.

Taiwan will face Qatar, who edged Kazakhstan 58-57 today, tomorrow in
the opening match. To advance to the second round (final eight), they
have to beat either Qatar or Kazakhstan to have at least one win in
Group D.

Game Summary
#China 78-45 Kuwait (Half: 42-17)
CHN - Liu Yu-dong 13p+6rb, Yao Ming 9p+13rb, Du Feng 9p

#Philippines 81-56 UAE (Half 47-28)
PHI - Castillo 14p, Taulava 10p+14rb, D. Ildefonso 10p+10rb ;
Mohammad Evrahim 12p

#Qatar 58-57 Kazakhstan (Half 30-33)
QAT - M. Yasseen 25p+10rb, Daoud Daoud 10p+13rb ; KAZ - V. Strebkov
15p, Y. Issakov 13p+10rb

#S. Korea 145-65 Mongolia (Half 76-27)
KOR - Moon Kyung-eun 24p(6-8 3PT), Hyun Joo-yup 19p+10rb, Seo Jang-
hoon 16p+6rb, Choo Seung-gyun 15p, Bang Sung-yoon 14p, Lee Sang-min
13p+7a, Kim Joo-sung 10p+9rb

2002 Asian Games Men's Basketball Team Roster

(No., Name, Position, DOB, Ht.(cm)/Wt.(kg))

KAZAKHSTAN

9 Mikhail Dedov G 1970/3/14 193/82
10 Yevgeniy Issakov F 1982/4/20 204/91
11 Sergey Vdovin C 1982/4/6 202/104
13 Yevgeniy Ovsyannikov G 1970/4/14 180/85
15 Boris Tikhonenko C 1973/4/8 206/120
4 Roman Muravyev G 1984/8/15 190/75
5 Fedor Zakharchenko C 1982/8/28 202/90
6 Alexey Yeropkin F 1966/6/2 200/83
7 Vitaliy Lopatin G 1981/7/2 190/80
8 Alexandr Yemelyanov C 1980/4/5 ?/?
12 Vitaliy Strebkov F 1970/1/1 194/96
14 Alexandr Derbush F 1977/8/2 194/90


Qatar

4 Masoud A.N. Khalid G 1980/9/10 175/68
7 Mousa Daoud Daoud G 1982/2/2 195/90
8 Ahmed Mohd Baker G 1986/8/11 198/85
10 Ismail M. Yasseen F 1980/8/12 203/95
14 Zaidan Basher Hashim C 1980/1/1 208/100
5 Abdulla A.K. Bakar G 1982/3/1 178/?
6 Ghanim Saeed Ahmed G 1982/8/20 189/?
9 Mahoud Hassan Ahmed F 1989/7/16 195/?
11 Orabi A.J. Mohd G 1978/2/14 175/75
12 Omer Ismail Husam F 1982/1/1 200/94
13 Mohd Abubaker Abubaker C 1982/12/24 200/90
15 Seleem A. Mohammed C 1982/7/17 200/?


CHINA

5 Liu Wei G 1980/1/15 190/80
6 Gong Xiaobin F 1969/11/23 202/104
8 Ju Weidong G 1970/1/3 198/97
10 Li Nan F 1976/9/25 198/99
13 Yao Ming C 1980/9/12 226/115
4 Guo Shiqiang G 1975/7/8 192/80
7 Zhang Cheng F 1978/8/1 198/97
9 Chen Ke F 1979/5/16 204/102
11 Liu Yudong F 1970/3/23 200/106
12 Zhu Fangyu F 1983/1/5 200/100
14 Menk Bateer C 1975/11/20 210/125
15 Du Feng C 1981/7/30 202/100


KUWAIT

4 Fahad Almutari G 1966/12/4 174/69
7 Abdullah Alsarraf F 1982/1/22 185/80
8 Haitham Baroun F 1969/12/13 190/105
9 Yahee Albhar G 1974/7/21 176/91
13 Hamad Alshemmari F 1971/3/19 189/71
5 Saqer Hasan G 1981/10/26 179/79
10 Ahmad Almutari F 1980/9/3 188/90
11 Khaled Salem C 1974/6/26 196/120
12 Abdullah Alruwaiyeh G 1978/1/20 179/77
14 Mohammad Baqer F 1967/1/25 194/75
15 Osamah Mubarak F 1976/7/25 187/85
? Sulaiman Al Tabakh C 1977/9/7 196/99


PHILIPPINES

5 Rodericko Racela G 1970/11/1 178/74
9 Eric Menk F 1974/8/24 198/97
12 Jeffrey Cariaso G 1972/9/12 188/89
14 Pauliasi Taulava C 1973/3/2 206/110
15 Kenneth Duremdes F 1974/1/31 188/86
4 Tito Castillo G 1974/8/21 183/81
6 Donaldo Hontiveros F 1977/6/1 188/79
7 Dennis Espino F/C 1973/12/20 198/101
8 Michael Pennisi F/C 1975/3/13 203/105
10 Danilo Ildefonso F 1976/12/8 198/93
11 Andrew Seigle C 1972/5/15 208/110
13 Rudolph Hatfield F 1977/9/13 193/95


UAE

4 Saeed Salem Hamda G 1970/7/19 180/85
8 Abdulla Ibrahim G 1979/6/9 180/80
9 Ahmad Ayoub G 1981/1/29 185/80
11 Mohamed Qasem F 1977/5/20 185/90
15 Abdulelah Abdullateef C 1965/9/3 206/110
5 Mubarak Salem C 1982/6/30 201/85
6 Saeed Nasser G 1979/3/29 170/64
7 Mohammed Evrahim F 1976/7/19 190/120
10 Ali Al S. Khalifa G 1974/11/25 185/85
12 Obaid Salem G 1981/1/3 185/85
13 Salem Jassem G 1983/6/27 188/75
14 Salem Hisham F 1972/7/1 185/90


KOREA

4 Choo Seung Gyun F 1974/12/6 190/93
10 Moon Kyung Eun F 1971/8/27 190/91
11 Seo Jang Hoon C 1974/6/3 207/105
14 Lee Sang Min G 1972/11/11 182/75
15 Kim Joo Sung C 1979/11/9 205/95
5 Shin Ki Sung G 1975/4/30 180/78
6 Kim Seung Hyun G 1978/11/23 178/78
7 Cho Sang Hyun F 1976/7/8 187/93
8 Lee Kyu Sup F/C 1977/11/13 196/96
9 Hyun Joo Yup F 1975/7/27 195/95
12 Bang Sung Yoon F 1982/6/3 194/98
13 Chun Hee Chul F 1973/6/26 198/98


MONGOLIA

4 Magnaidorj Otgonbayar F 1976/1/24 178/80
8 Shiinen Sedbazar C 1981/4/5 188/80
9 D. Erkhembayar C 1978/3/17 188/82
12 Munkhbat Tsogtbaatar F 1979/8/9 184/80
15 Undarmaa Orgil G 1980/3/16 182/74
5 Dorjgotov Purevdorj F 1979/12/6 188/80
6 Jamsranjav Otgondari F 1976/5/28 186/80
10 Erdenebileg Ganbayar F 1982/4/25 182/74
11 Choijamts Monkh Od G 1980/4/27 174/70


TAIWAN

4 Lee Chi-ming PG 1984/1/31 177/71
5 Chen Chih-chung PG 1977/3/2 181/74
6 Yang Yu-ming SG 1979/10/22 180/72
7 Wu Dai-hao PF 1985/2/7 201/100
8 Chou Hong-yu PF 1976/6/15 195/92
9 Chiu Chi-yi SG 1975/10/6 182/72
10 Ho Sho-jen SF 1983/2/15 195/87
11 Lee Chi-yi PF 1978/10/27 198/88
12 Chou Shih-yuan SG 1983/11/16 190/80
13 Tien Lei SF 1983/6/1 202/86
14 Wu Chih-wei C 1976/7/31 202/84
15 Tsun Wen-din C 1984/7/6 204/86


HONG KONG

4 Siu Kim Wing C 1978/5/20 196/90
5 Yung Man Tak G 1981/2/9 176/76
6 Chung Ming Tat G 1978/8/7 175/67
7 Yung Kam Wah G 1972/1/24 187/73
8 Li Wai Lun F 1976/12/29 201/91
9 Lui Choi Wai F 1978/5/27 183/75
10 Wu Kwok Fung G 1976/10/22 175/75
11 Poon Chi Ho G 1981/5/26 180/80
12 Ng Wan Fung C 1978/6/16 196/85
13 Heung Chun Keung G 1981/4/13 174/70
14 Yu Hing Hoi F 1977/5/11 195/90
15 Tam Wai Yeung F 1982/8/7 192/85


D.P.R. KOREA

4 Kim Kwang Il G 1985/12/28 180/75
5 O Myong Ho F 1985/12/23 187/82
6 Pak Kyong Nam G 1972/4/19 183/73
7 Ri Jun Hyok F 1985/4/5 190/80
8 Pak In Chol F 1972/10/7 188/80
9 Pyo Hyon Chol F 1985/12/23 190/80
10 Mun Kwang Il G 1986/5/10 190/86
11 Jang Myong Jin C 1985/11/10 193/86
12 Pak Chon Jong F 1969/11/7 188/93
13 Jo Chol Yon F 1985/10/4 193/75
14 Kim Myong Bom C 1985/12/9 198/85
15 Ri Myong Hun C 1967/9/14 235/120


JAPAN

4 Shunsuke Ito C/F 1979/6/27 202/98
5 Takashi Shinohara PF 1977/7/17 210/94
6 Hidekazu Ishizaka PF 1976/7/26 198/92
7 Takuya Kita SG 1972/5/29 185/83
8 Takahiro Setsumasa PG 1972/5/19 180/75
9 Takehiko Orimo SG 1970/5/14 190/77
10 Atsushi Ono SF 1977/8/12 197/90
11 Yuichi Kan SG 1977/9/19 187/74
12 Takuma Watanabe SG 1978/10/7 188/83
13 Satoru Furuta PF 1971/8/3 199/95
14 Keishi Handa G 1977/7/1 173/70
15 Michael Takahashi SF 1974/9/5 198/92

Asian Games Preview – Taiwan

CTBA’s “ Grand Experiment 2002 ” goes to a territory that almost no one has gone before. With 8 of 12 players on roster born after 1979 and a second-year head coach who has no previous head coaching experience on any level, the youngest-ever Taiwan NT goes to Pusan without local fans’ blessing.

After winning the silver medal in 2001 Osaka East Asian Game, Taiwan NT took a nosedive during this past year. In the 2001 ABC Championship they finished for 7th place, the worst outing in ABC in the last 20 years. In the Jones Cup, they were even booed by local crowds in the game vs. SINA Lions and finished 7th in 8 teams.

It is hard to believe, this is the same team called by many as “ the most explosive and promising team in Asia “ during the EAG.

Believe it or not, things get worse. In the warmup tour to Philippines, Taiwan NT lost both friendly games to Philippines NT – by a combined margin of 62 points. In the final warm-ups this week, they lost all four friendly games in Korea (Univ. of Korea, Korean NT, LG and Tongyang). In the Korean NT game, the score in the end of first period is an unbelievable 4-33. Taiwan NT finished the game losing by more than 20.

Most fans opposed to the CTBA’s plan of dropping veterans and recruit all young players to the national team. Also they can’t understand why CTBA chose Lee Yun-kwang, who has no previous head coaching experience on any level, to replace Chien Yi-fei as the new NT head coach.

Lee’s strategy, game experience and personnel decisions are highly questioned. He moved 202cm F Tien Lei, who grabbed 22 rebounds in the EAG win over Japan and is one of the quickest jumpers in Asia, from PF to SF. Tien failed to improve and became a strictly three-point shooter now. But his shooting comes and goes.

Taiwan NT was hurt by losing two important players. Yen Hsin-shu (182cm, PG), who is expected to be the starting PG, was denied for his return after injury. Lee said Yen has been sidelined too long and the team chemistry will be hurt by adding Yen. Later on, leading scorer Chen Hsin-an (196cm, SF/SG) dropped out of the NT to chase his dream of playing in the NBA.

Handling the middle will be two athletic but raw teenagers – Tsun Wen-din (204cm) and Wu Dai-hao (202cm). Both have great potential to be special. Tsun needs to add more weight on his frail body, but he is a fast-learner and sees his teammates well from high post. Wu is as athletic as anyone and has a seven feet wingspan. However, the starting center will probably be veteran Wu Chih-wei (202cm), although his competitiveness is always questioned.

Without Chen Hsin-an, Taiwan NT has a big hole to fill in SF. Tien Lei can shoot when he’s on, but he has no drive-and-dish game like Chen, who can break down opponents’ defense.

Chen Chih-chun (182cm), who is always tenacious on defense, will be the lead guard once again. Compared to Yen, Chen Chih-chun is more of a traditional point guard. He is quick. He doesn’t attempt risky pass, doesn’t turn the ball over, and sometimes will wow opponents with his scoring. On the downside, he commits too many ticky-tack fouls and get himself into foul trouble.

Backing up Chen will be 18-year-old Lee Chi-ming (175cm), who was a SG in high school. Head coach Lee also plan to use Chiu Chi-yi (182cm) and Yang Yu-min (180cm), both are shooting guards, to share the point guard duty.

At shooting guard, Taiwan NT has another problem. Chiu and Yang are too short, which gives them matchup trouble. 190cm Chou Shi-yuan are inexperienced.

Among the other players, Chou Hong-yu (195cm) and Lee Chi-yi (197cm) are effective when they are on the court. Seldom-used SF Ho Sho-jen (195cm) has a better overall game than Tien Lei at this point, but coach Lee obviously doesn’t like him that much.

Lee prefers the run-and-gun style. But you can’t run if you don’t control the boards, which is the most glaring weakness of Taiwan NT. Plus, they are not organized in the half-court set. Too often you see them shoot in a hurry after one pass. And the team is without a go-to man, a leader who can be trusted with last shot in the crunch time.

If the performance in the past year tells us anything, don’t expect too much on Taiwan NT in the Asian Game. With their play right now, it will be hard for them to get past preliminary opponents Qatar and Kazakhstan. In other words, they probably will not make the final eight. Even if they do, you cannot ask for more in the second round.

Asian Games Preview - China

Coming off three outstanding performances last year in winning the East Asian Games, Asian Championship and finishing runner-up in the World University Games, the poor showing (12th place) in the World Championship hammered the rising confidence of Chinese basketball. Which is why winning the gold medal in the Pusan Asian Games that important for China NT.

Although without the service of Wang Zhi-zhi, who stayed in America to hone his game for the upcoming NBA season, China's 1-7 record in the WC disappointed the fans and basketball people. Head coach Wang Fei received heavy criticism from both the media and fans. With Yao Ming and Menk Bateer, two-thirds of the "Walking Great Walls", there's no way China can only beat Algeria in the WC, they think.

But that's what happened in Indianapolis. China's weaknesses were exposed by their opponents -- Germany and USA in the preliminaries, and managed to beat Algeria despite leading by 20 in the first half. Their confidence dropped to a low point after losing to Angola in the last game.

Their backcourt players can't shoot, can't dribble and can't get the ball to the right man. Yao Ming was plagued by foul trouble in most games he has played, showing his lack of experience. Although Yao was still named to the All-Tournament Team, most people think he had a subpar performance in the WC.

Going into the Pusan Asian Games with almost the same lineup, China NT will try to restore its pride in Asian basketball circle. Compared to the competition level in the WC, repeating won't be too hard for them. After all, China has won the last four gold medals in the Asian Games and is looking for the fifth straight title. But in the mean time, host team and long-time rival South Korea is waiting.

Expected to be his last tournament before heading to the NBA, Asian Games will be Yao Ming's playground. Yao is expected to dominate inside with his 223cm height against any opponent. What we like to see is, whether Yao can develop more offensive skills, like hook shot or the drop-step power move, and show the willingness to bang inside.

211cm C Menk Bateer, who was traded to Detroit by Denver few days ago, had a strong showing in the WC. China will ride on his broad shoulder and refined offensive moves to take advantage of their height. Make no mistake, Bateer is still improving and probably will surprise some people in the NBA's Eastern Conference.

Power forwards Liu Yu-dong (198cm) and Gong Xiao-bin (202cm) failed to contribute in the WC, but they are expected to "come alive" in Pusan, where they match up well against shorter opponents.

SF Lee Nan (198cm) and Zhu Fang-yu (201cm) raised some eyebrows in the WC. Lee Nan is always one of the most reliable forces, inside and out, in China NT. 20-year-old Zhu, who scored 14 points vs. USA, proves why he is regarded as the next rising star by his fearlessness and relentless hustle on the court. Zhu's play was one of the rare pleasant finds for China in the WC.

SG Hu Wei-dong can no longer fly like in his younger and pre-injury days, but he can still shoot the lights out if he has to. With his 198cm height, he can almost shoot at will over any defender in the Asian Games.

Up until now, everyone knows that PG is China's weakest position. Wang Fei has to make a choice between Kuo Shi-qiang (190cm) and Liu Wei (185cm) in the starting PG position. Failing to set up the half-court offense and take care of the ball time and time again, Kuo was blasted by many in the WC. Liu did show his potential to pick up the pace with his speed and drive, but he is still inexperienced in the international level.

Analyzing the Asian Games field, South Korea is the only team that is capable of beating China. For the Koreans to do this, they have to play an almost flawless game, like making every open shot, every free-throw and draw even on the boards.

China will have to slow the game down, execute their half-court offense to take advantage of their height. Also, they have to take away South Korea's passing game on defense by control the boards, and contest every outside shot, make life miserable for the host.

No doubt about it. The gold medal is China's to lose. Yao will definitely try to win the gold medal for his country before mining gold in Houston. But win or lose, Wang Fei's future with the NT is in doubt.

Chen Hsin-an starts individual workout in Sacramento

Chen Hsin-an, the first Taiwanese player invited to participate the NBA pre-season training camp, starts his individual workout after arriving in Sacramento. On Sep. 19, Sacramento Kings put Chen's story on the frontpage of their official website and excited numerous local fans who cheers for Chen.

Under the guidance of Kings veteran coach Pete Carril, Chen focuses on his shooting stance and footwork in the first two workouts. Original plan to workout twice a day was dropped. And Chen adds the weight program on his routine starting today.

Chen's awesome leaping ability, tremendous speed and strength impressed Kings' assistant coaches, Terry Porter, John Wetzel and Elston Turner yesterday. They said they really want to see how Chen does in the real competition.

Most believe, the outside shooting will be the deciding factor for Chen to make the final roster. Although the Kings have a couple versatile players like Turkoglu and Stojakovic that can switch to shooting guard, they don't mind to add a backup SG on the roster. And that's where Chen can come in and take the opportunity.

Coming from Taiwan, where you can't see too many luxurious gyms, Chen is captivated by Kings practice facility. Almost every experience is new to him. Chen said he will focus on the fundementals right now and block everything out of his mind. If he fails in making the final roster, he can still come back as a new-and-improved player.

The NBA pre-season training camp starts on October 1.

Taiwan NT sets up four warmups in Korea

Taiwan NT today leaves for South Korea for the upcoming Busan Asian Games. Before the opening game vs. Kazakhstan on Sep. 29, they have set up four warmup games versus Korea's college, professional and national teams.

Taiwan NT will face University of Korea, coached by former Dacin Tiger head coach Cheng Kong-Hee, on Sep. 22. On Sep. 23 they take on the Korean NT. In the 3rd and 4th game they face LG (Sep. 24) and 2002 KBL champion Tongyang(Sep. 25) respectively.

North Korea placed in Group C of Asian Games

North Korea, the latest participant of Busan Asian Games, will be
placed in Group C, along with Philippines and UAE, in men's
basketball groupings. North Korea replaces India, which pulls out of
the games.

New groupings are listed below:

Group A - China, Hong Kong, Lebanon
Group B - Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Mongolia
Group C - Philippines, North Korea, UAE
Group D - Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Qatar

Taiwan NT set up four warmups in Korea

Taiwan NT will complete their final phase of preparation for the Busan Asian Games with four warmup games against different teams from Korea's pro league KBL(Korean Basketball League). The four teams will be assigned later.

According to the CTBA(Chinese Taipei Basketball Association), Taiwan NT will leave for Korea on September 20. After the 4-game warmups in Seoul, they will go to Busan on September 26 to prepare for the first preliminary game vs. Kazakhstan on September 29.

FIBA Continental Cup on the way?

Newly-elected FIBA President Ching Man-Kee told Hong Kong media that the idea of "FIBA Continental Cup" is on the way. The tournament, which plans to invite continental champions from five continents, could be launched as early as next year.

Ching said the tournament is projected to be held sometime from next June to August, with the total prize money around 300,000 USD. Beijing and other European cities will host the single-round robin games. Due to the gap between Asian and American/European countries, Asia will probably field an All-Star team tfor the tournament.

Also, Ching said the 2002 ABA(Asian Basketball Association) season will tip-off in late October in Tianjin, China. Lebanon, Philippines, Kuwait , China and other countires will send their club team to the tournament.

Chen Hsin-an leave for Sacramento

Chen Hsin-an, the first Taiwanese player invited by NBA teams to pre-season training camp, left for Sacramento on September 11. Chen said he wants to arrive at U.S. early for better preparation for the upcoming Kings training camp.

After dropping out of Taiwan NT, which will be going to Busan, Korea for the Asian Games, Chen has been following his individual workout routine, set up by Kings scout Jack Mai, that includes weight program, shooting drills and other categories.

2002-03 HBL season schedule

Qualification Round
Sep. 27-29 @Taipei Municipal Gymnasium

Preliminary Round (16 teams): Oct. 21-26
Oct. 21-25 @Taipei Municipal Gymnasium
Oct. 26 @ Teachers' Univ. HS Gymnasium

Second Round (12 teams)
Dec. 28- Jan. 2 @Kaohsiung HS Gymnasium

Semifinals (8 teams)
Feb. 13-16 @Taipei Municipal Gymnasium

Finals (4 teams)
Mar. 15-16 @ National Taiwan Univ. Gymnasium

All-Star Games
Mar. 22 @Taipei Municipal Gymnasium

Chen Hsin-an prepares for Kings training camp

Chen Hsin-an, the first Asian player outside of China to receive the invitation for the NBA pre-season training camp, started private practice under the guidance of Kings international scout Jack Mai yesterday (Aug. 28), two days after the Kings press conference which officially invites Chen to the camp.

Chen, suspended by CTBA for one year in NT play because dropping out the Taiwanese NT before the Asian Games, made it clear that playing in the NBA is his ultimate dream. Although the chance of making the team is slim, he still wants to give it a try and pave the way for other Taiwanese players.

The private practice includes various weights program, shooting program and focuses on the pick-and-roll, which the Kings use a lot in their half-court set. Practices will go on until Chen leave for USA on September 15 or 16.

"Participating in an NBA camp will be a good experience for Chen," Scotty Stirling, Director od Basketball Personnel of Sacramento Kings. "He'll get to work against some of the best players in the NBA and be exposed to great coaching. The way NBA camps are run will give him to a chance to pout his talent and skill on display. He'll also be exposed to the NBA game through the exhibition games we'll play."

It will not be the first time Chen played ball in the USA, haveing previously practiced with the NBD:'s Mobile Revelers for 10 days.

"He surprised a few players including myself," Dell Demps, assistant coach of Mobile Revelers said. "Chen made shots and was very explosive going to the basket. He definitely can play at the NCAA Division I level and a pro career with maturation."

Chen led Yulon Dinos to the 2002 and 2001 A-League titles, averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds in the 2002 Finals and 15.3 points in 2001. He was named the MVP in both years.

Along with Yao Ming, who was selected by Houston Rockets with the No. pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Chen was named by Asian Basketball Confederation in 1998 as the most promising Asian junior players.

He averaged 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the senior year at Songshan High School. Chen went on to play for Bank of Taiwan in the Amateur League before joining Yulon in 2000.



Profile of Chen Hsin-an

* Born on July 1, 1980
* Ht/Wt: 6-5(195cm)/202lbs(93kg)
* International Achievements:
1998 Taiwan Junior NT
1999-2002 Taiwan NT
2001 East Asian Games in Osaka silver medal
2001 William Jones Cup champion

* Career
1998
- Led Songshan HS to the 5th place in the first year in HBL Division I, averaging 20.1p, 5.6rb in the regular season and 18.4p in Elite Eight games.
- Led Taiwan Junior NT to the 4th place in ABC Junior Championship, averaging 23p and 7rb.
- Participate in Japan's NIKE Camp.
- Named by ABC as the most promising Asian junior players, along with China's Yao Ming.

1999
- Join Bank of Taiwan of Amateur League(A-League) and finished 3rd place in A-League regular season.
- Selected to the national team at 18 years-old. Finished 4th place in ABC Championship in Fukuoka, Japan.
- Led BOT to President Cup champion. Named MVP.

2000
- Join Yulon Dinos and led the team to "Millennium Series" title. Named as the rookie of the year and MVP.

2001
- Led Yulon to a 3-1 win over BCC Mars in A-League Finals, averaging 15.3p. Named MVP.
- Led Taiwan NT to East Asian Games silver medal and Jones Cup champion.

2002
- Led TPEC(Taipei Physical Education College) to the 7th straight UBA(University Basketball Association) champion.
- Led Yulon to the second straight A-League title win a 3-1 series win over Jutai Tech, averaging 21p and 8.8rb. Named MVP.
- Practiced with NBDL's Mobile Revelers for 10 days in February.
- Invited by Sacramento Kings to the pre-season training camp, becoming the first player from Taiwan and first Asian player outside of China to be invited to NBA camps.

Preliminary Roster of Taiwan Junior NT

This is a 17-man preliminary roster. The final roster is yet to be decided.

Name Position DOB Ht. Wt. School

Chang Yi-wen PG 1984.4.13 183 78 Tsaishin HS
Chen Shi-nian PG 1984.4.28 180 74 Chian-shu HS
Lin Kuan-lun SG 1984.1.23 185 78 Nan-shan HS
Yang Ching-min SF 1984.1.22 187 78 Nan-shan HS
Lee Yi-pin SF 1984.11.11 184 80 Chian-shu HS
Lin Chih-tsung SG 1984.1.26 185 70 Chian-shu HS
Hu Ching-suen SF 1984.12.11 185 88 Gao-yuan HS
Wang Chuan-chien PF 1985.12.30 193 91 Gao-yuan HS
Hsu Shih-ching PF 1984.11.1 192 89 Nan-shan HS
Wu Jun-hsiung C 1984.8.26 197 90 Chian-shu HS
Yen Chen-hung C/PF 1986.2.5 195 79 San-min HS
Huang Chi-feng PF 1984.3.12 192 85 Shin-jong HS
Chen Shi-jay SG 1984.9.24 173 70 Tsaishin HS
Tso Tsung-kai SF/SG 1986.9.15 188 72 Tsaishin HS
Tsun Wen-din C 1984.7.6 204 90 Tsaishin HS*
Wu Dai-hao C/PF 1985.2.7 202 98 Tsaishin HS*
Lee Chi-ming PG/SG 1984.1.31 175 70 Pin-tung HS*

Head Coach: Hsu Jin-tse (Tsaishin HS)

(*- Also a Senior National Team member)

Taiwan NT concludes Philippines Tour 1-4

Taiwan NT lost to Blu Sun Power of PBL(Philippines Basketball League), 72-79, and concluded its Philippines tour with a 1-4 record. Taiwan was 1-2 in three days vs. various local teams after losing two straight to the Philippines NT.

With only 12 hours' rest after the last game, which they lost to Spring Oil 72-76, Taiwan NT was sluggish from the start. Chiu Chi-yi led the Taiwanese with 18 points, but he alone can't save Taiwan from its 10-point deficit in the third quarter.

Taiwan lost to Spring Oil, which features Filipino stars like Romel Adducul, Jeffrey Flowers and Bobby Parks, 72-76 last night. Trailing by 10 points in the intermission, Taiwan pull back to 72-74 with 2 seconds left and had the final possession. But the inbound pass was stolen and they blew the chance to tie the game.

On August 26, Taiwan had its only win in the trip when they beat Philippines Young Men NT 100-72. Wu Dai-hao had 29 points to pace the Taiwanese, with 15 points came in the final quarter. Chou Shi-yuan had 17 points while center Wu Chih-wei had 15. Chen Chih-chung had 10.

Taiwan NT will go back to Taiwan tomorrow(Aug. 29) and keep on their preparation for the Asian Games.

Taiwan NT 100-72 Philippines Young Men NT

TAGUIG, Metro Manila – The visiting Chinese-Taipei Men’s NT scored their first win in their goodwill tour of the Philippines yesterday evening (August 27). The Taiwanese blasted the Philippine Young Men’s NT, 100-72, at the C. P. Tinga Memorial Hall, once the home court of the MBA’s Socsargen Taguig Marlins.

The game was close for the first three periods as no side had clear control of the game. However fatigue and foul trouble got the better of the Filipinos, causing the Taiwanese to breakaway in the final quarter. The Taiwanese hardly missed the services of ace player Tien Lei, who caught the flu and sat out the contest. The Filipinos were outscored in the final period, 30-16.

Head coach Johny M. Tam explained that three of his key players had to shuttle from downtown Manila immediately after they finished their game in the local collegiate league. He was referring to Ranidel de Ocampo, Ervin Sotto and Al Vergara who saw action for Saint Francis of Assisi against the National College of Business and Arts. A fourth player, Allan Buen, played in the game before the Philippines-Taiwan tussle as he joined his schoolmates at the Philippine College of Criminology (PCCr) against the Taguig Selection.

Center Wu Dai Hao led the Taiwanese with 29 points, 15 coming in the final period. Other players in double figures were Chou Sih Yun with 17, Wu Chi Wei with 15 and Chen Chih Chun with 10 markers. Cebuana Lhuillier Gem Jean Marc Pingris led the Filipinos with 19 points. De Ocampo bucked exhaustion and knocked in 15 points, the same output as guest player Ryan Bernardo, who last played for the Professional Davao Eagles in MBA 2001.

Next on Chinese-Taipei’s agenda is a date with Spring Cooking Oil, reinforced by MBA stalwarts Romel Adducul and Jeffrey Flowers plus American import Bobby Parks. The game will be held on Tuesday (August 27) also at the Tinga Hall at 5:30PM. Admission is free.

Taiwan falls to Philippines again

Taiwan NT once again bowed to the Philippines, 56-82, in their second warmup games on Aug. 22. Taiwan has lost two games with a combined - and unbelievable - 62 points.

Taulava's 15 points and 14 rebounds topped the Filipinos. Yang Yu-min and Wu Dai-hao each scored 10 points for Taiwan NT. Taiwan NT will continue their warmup games with a date with Philippines Young Men NT on Aug.26.

Sacramento-bound Chen Hsin-an suspended

Citing Chen Hsin-an leaving Taiwan NT at an unappropriate time, the CTBA (Chinese Taipei Basketball Association) handed down its sanction on Chen. Chen Hsin-an receives a suspension from the national team for the year of 2003, plus three games in the A-League play.

Chen Hsin-an, the most dominant player in Taiwanese basketball, decided to accept the invitation from Sacramento Kings and leave Taiwan NT on the eve of their training tour to Philippines on August 18. His decision draws mixed reactions from fans and authorities.

Although Chen is only invited to Sacramento for the PRE-SEASON TRAINING CAMP, most fans encourage him to chase his dream of playing in the NBA. CTBA people had another thought. They think Chen's untimely departure affects the NT's preparation for the Asian Games and sanction has to be imposed.

Banned for one year from the national team, Chen will not be able to play for Taiwan NT in 2003 ABC Championship and the Jones Cup. Compared to that, the three-game suspension in league play is nothing.

An issue worths furthur notice is whether Chen Hsin-an will play for Yulon, once he's cut from the Kings training camp. Chen's decision reportedly infuriates NT head coach Chien Yi-fei and Lee Yun-kwang, who both serve the same position in Yulon, Chen's A-League team. Rumor say Yulon will probably cut Chen once he's back in Taiwan. However, observers think Yulon will keep Chen no matter what happens, since Chen Hsin-an is the No.1 hoop star in Taiwan.

Chian-shu HS wins Strait Cup HS Tourney

Led by talented PG Chen Shi-nian, Chian-shu HS beat Tsaishin HS 85-83 in the title game of the 1st REEBOK Strait Cup High School Tournament. Chen Shi-nian(182cm) was named tournament MVP, most popular player and also led the tourney in assists.

*Tourney Score
Title game: Chian-shu 85-83 Tsaishin (Halftime 42-48)
3rd place game: Dong-guan Sports HS 80-38 Beijing 25th HS

Preliminaries:
Aug.24 - Dong-guan 68-36 Beijing 25th, Chian-shu 62-59 Tsaishin
Aug.23 - Chian-shu 122-48 Beijing 25th, Tsaishin 45-41 Dong-guan
Aug.22 - Chian-shu 65-35 Dong-guan, Tsaishin 96-55 Beijing 25th

*Award
MVP: Chen Shi-nian(182cm, Chian-shu HS)
Most popular player: Chen Shi-nian
Scoring leader: Chen Shi-jay(173cm, Tsaishin HS)
Rebounding leader: Ger Shuai(198cm, Beijing 25th HS)
Assists leader: Chen Shi-nian
Steals leader: Chen Shi-jay
Blocks leader: Chen Ju-jong(196cm, Dong-guan HS)

KG to visit Taiwan in 4-day tour

Minnesota Timberwolve Kevin Garnett will visit Taiwan from Aug. 21-24 in a four-day tour, along with Detroit Pistons' Chauncey Billups(formerly with Minnesota).

In his first trip to Taiwan, KG will attend the "NBA Block Party" presented by HannStar and NBA Asia/Taiwan on Aug.23. Following Vince Carter, KG and Billups are the second wave of NBA players visiting Taiwan this summer.

Taiwan NT blasted by Philippines in first warmup game

Without the service of Chen Hsin-an, who decided to drop out of NT to attend the Sacramento Kings pre-season training camp, Taiwan NT was like a collection of lost souls tonight at Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City. Taiwan was blasted by Phillipines NT, 95-59, in the first of two warmup games.

Tien Lei scored nine points in the first quarter to power Taiwan to a 21-20 lead, the last time they were in front. Trailing 21-22 in the end of the first quarter, Taiwan NT went into a nightmarish slump, managing to score 5 and 9 points respectively in the second and third quarter.

In the end of third, Philippines has jumped to an unbelievable 72-35 lead. Tien Lei had 16 of Taiwan's 35 points. The last 12 minutes became meaningless garbage time, with more than 10,000 hometown fans cheering for the host.

Paul Taulava led the Philippines with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Eric Menk had 15 points and Danny Ildefonso 12 points. Taiwan was led by Tien Lei's 18 points and Chou Hong-yu's 13.

Taiwan NT will face Philippines again on Aug.22, in Ynares Center, Antipolo City. After the two-game series with Philippines NT, they will play four additional games with local teams before heading back to Taiwan on Aug.30.

Chen Hsin-an chase the NBA dream

Chen Hsin-an, viewed as the best Taiwanese player, surprisingly dropped out of the NT just before the team's departure to Philippines, for the six-game preparation tour of the upcoming Asian Games. Chen is expected to join the Sacramento Kings' pre-season training camp and chase for his long time dream of playing in the NBA.

CTBA and NT coaching staff have been aware of the fact that Chen received the invitation from the Kings - with the help of Kings' international scout Jack Mai. Both parties have been also gone back and forth with Chen about his final decision in the past month. Of course, CTBA and NT coaches want Chen to play in the Asian Games first before thinking about the NBA.

Shecked and disappointed by Chen's decision, CTBA will probably hand down the sanction on Chen. Maybe it's a one-year ban on A-League, or one-year ban on playing for the NT. The final decision will be made in the CTBA meetings next week.

Along with Yao Ming, Chen Hsin-an was named by Asian Basketball Confederation in 1998 as the most promising Asian junior players. Chen received the invitation from NIKE HOOP SUMMIT, NIKE All-American Camp and the recruiting letter from U.S. college. But he was not able to go because of his A-League team Yulon's insistance and various reason.

Until early this year, Chen finally set his foot on U.S. soil when he went to practice with NBDL's Mobile Revellers for 10 days.

Without Chen, the best offensive player on the team to break down opponents' defense, Taiwan NT's future in the Asian Games is even dimmer. In ;ast year's ABC Championship, Taiwan NT finished for the seventh place - the worst ranking in Asian tournaments for the last 10 years.

Taiwan HS All-Stars wins Inter-HS Tournament

Led by C Wu Jun-hsiung and PG Chen Shih-nian, Taiwan HS All-Stars overcame a doube-digit deficit in the first quarter to beat Korea's Whimoon, 64-59, and win the 2002 International High School Invitational Tournament. 203cm C Sosuke Takeuchi had 28 points and 17 rebounds as Japan's Rakunan beat Tsaishin HS for the third-place.

The battle for these youngsters doesn't end right here. Many of them are expected to be selected to the junior national teams and meet again in December's ABC Junior Championship in Kuwait.

My selection for the All-Tournament Team is:
F: Yang Chin-min(187cm, 78kg), HS All-Stars, Taiwan
F: Kim Sun-ki(190cm, 78kg), Whimoon, Korea
C: Kosuke Takeuchi(203cm, 89kg), Rakunan, Japan
G: Chen Shih-nian(180cm, 74kg), HS All-Stars, Taiwan
G: Shin Jae-rok(192cm, 78kg), Whimoon, Korea

**GAME SUMMARY
Day 4 - Playoffs
Final: Taiwan HS All-Stars 64-59 Whimoon(Half 28-28)
All-Stars - Wu Jun-hsiung 18p, Chen Shih-nain 15p+4a+5s, Yang Chin-min 12p+7rb+4a+3s
Whimoon - Shin Jae-rok 20p, Kim Jin-su 12p+5rb, Kim Jae-hwan 6p+13rb, Park Sun-hun 10p

3rd-place: Rakunan 79-69 Tsaishin(Half 36-23)
Rakunan - Kosuke Takeuchi 28p+17rb+2blk, Akio Fukao 19p+10rb+4a, Joji Takeuchi 11p+12rb, Kohei Namoto 10p+4a
Tsaishin - Chen Shi-jay 23p, Chen Hao-tze 16p

Day 3 - 8/17
Taiwan HS All-Stars 79-64 Tsaishin
All-Stars - Yang Chin-min 15p, Huang Chi-feng 15p, Chen Shih-nian 5p+7a
Tsaishin - Chen Shi-jay 14p+7rb, CHen Hao-tze 11p

Whimoon 83-78 Rakunan
Whimoon - Kim Jin-su 20p, Shin Jae-rok 19p+6a, Kim Sun-ki 18p+5rb
Rakunan - Kosuke Takeuchi 29p+13rb+3blk, Joji Takeuchi 21p+9rb

Day 2 - 8/16
Tsaishin 63-62 Rakunan
Tsaishin - Chen Shi-jay 21p+6rb
Rakunan - Kosuke Takeuchi 20p+14rb+5blk, Tatsuhiro Yokoo 16p+5a, Akio Fukao 13p

Taiwan HS All-Stars 82-77 Whimoon
All-Stars - Lin Kuan-lun 21p, Chen Shih-nian 17p+7a+7s, Huang Chi-feng 14p
Whimoon - Kim Sun-ki 27p+6s, Shin Jae-rok 24p, LeeWon-ku 16p

==
Women's competition:
Tamshui upset Taiwan HS All-Stars 70-67 to win the women's title. Japan All-Stars edged Eunkwang of Korea for the third-place.

HS Tourney Day 1: Whimoon, Taiwan All-Star win

Taiwan HS All-Stars' full-court press and balanced attack overcame Rakunan's "Twin Tower" as Taiwan HS All-Stars beat Rakunan 83-59 in the opening game of the 2002 International HS Invitational Tournament. Whimoon HS of Korea edged Tsaishin 81-76 in the other matchup.

Taiwan HS All-Stars use the full-court press for the entire 40 minutes to force Rakunan into 36 turnovers. Leading by one in the half and 10 in the end of the third quarter, All-Stars pulled the game out of reach in the last 10 minutes. Most of their points came from fastbreak layups off the steals. Chang Yi-wen, Lee Yi-pin, Wu Jun-hsiung and Hsu Shih-ching each scored 11 points.

Rakunan was led by twin brothers Kosuke(203cm) and Joji(201cm) Takeuchi. They were able to hang on with Taiwan HS All-Stars in the first 25 minutes. But too many turnovers hurt them down the stretch.

Whimoon HS led for most of the game. With forward Kim Sun-ki, who had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the game, breaking down the defense and scoring in traffic again and again, Whimoon overcame Tsaishin's furious rally in the closing minutes for the first win. PG Shin Jae-rok also knocked down many timely baskets to keep Whimoon in front.

Using their height advantage, Whimoon benefited from the free-throw line, shooting 13 for 27. Tsaishin was hurt by its poor shooting percentage, shooting only 26 for 64 from the two-point range and 32 for 90 in the game.

**Note
Rakunan is the semifinalist in 2002 Japan's High School Tournament, which just finished on August 7. Whimoon HS is Korea's national champion this year. Tsaishin HS also won the title in Taiwan's HBL this year, but they are without the service of two bigmen - Tsun Wen-din and Wu Dai-hao. Tsun and Wu are both with Taiwan NT, who's preparing for the upcoming Asian Games.

**Game Summary

Men:
Whimoon 81-76 Tsaishin(Half 46-36)
Whimoon - Kim Sun-ki 23p+7rb+5a, Shin Jae-rok 15p+6rb+5a, Kim Jin-su 12p, Kim Jae-hwan 10p+12rb
Tsaishin - Chen Hao-tze 25p, Chen Shi-jay 13p+6rb, Jian Jia-hong 7p+11rb

HS All-Stars 83-59 Rakunan(Half 37-36)
HS All-Stars - Chang Yi-wen 11p+4a+4s, Lee Yi-pin 11p, Hsu Shih-ching 11p, Wu Jun-hsiung 11p, Chen Shi-nian 8p+5a+8s
Rakunan - Kosuke Takeuchi 16p+9rb, Joji Takeuchi 10p+8rb, Kohei Namoto 9p

Women:
Tamshui 69-52 Eunkwang
HS All-Stars 70-68 Japan All-Stars

2002 International HS Invitational Tournament Schedule

Preliminary Round
8/15
1400 Men: Whimoon(Kor)-Tsaishin(Tai)
1530 Women: Eunkwang(Kor)-Tamshui(Tai)
1700 Men: HS All-Stars(Tai)-Rakunan(Jap)
1830 Women: HS All-Stars(Tai)-All-Stars(Jap)

8/16
1400 Men: Whimoon(Kor)-HS All-Stars(Tai)
1530 Women: All-Stars(Jap)-Tamshui(Tai)
1700 Men: Rakunan(Jap)-Tsaishin(Tai)
1830 Women: Eunkwang(Kor)-HS All-Stars(Tai)

8/17
1400 Men: Rakunan(Jap)-Whimoon(Kor)
1530 Women: All-Stars(Jap)-Eunkwang(Kor)
1700 Men: Tsaishin(Tai)-HS All-Stars(Tai)
1830 Women: Tamshui(Tai)-HS All-Stars(Tai)

Playoffs
8/18
1000 Women: #3-#4
1130 Men: #3-#4
1400 Women: #1-#2
1530 Men: #1-#2

HS tournaments highlight August

High school basketball will be the highlight of the summer for Taiwanese fans. Teams from China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will battle in two mini-tournaments and give the fans the glimpse of the basketball future.

*International High School Basketball Tournament
Date: Aug. 15-18
Venue: Taipei County Gymnasium, Panchiao
Teams:
Men's - Rakunan HS(Japan), Whimoon HS(S. Korea), Tsaishin HS(Taiwan), HS All-Stars(Taiwan)
Women's - All-Stars(Japan), Eunkwang HS(S. Korea), HS All-Stars(Taiwan), Tamshui Business HS(Taiwan)

Note:
#Rosters of Men and Women's HS All-Stars are the preliminary roster for the upcoming Men's and Women's ABC Junior Championship

#Rakunan HS made it to the final four in Japan HS Tournament in both 2001 and 2002. Whimoon HS is one of the traditional powerhouses in Korean HS basketball. Tsaishin HS is the two-time defending champ in Taiwan's HBL.


*1st REEBOK Strait Cup HS Tournament
Date: Aug. 22-25
Venue: Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium
Teams: Tsaishin HS(Taiwan), Chian-shu HS(Taiwan), Dong-guan Sports HS(China), Beijing 25th HS(China)

Shawn Finney conducts clinic in Taiwan

Tulane Univ. head coach Shawn Finney will conduct a 4-day coaching clinic in Taipei and, under CTBA's arrangement, instruct Taiwan NT briefly.

Invited by NIKE Taiwan, 40-year-old Finney will hold a 30-man coaching clinic from Aug. 7-10, running every morning. From Aug. 6-10, Finney will take a look at Taiwan NT, whose poor play in the Jones Cup concerns the CTBA and basketball people, in their night practice sessions.

Finney took over as the head coach of Tulane Univ. on July 19, 2000, after coaching as an assistant under Tubby Smith at Yulsa, Georgia and Kentucky.

Rumor: CTBA Offers Job to Wisman?

Rumor says that CTBA has offered the position of councelor for NT to former Isuzu Gigacats assistant Tom Wisman. CTBA denied the report.

Wisman led Australia's Great Mates to this year's Jones Cup title in their first appearance. After the tournament, rumor says that CTBA offered Wisman the short-term councelor job to help train Taiwan NT, who played poorly in the Jones Cup, up until the Asian Games in Pusan.

Taiwan NT Stick with Current Roster

Blasted by local media and fans by their poor play in the Jones Cup, Taiwan NT head coach Chien Yi-fei and executive head coach Lee Yun-kwang makes it clear once again that they will keep the current roster intact up until the upcoming Asian games in Pusan, Korea.

Yen Shin-shu, the 182cm PG who's recovering from the knee surgery and is expected to be fully recovered on time for the Asian games, will not be included in the final roster to strengthen the weak point guard position, said Chien.

Chien also stressed that Taiwan NT, consisted of mostly U-22 youngsters, will not change its current roster before the Asian Games.

Meanwhile, the CTBA is engaged in a dispute with SHSSF(High School Sports Federation) about four players, Tsun Wen-din, Wu Dai-hao, Lee Chi-ming and Wu Jun-hsiung. These four players are all on Taiwan NT rosters, but also eligible for the ABC Junior Men's Championship this year. Both sides are trying to settle for the training conflict beween Senior and Junior Men's NT.

2002 Jones Cup final standings and awards

Champion: Australia Great Mates, 6-1
Runner-up: Canada University of Alberta, 5-2
3rd-place: SINA Lions, 4-3
4th-place: Japan NT, 4-3
5th-place: Philippines MBA All-Stars, 3-4
6th-place: Russia Lokomotive Novosibirsk, 3-4
7th-place: Taiwan NT, 2-5
8th-place: South Korea Military Team, 1-6

Tournament MVP: Butch Hays, Australia
Scoring Leader: Takahiro Kita, Japan
Rebounding Leader: Nick Maglisceau, Canada

Final Day - Australia beat Canada for Jones Cup title

Experience is everything. Australia's Great Mates proved it in defeating Canada's Univ. of Alberta, 76-68, in Jones Cup finals tonight with a group of seasoned veterans who averaged over 33 years-old.

Great Mates used its effective defense and balanced attack to outscore Canada's youngsters 20-10 in the final quarter. Michael Kinoma led the way with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Trau Lindsiran had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Willie Simmons also had 13. Tournament MVP Butch Hays had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Australia head coach Tom Wisman said they would love to be able to come back and defend the title next year. Great Mates also want to participate the local charity events, like what they did in Kaohsiung, if they come back next year.

Canada battled the Great Mates in the first three quarters, leading 40-39 in halftime and 58-56 in the end of third quarter. The Golden Bears used athletic ability and stamina to their advantage, with Ryan Baldry and Nick Maglisceay doing most of the damage and Phil Scherer shooting from outside.

Baldry led Canada with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Nick Maglisceau contributed 13 points and 7 rebounds. Phil Scherer had 15 points.

*Game Summary
Australia 76-68 Canada(39-40)
Aus - Michael Kinoma 14p+6rb, Trau Lindsiran 13p+10rb, Willie Simmons 13p+6rb, Butch Hays 12p+5rb+3a, Chris Brown 9p, Paul Vendenbergh 9p
Can - Ryan Baldry 15p+10rb+5s, Nick Maglisceau 13p+7rb, Phil Scherer 14p+5rb, Stephen Parker 10p+4s

Final Day - Japan edges Philippines 65-63 to finish 4th

Japan withstood Philippines' furious rally in the last minute in a 65-63 victory tonight to finish 4th place in 25th Jones Cup tournament. This is probably one of the most exciting games in the tournament which neither team led by more than 5 points for the whole game.

Japan is 4-3 in 7 games, while Philippines finishes 3-4.

*Game Summary
Japan 65-63 Philippines(30-32)
Jap - Takahiro Kita 14p, Atsushi Ono 12p+5rb+6a, Takashi Shinohara 5p+11rb, Takahiro Setsumasa 11p+4a
Phi - Jeffrey Flowers 20p+15rb, Romel Adducul 8p, Edgar Echavez 7p, Bruce Dacia 7p

Final Day - Taiwan beat S. Korea 84-72 to avoid last-place

Led by 202cm center Wu Chih-wei's 23 points and 10 rebounds, Taiwan NT saved the best performance for last, defeating South Korea 84-72 in a convincing win. Taiwan(2-5), who failed to defend its title, finished 7th place.

Taiwan outscored South Korea 28-14 in the 4th quarter to pull the game away. South Korea(1-6), last year's runner-up, dropped all the way to the last place. After the opening win, South Korea lost six straight.

Criticized by local fans for his soft play in the tournament, Wu Chih-wei was a changed man tonight, making 9 of 12 shots from the field and pulled down 10 boards. Chen Hsin-an also walked out from the slump and had a great game that includes 14 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. His ability to drive by defenders and pass to the open man proved to be one of the keys for the victory.

Forward Lee Chi-yi is still the most reliable big man for Taiwan NT, scoring 15 on 5-9 shooting, making all three of his free-throw attempts, plus 7 baords and 3 assists.

17-year-old little guard Lee Chi-ming successfully replaced two injured point guards, Yen Shin-shu and Chen Chih-chun, in 30 minutes of play. Lee, who had 9 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, withstood Koreans' full-court pressure beautifully.

Inspired by the rivalry with South Korea and the final chance to prove themselves in Jones Cup, Taiwan NT dominated the boards 45-30, shot 56% from the two-point range and limited South Korea to 33.3% shooting. Taiwan NT trailed 42-44 in halftime.

Lee Kyu-sup led South Korea with 22 points. Lim Jae-hyun was one of two double-digit scorers with 12 points.

*Game Summary
Taiwan 84-72 South Korea(42-44)
Tai - Wu Chih-wei 23p(9-12, 5-8)+10rb, Chen Hsin-an 14p+7rb+6a+1blk, Lee Chi-yi 15p(5-9, 3-3)+7rb, Yang Yu-ming 9p, Lee Chi-ming 9p+5rb+2a+2s, Chou Shi-yuan 8p+3s
Kor - Lee Kyu-sup 22p(6-14, 10-11), Lim Jae-hyun 12p, Sin Ki-sung 3p+3rb+4a+6s

Day 9 - Lo's 28 couldn't save SINA

SINA's age showed in their Jones Cup finale. Lo Hsin-liang's game-high 28 points couldn't prevent SINA from losing to Philippines, 75-80. SINA lost two straight to finish the Jones Cup at 4-3. Philippines will meet Japan, who beat Russia 79-62, tomorrow, the last day of the tournament.

Canada beat South Korea 83-72 and will face Australia tomorrow in the title game. South Korea has lost five straight and will be looking to stop the losing streak when they meet Taiwan NT in the closing game of the 25th Jones Cup.


*Game Summary
Canada 83-72 South Korea
Can - Stephen Parker 22p+8rb, Nick Maglisceau 18p+12rb, Phil Sherer 17p, Reuben Hall 10p, Mich Melnychuk 10p
Kor - Cho Sang-hyun 21p(7-13 3PT), Yoon Young-pil 17p

Philippines 80-75 SINA
Phi - Eddie Laure 18p, Romel Adducul 16p+14rb, Edgar Echavez 15p+7a, June Simon 12p
SINA - Lo Hsin-liang 28p(9-19), Huang Chun-hsiung 6p+13rb, Hsiung Jen-jen 10p

Japan 79-62 Russia
Jap - Takuma Watanabe 12p, Takuya Kita 11p, Kensuke Sato 10p+8rb
Rus - Vladimir Pronin 15p, Evgeni Shatokhin 10p

*Standings
Australia 5-1
Canada 5-1
SINA 4-3
Philippines 3-3
Japan 3-3
Russia 3-4
Taiwan 1-5
South Korea 1-5