Wednesday, July 31, 2002

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.

Tuesday, July 23, 2002

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

Monday, July 22, 2002

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

Sunday, July 21, 2002

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

Saturday, July 20, 2002

Day 8 - Russia surprises SINA

Russia finally found the ryhthm in the 4th quarter to knockout SINA, 72-64, this afternoon to win its second straight in the 25th Jones Cup Tournament. Russia is now 3-3 and SINA dropped to 4-2.

Australia edged Philippines in another exciting game, 96-91, to stand atop the standings with five wins and one loss. Meanwhile, Taiwan NT was again humiliated by Canada, 71-96. Taiwan NT is now in the last-place with only one win in six games.

*Game Summary
Canada 96-71 Taiwan NT
Can - Stephen Parker 26p(11-18), Phil Sherer 17p, Reuben Hall 17p+14rb, Nick Maglisceau 13p+12rb
Tai - Chen Hsin-an 19p, Yang Yu-ming 14p, Tien Lei 10p+6rb, Wu Dai-hao 6p+4rb+3s

Russia 72-64 SINA
Rus - Andre Endropov 17p, Alexandre Chernov 16p+6a
SINA - Lo Hsin-liang 16p, Lai Kuo-hong 12p, Yang Che-yi 11p

Australia 96-91 Philippines
Aus - Chris Brown 27p+6rb+4a, Butch Hays 17p, Trau Lindsiran 16p, Dave Simmons 11p+6rb, Willie Simmons 10p+7rb
Phi - Eddie Laure 26p(11-19)+10rb, Jeffrey Flowers 15p, Bruce Dacia 11p, Romel Adducul 10p, Billy Mamaril 8p+7rb

*Standings thru July 20
Australia 5-1
Canada 4-1
SINA 4-2
Russia 3-3
Japan 2-3
Philippines 2-3
South Korea 1-4
Taiwan 1-5

Friday, July 19, 2002

Day 7 - SINA beat Taiwan NT in weird game

Veteran SG Lo Hsin-liang scored 20 points as SINA Lions beat Taiwan NT 78-71 in the most anticipated game in the tournament. SINA is now 4-1 and ties for the first place with Australia, who was upset by Russia, 69-77, in an earlier game. Philippines edged South Korea 97-92, giving Koreans their 4th straight defeat.

In a game where you can see several fans waving protest posters, Taiwan NT was BOOED thruout the whole game. Home crowds are obvious upset with NT's performance, and opted to cheer for SINA, which features several former NT players like Lo Hsin-liang, Chou Jun-san and Huang Chun-hsiung.

The majority of Taiwanese fans are not satisfied with the NT's play in the tournament. Many ofthem urged CTBA to include SINA veterans to the Asian Games roster and showed concerns of current players' lack of experience will hurt them in the Asian Games.

With its balanced inside and outside offense, SINA led 49-39 in halftime and maintained the small-margin lead in the second half. Lo Hsin-liang made 4 of 6 three-pointers. 200cm F Huang Chun-hsiung, who had 14 points and 7 rebounds in the game, sealed the win with another three-pointer in closing minute, lifting SINA to a 5-point lead with the score of 71-66.

195cm F Shan Wei-fan, a loan from A-League's Jutai Tech, also had 14 and 7. Yang Yu-ming scored 18 points to lead Taiwan NT. Shen Hsin-an and Chiu Chi-yi had 14 each. Tien Lei came up with 4 points and pulled down 7 rebounds.

*Game Summary
SINA 78-71 Taiwan NT
SINA - Lo Hsin-liang 20p(8-14, 4-6 3PT), Huang Chun-hsiung 14p(6-8)+7rb, SHan Wei-fan 14p(5-10)+7rb
Tai - Yang Yu-ming 18p, Chen Hsin-an 14p, Chiu Chi-yi 14p(9-10 FT)

Russia 77-69 Australia
Rus - Alexandre Chernov 24p(10-17)+6rb+4a, Maxim Pertsev 14p, Denis Sevastianov 12p+8rb, Vladimir Pevnev 12p+6rb
Aus - Walter Brown 16p+7rb, Michael Kinoma 15p, Dave Simmons 8p+9rb

Philippines 97-92 South Korea
Phi - Edgar Echavez 22p+7rb+4a, Jeffrey Flowers 12p, Billy Mamaril 11p+7rb, Bruce Dacia 10p, Romel Adducul 10p+6rb

Thursday, July 18, 2002

Jones Cup - Russia rout Taiwan to win women's title

Led by WNBA All-Star center Elena Baranova's 24 points and 9 rebounds, Russia women's NT routed Taiwan women's NT 84-60 tonight to win the 2002 Jones Cup Touranment with a perfect 5-0 record.

Baranova totaled 72 points and 48 rebounds in 5 games, making her the scoring leader, rebounding leader and MVP of the tournament. She played for the Miami Sol in 2001 WNBA season and was named to the All-Star Game that season but elected to go back home and play for the national team in the WC this year.

Center Cheng Huei-yun had 12 points to pace Taiwan NT, who will meet Russia once again in the World Championship preliminary round. Taiwan is placed in the same group with USA, Rusia and Lithuania.

Japan beat Malaysia 78-60 to finish the third place in the tournament.

Day 6 - Canada edge Japan; Taiwan will meet SINA

In the only men's game tonight. Canada's University of Alberta edged Japan NT, 74-72, to boost their record to 3-1. Canada once again show their poise in beating Japan, who erased a 12-point deficit and almost took the win from Canada.

Canada(3-1) is now tied with SINA at second place, trailing only to Australia(4-0). Japan dropped to 2-3 but still holds on to the 4th spot.

Taiwan NT(1-3) will meet SINA tomorrow at 7:30PM in the most anticipated game of the tournament. And no matter who wins,the game will be seen as the biggest game of the year in Taiwanese basketball.

Many fans think that Chou Jun-san, Lo Hsin-liang and Huang Chun-hsiung, all are not selected to the national team, should be included in the NT roster for the upcoming Asian Games. The drama of this game also rises to an uncommon level not only because Taiwan NT's slump and SINA's brilliant play, but also because SINA left Taiwanese A-League last year to play in China's CBA.

*Standings thru July 18
(Format: Single-round robin)

Australia 4-0
SINA 3-1
Canada 3-1
Japan 2-3
Philippines 1-2
Taiwan 1-3
Russia 1-3
South Korea 1-3

Day 5 - Taiwan beat Philippines, finally

Taiwan NT, who lost two starting point guards to injury and opened the Jones Cup with three consecutive losses, finally beat Philippines, 79-70, tonight. 19-year-old SG Chou Shi-yuan had 7 points in the decisive run in early 4th quarter and sparked Taiwan to the victory.

Chou Shi-yuan, the former HBL(High School Basketball League) MVP, had 15 points in 22 minutes to knock out the Philippines, who also lost their starting PG Alex Compton early in the 2nd quarter to sprained ankle and was out of sync the rest of the game.

Taiwan head coach Lee Yun-kwang, who was blasted by local media these days, breathed a sigh of relief after the first win. Lee hopes Taiwan NT can keep improving before the upcoming Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, although they have been stripped of any title hope in the Jones Cup.

200cm forward Lee Chi-yi had his best game so far, scoring 18(4-9 3PT) and pulled down 9 rebounds. Losing Compton, the heart and soul of the team, Philippines was led by Eddie Laure's 20 and 8.

Phil Scherer and Michael Melnychuk's two three-pointers in the last 5 minutes lifted Canada past Russia 74-70 in a hard-fought game. Canada proved why they won the CIAU champion this year in winning consecutive game in last minutes. Canada trailed 30-40 in the half tonight.

In Tainan, SINA pulled out two runs, 11-2 and 12-0, in the second half to record another come-from-behind win, beating South Korea 81-71. SINA is now 3-1 and probably put one feet in the final. South Korea is 1-2, including 1 win and 2 losses in Tainan.

Australia's head coach Tom Wisman, who coached Japan's Isuzu, used his familiarity of Japanese basketball to lead Great Mates over Japan NT 92-79. Australians controlled the boards, 41-25, and quickly put the score out of reach behind the strong attack of Walter Brown, who had 20 and 8 in the game.

*Game Summary
(@Cheng-kung Univ. Gym, Tainan)
SINA 81-71 South Korea
SINA - Huang Chun-hsiung 22p(10-13)+9rb, Lai Kuo-hong 13p+9rb, Lo Hsin-liang 18p
Kor - Cho Sang-hyun 19p, Jung Hun-jong 16p, Lee Kyu-sup 14p+6rb

Australia 92-79 Japan
Aus - Walter Brown 20p+8rb, Dave Simmons 15p+6rb
Jap - Takuya Kita 28p, Takashi Shinohara 17p

(@TPEC Gym, Taipei)
Taiwan 79-70 Philippines
Tai - Lee Chi-yi 18p+9rb+3s+2blk, Chou Shi-yuan 15p, Wu Chi-wei 10p, Tien Lei 10p+6rb+5a, Chen Hsin-an 7p
Phi - Eddie Laure 20p+8rb, Billy Mamaril 11p+9rb, June Simon 9p, Romel Adducul 8p+10rb, Jefferey Flowers 6p+6rb

Canada 74-70 Russia
Can - Phil Sudol 13rb
Rus - Alexandre Chernov 26p

*Standings thru July 17
Australia 4-0
SINA 3-1
Canada 2-1
Japan 2-2
Philippines 1-2
Taiwan 1-3
Russia 1-3
South Korea 1-3

Wednesday, July 17, 2002

Day 4 - Taiwan NT pounded again

Pounded by Russia 61-88, Taiwan NT dug themselves a big hole by losing the third time in as many games. The defending champion is now 0-3 and hits the bottom of the standings.

Meanwhile, Australia's Great Mates edged SINA 80-73 and is now 3-0. Canada escaped with an 84-83 victory over Philippines' MBA All-Stars. Japan improves day-by-day and scored a come-from-behind win over South Korea 74-67.

Blasted by local media after losing two straight, Taiwan NT finally showed some energy in the opening minutes, leading 11-3 over the Russians. But Russia regrouped and quickly took the lead behind their inside attack. Taiwan NT again showed their inexperience, playing the game like a streetball one-on-one. The game was pretty much over in the middle of the third quarter.

Taiwan NT's 30 fouls and 22 turnovers were bad, what's worse is they lost starting PG Chen Chih-chun, who suffered a sprained ankle in the game. Taiwan will be forced to start 17 year-old Lee Chi-ming, who did relatively good in the 4th quarter replacing Chen, in the next game vs. Philippines.

Philippines almost pulled out an unbelievable win in the matchup vs. Canada, but the early 21-point deficit was too much to overcome. Trio Scherer, Parker and Hall combined for 58 points for the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Canada and Philippines are both now 1-1.

*Game Summary
(@Cheng-kung Univ., Tainan)
Australia 80-73 SINA
Aus - Chris Brown 23p+12rb, Butch Hays 12p+4a, Willie Simmons 8p+8rb
SINA - Lai Kuo-hong 11p+8rb, Tan Bo-chan 11p+6rb

Japan 74-67 South Korea
Jap - Takuya Kita 20p, Atsushi Ono 16p
Kor - Yoon Young-pil 17p+7rb, Hoon Joo-yup 12p

(@TPEC Gym, Taipei)
Canada 84-83 Philippines
Can - Phil Scherer 20p+5a, Stephen Parker 19p, Reuben Hall 19p+14rb
Phi - Bruce Dacia 24p, Alex Compton 24p+7rb+8a, Jeffrey Flowers 7p+5rb

Russia 88-61 Taiwan NT
Rus - Maxim Petserv 17p, Vladimir Pevnev 16p
Tai - Chen Hsin-an 15p, Tien Lei 12p

*Standings
Australia 3-0
Japan 2-1
SINA 2-1
Philippines 1-1
Canada 1-1
Russia 1-2
South Korea 1-2
Taiwan 0-3

Tuesday, July 16, 2002

Day 3 - Australia upset South Korea ; SINA 2-0

They look like an Old-Timers team, but they're not. Australia's Great Mates upset South Korea, 83-69, tonight at Tainan, a mid-sized city in southern Taiwan. SINA also beat Japan NT 77-68 to win its second straight. SINA and Australia are now on the top of the standings with 2-0.

Led by former Isuzu Gigacats(JBL, Japan) head coach Tom Wisman, Great Mates frustrated Korean's three-point attack with another strong inside-outside game. With Trau Lindsiran unstoppable from the perimeter and Willie Simmons working inside, Great Mates won the game easily. Lindsiran led with 21 points and Simmons had 15 points.

SINA see-saw with Japan throughout the whole game, but they switched the momentum with a 7-0 spurt in the start of the 4th quarter and never relinguish the lead after that. For the second consecutive game, SINA received great help from players borrowed from other A-League teams. Shan Wei-fan, loaned from Jutai Tech, had 12 points. SG
Yang Che-yi, originally from BCC Mars, had 10 points.

Japan was led by SG Kan Yuichi's one-man offense. Yuichi had a team-high 17 points.

In Taipei, Philippines defeated Russia 78-68 in its debut. Clinging to a one-point lead, Philippines had a 26-17 4th quarter rally to seal the win. MBA All-Star Reynel Hungatan scored game-high 17 points on 6-10 shooting. Russia was led by 7-foot center Denis Sevastianov's 16 points and 13 rebounds.


*Game Summary

(@Cheng-kung Univ., Tainan)
Australia 83-69 South Korea
Aus - Trau Lindsiran 21p(8-12, 3-5 3PT), Chris Brown 16p, Willie Simmons 15p(7-11)+9rb
Kor - Sun Gyu-wan 29p, Hoon Joo-yup 20p

SINA 77-68 Japan
SINA - Huang Chun-hsiung 14p, Shan Wei-fan 12p+6rb, Yan Che-yi 10p
Jap - Kan Yuichi 17p, Takahiro Setsumasa 9p

(@Taipei Physical Education College Gym, Taipei)
Philippines 78-68 Russia
Phi - Reynel Hugnatan 17p, Simon June 14p, Eddie Laure 13p+9rb, Alex Compton 11p+8rb
Rus - Denis Sevastianov 16p+13rb, Konstantin Guerassimov 13p, Alexandre Chernov 12p

Day 2 - Taiwan lost 2nd straight

Averaging 21 years-old as a team, Taiwan NT was humiliated by Australia's Great Mates, which has 6 players over 35 years-old, 85-93, in the second day of the 2002 Jones Cup. Looking to defend its title, Taiwan NT now opens the tournament with an 0-2 record.

Taiwan was able to hang with the Great Mates in the first half, when they trailed 42-49 in the half. But Great Mates used its experience, offensive efficiency and inside advantage to pull the game away, leading as many as 20 points in the third quarter.

Knowing the game was out of reach, Taiwan head coach Lee Yun-kwang put in five players, all under the age of 21, in the final quarter. The youngsters managed to narrow the deficit with their speed and hustle, and also gave the fans something to cheer about.

Former NBL veteran Willie Simmons had 18 points on 9-12 shooting. Butch Hays had a perfect night, making all seven of his attempts and had 17 points.

Taiwan again reliedon its three-point attack, making 13 out of 36. Tien Lei broke out from his slump, collecting 18 points (4-8 3PT) and 6 boards. Yang Yu-ming had 14. Chen Hsin-an turned in another so-so perfrmance with 12 points. High school senior-to-be Wu Dai-hao had another solid game with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals in 17 minutes of play.

Led by former NT backcourt Chou Jun-san and Lo Hsin-liang, SINA escaped with an 84-81 victory over Canada in the first game of the day. SINA rallied in the third quarter behind two three-pointers by Lo Hsin-liang to take the lead and successfully put out Canada's final push. Lo had 17 in the game while Chou Jun-an handed out 6 assists.

Canada dominated the boards, 40-29, but was hurt by its 39.4% shooting. Frontlines Nick Magliceau and Reuben Hall both had double-double. Magliceau had 18 and 11 while Hall had 15 and 11. 2002 CIS playoffs MVP Stephen Parker had 16 points.

*Game Summary

Australia 93-85 Taiwan NT
Aus - Willie Simmons 18p(9-12), Butch Hays 17p(7-7), Trau Lindsiran 16p, Chris Brown 12p+9rb+5a
Tai - Tien Lei 18p+6rb, Yang Yu-ming 14p, Chen Hsin-an 12p

SINA 84-81 Canada
SINA - Lo Hsin-liang 17p, Huang Chun-hsiung 14p, Chou Jun-san 10p+6a
Canada - Nick Magliceau 18p+11rb, Reuben Hall 15p+11rb, Stephen Parker 16p, Ryan Baldry 12p

Sunday, July 14, 2002

Day 1 - Japan upset Taiwan on buzzer-beater

Takahiro Setsumasa's buzzer-beating three-pointer lifted Japan NT to a 74-72 upset over Taiwan NT tonight before a sellout crowd in Taipei Physical Educatin College Gym. Japan's stunning victory also marks the first time ever that Taiwan NT lose an opening game in Jones Cup's 25 year history.

Trailing 71-72 with 20 seconds remaining, Takahiro Kita's driving pass finds Setsumasa perfectly in the left corner. Setsumasa, who scored only 5 points in the game, calmly swished his game-deciding three-pointer before the buzzer sounded.

Taiwan NT managed a small-margin lead thru out the game, but they were apparently out of sync tonight. The offense was miserable. 30 of their 72 points came on three-pointers. They played almost the entire game one-on-one, and shot only 35%(24 for 69).

Chen Hsin-an and Tien Lei, Taiwan's most powerful duo, were almost non-factors in the loss. Chen scored only 5 poiints on 2-8 shooting. Tien had only 3 points and two quick fouls in 8 meaningless minutes.

South Korea's Military team (Sangmu) beat Russia, 90-79, for the second straight year in the Jones Cup. South Korea didn't shoot the lights out but still pull the game away after a 33-23 third quarter.

Taiwan NT won the first ever Jone Cup title last year. South Korea and Russia ranked second and third respectively. Japan NT did not enter the tournament last year.


*Game Summary
South Korea 90-79 Russia (Cho Sang-hyun 18, Yoon Young-pil 17, Son Gyu-wan 15, Sin Ki-sung 14+5a ; Denis Sevastianov 17+11, Vladimir Pevnev 13)

Japan 74-72 Taiwan (Takahiro Kita 20, Takuma Watanabe 14, Satoru Furuta 13+13 ; Chiu Chi-yi 17, Yang Yu-min 15, Wu Chih-wei 13)

Wednesday, July 10, 2002

Asian Games draw announced

Draw of the Asian games men's and women's basketball was determined in Pusan, Korea. This draw is interesting because China and Lebanon, two Asian representatives in the upcoming World Championship, are placed in the same group. Plus, South Korea will meet traditional rival Japan in the preliminary round.

Philippines is probably the biggest winner, placed in a relatively weak group with UAE and India. Taiwan will face two unpredictable opponents, Khazakstan and Qatar, in Group D.

Men's groupings:
Group A - China, Hong Kong, Lebanon
Group B - South Korea, Japan, Kuwait, Mongolia
Group C - Philippines, United Arab Emirates, India
Group D - Taiwan, Khazakstan, Qatar

Women's Groupings:
Group A - Japan, Taiwan, Lebanon, India
Group B - China, South Korea, Malaysia, Uzbekistan

Thursday, July 04, 2002

Jones Cup Women's Team Roster

Taiwan NT
Head coach:Hung, Ling-Yao
Assistant:Teng, Pi-Yun ; Chen, Mei-Li

(No., Name, DOB, Hright, Weight, Position)
-  Chien, Wei-Chuan  1971/03/08 171 60 G
-  Cheng, Hui0-Yun  1977/04/23 186 80 C
-  Chiang, Feng-Chun  1981/10/25 183 82 C
-  Chao, Pi-Feng  1977/01/09 174 57 F
-  Chen, Yi-Ju  1978/01/31 182 68 C
-  Chu, Yung-Hsu  1981/01/08 175 69 C
-  Mai, Ya-Hui  1977/04/14 165 57 G
-  Huang, Shiau-Jie  1977/06/12 174 62 F
-  Tsai, Pei-Ying  1976/10//08 175 62 F
-  Liu, Chun-Yi  1981/01/13 178 73 C
-  Tsai, Pei-Chen  1984/05/27 185 75 C
-  Chang, Hui-Yin  1974/03/20 173 63 G
-  Lin, Chih-Wen  1983/08/19 189 68 C
-  Tang, Hsu-Tuan  1978/01/12 - - G


Japan NT
Head coach:Tokoro, Minoru
Assistant:Yamamoto, Takeshi

4  Fujimura, Akane  1980/11/05 168 62 G
5  Morimitsu, Yoko  1981/03/27 177 68 F
6  Yamasaki, Kayo  1980/08/09 176 70 F
7  Kakui, Emi  1981/03/23 176 80 F
8  Yaginuma, Miyuki  1980/09/14 184 67 C
9  Tamashiro, Shoko  1979/06/11 180 75 C
10  Kon, Miharu  1982/02/04 176 65 F
11  Yagawa, Naho  1983/02/08 177 68 C
12  Chonan, Mayumi  1983/02/20 175 70 F
13  Tabuchi, Asuka  1982/12/17 171 64 G
14  Yamamoto, Yuko  1982/04/19 174 62 F
15  Ota, kaori  1982/04/19 166 59 G


Malaysia NT
Head coach:See Wah, Tan
Assistant:Tong, Low

4  Miaw See, Loke  1980/06/17 168 59 G
5  Seck Yun, Choo  1975/06/22 168 63 G
6  Chai Ling, Thoh  1982/04/16 171 61 F
7  Bee Chuan, Low  1977/10/26 170 55 F
8  Sze Yuin, Yoong  1972/10/01 173 70 C
9  Meei Hun, Low  1975/07/19 173 62 F
10  Siao Foong, Chow  1976/03/06 171 61 C
11  Suik May, Kew  1982/09/30 170 60 C
12  Pick Eng, Tie  1977/11/14 169 59 G
13  Shee Mun, Cheng  1984/02/27 174 65 C
14  Lee San, Tai  1981/09/25 166 58 F
15  Siew Lian, Beh  1982/04/11 177 57 C


Russia NT
Head coach:Kapranov, Vadim
Assistant:Vlasov, Alexander

-  Kalmykova, Maria  1978/07/14 193 - C
-  Skopa, Julia  1978/03/15 182 - F
-  Ossipova, Irina  1981/06/25 192 - C
-  Rakhmatulina, Oksana  1976/12/07 178 - G
-  Arkhipova, Anna  1973/07/27 174 - G
-  Chnioukova, Vera  1979/07/19 175 - G
-  Artechina, Olga  1982/11/27 186 - F
-  Baranova, Elena  1972/01/28 192 - C
-  Korstine, Ilona  1980/05/30 178 - G
-  Khazova, Marina  1981/02/05 186 - F
-  Goustilina, Diana  1974/04/21 180 - F
-  Gavrilova, Natalia  1978/09/11 190 - C
-  Khalturina, Natalia  1978/09/10 194 - C

Jones Cup Men's Team Roster

Japan NT
Head coach:Yoshida, Kenji
Assistant:Pierce, Robert

(NO., Name, DOB, Height, Weight, Position)
4  Furuta, Satoru 1971/08/03 199 95 F
5  Setsumasa, Takahiro 1972/05/19 180 75 G
6  Kita, Takuya 1972/05/29 185 83 G
7  Orihara, Yuki  1974/02/07 192 85 F
8  Shoji, Kazuhiro  1974/04/26 191 92 F
9  Shinohara, Takashi  1977/07/17 210 94 F
10  Ono, Atsushi  1977/08/12 197 90 F
11  Kan, Yuichi  1977/09/19 191 96 F
12  Watanabe, Takuma  1978/10/07 188 83 G
13  Ito, Shunsuke  1979/06/27 202 98 C
14  Sato, Kensuke  1980/09/22 198 75 G
15  Uzawa, Jun  1981/10/28 196 98 F


Taiwan NT
Head coach:Chien Yi-Fei
Assistant:Lee Yun-Kuan, Dong-fan Jie-ter

-  Chen, Chih-Chung  1977/03/02 181 74 G
-  Chiu, Chi-Yi  1975/10/06 182 72 G
-  Lee, Chih-Yi  1978/10/27 200 90 C
-  Wu, Chih-Wei  1976/07/31 202 94 C
-  Chen, Hsin-An  1980/07/01 196 90 F
-  Ho, Sho-jen  1983/02/15 195 89 F
-  Tien, Lei  1983/06/01 202 86 F
-  Chou, Hong-Yu  1976/06/15 195 92 F
-  Wu, Dai-Hao  1985/02/07 200 98 C
-  Tseng, Wen-Ding  1984/07/06 202 86 C
-  Chou, Shih-Yuan  1983/11/16 190 80 G
-  Lee, Chih-Ming  1984/01/31 175 75 G
-  Yang, Yu-Ming  1979/10/22 180 72 G
-  Wu, Jung-Hsiung  1984/08/26 198 - F


Australia Great Mates Men's Team
Head coach:Wisman, Tom

4  Young, Lewis  1967/04/07 200 92 G
5  Wisman, Michael  1981/04/07 187 85 G
6  Brown, Walter  1975/10/10 198 95 G
7  Brown, Chris  1977/09/16 193 98 F
8  Crawford, James  1965/04/13 202 103 F
9  Green, Delman  1969/06/23 190 105 F
10  Vandenbergn, Paul 1976/01/15 192 93 G
11  Proctor, Daniel  1981/10/06 191 96 F
12  Hays, Butch  1966/09/16 193 84 G
13  Simmons, Willie  1966/08/03 211 105 C
14  Stiff, David  1972/02/08 205 102 F
15  Simmons, Dave  1968/04/13 203 112 C


South Korea Military Team
Head coach:Choo, Il-Seung

4  Bae, Kil-Tae  1975/05/23 182 80 G
5  Hong, Chang-Wi  1975/06/26 182 80 G
6  Shin, Ki-Sung  1975/04/30 182 79 G
7  Eun, Hee-Seok  1977/03/11 191 88 G
8  Lim, Jae-Hyun  1977/04/16 186 81 G
9  Hyun, Joo-Yup  1975/07/27 195 105 C
10  Yoon, Young-Pil  1975/11/13 191 100 C
11  Jung, Hun-Jong  1976/12/22 205 102 C
12  Lee, Kyu-Sup  1977/11/13 197 96 F
13  Byun, Chung-Woon  1974/03/20 189 88 F
14  Son, Gyu-Wan  1974/12/12 188 85 F
15  Choi, Sung-Woo  1976/03/01 191 91 F
16  Kil, Do-Ik  1976/05/07 189 86 F
17  Cho, Sang-Hyun  1976/07/08 188 86 F


Philippine NT(MBA All-Stars)
Head coach:Rodriguez, Frncis
Assistant:Chongson, Laurence ; Martinez, Jommy

-  Adducul, Rommel  - 198 - C
-  Flowers, Jeffery  - 203 - C
-  Mamaril, Billy  - 200 - C
-  Ferriols, John  - 193 - F
-  Hugnatan, Reynel  - 193 - F
-  Clay, Chris  - 193 - G
-  Laure, Eddie  - 193 - G
-  Sanders, Jeffery  - 180 - G
-  Compton, Alex  - 180 - G
-  Simon, Peter  - 188 - G
-  Padilia, Stephen  - 175 - G
-  Tangkay, Jercules  - 180 - G


Russia(Lokomotive Novosibirsk, Super League Division-II)
Head coach:Babkov, Serguei

11  Guerassimov Konstantin 1970/09/08 195 96 G
12  Pevnev Vladimir  1974/04/23 200 106 C
4  Endropov Andrei  1978/03/29 184 95 G
8  Bespalov Alexandre   1978/01/29 204 106 C
5  Chernov Alexandre  1970/03/17 193 86 G
6  Shatokhin Evgeni  1977/09/14 202 90 F
24  Kunitskiy Stanislav  1981/02/10 195 89 F
14  Pertsev Maxim  1976/04/13 196 90 G
9  Khartchenko Vladimir  1983/02/15 190 73 G
17  Eltsov Dmitri  1982/04/14 203 98 F
7  Lapchine Stanislav  1982/12/06 200 82 F
23  Sevastianov Denis  1976/08/24 214 98 C
27  Moiseev Anton   1980/02/25 201 102 F
10  Pronine Vladimir  1975/08/29 204 94 F


SINA Lions
Head coach:Chiu, Da-tsun
Assistant:Hu, Chung-Tsun

-  Chou, Jun-Shan  1969/01/28 173 73 G
-  Huang, Chun-Hsiung  1971/11/19 200 98 C
-  Lo, Hsin-Liang  1971/03/18 182 83 G
-  Liu, Yi-Hsiang  1972/10/04 200 110 C
-  Hsiung Jen-Jen  1972/07/19 192 90 F
-  Lai, Kuo-Hong  1974/12/08 196 98 F
-  Hsu, Yong-Yi  1973/02/14 190 78 F
-  Chang, Ya-Tang  1976/10/10 192 88 F
-  Chung, Wei-Kuo  1977/08/09 176 74 G
-  Tan, Bo-Chan  1980/02/28 203 105 C
-  Yang, Che-Yi  1978/10/20 192 85 F
-  Chen, Huei  1978/04/17 185 83 G
-  Shan, Wei-Fan  1978/03/09 195 88 F
-  Ha, Hsiao-Yuan  1981/05/15 200 96 C


CANADA(University of Alberta)
Head coach:Horwood, Don
Assistant:Chen, Anthony ; Martell, Scott

10  Fedorak, Gavin  1983/04/02 178 73 G
11  Scherer, Phil  1980/08/17 191 84 G
14  Parker, Stephen  1979/08/14 185 86 G
22  Marr, Paul  1982/02/23 193 93 G
23  Melnychuk, Michael 1981/10/27 191 80 G
24  Trydal, Chris  1977/04/13 198 93 F
25  McClenaghan, Todd 1980/06/10 196 84 G
30  Baldry, Ryan  1976/03/18 196 91 F
32  Hall, Reuben  1980/09/28 206 95 C
34  Petterson, Kevin  1979/12/14 208 100 C
42  Park, Brandon  1983/01/07 201 98 F
--  Maglisceau, Nick - - - -

Wednesday, July 03, 2002

Jones Cup Men's schedule

All games are played at Taipei Physical Education College Gym, except for six games in Tainan's Chengkung University Gym.

7/13
1500 South Korea-Russia
1900 Opening Ceremony
1930 Taiwan-Japan

7/14
1300 Canada-SINA
1500 Australia-Taiwan

7/15
1930 Russia-Philippines
1730 South Korea-Australia(Tainan Chengkung University Gym)
1930 SINA-Japan(Tainan Chengkung University Gym)

7/16
1730 Canada-Philippines
1930 Taiwan-Russia

1730 Australia-SINA(Tainan Chengkung University Gym)
1930 Japan-South Korea(Tainan Chengkung University Gym)

7/17
1730 Philippines-Taiwan
1930 Russia-Canada

1730 Japan-Australia(Tainan Chengkung University Gym)
1930 SINA-South Korea(Tainan Chengkung University Gym)

7/18
1930 Canada-Japan

7/19
1530 Australia-Russia
1730 South Korea-Philippines
1930 SINA-Taiwan

7/20
1400 Russia-SINA
1600 Taiwan-Canada
1800 Philippines-Australia

7/21
1300 Canada-South Korea
1500 SINA-Philippines
1700 Japan-Philippines

7/22
1500 Australia-Canada
1700 Philippines-Japan
1900 South Korea-Taiwan
2100 Award Ceremony

Taiwan NT look to defend Jones Cup title

Last year Taiwan NT won the first Jones Cup title for the hosting country in the tournament's 24 year history. This year they look to defend it with almost the same lineup.

The 25th edition of William Jones Cup Invitational Tournament will take place in Taipei, Taiwan from July 13-22. This year' tournament field includes 8 men's teams and 4 women's teams.

Men's competition
Led by veteran coach Chien Yi-fei, Taiwan NT wil try to retain the championship trophy under the strong challenge of seven strong men's teams from varius countries. Still under the rebuilding stage, Taiwan NT features high-flying Chen Hsin-an(195cm) and Tien Lei(202cm) but will without starting PG Yen Shin-shu, who has a back injury and will sit out six months.

Participating teams for Men's competition include SINA Lions, who finished 8th in its debut season in China's CBA and originally one of Taiwan's strongest teams. Also invited are Philippines NT, which is represented by MBA All-Stars, Japan NT, South Korea's Military Team, Canada's University of Alberta, Russia's Div-II club team Lokomotive Novosibirsk and Australia's Great Mates Basketball Team.

The eight teams will play a single round-robin games to decide the final winner and placing. No additional playoff games are played. That means each team has a seven game schedule, facing every other team once.

--Notes
South Korea's Military Team and Russia's Lokomotive Novosibirsk also played in the tournament last year in Kaohsiung...Taiwan NT beat Korea's Military in last year's final...MBA sent FedEx team to Jones Cup last year but comes up with an All-Star team this year...This marks the third consecutive year for Philippines' imports Chris Clay and Jeffrey Flowers to play in the Jones Cup

Women's competition
On the women's side, this year's Jones Cup features three national teams that will play in next month's World Championship in Nanking, China. Russia, Japan and Taiwan all send out its NT to the tournament for the preparation of the upcoming big test. Malaysia NT apparently is the weakest team among the four.

The teams will play a single round-robin preliminary games, with No.1 in the preliminary vs. No.4 and No.2 vs. No.3 in the second round. Winners advance to the championship games, while losers battle for third.