Monday, December 30, 2002

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.

Sunday, December 29, 2002

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

Friday, December 27, 2002

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.

Thursday, December 26, 2002

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
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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)
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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

Wednesday, December 25, 2002

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.

Monday, December 23, 2002

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

Sunday, December 22, 2002

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.

Friday, December 20, 2002

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

Wednesday, December 18, 2002

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.

Tuesday, December 17, 2002

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

Friday, December 13, 2002

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.

Tuesday, December 10, 2002

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