Friday, April 08, 2005

Report: Lee Yung-kwang named NT head coach

Sources say Lee Yung-kwang, Yulon's acting head coach, was named new NT head coach after the meeting of CTBA men's program committee yesterday. Lee will lead the men's NT in three major competitions: the East Asian qualification games in Guangdong, China, the Asian Championship, and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. CTBA hasn't released any official announcement though.

This is the second tenure for Lee Yung-kwang, 37, with the men's NT. He guided Taiwan NT in 2001 and 2003 Asian Championships but finished for miserable 7th and 11th place respectively, the worst finish Taiwan NT has ever had. Lee took over Taiwan NT in 2001 with no previous head coaching experience on any level.

Lee stepped down under criticism after the 2003 Asian Championship and came back to Yulon. He didn't take over Yulon's head coaching duty until the start of this season, when he officially replace legendary coach Chien Yi-fei as Yulon's new front man. Lee successfully led a team with so many injuries and without its best player Chen Hsin-an, who went to U.S. and played in the ABA, and still sit atop the SBL standing.