The final 12-man Taiwan NT roster for 2007 Asian Championship in Tokushima, Japan was announced Monday by the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA). Two-time SBL regular season MVP Tien Lei will sit out the tournament due to injury.
The final roster:
Guard: Lee Hsueh-lin, Chen Shih-nian, Hsu Hao-cheng, Lin Yi-huei, Yang Che-yi, Lu Cheng-ju
Forward: Lin Chih-jay, Chen Hsin-an, Yua Ying-li, Lee Chi-yi
Center: Tsun Wen-din, Wu Dai-hao
Hsu Hao-cheng, Lin Yi-huei and Lu Cheng-ju will be making their international debut.
Tien Lei will not play in Tokushima.
Tien Lei, who already sat out the Jones Cup, was not on the roster due to injuries in his right thumb and stress fracture in his left leg. Tien's absence was definitely a bad news for Taiwan NT, which was limited to two big men of Tsun Wen-din and Wu Dai-hao.
Judging from the games in Jones Cup, Taiwan NT was always one inside player short both offensively and defensively. The absence of Tien Lei made it difficult for Taiwan head coach Cheng Kwang-suk to find an ideal frontcourt rotation.
Without Tien, who is capable of tallying at least 15 points and 10 rebounds in every game he's in, Tsun and Wu will have to shoulder the responsibilities of protecting the glass, score inside, and keep themselves on the floor without foul trouble.
Three players who played in Doha Asian Games last year did not make the roster this time, including Chou Shih-yuan, Yang Chin-min and Wu Yong-jen.
Taiwan is bracketed in the same group with Syria, Hong Kong and South Korea in the Asian Championship, which will start play in Tokushima, Japan from July 28 to August 5.