Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Tien Lei to train in Sacramento

0513達欣田壘 Apple Daily reported that Tien Lei, Wu Yung-jen and Hsu Wei-sheng are scheduled to participate in a two to four week special training program in Sacramento, California later this month.

The players will leave for Las Vegas on July 16 and observe the Vegas Summer League there for three days before going to Sacramento, Apple Daily reported, adding that the training was arranged by Sacramento’s Taiwanese-American scout Jack Mai, who has had strong ties with Taiwanese basketball.

Tien Lei, who sat out the entire 2007-08 SBL season to nurse a stress fracture in his left foot, will be instructed by Kings assistants Chuck Person and Jason Hamm in a four week training program. The first task for Tien, however, will be losing weight. It was reported that the 6-7 forward gained at least 15 kilos during his rehab.

Sacramento will be a familiar place for Tien, who played for Kings in the 2005 Vegas Summer League and became the first Taiwanese player to play in the U.S. summer league in history. The short stint was also set up by Jack Mai, who in 2002 took Chen Hsin-an to Sacramento’s preseason training camp as well. Chen was cut before the season opener.

Hsu and Wu, both came from Taiwan Mobile, will participate in a similar two week training program before heading home.

(photo source: ESPN Taiwan)