SBL to resume Feb. 7 after new year break

SBL regular season games will resume on Feb. 7 after a two-week lunar new year vacation. Dacin Tigers, which did not make the postseason last year, is leading with a perfect 4-0 record with the return of top scorer Tien Lei and the addition of import player Byron Allen.

The defending champion Taiwan Beer has not been playing well and hungry, splitting its first four games as its top two scorers Lin Chih-chieh and Ho Shou-cheng were both in an opening season slump and haven't come out of the hole.

And Yulon is no longer called Dinos, changing its team name to Luxgen, a new automobile brand name of its mother corporation Yulon Motors.

Taiwan Mobile rookie Yen Cheng-hung (197cm) made an impressive debut in the January 17 win over Yulon, chipping in 19 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Two import players -- Mario Boggan and Byron Allen -- have not had the huge impact as expected as they were either battling foul trouble or weight problem. Allen fouled out in three of four games he has played for Dacin while Boggan appeared in only two games (19 minutes to be exact) so far. Both also had trouble getting used to a quicker pace of Taiwanese playing style.

Jan. 18
Yulon 92-82 KKL
Yulon: Tseng Wen-ting 29p+9rb, Chou Shih-yuan 25p, Chang Yi-ming 9p+11rb+4a
KKL: Lin Kwan-lun 23p, Shan Wei-fan 18p

BOT 90-87 PY
BOT: Hsu Chi-chan 24p+10rb+4a, Lin Chun-fung 22p
PY: Chien Chia-hung 17p+9rb, Chen Shih-chieh 15p+8rb+8a, Chang Yu-lin 13p

Dacin 70-62 TM
Dacin: Chang Chih-fung 24p+9rb, Tien Lei 20p+8rb, Byron Allen 12p+7rb
TM: Wu Yung-jen 11p, Liu Sheng-yao 11p, Mario Boggan 10p+5rb

Jan. 17
TM 76-68 Yulon
TM: Yen Cheng-hung 19p+5rb, Wu Yung-jen 14p+9a, Hsu Wei-sheng 12p+9rb+3blk
Yulon: Tseng Wen-ting 16p+9rb+4blk, Wei Yung-tai 12p+7rb, Chen Hsin-an DNP (injury)

Dacin 88-72 BOT
Dacin: Chang Chih-fung 17p, Tien Lei 15p+8rb, Byron Allen 16p+12rb
BOT: Chen Shun-hsiang 13p, Hsu Chi-chan 13p+8rb

TB 75-72 PY
TB: Yang Ching-min 22p, Lin Chih-chieh 9p+10rb+7a, Wu Tai-hao 16p+7rb
PY: Tsai Wen-cheng 14p, Chien Chia-hung 12p

Jan. 16
TB 87-74 BOT
TB: Yang Ching-min 18p, Wu Tai-hao 14p+7rb
BOT: Chang Po-sheng 16p, Chien Chia-hung 16p

PY 109-103 KKL
PY: Chen Shih-chieh 20p+5rb+7a, Wu Chien-lung 14p+6rb, Tsai Wen-cheng 29p+9rb
KKL: Lee Wei-min 25p, Shin Chin-chan 20p

Standings:
Dacin 4-0
Yulon 2-1
TB 2-2
PY 2-2
TM 2-2
BOT 1-3
KKL 1-3

2009 SBL Regular Season Complete Schedule

Jan. 10 Sat.
1630 KKL - Dacin @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City
1930 TB - Yulon @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City

Jan. 11 Sun.
1500 PY - TM @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City
1700 BOT - KKL @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City
1900 Dacin - TB @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City

Jan. 16 Fri.
1800 TB - BOT @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City
2000 KKL - PY @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City

Jan. 17 Sat.
1500 TM - Yulon @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City
1700 BOT - Dacin @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City
1900 PY - TB @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City

Jan. 18 Sun.
1500 Yulon - KKL @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City
1700 BOT - PY @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City
1900 Dacin - TM @ Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City

Lunar New Year Break

Feb. 7 Sat.
1800 Yulon - Dacin @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City
2000 KKL - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City

Feb. 8 Sun.
1500 Dacin - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City
1700 TM - TB @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City
1900 Yulon - BOT @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City

Feb. 13 Fri.
1800 BOT - TM @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County
2000 PY - Yulon @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County

Feb. 14 Sat.
1500 TB - KKL @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County
1700 TM - Dacin @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County
1900 BOT - PY @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County

Feb. 15 Sun.
1500 Yulon - TM @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County
1700 Dacin - TB @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County
1900 KKL - BOT @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County

Feb. 20 Fri.
1800 Dacin - KKL @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City
2000 TB - BOT @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City

Feb. 21 Sat.
1500 BOT - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City
1700 TM - TB @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City
1900 KKL - Yulon @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City

Feb. 22 Sun.
1500 BOT - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City
1700 Yulon - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City
1900 TB - KKL @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City

Feb. 28 Sat.
1800 All-Star Game @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County

Mar. 6 Fri.
1800 KKL - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
2000 BOT - Dacin @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 7 Sat.
1500 Yulon - TB @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 PY - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 Dacin - KKL @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 8 Sun.
1500 BOT - Yulon @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 KKL - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 TB - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 13 Fri.
1800 Dacin - Yulon @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
2000 BOT - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 14 Sat.
1500 PY - KKL @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 TM - Dacin @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 Yulon - TB @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 15 Sun.
1500 BOT - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 TB - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 KKL - Yulon @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 20 Fri.
1800 TB - Dacin @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
2000 Yulon - TM @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 21 Sat.
1500 BOT - KKL @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 Dacin - PY @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 TM - TB @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 22 Sun.
1500 PY - Yulon @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 KKL - Dacin @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 TB - BOT @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 27 Fri.
1800 Dacin - Yulon @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
2000 KKL - TB @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 28 Sat.
1500 TM - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 Yulon - BOT @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 TB - Dacin @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Mar. 29 Sun.
1500 KKL - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 Dacin - BOT @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 PY - TB @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 3 Fri.
1800 TB - BOT @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
2000 TM - PY @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 4 Sat.
1500 Dacin - KKL @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 BOT - TM @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 Yulon - TB @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 5 Sun.
1500 PY - BOT @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 TM - Dacin @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 KKL - Yulon @ Jhubei Municiple Stadium, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 10 Fri.
1800 PY - KKL @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
2000 Yulon - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 11 Sat.
1500 KKL - TB @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 Dacin - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 BOT - Yulon @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 12 Sun.
1500 TM - Dacin @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 TB - BOT @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 Yulon - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 17 Fri.
1800 BOT - KKL @ Banciao Municiple Stadium, Banciao City, Taipei County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
2000 Dacin - Yulon @ Banciao Municiple Stadium, Banciao City, Taipei County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 18 Sat.
1500 TB - PY @ Banciao Municiple Stadium, Banciao City, Taipei County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 KKL - TM @ Banciao Municiple Stadium, Banciao City, Taipei County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 BOT - Dacin @ Banciao Municiple Stadium, Banciao City, Taipei County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 19 Sun.
1500 PY - KKL @ Banciao Municiple Stadium, Banciao City, Taipei County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 Dacin - TB @ Banciao Municiple Stadium, Banciao City, Taipei County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 TM - Yulon @ Banciao Municiple Stadium, Banciao City, Taipei County or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 24 Fri.
1800 BOT - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
2000 Yulon - KKL @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 25 Sat.
1500 TM - TB @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 PY - Dacin @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 KKL - BOT @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

Apr. 26 Sun.
1500 Dacin - Yulon @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1700 BOT - TM @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City
1900 TB - PY @ Hsinchu Municiple Stadium, Hsinchu City or Taipei Municiple Stadium, Taipei City

May 1 Fri.
1800 Yulon - BOT @ Sinjhuang Stadium, Sinjhuang, Taipei County
2000 KKL - TB @ Sinjhuang Stadium, Sinjhuang, Taipei County

May 2 Sat.
1500 PY - TM @ Sinjhuang Stadium, Sinjhuang, Taipei County
1700 TB - Yulon @ Sinjhuang Stadium, Sinjhuang, Taipei County
1900 BOT - Dacin @ Sinjhuang Stadium, Sinjhuang, Taipei County

May 3 Sun.
1700 Yulon - PY @ Sinjhuang Stadium, Sinjhuang, Taipei County
1900 TM - KKL @ Sinjhuang Stadium, Sinjhuang, Taipei County

End of Regular Season

==

Postseason (All games at Sinjhuang Stadium, Sinjhuang, Taipei County)

May 8 Fri.
1800 #1 - #4 Game 1
2000 #2 - #3 Game 1

May 9 Sat.
1700 #1 - #4 Game 2
1900 #2 - #3 Game 2

May 10 Sun.
1700 #1 - #4 Game 3
1900 #2 - #3 Game 3

May 12 Tue.
1800 #1 - #4 Game 4
2000 #2 - #3 Game 4

May 13 Wed.
1800 #1 - #4 Game 5
2000 #2 - #3 Game 5

May 15 Fri.
1900 Finals Game 1

May 16 Sat.
1900 Finals Game 2

May 17 Sun.
1900 Finals Game 3

May 22 Fri.
1900 Finals Game 4

May 23 Sat.
1900 Finals Game 5

May 24 Sun.
1900 Finals Game 6

May 26 Tue.
1900 Finals Game 7

TB dropped two straight

The opening week was not a happy week for the defending champ and the most popular SBL team Taiwan Beer. TB dropped two straight game in the span.

Chang Chih-feng averaged 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4 assists in two games last week and was named Baller of the Week Monday.

Dacin 75-68 Taiwan Beer
Dacin - Chang Chih-fegn 19p, Tien Lei 18p+8rb, Lin Yi-hui 13p, Yue Ying-li 11p, Byron Allen 6p+10rb
TB - Yang Chin-min 22p, Lin Chih-chieh 18p

Pure Youth 95-90 Taiwan Mobile
PY - Chen Shih-chieh 19p, James Mao 16p, Tsai Wen-cheng 14p, Chien Chia-hong 13p
TM - Hsu Wei-sheng 18p+10rb, Lo Shin-liang 17p+3s, Ouyang Ching-heng 16p, Wu Yong-jen 11p+12a, Lai Kuo-hong 11p, Mario Boggan DNP

KKL 100-64 BOT
KKL - Cheng Jen-wei 22p, Chen Jing-hwan 12p, Hsiao Yuan-chan 12p
BOT - Hsu Chih-chan 10p+7rb

SBL TV deal set

On January 7 the SBL reached agreement with Videoland and Elta Technology on the TV broadcast contract for the 2009 season. Details of the contract was not disclosed, but it was said to be close to NT$14 million.

The signing means that ESPN Taiwan pulled out of the SBL as both a broadcaster and its marketing firm. Videoland will broadcast SBL games on Saturdays and Sundays while Elta Technology, one of the biggest local online video distributors, will broadcast SBL games online from Friday to Sunday every week.

Eric Sports will replace ESPN Taiwan and be in charge of the marketing operation for the 2009 season.

Yulon, Dacin win openers

Yulon beat longtime rival and defending champion Taiwan Beer 72-67 in the 2009 SBL season opening game despite losing Chen Hsin-an to a knee injury late in the game Saturday in Miaoli. Dacin beat KKL 73-67 for the first win of the season but it looked like Tien Lei, who sat out last season due to his knee injury, still needed some time to return to his top form.

Embracing a cold front that dropped the temperature down to six degrees centigrade, the 2009 SBL season was launched in the central mountainous town of Miaoli. Around 2,500 tickets were sold and another 3,500 students were in the game for free in the Miaoli Dome which has a capacity of 10,000.

Reigning regular season MVP Chen Hsin-an was not going to play the game. However, Chen was the man new head coach Zhang Xu-lei looked for after Yulon dropped its 16-point lead in the second half. Chen did not score though. And he had to leave the game after being stepped on the shin by TB center Wu Tai-hao when he was fighting for a rebound.

Taiwan Beer cut the deficit down to one with 15 seconds left before Yulon saved the day with four late free-throws.

Chou Shih-yuan led Yulon, which changed its team name from Dinos to Luxgen, with 27 points. Tseng Wen-ting had 13 points and  rebounds while Chen Chih-chung scored 15. Yang Che-yi had 10.

Yang Chin-min paced TB with 21 points. Two-time Finals MVP Lin Chih-chieh tallied 19 points and 11 boards. Wu Tai-hao had 7 points and 7 rebounds.

Led by Chang Chih-feng's 24 points and 7 rebounds, Dacin kept KKL -- previously known as dmedia -- from winning its first game after an ownership change. Tien Lei had 13 points and 10 rebounds but admitted after the game that his game was still rusty and maybe only 50% of what it used to be.

Dacin import Byron Allen did not impress in his debut, scoring only two despite grabbing 9 boards. Allen said he needed to get used to the Taiwanese style which placed more emphasis on speed rather than power.

Chen Chin-hwan led KKL with 14 and 11. Hsiao Yuan-chan had 11 points and 9 rebounds. Shan Wei-fan, who left TB and joined KKL, had 11.

Tseng Wen-ting vs. Wu Tai-hao.

Chen Chih-chung goes up against Wu Tai-hao.

New Yulon head coach Zhang Xu-lei

(photo sources: UDN.com, Apple Daily)

TV contract still up in the air

Four days before the season opener, the new television broadcast contract of the 2009 SBL season is still up in the air. The absence of the largest revenue caused sponsors to waver in their faith as Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc. (KKL) decided to postpone a press conference Tuesday that planned to announce its sponsorship of the SBL team which was previously known as dmedia Numen, the Central News Agency reported.

Negotiation between TV stations and the SBL has not been going well as both sides failed to agree on the broadcast fee. The collected offer of Videoland Sports and ESPN went from NT$56 million (US$1.69 million) all the way down to NT$22 million (US$670,000). VL Sports was said to be considering dropping the bid and ESPN made its final standalone offer of NT$14 million (US$420,000).

Which means the SBL could be left without game broadcast in the upcoming season.

New team in the mix for 2009 WSBL season

Fo Guang, a team sponsored by a wealthy Buddhism organization, will be the fifth team for the 2009 WSBL (Women's Super Basketball League) season which tips off tomorrow (Jan. 5) in Banciao, Taipei County. Five teams will be in a four round-robin system preliminary round before a best-of-five Finals that starts on April 8.

During the past four years, the league managed to go on with four teams due to lack of interest from corporate sponsors and local fans. Which means it will be a good news now that a new team is in the mix.

However, things won't change much as perennial powerhouse Cathay Life is widely expected to win its 17th stragiht league crown.

2009 WSBL
Venue: Banciao Stadium, Banciao, Taipei County
Teams: Cathay Life, Taiyuan Textile, Taipower, Chunghwa Telecom, Fo Guang

SBL limps into the new season

One week before the opening day, there is still no signs that the SBL's sixth season is alive and well. Exhibition games have been cancelled. The league and the TV stations have not reached agreement on the controversial TV contract. And there is no promotional events or advertisement to be seen, China Times reported Sunday.

China Times reported that teams are holding training camps as scheduled but things look dim before the official opening day -- January 10 in Miaoli, a mountainous town in central Taiwan.

The league has quietly cancelled the scheduled exhibition games.

FORTUNATELY, the league did announce the opening day roster on January 1, reported Liberty Times. Player transactios are few although Taiwan Mobile and Dacin both hired imports to bolster their interiors, the report said.

The biggest change on paper will be the ownership change of KKL (Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor), which was previously known as dmedia Numen.

Defending champ Taiwan Beer added Yang Yu-min and Wang Shin-kai. Yang and Wang are both currently playing in China. Lee Chi-hsun, who played for BCC Mars and Bank of Taiwan from 2003-2005, also joined the team and changed his name to Lee Hsiao-tse, symbolizing a brand new start.

As TB keeps most of its core players intact -- including two-time Finals MVP Lin Chih-chieh, it should be able to challenge the ultimate goal of three-peat.

Yulon Dinos, which lost 4-2 to TB in the Final last year, is led by new head coach Zhang Xue-lei and reigning regular season MVP Chen Hsin-an. The addition of Wu Jui-jin, a hard-working forward, and talented point guard Lin Chieh-min who is still a teenager, is expected to strengthen Yulon's bench depth, one of the reasons it lost the six-game series to TB last May.

Taiwan Mobile and Dacin both failed to make the playoffs last season, giving them an opportunity to hire import players under the SBL regulations. TM added Mario Boggan while Dacin signed Byron Allen. TM has been especially aggressive this past off season, signing Ouyang Ching-heng, the No. 3 scorer last year, and unretired veteran Lo Shin-liang, who briefly announced his retirement after winning the title with TB last season.

Dacin improved its backcourt depth by signing veteran Huang Bao-tse to backup talented but oft-injured Su Yi-chieh. Meanwhile, three-time regular season MVP Tien Lei is said to be fully recovered from his knee injury which kept him from playing for almost a year.

KKL lost the service of U.S. forward Jonathan Sanders because, as dmedia, it made the playoffs last year and was not allowed to hire foreigners this year. KKL added Shan Wei-fan and Lee Wei-min.

Doug Creighton, who played for Pure Youth last year, will play for Bank of Taiwan this season as a local.

The 2009 SBL season will tip off on January 10 in Miaoli with a double-header. Taiwan Beer and Yulon meet for the first time since last year's Final and Dacin plays KKL.

(Photo source: Apple Daily)

Taiwan Mobile signs Mario Boggan

Taiwan Mobile brought in American forward Mario Boggan and released Taiwanese-German center Jufan Geiger, making Boggan the second SBL import for the upcoming season.

The other import player is Dacin's Byron Allen.

Local Chinese newspaper Apple Daily reported that Boggan, a 6-6 bully forward-center, will get a monthly salary of US$10,000. Boggan came from Oklahoma State, where he averaged 19 points and 7.6 rebounds and was named All Big-12 First Team in 2006-07.

Taiwan Mobile head coach Cheng Chih-lung expcted Boggan to solidify TM's interior defense and make huge contribution on the offensive end as well. Geiger, Cheng said without elaboration, was released because he did not fit in with the team's need.

Geiger said in an email that he was informed of the release but was not told why he did not meet the team's need.

The SBL allows imports-hiring for non-playoff teams. However, teams that failed to make the playoffs have been reluctant to do so due to budget problem amid the global economy crisis.

==

Mario Boggan profile:

Born Sept. 30, 1983

Career:
Durham, N.C. (Chipola College)
(Hargrave Military Academy)
2004-2005: University of Florida (NCAA)
2005-2006: Oklahoma St. (NCAA): 33 games: 14.8ppg, 5.7rpg, 1.0apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 58.1%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 82.1%
2006-2007: Oklahoma St. (NCAA): 34 games: 19.0ppg, 7.6rpg, 1.4apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 54.0%, 3Pts: 22.0%, FT: 76.1%
2007: Drafted by Oklahoma Storm (USBL,3rd(28))
2007 July: NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (Denver Nuggets)
2007: Drafted by Yakama Sun Kings (CBA,2rd(20))
2007-2008: Before the season was tested by JDA Dijon Bourgogne (FRA-ProA), but not signed, in Sep.'07 agreed terms with Spotter Leuven (Belgium-D1, starting five): 13 games: 14.4ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.2apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 53.0%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 80.0%, released in Dec.'07, in Jan.'08 signed by Darussafaka Istanbul (Turkey-TBL, starting five) but never showed up, in Feb.'08 tested by Polpak Swiecie (Poland-DBE, starting five), released in Feb.'08, then joined Anaheim Arsenal (D-League): 6 games: 1.2ppg, 1.2rpg, in Mar.'08 moved to Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League)
2008-2009: Vitoria SC/M.Couto Alves (Portugal-UZO Liga, starting five), left in Oct.'08, in Dec.'08 moved to East Kentucky Miners (CBA)

Awards/Achievements:
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention -06
NABC All-NCAA District 12 1st Team -07
Big 12 Tournament Semifinals -07
All-Big 12 1st Team -07
(Source: Eurobasket.com)

(Photo source: Apple Daily)

Taiwanese basketball tidbit

-- This is a little bit late. In fact, much too late. Dacin Tigers signed American forward Byron Allen to a contract for an undisclosed amount. The 6-7, 280 pounder is mainly a physical post player and will be the only U.S. import in the 2008-09 SBL season.

Local newspapers reported that Dacin loves Allen's defensive mentality, which has been the teams' priority in its import search.

Allen, on paper, will be the sole import in the SBL next year although there will be a number of players comiing from overseas, including Taiwanese-Americans James Mao and Doug Creighton and Taiwanese-German Juefan Geiger (see below).

Byron Allen profile:
DOB: June 10, 1981
Career:
Leland, MS/ Leland HS
2002-2003: Northwestern St. (NCAA): 27 games: 10.2ppg, 4.7rpg, 24ast
2003-2004: Northwestern St. (NCAA): 27 games: 8.3ppg, 4.7rpg, 19ast
2004-2005: Northwestern St. (NCAA): 33 games: 7.3ppg, 3.8rpg, 26ast, FGP: 50%
2005-2006: Northwestern St. (NCAA): 34 games: 7.5ppg, 3.6rpg, FG: 57.1%, FT: 52.8%
2007-2008: East Kentucky Miners (CBA), left in Feb.'08: 28 games: 3.1ppg, 2.3rpg
2008: Elkhart Express (IBL): 22 games: 6.7ppg, 4.2rpg, 0.4apg
2008-2009: East Kentucky Miners (CBA)
(Source: Eurobasket.com)

-- Taiwanese-German Juefan Geiger is currently in training camp with his Taiwan Mobile teammates and getting used to a different style of play in Taiwan. Taiwanese teams emphasize speed over anything else while in Germany physicality is the priority, said Geiger.

Geiger, whose mother is a Taiwanese, goes with his Chinese name Huang Yu-fan in Taiwan. Possessing a Taiwanese passport, he is able to play as a local player in the SBL.

 

-- It makes you wonder that whether the SBL will be able to successfully launch its 6th season as the venue, the schedule, the TV contract and even the opening date are all still uncertain at this moment -- approximately one month before the scheduled opening day January 10, 2009.

-- Finally…Chen Hsin-an is enjoying his fatherhood. Chen’s daughter was born in August…

(Photos source: Apple Daily)