Photo Courtesy: Newshopper.sulekha.com

After two successive setbacks in the Asian championships, China regained the golden scepter in basketball in this year’s edition of Asian Games. In 2007 FIBA – Asia Championship, Iran captured the title in Tokushima, Japan after trouncing Lebanon in the finals. The Chinese, who sent their B team, wound up 10^th. Two years later, the latter bowed to the Iranians in an unexpected blowout.  It was their best team which represented the tourney minus Yao Ming.

This year at the Asian Games held in Guangzhou, China held tight to edge out the hard fighting South Koreans to regain the Asian crown.

Date: August 7-15, 2010

Host nation: Lebanon

Rank              Team

1                   Lebanon

2                   Japan

3                   Qatar

4                   Philippines

5                   Jordan

6                   Iran

7                   Chinese-Taipei

8                   Kazakhstan

9                   Iraq

10                 Syria

Date: July 14-20, 2010

Host: Chinese-Taipei

Rank          Team

1                 I.R. Iran National Team

2                 Lebanon National Team

3                 Japan National Team

4                 Philippines National Team

5                 Chinese-Taipei National Team

6                 Chinese-Taipei University All-Stars

7                 Townsville Crocodiles (Australia)

1. Japan and Chinese-Taipei national teams can match the speed and quickness of the Philippine national team. That’s the reason the Japanese were able to hold off the Filipinos in Day 6 of the tournament, 84-74. Chinese-Taipei, likewise, pushed the Filipinos to the brink with its cat-quick reflexes among their players. Philippines edged out Chinese-Taipei,96-93 though.
2. Iran cemented its status as a powerhouse in Asia. Winning the title in this tournament in succession plus their two consecutive crowns in FIBA-Asia championship prove to be enough to be considered at par with China. Iran is loaded with quality guards that can catch the quickness of East Asians. It has reliable wingmen that can break-off zone defense and more importantly, Iran has frontline that control the shaded lane. They are truly reaping the fruits of Rajko Toroman’s labor who guided their basketball program a few years back.
3. Spotty officiating was a major issue throughout the tournament. It was at its worst during the first half of the Lebanon-Philippines game where Lebanon’s Ghaleb Reda intentionally elbowed Filipino Marcio Lassiter’s head right before the very eyes of the two referees. Lassiter went down the floor and the two referees did not bother to blow their whistles. They must have swallowed their whistles in that particular moment. I wish the organizers should try to improve the officiating so as not to lose participants in this tourney. Remember last year between Iran and Jordan? That’s the reason behind Jordan national team did not participate anymore in this year’s edition.

1. Iran has proven its maturity as a team. They beat the Philippines 81-68 on its first game and Japan 77-73 on the second game. What makes their two wins special is the fact that they did it without three national mainstays Hamed Haddadi, Javad Davari and Hamed Afagh. Probably those three can make a difference.
2. Japan is for real. After a disappointing decade in the international basketball, it seems that they are as serious as most of the elite teams in Asia. Though they lost twice already, those twin losses were close enough. They led most of the way against Lebanon until they ran out of gas and lost 82-87. Against Iran, the Japanese were just beaten by 4 points, 73-77. It seems that they are dead serious in trying to reclaim the respect the other countries had with them before.
3. Smart Gilas has shown its vast improvement with a healthy line-up and a naturalized prospect. It’s just a matter of time that this team reaches its peak. They lost to Iran by 13 points but I can see their progress as a team.

I’ll be posting my thoughts as the tournament progresses.

Twelve months later, I have written a total of 147 posts on this site. This affirms that the count to one hundred begins with one. I have been blogging about different sports stuff, may it be in boxing, basketball and a few about tennis. However, I have thought of giving more attention on basketball particularly on the various international tournaments in Asia. Starting last April, that has been the focus of this site. I find the international basketball competitions here in Asia very exciting, very stiff and competitive. Before, we’re used to seeing China and South Korea in the finals with the former eventually clinching the title in the Asian level competition. Japan, Philippines and Kazakhstan used to slug it out for a place in the elite four. But times and things have changed. It has become almost everybody’s ballgame.

It is for that reason that I have decided to focus my thoughts on the international basketball in Asia. Nonetheless, it has been a rewarding experience to blog online for one year. I am looking forward for the next twelve months as I blog more about FIBA-Asia competitions.

1. Orimo, Takehiko 190 1970

2. Matsushima, Walterbrown 200 1975

3. Nagayama, Makoto 184 1977

4. Takeda, Ken 188 1978

5. Aono, Fumihiko 210 1978

6. Ito, Shunsuke 204 1979

7. Kinoshita, Hiroyuki 178 1980

8. Igarashi, Kei180 1980

9. Amino, Tomoo 196 1980

10. Tabuse, Yuta 173 1980

11. Asayama, Shogo 192 1981

12. Yamada, Daiji 200 1981

13. Tanaka, Ken 188 1981

14. Uzawa, Jun 196 1981

15. Kashiwagi, Shinsuke 183 1981

16. Aoshima, Shin  200 1983

17. Sakurai, Ryota 194 1983

18. Ishizaki, Takumi 188 1984

19. Kikuchi, Shohei 190 1984

20. Sakai, Taiji 190 1984

21. Okada, Yusuke 185 1984

22. Takeuchi, Kosuke 205 1985

23. Takeuchi, Joji 206 1985

24. Hirose, Kenta193 1985

25. Matsui, Keijuro 188 1985

26. Kawamura, Takuya 193 1986

27. Watanabe, Hironori 180 1988

28. Kanamaru, Kosuke 193 1989

29. Mitsuhara, Yuki 198 1989

Head Coach : Thomas Wisman

Coach Rajko gained international attention when he piloted Iran back to the Olympics after 60 years thru the 2007 FIBA-Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan. A year earlier, he steered the same team to a third place finish in the Doha Asian Games. It was an uphill task for a coach to bring Iran to the elite level coming from mediocre performances in the past.

Now that Toroman has been at the helm of Smart Gilas, he faces an extreme challenge of taking the Philippines back to its throne. The Philippines is doing everything to regain Asia’s basketball supremacy. However, in the ongoing FIBA-Asia Champions Cup, RP-Smart Gilas just absorbed back to back losses from Qatar’s Al Rayyan and Kazakhstan’s Astana Tigers. This proves that the team is still far from a perfect form.

With this scenario, the Philippines may have to bounce back from the grave to gain respect from its peers. The Guangzhou Asian Games is just around the corner and a lot has still to be done. Remember, coach Rajko led Iran to a third place finish in the Asian Games and a title in the Asian championship. Can he do the same thing for the Philippines this time around?

Photo Courtesy: Philstar.com

We’re approaching the end of May and by this time almost all of the professional basketball leagues across Asia are done with their campaigns. All eyes are on the formation and training of the respective national teams. As the competitions get tougher, some countries have already begun to overhaul their programs starting with the changing of the coaches and their staff.

China, coming from an embarrassing loss in their homecourt in the championship game last year, made a bold step in hiring American Bob Donewald, Jr.. Gone as head coach was countryman Guo Shiqiang. South Korea, likewise, named Yoo Jae-hak of the recent KBL champion Ulsan Mobis replacing former superstar Hur Jae to handle the coaching chores. Former US national team coach and veteran NBA tactician Lenny Wilkens joins Yoo at the bench. Still in the east, Japan hopes to check their continuing skid by taking on Illinois native Tom Wisman. Wisman has been the coach of the Link Tochigi Brex in the JBL Super League since 2008. He also used to handle the British and the Malaysians on the international arena. Down southeast, the Philippines hoping to regain the basketball supremacy on Asia has been training under the guidance of Rajko Toroman. The Serbian national, who led the Iranians for the title in 2007, is confident that he can take the Philippines back to its throne. Gone was Yeng Guiao who coached in the 2009 Worlds qualifier.

Across the western part of the continent, Lebanon severed ties with Serbian Dragan Raca while Iran and Jordan are keeping with Veselin Matic and Mario Palma respectively.  Raca, who mentored the Lebanese in 2007 FIBA-Asia championship that finished second and last year’s edition that placed fourth was sacked in favor of Tab Baldwin. Baldwin is a Kiwi-American who steered New Zealand to a fourth place finish in the 2002 World Championship in Indianapolis, USA.

These are just some of the scenarios of the different teams while preparing for tougher competitions ahead. To stay competitive, Asian teams are changing their ‘benches’.

**********

Third baseman Kim Dong-joo of the Doosan Bears remains to be the highest paid player for the second straight year in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBL). Kim who earns 700 million won this season leads the cast of 109 others who will receive at least 100 million won this 2010 season. Closely following him as the highest paid are Son Min-han of the Lotte Giants and Park Jin-man of the Samsung Lions who take home at least 600 million won each.

**********

Koo Dae-sung of the Hanwa Eagles has rejoined his team in practice while recovering injury in his left knee. His injury has caused him to just 38 appearances in the 2008 season. The 40-year old journeyman who has played in Japan’s NPB and United States’ MLB vows to help his team improve from last season’s disappointing campaign.