It is July 30, 2013 here in Manila, and there are
only 2 nights left before the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championship Tournament, the
first ever held in these parts in four decades, kicks off at the ultramodern
Mall of Asia Arena and the historic Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Now that the rosters of the participating teams have
finally been revealed and confirmed, I can finally make the customary
team-by-team previews of the tournament. This is, of course, something not done
in much detail by other media outfits, so I am pretty excited. I plan to go
through the groups starting with Group D and ending with Group A. Each post
will focus on two teams, with the exception of the Group B preview, which will
include all three squads since FIBA Asia wasn’t able to find a well-prepared
replacement for the suspended Lebanese (I am still sad I won’t see Fadi El
Khatib play).
For this fifth post, I will look at the three Group B countries. One is an East Asian team returning to the FIBA Asia tourney for the
first time in six years, another is a squad that hasn’t been able to enter the
semifinals since 1997, and the last is the squad with one of the, if not the,
oldest rosters in the entire tournament.
 |
| Can Kosuke Takeuchi and the Japs sweep their first round assignments in Group B? (image from FIBAsia.net) |
I will name a few key players for each team, some
points of interest, and the general outlook for its performance. Where
possible, I will also specify the team’s international nickname/moniker. Please
note that a country’s basketball team usually uses the same moniker as its
football team, with a few notable exceptions of course.
Game? Alright. Lezz do dis.
Folks, I present to you Hong Kong, Japan, and Qatar.
HONG
KONG (HKG)
Qualification: Placed fourth in the 2013 EABA Tournament, beating Mongolia,
but losing to China, South Korea, and Japan.
Last FIBA
Asia Appearance: 2007 – 3 wins &
3 losses – Beat Syria, UAE, and Kuwait, but lost to Taiwan, South Korea, China,
and Indonesia.
Roster:
Name
|
Age
|
Height
|
Position
|
Lee Ki
|
26
|
5’10
|
G
|
Duncan Reid
|
24
|
6’9
|
C
|
Lam Man Chun
|
26
|
6’1
|
G/F
|
Lau Tsz Lai
|
23
|
6’1
|
G
|
Li Kim Wong
|
29
|
6’1
|
G
|
Chan Siu Wing
|
21
|
5’11
|
G
|
Lau Tung Leung
|
25
|
6’10
|
C
|
Chan Yik Lun
|
26
|
6’3
|
F
|
Fong Shing Yee
|
30
|
6’3
|
F
|
Wong Chun Wai
|
28
|
6’5
|
F
|
Szeto Wai Kit
|
26
|
6’5
|
C/F
|
Key Players:
1) Duncan Reid – The half-Canadian big man
wasn’t able to really put up big numbers in the 2013 EABA tournament, but he
will still see a lot of burn when Hong Kong takes on Japan and Qatar in Group
B. He’ll probably get his behind handed to him by JR Sakuragi and Yasseen Ismail
Musa, but the important thing is he will gain valuable experience for Hong
Kong’s future wars. What he really needs to work on, however, is his footwork
and timing on the boards.
 |
| Duncan Reis shoots over the JPN defense. (image from Jumpball.co.kr) |
2) Lee Ki – When Lee Ki shoots the basketball,
you can be forgiven for mistaking him for a Korean. Lights out. That’s what he
is. In HKG’s first two games in the 2013 EABA tournament, Lee hit 4 triples
against the mainland Chinese and duplicated that feat against Mongolia. Without
top gunners Poon Chi Ho, Lo Yi Ting, and Liang Man Hung, coach Kwong Wai Cheung
will really have to rely on Lee to spark the perimeter game of the Hong Kongers
(yes, that’s their demonym).
Point of
Interest:
1) Welcome back – In their last FIBA Asia
tourney, which was held in Tokushima, Japan way back in 2007, Hong Kong had a
respectable 3-3 slate, with impressive wins over Michael Madanly’s Syria, the
UAE, and Kuwait. With a host of new and young players in the lineup, HKG is
certainly not looking to snare Ws this year, but they want to just build up for
the next few years when the FIBA Asia format undergoes a total overhaul.
Tournament
Outlook:
The Hong Kongers will be hard-pressed to match their
previous FIBA Asia tournament record as
they will be severe underdogs in their first five games. I expect them to go
0-5 after two rounds and have a tough time even against the Saudis. In short,
the cellar welcomes back Team Hong Kong.
JAPAN
(JPN)
Moniker: Team Hayabusa
Qualification: Placed third in the 2013 EABA Tournament, beating
Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong, but losing to South Korea and China.
Last FIBA
Asia Appearance: 2011 – 5 wins &
4 losses – Beat Jordan, Syria, Indonesia, UAE, and Taiwan but lost to China,
the Philippines, South Korea, and Lebanon.
Roster:
Name
|
Age
|
Height
|
Position
|
JR Sakuragi
|
37
|
6’8
|
C
|
Kosuke Takeuchi
|
28
|
6’9
|
C/F
|
Kosuke Kanamaru
|
24
|
6’4
|
G/F
|
Makoto Hiejima
|
23
|
6’3
|
F
|
Ryota Sakurai
|
30
|
6’5
|
G/F
|
Atsuya Ota
|
29
|
6’9
|
C/F
|
Sean Hinkley
|
22
|
6’7
|
F
|
Takahiro Kurihara
|
26
|
6’4
|
F
|
Keijuro Matsui
|
28
|
6’2
|
G
|
Naoto Tsuji
|
24
|
6’1
|
G
|
Daiki Tanaka
|
22
|
6’4
|
G/F
|
Yuta Watanabe
|
19
|
6’7
|
F
|
Key Players:
1) JR Sakuragi – I am pretty sure that
Sakuragi is the oldest guy playing this year, but I doubt if that will slow him
down considerably. In the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup, Sakuragi showed that he could
still compete and be athletic against the younger bigs of the opposing teams. He
normed nearly 13 points and 8 rebounds in that tournament and I wouldn’t be
surprised if he duplicates that against Asia’s best bigs.
2) Kosuke Kanamaru – With many of Japan’s
resident snipers missing this edition (more on that later), Kanamaru will be
the designated go-to-guy on the perimeter. He led Japan in the 2012 FIBA Asia
Cup in scoring and three-point shooting. This guy hit 3 treys per outing and
connected on 51% of his rainbow attempts. If he gets hot, then Team Hayabusa will
be in a good position to advance.
 |
| Kosuke Kanamaru will have the green light to shoot in Manila. (image from Basketball-TPE.org) |
3) Ryota Sakurai – Coach Kimikazu Suzuki has a
penchant for using big playmakers, and this is where Sakurai comes in. He is
taller than most PGs in Asia and faster than most guys his size, so he presents
a potential match-up problem. Here’s more known as a slasher and great finisher
in transition, but on a good night, he can also be a lights out sniper.
Points of
Interest:
1) Missing Stars – Many guys who have been
mainstays for Team Hayabusa are missing from the 2013 roster. The most notable
ones are Takuya Kawamura (trying out in the States), Takumi Ishizaki (Europe),
Shinsuke Kashiwagi, Tomoo Amino, and Joji Takeuchi (injuries). With a big chunk
of its roster composed of young guys or newbies to the FIBA Asia tournament,
the big questions is how will they respond?
2) Yuta Watanabe – If China has a pair of
fresh young talents in Guo Ailun and Wang Zhelin, and Korea has Kim Jong-Kyu
and Lee Jong-Hyun, then Japan has its own teen wunderkind in the person of 6’7
19-year old Yuta Watanabe. Watanabe was actually set to go to the US and enroll
in an American high school in the hopes of cracking a US NCAA Division 1 team
in the future, but he was called back to Team Hayabusa when Joji Takeuchi’s
injury didn’t heal fast enough. Now Watanabe, who is described as a “6’7 big
guy with the handles of a guard,” will have his first taste (or baptism of
fire) of the highest level of basketball in Asia.
Tournament
Outlook:
Japan caught a break with the suspension of Lebanon,
since I think both the Lebanese and Qataris have a distinct advantage over this
EABA nation. They will automatically advance to round 2 and should face stiff
competition against the Pinoys, the Taiwanese, and the Jordanians. I am picking
Japan to still advance to the quarterfinals as maybe the third or fourth seed
in Group E.
QATAR
(QAT)
Moniker: Al Ennabi (The Crimsons)
Qualification: Won the 2012 Gulf Tournament, beating Oman, UAE,
Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.
Last FIBA Asia
Appearance: 2011 – 0 wins & 6
losses – Lost to Iran, Taiwan, UAE, India, and Bahrain. Five players from Al
Ennabi were deemed ineligible back in 2011 – Targuy Ngombo, Osseynou N’Diaye,
Mame Ndour, Mansour El Hadary, and Hassan Mohamed. Of those names, El Hadary
and Mohamed have already been reinstated. El Hadary, in fact, has become a
permanent fixture on the Qatar NT and will be their starting PG here in Manila.
Roster:
Name
|
Age
|
Height
|
Position
|
Mohammed Yousef
|
31
|
6’9
|
C
|
Yasseen Ismail Musa
|
33
|
6’9
|
C/F
|
Jarvis Hayes
|
32
|
6’6
|
F
|
Erfan Ali Saeed
|
30
|
6’7
|
F
|
Mansour El Hadary
|
23
|
5’11
|
G
|
Mohammed Abdullah
|
31
|
6’8
|
C/F
|
Baker Ahmad Mohammed
|
27
|
6’8
|
F
|
Ali Turki Ali
|
31
|
6’8
|
F
|
Saad Abdulrahman
|
28
|
6’4
|
G
|
Khalid Suliman Abdi
|
26
|
6’6
|
G/F
|
Daoud Daoud
|
31
|
6’4
|
G/F
|
Malek Salem
|
27
|
6’2
|
G
|
Key Players:
1) Jarvis Hayes – Like Jordan’s Jimmy Baxter,
Hayes will be competing in his first ever FIBA Asia tournament. I expect he
will have to go through a longer period of adjustment compared to Baxter,
though, since Hayes hasn’t played any top-flight Asian NT of late. Having said
that, Hayes possesses a skill-set that is rare in this continent, and I think
he can potentially be the best big wing player once the tournament is done.
2) Mansour El Hadary – With Qatar’s basketball
bigwigs opting to choose a big wing player like Hayes over quick “imports” like
Trey Johnson( suited up for QAT in the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup) and Boney Watson
(played for QAT in the 2012 Gulf Tournament), the onus will be on El Hadary to
orchestrate the offense. In the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup, El Hadary played three
games as Qatar’s main point guard (in the rest of the games he played behind
Johnson), averaging 9.7ppg and 1.7apg while shooting 44% from downtown. The highlight
of his play was a 21-point outburst against the mighty Iranians. Clearly, this
guy can play.
3) Yasseen Ismail Musa – Probably the most
iconic player in Qatar’s basketball history, Musa will probably play in his
last FIBA Asia tournament here in Manila. The 6’9 stretch forward will be one
of the focal points on offense for Al Ennabi, since he can just hurt the
opposition from practically any spot on the floor. Hayes might be the new top
dog for coach Tom Wisman, but Musa will continue to be the heart and soul of
this quintet.
 |
| Musa slashes against Smart-Gilas in the 2011 FIBA Asia Champions Cup. (image from FIBAAsia.net) |
Points of
Interest:
1) Getting Better or Worse with age? – Qatar
has 7 guys who are 30 or older. That says a lot about the experience and
chemistry we can expect from this team, but the flipside is their endurance,
especially since this is a 9-games-in-11-days tournament, might no longer be one
of their strengths. If coach Wisman can manage to keep his stalwarts healthy,
then Qatar should be a dangerous foe in the knockout rounds.
2) Proving a Point – 2011 was a big
embarrassment for Qatar. Five of their players were deemed ineligible. They lost
two of their games by default and lost another two before the first period even
ended. The only game they completed was a 78-94 loss to Taiwan. This time
around, Qatar is hoping to prove to the rest of Asia that it is still a force
to be reckoned with.
Tournament
Outlook:
I am picking Qatar ahead of Japan in round 1 and
picking them ahead of Jordan in round 2. I think against the Philippines and
Taiwa, Qatar will be a slight underdog, but, hey, this is an experienced team
that can definitely go deep into the tournament if they peak at the right time
and stay healthy. If they manage to avoid China and Iran in the quarterfinals,
they might even advance to the semis.
#parasabayan
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