It was a
banner year for FIBA Asia, but, in lieu of an Asian hoops year-ender, I felt it
would be better to go position-by-position and look at the best FIBA Asia
players of 2013. These are the guys who did really well in the Asian hoops
circuit, in particular in the 2013 FIBA Asia Champions Cup, the 2013 Jones Cup,
the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championships, and the subsequent qualifying
tournaments. One thing I will also factor in is the players’ performances in
their respective pro leagues. Were they able to lead their teams to the title
in one, or some, or all of these tournaments? What kind of mark did they leave
on FIBA Asia as a whole this year?
In this
post, we will look at the FIBA Asia players who surprised us, those who showed
prowess beyond their years, and those who dominated all year. We will give Baller
Awards to the FIBA Asia Breakthrough Player, FIBA Asia Young Gun, and FIBA Asia
Player of the Year for 2013.
 |
| Quincy Davis had a banner year for Taiwan. |
The Breakthrough Player Nominees:
Mohammed
Al Marwani - Team Saudi Arabia and Al
Ittihad (KSA Premier League)
The 6’9 Al Marwani made on the very
first day of the FIBA Asia Men’s Championships, giving Marcus Douthit and the
rest of the Philippine frontline fits. The big man from Al Ittihad was
aggressive on both ends of the floor, eventually ending up with a dozen points,
a dozen rebounds, and a block in 33 minutes of action. He helped Saudi keep in
step with the hosts till late in the game when Gilas pulled away. He’s one of
only three guys to average a double-double at the end of the tournament, along
with Iran’s Hamed Haddadi and Bahrain’s CJ Giles. Not the worst company, eh? He
also helped Al Ittihad capture the KSA Premier League title in 2013 by beating
Al Ansar in the Finals.
 |
| Mohammed Al Marwani receives a pass against the Philippines |
Kim
Min-Goo – Team Korea, Kyung Hee University (Korean College Basketball League),
and KCC Egis (KBL)
You might get tired reading about this
kid (he was named the Best FIBA Asia SG of 2013 and he’s also nominated for the
next two awards), but that’s just a testament to how good he was in 2013 and
how promising he is for the future of Korean hoops. In case you didn’t read one
of our previous posts featuring Min-Goo, here’s a summary: he led Kyung Hee to
a collegiate three-peat, led Korea in winning the 2013 EABA tourney, was huge
in Korea’s placing in the top three of the FIBA Asia Men’s Championships, and
was chosen second overall in the 2013 KBL Draft. Currently, he is one of the
top scorers for his club team, KCC Egis. And, well, he’s not even 23 yet.
Mohammad
Hadrab – Team Jordan and Applied Science University (Jordan Premier League
& FIBA Asia Champions Cup)
When Jordan’s veteran core (e.g. Sam
Daghlas, Zaid Abbas, Islam Abbas, Ayman Idais, and Rasheim Wright) all missed
the Manila tournament, it was clear this wouldn’t be the same squad who won
silver in Wuhan two years ago. Still, Al Nashama was plenty competitive, and
they can thank former substitute forward Mohammad Hadrab for that. Hadrab
showcased his versatility in the tournament, leading Jordan in scoring. He also
helped ASU win the 2013 Jordan Premier League title and finish third in the
Champions Cup.
Duncan
Reid – Team Hong Kong
The 6’9 half-Canadian was a revelation
for Hong Kong in the FIBA Asia tourney, averaging about 12 points and 8
rebounds in 7 contests. Hong Kong won just one game for the entire competition,
but Reid impressed a lot of people with his hustle and energy. His best games
were a 17-point, 19-rebound effort against the hosts and a 20-point, 13-rebound
total against the Japanese. He still needs to polish his post game, but, given
his size and endurance, he has the makings of a solid FIBA Asia big man for
future jousts.
Jayson
Castro – Team Philippines and Tak N Text (PBA)
When the FIBA Asia tourney started,
hardly anybody outside of the Philippines knew anything about Jayson, but now
I’m sure he has become a feared cager for opposing guards throughout the
continent. His combination of speed, shooting, and playmaking was difficult to
match in Manila, and his place among Asia’s best guards is definitely secure. I
mean, he was named part of the All-Star Five in his first try, and his team is
headed to Spain for the World Cup!
And the BALLER goes to…
JAYSON
CASTRO
No way we can talk about FIBA Asia in
2013 without talking about the impact Castro has made. Everyone knew Marcus
Douthit would be an awesome center. Everyone knew Chot Reyes would be a
formidable coach. Everyone knew the Philippine team was loaded with talent. But
i don’t think a lot of FIBA insiders expected Castro to make the sort of impact
he did. The fact of the matter is Castro broke into the FIBA Asia scene and
just left everyone tasting his dust.
 |
| Jayson Castro was a blur in the FIBA Asia tourney. |
The Young Gun Nominees (guys 22 years old or
younger):
Kim
Min-Goo – Team Korea, Kyung Hee University (Korean College Basketball League),
and KCC Egis (KBL)
Min-Goo was just a whirlwind for Korea.
He impressed a lot of fans with his fearlessness, his hustle, and, most of all,
his shooting. He connected on 10 triples total in the semis and battle for
third place. Overall he led the entire field in three-pointers made. He led his
team in scoring and total field goals made, and was second in assists and
steals.
Amjyot
Singh – Team India and Indian Overseas Bank/Tamil Nadu (India-NBC)
At 6’8 and nearing 22 years old, Amjyot
is one young talent we cannot afford to overlook. I mean, this is a kid who had
a WHOA chase-down block on Japan’s Naoto Tsuji. What should that tell you? That
Amjyot is a fearless young fella with loads of athleticism. He averaged around
10 points, 7 rebounds, and more than 1 block per game for India, wowing a lot
of fans with his hops and great timing. If he can polish his offensive game,
then he can certainly blossom into one of the top stretch-forwards in the
continent.
Guo
Ailun – Team China and Liaoning Flying Leopards (CBA)
At many points in the Manila
tournament, Guo looked like China’s best point guard. He was certainly the most
aggressive and consistent one of the bunch, with Chen Jianghua and Liu Xiaoyu
both struggling with lingering injuries. Overall, Guo impressed despite playing
alongside more illustrious teammates. He averaged around 8 points, 2 rebounds,
and 2 assists per game, while shooting close to 60% from the field. Currently,
Guo has been hampered by injuries. He has played just two games for Liaoning in
the CBA. His club is currently mired in the middle of the standings with a
10-10 slate.
Wang
Zhelin – Team China and Fujian QB Sturgeons (CBA)
At just 19 years of age, Wang was
already made the usual starter for China in the FIBA Asia Men’s Championships.
He averaged about 17 minutes per game, mainly because of two things: he was
often in foul trouble (3 or more fouls in four games), and the much older Wang
Zhizhi was actually more effective than this young kid from the Fujian
Sturgeons. Still, Zhelin had some bright moments, in Manila, most notably his
near-double-double efforts against Malaysia (21 points and 8 rebounds) and
India (18 points and 9 boards). One aspect of his game he really has to work
on, however, is his defense. He had just three blocks in nine games. He did
much better in the CBA, though, where he normed 20 points and 13 rebounds in
2012-2013. Currently, he is putting up 24 points, 11 boards, and 1 block per
outing in the 2013-2014 season.
Lee
Jong-Hyun – Team Korea and Korea University (Korean University Basketball
League)
Jong-Hyun not only made the national
team at 19 years old, he also helped his school, Korea University, dethrone
two-time champions Kyung-Hee in the KUBL Finals. Jong-Hyun had 19 points and 10
rebounds as his team won game three of the Finals. He was, by far, the most
impressive freshman in the KUBL, and a lot of KBL squads are already salivating
at the prospect of drafting a can’t-miss kid like Jong-Hyun. Of course, being
one of the top bigs in Korea’s team during the FIBA Asia Men’s Championships is
another feather in his cap.
And the BALLER goes to…
KIM
MIN-GOO
Just the most dominant young kid of the
year in FIBA Asia hoops. He led Kyung-Hee to its fourth Finals appearance in a
row, led Korea’s march to the 2014 World Cup, led Korea in the EABA tournament,
and was drafted 2nd overall in the KBL. Right now, he’s the toast of
Korean hoops, and it is not farfetched to imagine him wreaking havoc in future
competitions.
 |
| Kim Min-Goo is our 2013 FIBA Asia Young Gun! |
The Player of the Year Nominees:
Quincy
Davis – Team Taiwan and Pure Youth Construction (Taiwan-SBL)
He’s the Best FIBA Asia Center of 2013
mainly because of how he changed Taiwan basketball. He’s the biggest reason
Taiwan crashed the semifinals of the FIBA Asia Men’s Championship, finished
second in the Jones Cup, and won the East Asian Games gold medal for
basketball. It sure looks like Taiwan’s time has come.
Yi
Jianlian – Team China and Guangdong Southern Tigers (CBA)
Yi continues to dominate in the CBA for
Guangdong and remains the most skilled big man in the entire continent. He
might have failed to land an outright World Cup berth for China during the FIBA
Asia Men’s tourney, but Yi is still relatively young (in his mid-20s), so the
Best FIBA Asia PF of 2013 still has a lot of time.
 |
| Yi Jianlian tests the defense of Kim Jong-Kyu. |
Samad
Nikkhah Bahrami – Team Iran, Mahram Tehran (Iranian Superleague), Foolad Mahan
Isfahan (FIBA Asia Champions Cup), and Fujian QB Sturgeons (CBA)
Bahrami was definitely the best natural
small forward of the FIBA Asia tourney, and he was Iran’s main man for the
entire year. Iran copped the WABA crown, the Jones Cup, the Champions Cup, and
the FIBA Asia crown all with Bahrami leading the way. Now the Best FIBA Asia SF
of 2013 is playing his trade for the Fujian Sturgeons in the CBA.
Kim
Min-Goo – Team Korea, Kyung Hee University (Korean College Basketball League),
and KCC Egis (KBL)
Min-Goo was Korea’s best college player
in 2013, and he was also its best overall player in the FIBA Asia Men’s
Championships. He led Kyung-Hee to its fourth straight KUBL Finals appearance
and was picked second in the KBL Draft. Phew. Just so many achievements, and
still so very young.
Jayson
Castro – Team Philippines and Tak N Text (PBA)
The guy Pinoys call The Blur was the
Best Player of the Philippine Cup, led TNT to the Philippine Cup title, was
named to the First Team of the PBA’s 2012-2013 season, led Gilas to second
place in the FIBA Asia Men’s tournament, and was named part of the FIBA Asia All-Star
Five. He has left everyone tasting his dust.
And the BALLER goes to…
SAMAD
NIKKHAH BAHRAMI
Bahrami made it his mission to redeem
Iran for its failings in 2011. That’s mainly why Team Melli was just so
unstoppable all year. And Iran’s main man? Well, both Hamed Haddadi and Mahdi
Kamrani may make good arguments for that, but Iran will definitely not be Iran
without Samad Nikkhah Bahrami.
 |
| Samad Nikkhah Bahrami is the FIBA Asia Player of the Year for 2013. |
All images are from FIBA.com.
0 Comment