Asian Basketball Journal - May 30, 2014

Here in the Philippines there really is no site (or person) really dedicated to the Asian hoops scene, which is why this series exists. Through this series of Asian Basketball Journals, I hope to address just that void. I believe that Asian basketball is such a vibrant source of stories, and I think this should be shared with hoop nuts here in the Philippines and beyond.

Like in previous posts, I won’t be going into a lot of detail. I’ll use mostly images and then just add captions to each one that will, hopefully, capture the essence of the latest developments in Asian hoops.

Top Left: Elie Stephan in the 2014 LBL Finals.
Middle Left: Toshiba's Game 2 celebration.
Right: Sam Daghlas is back for Al Nashama!
Bottom: The 2014 NBL-Japan Champions!

As always, the past couple of weeks saw many interesting things happen. The 2014 West Asia Basketball Association Men’s Tournament got underway, with the winner earning a ticket to the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China. The 2014 Lebanese Basketball League also saw Al Riyadi and Sagesse advance to the Finals at the expense of Byblos and Amchit. Out in East Asia, NBL-Japan wrapped up its season with a thrilling Finals series between the Toshiba Brave Thunders and the Wakayama Trians.

2014 Lebanese Basketball League (LBL): It’s Riyadi opposite Sagesse in the 2014 LBL Finals!
Find detailed recaps and box scores here.

The 2014 WABA Men's Championship was played in Amman, Jordan this past week.
(image from the Jordanian National Basketball Team Facebook page)

Ahmad Al-Dwairi throws one down against the Iranians. The 20-year old 6'11 center is expected to be the bulwark of the future of Jordanian hoops.
(image from the Jordanian National Basketball Team Facebook page)

Old running-mates Wesam Al-Sous (#11) and veteran naturalized player Rasheim Wright have reunited for the Jordanian NT.
(image from the Jordanian National Basketball Team Facebook page)

Salim Sakanini of Palestine tries to thwart an attempt from the Yemeni quintet.
(image from the Jordanian National Basketball Team Facebook page)

Legendary FIBA Asia playmaker Sam Daghlas also makes a return to the Jordanian NT!
(image from the Jordanian National Basketball Team Facebook page)

CBA veteran Sani Sakanini of Palestine challenges the interior defense of Iraq.
Sakanini led the Palestinians to a disappointing 1-4 record.
(image from the Jordanian National Basketball Team Facebook page)

Wesam Al-Sous coasts to an easy two points as Jordan beat Yemen in Day 1 of the tournament.
(image from the Jordanian National Basketball Team Facebook page)

2014 WABA Men’s Tournament: Jordan sweeps the competition and books a ticket to Wuhan!
League box scores can be found here.

Naturalized Lebanese player Loren Woods slams one home as Al Riyadi eliminated Byblos in the semifinals.
Woods had 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks in Riyadi's series-clinching Game 3 win.
(image by Najib Haiby/Sports-Leb)

Import Dewarwick Spencer hit 5 threes as Sagesse ended the season of Amchit via a three-game sweep in the semifinals.
(image by Najib Haiby/Sports-Leb)

Imports Dewarwick Spencer of Sagesse (left) and Ahmad Ismail of Al Riyadi (right) are two of the men to watch in the 2014 LBL Finals.
(image by Sports-Leb)

Al Riyadi hosted Game 1 of the 2014 LBL Finals at the Al Manara Stadium in Beirut. Al Riyadi was the top team at the end of the elimination round and has won seven of its last eight games.
(image by Sports-Leb)

Ali Haidar of Al Riyadi shoots over Daniel Faris of Sagesse in Game 1 action. Haidar scored 4 points in 5 minutes to help the home team gain a 1-0 series lead.
(image by Sports-Leb)

Elie Stephan tries to get past Ahmad Ibrahim in this bit of action from Game 1. Stephan is a mainstay of the Lebanese NT. He scored 14 points in this game, including hitting 4 triples. His team, however, lost, 78-68.
(image by Sports-Leb)

2014 Japan-NBL: Toshiba defeats Wakayama, 3-0, in the Finals!
League box scores can be found here.
League photos can be found on the official NBL-Japan Facebook page.

Senegalese swingman Mamadou Diouf of Toshiba scored 14 points in 19 minutes as the Brave Thunders beat the Trians in Game 1, 69-61. Diouf will play for Senegal in the 2014 World Cup and will, therefore, face Gilas Pilipinas in the first round.
(image from NBL-Japan)

Takuya Kawamura scored 20 points in Game 1, but the Wakayama Trians still fell short against the Toshiba Brave Thunders. Kawamura averaged 20 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal for Wakayama this season. He also hit nearly 3 triples per game. He is expected to play for Japan in the 2014 Asian Games.
(image from NBL-Japan)

30-year old 6'11 import Rick Rickert had a great Game 2 line -- 21 points and 18 rebounds -- but the Trians still couldn't steal one against the Toshiba Brave Thunders, 80-78.
(image from NBL-Japan)

Toshiba Brave Thunders shooting guard Ryusei Shinoyana (#7 fading away on the right portion of the image) hit the game-winning shot in Game 2. The Thunders rallied from a halftime deficit. This was just Shinoyama's second field goal of the entire game.
(image from NBL-Japan)

Takuya Kawamura sprawls on the floor in exhaustion and frustration after scoring 33 points in Game 2, which the Wakayama Trians still lost.
(image from NBL-Japan)

The Brave Thunders mob Ryusei Shinoyama after he buried the game-winning jumper in Game 2 of the Finals.
(image from NBL-Japan)

Cedric Bozeman goes up strong for 2 of his 11 points in Game 3 of the Finals.
(image from NBL-Japan)

6'11 Japanese center Fumihiko Aono dominated down low for the Wakayama Trians in Game 3. The former NT big man scored 14 points and hauled down 13 boards in the defeat.
(image from NBL-Japan)

Usual reliable Hiroyuki Kinoshita laid a goose egg in Game 3 as the Trians lost at home, 78-61. Strangely enough, coach Zeljko Pavlicevic of Wakayama didn't play any of his imports in this game.
(image from NBL-Japan)

Naoto Tsuji lines up 1 of his 6 triples in Game 3, where he finished with 20 points and 3 assists. Tsuji had a great season for Toshiba, and he is expected to have a breakout performance for the Japanese NT in the 2014 Asian Games.
(image from NBL-Japan)

Former PBA import Nick Fazekas was unstoppable for Toshiba, scoring 25 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and blocking 4 shots as the Brave Thunders closed out the series and the championship.
(image from NBL-Japan)