2012 was a
great year for international ball. We had the Olympics, the FIBA World
Championships for Boys, the Jones Cup, and several other noteworthy tourneys.
In this post, we’ll look at the events that distracted us from our usual dose
of NBA and local hoops, and we’ll look at the teams, the players, and the
headlines that made us scream at the top of our lungs (cheering or jeering) out
of patriotic pride.
Indonesia Warriors win the 2012 ASEAN Basketball
League crown
For the
third straight year, a Filipino team made it to the ABL Finals, but, for the
second straight year, that Filipino team fell short of copping the championship
trophy.
Led by,
ironically, Filipino-American spitfire Stanley Pringle, the Indonesia Warriors
scalped the San Miguel Beermen in three games to bring the ABL crown home toJakarta. Pringle led the way in Game 3 with 28 points, while American imports
Evan Brock and Steve Thomas combined for 25 markers. Two other Pinoy imports,
Jerick Cañada and Allan Salangsang, proved vital for Indonesia’s cause. Native
Indons on the Warriors’ roster combined for just 11 points in the deciding game
(Mario Wuysang, Arki Wisnu, and Amin Prihantono).
In their
first ABL season, the Beermen did really well by advancing to the Finals, where
they were the slight favorites to take the crown back to Manila – a Pinoy team,
the Air Asia Philippine Patriots, won the ABL Championship in its maiden season
in 2010. Import Duke Crews led the way in Game 3 for SMB with 29 points while
Pringle’s fellow Fil-Am rival, Chris Banchero, poured in 16 markers.
Indonesia’s
Todd Purves was named Coach of the Year, Steve Thomas was named Defensive
Player of the Year, while Evan Brock was feted as the Finals MVP. SMB’s Leo
Avenido was adjudged Season MVP.
Team USA cops Olympic Gold & the FIBA
Boys Tourney Championship
Team USA
continued to assert its dominance over the whole friggin’ world by winning two
major FIBA tournaments this year – the FIBA U17 World Championships and the
London Olympics Basketball Games.
Led by top
collegiate prospects Jahlil Okafor, Conner Frankamp, and Jabari Parker, the
American boys ran roughshod over the Aussies in the Final of the 2012 FIBA U17
tourney held in Lithuania. Okafor, a 6’11 behemoth from Arkansas, produced 17 points
and 8 rebounds for Team USA in the title game, while high-scoring point guard
Frankamp tossed in 22 markers on 7-of-9 FG shooting. Parker, one of the biggest
names on the roster, scored 12 points in just 14 minutes of play. The 6’8
17-year old combo-forward from Chicago, Illinois just announced his signing
with perennial NCAA powerhouse Duke University. He will be an eligible freshman
for the 2013-2014 NCAA season. His achievements have already been compared to
that of another Chicago native – Derrick Rose.
For his
part, Dante Exum, a 6’4 shooting guard out of Melbourne, led the Aussies with
21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists on 8-of-17 FG shooting. This early, he’s
being eyed as a potential lottery draft pick in the NBA once he becomes
eligible in 2014. NCAA heavyweights Georgetown and Indiana have reportedly
tendered offers for him to play in their respective programs.
In the
London Olympics, Team USA remained the undisputed king by romping through the
competition and punching through undefeated, 8-0. They didn’t have the easiest
of times in a couple of games (they beat Lithuania by just 5 in the elims and
beat Spain by just 7 in the gold medal game), but it was clear they were the
heavy favorites to retain the title – and they did just that.
 |
| LeBron James and the Americans dominated the international basketball scene in 2012. (image from FIBA.com) |
Kevin Durant
was awesome in the final game, finishing with 30 points and 9 rebounds, while
Spain’s Pau Gasol netted 24 markers, 8 boards, and 7 dimes. LeBron James and
Kobe Bryant added 19 and 17 points respectively for the Americans, while Juan
Carlos Navarro and Marc Gasol scored 21 and 17 points respectively for the
Spaniards.
