The Annual #BallerAwards: The Best of Asian Basketball in 2014

In lieu of a year-ender, I felt it would be better to go position-by-position and look at the best ballers of 2014. 

In this post, I will talk about the guys who did really well in the 2014 Asian basketball scene. Perhaps they led their countries/teams to titles and milestones. Perhaps they led their respective leagues in a certain statistical category. Perhaps they made history. Perhaps they did all of those things.

2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships: Final Day

The Philippines stormed back to pull the rug from under Japan in the battle for fifth place even as China, Iran, and Korea finished 1-2-3 on the last day of the 2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships. China, Iran, and Korea, consequently, qualify for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championships, which will be held in Crete, Greece.

China, Korea, and Iran all make it to the 2015 FIBA U18 World Championships
in Crete, Greece.

SCORES & RECAPS:

Final Day:     

MALAYSIA over KAZAKHSTAN, 86-74

Box Scores here.

The Malaysians ended their stirring run through the U18 tournament with a landmark win over Kazakhstan. Despite trailing for most of the contest, the SEABA side managed to rally in the final quarter and turn the table son the Kazakhs. Wing Jet Tan shot 6/10 from the floor to finish with a team-high 16 points for Malaysia, and he was backstopped by Yee Tong Heng and John Wong, who scored 15 and 14 respectively. The winners used stifling defense to steal this game, forcing 25 Kazakh turnovers. Coach Zlexey Yeropkin’s side, meanwhile, was paced by the 15 markers of Andrey Litvinenko.

2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships: Day Eight

The Philippines bounced back from losing to Taiwan by beating Kazakhstan on Day 8 of the 2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships. Batang Gilas will play Japan today for fifth place. Meanwhile, China and Iran prevailed in the semifinals to arrange a titular showdown for the U18 crown.

Mohammad Yousofvand is headed on a collision course
with Zhou Qi in the Finals. 

SCORES & RECAPS:

Day Eight:

                                                                                                             

HONG KONG over KUWAIT, 113-79

Box Scores here.

Hong Kong had a fast start and sustained it to beat Kuwait for 11^th place. The Hong Kongers led by 15 after one quarter and extended this to 24 at the half and went on cruise control till the end. Yee Fu Ho unloaded 32 points for the winners, hitting 7 triples in 26 minutes. Ka Chung On also did well, dropping 20 markers along with 10 assists and 3 steals. Ho Man Chu and Tsz Fung Lee added 17 and 12 points respectively. Kuwait drew a team-high 29 points from star guard Hamad Hasan, but they were crippled by 29 turnovers and 45% shooting from the line.

2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships: Day Seven

The Philippines went down yesterday, losing to the Taiwanese in the knockout quarterfinals on Day 7 of the 2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships. Batang Gilas joins Japan, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia in the consolation round, while China, Korea, and Iran join Taiwan in the semifinals.

The Final Four is set: Taiwan vs. China and Korea vs. Iran!

SCORES & RECAPS:

Day Seven:

                                                                                                             

QATAR over KUWAIT, 84-75

Box Scores here.

Qatar rebounded from missing the quarterfinals by beating fellow Gulf nation Kuwait. Abdulrahman Saad flashes his great scoring form anew, dropping 36 points on 55% FG shooting to lead the hosts, while Abdelrahman Abdelhaleem added 19 points and 14 rebounds. Ahmed Al-Yousif and Mohamed Abed each tallied 10 markers to underscore Qatar’s dominance in this game. The Qataris led by as many as 42 points in the third quarter. Kuwait, meanwhile, was paced by Abdullah Faraj’s 31 points. Star guard Hamad Hasan didn’t see action in this game for the Kuwaitis.

2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships: Day Six

The Philippines went through the wringer again, relying on the late-game heroics of Kobe Paras and Andrei Caracut to squeak past an overachieving Malaysian side at the close of group play on Day 6 of the 2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships. That result sealed the QF pairings, with China facing Kazakhstan, Batang Gilas battling Taiwan, Iran playing Malaysia, and Korea squaring off against Japan.

Andrei Caracut reacts after nailing the game-winning three-pointer as
Batang Gilas finished third in Group E.

SCORES & RECAPS:

Day Six:

                                                                                                             

KAZAKHSTAN over HONG KONG, 84-51

Box Scores here.

The Hong Kongers hung tough with the Kazakhs for the entire first quarter before the latter opened things up in the second period and proceeded in cruise control till the end. The taller Central Asians dominated the interior, outrebounding Hong Kong, 53-28, and outscoring them in the paint, 54-20. Valentin Kirilin and Ruslan Aitkali each dropped 21 points to lead coach Alexey Yeropkin’s squad to the final eight, where they will face China. Hong Kong, meanwhile, was paced by Ho Man Chu and Ka Chung On, who tallied 15 and 12 markers respectively. 

2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships: Day Five

The Philippines fell to powerhouse China on Day 5 of the 2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championships. China remained unbeaten along with Korea, Taiwan, and the Iranians.

Korea, Taiwan, China, and Iran remain undefeated in #FIBAAsiaU18.

SCORES & RECAPS:

Day Five:

                                                                                                             

HONG KONG over KUWAIT, 78-70

Box Scores here.

Kuwait started like a house on fire, leading 7-0 after five minutes and by 11 at the half, but Hong Kong buckled down to work and used a 32-14 third quarter to seize the momentum and coast to victory. Wai Hang Yip registered a jaw-dropping line – 16 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 blocks – to lead Hong Kong, while Ho Man Chu hit 6 triples to finish with 20 markers. Ka Chung On also impressed with 19 points and 6 steals. On the other end, Kuwait was paced by the combined 38 points of Hamad Hasan and Naser Al-Yahyouh.