(this earlier appeared on my column on FIBA.com)
With only one ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics up for grabs at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, the competition promises to be at a very high level.
Most of the top Asian stars will probably be present in that event, even those who have previously signified their interest in retiring like Fadi El Khatib (Lebanon), Kim Joo-Sung (Korea), and Liu Wei (China).
This should certainly make the action even more heated up.
Another thing to get really excited about, however, is seeing the new breed of Asian cagers who are projected to inherit the mantles of leadership from their respective clubs.
This is something we witnessed at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship as the likes of Kazakhstan's Alexandr Zhigulin, Jordan's Ahmad Al Dwairi, Filipino center June Mar Fajardo, Japanese swingman Yuta Watanabe, Chinese playmaker Guo Ailun, Iranian sensation Mohammad Jamshidi and Indian giant Satnam Singh Bhamara all made their auspicious debuts at the senior level in Manila.
Likewise, at this year's edition of the event taking place in Changsha, China from 23 September-3 October, there will surely be a good number of players in their teens or early 20s who will burst onto the continent's biggest basketball competition for the first time and strive to make good impressions.
Last week, in the first of this two-part series, we looked at Behnam Yakhchali (Iran), Wael Arakji (Lebanon) and Saad Abdulrahman Mohamed (Qatar).
In this week's second part, we look at emerging players from India, China, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines.
With only one ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics up for grabs at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, the competition promises to be at a very high level.
Most of the top Asian stars will probably be present in that event, even those who have previously signified their interest in retiring like Fadi El Khatib (Lebanon), Kim Joo-Sung (Korea), and Liu Wei (China).
This should certainly make the action even more heated up.
Another thing to get really excited about, however, is seeing the new breed of Asian cagers who are projected to inherit the mantles of leadership from their respective clubs.
This is something we witnessed at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship as the likes of Kazakhstan's Alexandr Zhigulin, Jordan's Ahmad Al Dwairi, Filipino center June Mar Fajardo, Japanese swingman Yuta Watanabe, Chinese playmaker Guo Ailun, Iranian sensation Mohammad Jamshidi and Indian giant Satnam Singh Bhamara all made their auspicious debuts at the senior level in Manila.
Likewise, at this year's edition of the event taking place in Changsha, China from 23 September-3 October, there will surely be a good number of players in their teens or early 20s who will burst onto the continent's biggest basketball competition for the first time and strive to make good impressions.
Last week, in the first of this two-part series, we looked at Behnam Yakhchali (Iran), Wael Arakji (Lebanon) and Saad Abdulrahman Mohamed (Qatar).
In this week's second part, we look at emerging players from India, China, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines.
