CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016) - The group stage in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016 is done, and the Quarter-Finals are about to go down. ONGC of India and the Malaysia Dragons have bit the dust, while eight other teams remain in contention for the Champions Cup crown. The games from Days 1 to 5 have been quite exciting, and, no doubt, we’ve learned a few things along the way.

Imports matter
In a tournament like this where teams are allowed to be reinforced by two imports, one plain truth can be derived — the quality of imports can a very big difference. ONGC is a good example. The Indian side certainly have good size and talent, but they just could not match up well against opposing teams’ imports, especially given some of the injuries they sustained. Al Ahli of UAE, on the other hand, is a great example of a team that went far because of great imports. Samuel Young, in particular, has really shone as a nearly unstoppable scoring machine.

All it takes is one dry spell
In Day 5’s exciting match up between powerhouse clubs Al Riyadi and Petrochimi, one things was clear — no matter how good you are, all it takes is one dry spell for you to get blindsided. The Iranians went scoreless for nearly 6 minutes in the fourth quarter, and that was more than enough time for the Lebanese to break the game open. What was a tied game entering the fourth period was turned into a bona fide blowout.

The young belong here, too
Many teams in Asia are in a state of transition, with some veteran players finally hanging their sneakers or giving way to a new generation of hoopsters. We’ve seen this, too, in the Champions Cup, where several young players have really stepped up and thrived on the big stage. Perhaps foremost among these is Al Riyadi’s Wael Arakji. The 22-year-old 1.94m combo guard has been a revelation for the Lebanese in this competition, averaging close to 19 points per game while shooting 54% from the field. Compatrior Karim Zeinoun, the youngest in the tournament at just 17 years old, has also turned some heads with his steady play. Other young guns who have had breakout games are China Kashgar’s Abudushalamu Abudurexiti and Al Ahli’s Qais Al-Shabebi. 20-year-old Abudurexiti erupted for 24 points in a win over Malaysia, while 24-year-old Al-Shabebi has put up 16.0 points and and nearly 12 rebounds per outing.

These are but some of the things that we have seen so far in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016, and, no doubt, we’ll learn even more as the all-important knockout games of the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final commence in the final three days of the competition.

FIBA