Top 7 reasons to be excited for the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018
NONTHABURI (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018) – It’s time for the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018 and if you have yet to find a reason to get excited for the games up ahead, give us a chance to nudge you in the right direction.
Here are the Top 7 reasons to get excited for the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018!
Al-Riyadi’s quest to defend their throne
Last year’s edition of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup saw Al-Riyadi win the title in a convincing win over China Kashgar. The Lebanese champions are back again this year to make sure that no one can overtake their title without them having a say.
Al-Riyadi are well loaded once again in their title-defending campaign, so the rest of the playing field will have to be ready when they go up against the current kings.
Three Returnees
Aside from the defending champions, there will also be two other teams that played in the 2017 edition of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup to play this year: Petrochimi of Iran and Mono Vampire of Thailand.
Petrochimi lost to Al-Riyadi in the Semifinal round and took another loss in the final game to finish at 4th place. Mono Vampire Basketball Club made their debut last season and finished at an impressive 6th place before making a return this year.
These three teams know how high the stakes are and the level of competition at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup so they will come in ready and well-prepared.
Trio of debutants
There will also be excitement revolving around the first-time appearances of the Meralco Bolts, SK Knights, and Alvark Tokyo. The three teams are primed to end long time draughts for their countries in FIBA Asia Champions Cup competition.
The Meralco Bolts are the first team ever from the PBA to play in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup. No club from the Philippines has won the FIBA Asia Champions Cup since 1996 and the Bolts have a chance to break that deadlock here.
It’s been nearly a decade since Korea has had a team in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup which was the Sangmu Phoenix back in 2009, and the SK Knights are aiming for much more than just an appearance. Korea has an even longer stretch without a FIBA Asia Champions Cup title, dating back to 1992, a goal which the Knights hope they will be able to achieve.
Alvark Tokyo are the first club from Japan in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup since 1999 and they have prepared a formidable squad coming into the regional tourney. No team from Japan has won in this tournament, giving the chance for Alvark to make history.
National Team stars in different settings
Fans are accustomed to seeing stars like Kim Sun-Hyung, Daiki Tanaka, and Arsalan Kazemi play for their national teams against each other. However, it’s going to be a different feeling to watch them play for their club teams as they take on different roles.
An even more exciting twist is to watch these players play against each other in a different atmosphere. The possibilities of the different match-ups and friendly rivalries that will leak out onto the hardwood at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup makes it an event to keep your eyes on.
Star-studded studs
There will be plenty of high level talent all across the board at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup. The SK Knights have acquired the services of Dajuan Summers who played two seasons with the Detroit Pistons in the NBA.
Another player with NBA experience is Meralco Bolt’s Diamond Stone who had a stint with the LA Clippers.
The list goes on and on including Marcus Keene of the Mono Vampire who led the NCAA Division 1 in scoring back in 2017, Mark Lyons of Al-Riyadi who starred at Xavier University and University of Arizona, among others.
Each team has packed themselves up with high-level import players which will rise the level of competition over the new few days.
Petrochimi breaking through?
Another main storyline to follow at this FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018 is whether Petrochimi can finally break through the Semifinals wall for the first time ever. The Iranian champions have always fielded a formidable squad, but have been left frustrated in the past two years by having to settle for a semifinals loss.
In both years, Petrochimi took losses to both eventual champions. Could this finally be the year that Petrochimi smashes through to the Finals… and maybe even win it all?
Champions of Asia in one place
The biggest thing about the FIBA Asia Champions Cup is that it is a competition that puts some of the best basketball clubs of Asia in one place, leaving them to battle it out until there is only one more team left standing.
It is a rare occasion for a team like Al-Riyadi from Lebanon to be able to face a team like the SK Knights from Korea with as high stakes as here at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018. This all promises for high-level intense action in exciting and entertaining games.
The FIBA Asia Champions Cup will be from 27 September to 2 October at Stadium29 in Nonthaburi, Thailand. Make sure you don’t miss the action.
