TAIPEI (Chinese Taipei) - FIBA Asia Cup 2013 was a big year for Chinese Taipei basketball. Quincy Davis was making his debut and Lin Chih-Chieh exploded as an international superstar and was named in the tournament All-Star Five.

One of the biggest stories that year, was how they came back from being down by as much as 17 points to win by 18 in the Quarter-Finals against defending champions, China.

It was Tsai Wen-Cheng's first FIBA Asia Cup and it turned out to be one that he would never forget.

“So in 2013, at that time I was considering still young and humbled,” Tsai said, referring to when he was still 28-years-old at Asia Cup 2013. “I recently won an  SBL [Super Basketball League] MVP coming into the 2013 squad. I was just trying to humble and trying to strive and learn from the older generation players.”

Tsai made his first Asia Cup alongside proven veterans like Tseng Wen-Ting, Lee Hsueh-Lin, Tien Lei, and Lin Chih-Chieh. He didn’t play much prior to the Quarter-finals, stepping up in large minutes only against lesser teams in blowout wins against Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. Then, his moment came.

Going up against the tall Chinese squad, Chinese Taipei needed all they could get down low to get past to the Semi-finals. They were getting what they needed from Quincy Davis who had 15 points at the half, but were still down by 10 points.

The entire team came alive in the second half, but none other than Tsai. The rugged forward went from 6 points at the mid-game interval to finish with 21 points on 7-10 shooting and 7 rebounds to complete the win for Chinese Taipei.

“Because I was one of the youngest, I wasn’t thinking a lot,” Tsai admitted to what was going through his mind at the time. “I was just going on to the court and playing my best, listening to what the other players and coaches told me to do. So I kept it really simple and was happy to be a part of it.”

The game was historic in many ways from who Chinese Taipei had defeated, how they won it, and where the victory got them to. It ended up being the first time since 1999 that Chinese Taipei had made it all the way to the Asia Cup Semi-Finals, keeping the program’s tradition as a strong basketball nation alive.

“The most memorable [from playing in the Asia Cup] is being in one of the best teams [Chinese Taipei] has ever had and finishing in the Top 4,” Tsai expressed. “In 2015, we lost in the group stage, so it's a big difference.”

His experience over the years in the Asia Cup has seen him go up against Yi Jianlian, Yasin Musa, and Hamed Haddadi. However, if there is one opponent Tsai could choose as his “favorite”, he has a certain powerhouse team in mind.

“All of the Asian teams I feel like it’s competitive, but if I had to pick one [team I enjoy playing against], it would be Iran,” Tsai said. He added that the addition of Davis to the roster had not only strengthened the squad, but built on to their confidence so he felt that it would be fun to play against the 3-time Asia Cup champions.

Chinese Taipei will be on task to retain their status among the best in Asia once again, the first step being at the Asia Cup Qualifiers. They have been placed in Group B along with Malaysia, Japan, and – by the luck of the draw – China. With his experience as someone who has already had a hand in taking down the Asia Cup giants, Tsai has his suggestions on what the team will need to do.

“It’s going to be tough,” he admits. “but the expectation is obviously to finish in the top two [of the group] to qualify for the Asia Cup in 2021. I can’t really tell what the results will be like but we’ve got to keep our heads up.”

FIBA