TAIPEI (Chinese Taipei) - The first two games of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers were a bit of a roller coaster for Chinese Taipei. After an impressive win over Malaysia, they took a tough loss to Japan in the next game.

They got to play both games at home, but it was in front of an empty crowd, which was not ideal.

"I wish we could have had a home crowd," Head coach Charlie Parker said after the Japan loss. "I think that could have inspired us a little bit more, but due to the circumstances, it's just the way it is."

The first matchup was a breeze for Chinese Taipei, blasting through Malaysia with a 152-48 win. That was followed by a 96-57 blowout loss to Japan three days later.

Despite the results, Parker has never wavered and has continuously presented how proud he is of the squad.

"I thought the guys had given me everything they could in practice and everything they could up until even tonight. I'm proud of the efforts and the things that they had given us," gushed the head coach after their defeat.

It was similar energy to what Parker had displayed in Chinese Taipei's opening win.

"I'm very proud to coach these guys, they been very pleasant - not a surprise - and it's been a great pleasure to be around them," Parker had said after his team rained in 24 three-pointers against Malaysia, the most by any Asia Cup Qualifiers team in the first window.

"Not only because they can shoot the ball, which you know I like, but mainly because they're just great guys. They've given me, from day one, everything that they could as far as togetherness, hustle, and determination.

"I couldn't ask for anything more, so I'm very proud to be the head coach here."

This might not be an easy stretch for coach Parker and the Chinese Taipei basketball fans.

The team is still transitioning from its core of generational talents. The group that included Lin Chih-Chieh, Tien Lei, and Tseng Wen-Ting, among others, synchronized their peaks to result in a Semi-Finals appearance back in Asia Cup 2013.

They haven't finished higher than 12^th place since, including only one win out of six games during the World Cup Asian Qualifiers. These are the growing pains that the national team is enduring, but the personnel that Chinese Taipei has in place suggests a promising future.

There's the 21-year-old big men Tseng Hsiang-Chun who put up a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double in his first game. Then there's Jhen Huang, the sharpshooter who scored 16 points against the Philippines at the World Cup Qualifiers. He scored 22 points on six threes in his only game during this first window.

Of course, they are leading the way in terms of production, and as the floor general of this generation is Chen Ying-Chun.

Chen is a leader by nature of his position as the point guard, and he's firmly stepped up in recent years. He was among the team's best players during the World Cup Qualifiers, posting 13.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.

It was no different during this first window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers, where he put up star quality averages of 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per contest.

The 1.81M (5'11") guard has experienced the fast-paced improvement of Japan over the years and hopes that Chinese Taipei can do the same in heading down a similar path.

Chen was on the squad that beat Japan at the FIBA Asia Challenge in 2014. Likewise, he was also on the team that had beaten Japan on the same venue at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium just over two years ago at the World Cup Qualifiers.

Losing to Japan by huge deficits two straight times since has been an alarm for Chen and the national team to get back on track of their progress.

"Some of the [Japan] players in this game, we faced them in 2014, and we can see the improvements they have made," said Chen. "I just wish [our] team could improve a lot more in the next few years. We could have more practices to raise the intensity, techniques, physicality, and the shooting abilities of our own players."

That improvement is sure to come for Chinese Taipei. At least coach Parker is confident that the time will arrive for these players soon.

"We're a young team. Much younger than the [Japan] team, I would think, and not as much experienced as them," he said. "I think that we'll catch up. We're behind right now, but I believe that the way we've practiced as a team and with our youthful spirit, we'll catch up very soon."

"Just everyone needs to have patience with us and continue to encourage us and our team, and we promise that it will be better."

It's a bold promise from the proud head coach, but the fans know that Chinese Taipei has the potential to be great. They will patiently wait for their time to come.

FIBA