Chinese Taipei reveal pool for crucial games against Philippines and Japan
TAIPEI (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Chinese Taipei have tapped a slew of rising stars to lead their team in pivotal tiffs against Philippines and Japan.
The Taipei quintet currently tote a 1-win, 3-loss record heading into the third window, and they need at least one more victory to formalize their entry into the second round.
| Chinese Taipei 18-man pool for the Asian Qualifiers third window | |||
| Chen Kuan-Chuan | Chen Ying-Chun | Chiang Yu-An | Chou Po-Chen |
| Chou Yi-Hsiang | Douglas Creighton | Quincy Davis | Hu Long-Mao |
| Huang Tsung-Han | Lee Te-Wei | Lin Chih-Wei | Liu Cheng |
| Lu Cheng-Ju | Jonah Morrison | Peng Chun-Yen | Su I-Chieh |
| Tseng Wen-Ting | Yang Ching-Min | ||
The national team will be coached by seasoned tactician Chou Chun-San, who will undoubtedly rely on up-and-coming talents Chiang Yu-An, Chou Yi-Hsiang, Hu Long-Mao and Chen Ying-Chun. Hu and Chou have seen action in every Asian Qualifiers fixture for Chinese Taipei thus far, while Chen and Chiang both have played in two contests.
They are joined by 2018 Super Basketball League (SBL) MVP Lu Cheng-Ju and 2018 SBL Champions Series MVP and naturalized player Quincy Davis. Other seasoned players in the fold are Yang Ching-Min, Tseng Wen-Ting, Chou Po-Chen, Doug Creighton and Liu Cheng.
A curious addition is former Chinese Taipei U17 star big man Jonah Morrison. The 6ft 8in (2.02m) center is one of the brightest young prospects in the country, and should he be chosen in the final roster, he is set to gain valuable experience and learn a whole lot, especially from Davis, who has been the team's best performer so far 16.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.
The squad continues to lack ceiling and will certainly be undersized, especially when they take on the Philippines, who may be led by the likes of Andray Blatche, Japeth Aguilar and June Mar Fajardo. For sure, Chinese Taipei's speed and shooting will serve as their calling cards against the Filipinos as well as the Japanese, who may parade new naturalized center Nick Fazekas.
Coach Chou's wards need to win at least one of those matches to ensure safe passage into the next round, where Iran and Kazakhstan are already lying in wait. Both of their third window assignments will be held in front of their hometown fans at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, where all tickets have already sold out. Chinese Taipei play the Philippines first on 29 June before their titanic tussle with Japan on 2 July.
FIBA
