MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - Even with only about two days of play over, the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 has already provided some truly memorable moments.

There's the historic debut of both New Zealand and Australia in Asia, there's the near upset of Hong Kong opposite Chinese Taipei, there's the nail-biter between Lebanon and Korea and, of course, the emotionally-charged matchup pitting the Philippines against China.

All these underscore how important this competition is to the development of basketball in the continent. The Asia Cup's name may be familiar, but don't let that fool you - this is the first tournament of its kind in this part of the world. Unlike previous editions, there are no berths in the World Cup or the Olympics up for grabs here. It's all about pride and bragging rights - four years' worth of it.

And judging by the first handful of games, teams are willing to fight tooth and nail, willing get scraped and willing to do just about anything to win.

In short, it's lovely basketball - basketball the way it should be played.

I also love how each game carries higher stakes. Unlike previous editions where finishing among the top 3 teams in one's first round group would be enough to reach the next round, this time around teams are squarely aiming for the top spot in their group to automatically punch that Quarter-Finals ticket. Finishing 2nd or 3rd in one's group puts a team just one defeat away from getting eliminated. It doesn't get any more frantic like that.

Apart from the format, though, there are a number of other things that make this first ever FIBA Asia Cup quite special.

One thing I always look forward to in these continental tournaments is seeing the rising stars from all over Asia, and this edition has no shortage of young, up-and-coming talents who have the potential to be household names in the future. Among these are Japan's Yudai Baba, Chinese Taipei's Chou Po-Hsun, Korea's Heo Ung and China's Hu Jinqiu.

The return of several icons also adds to the significance of this tournament. Micheal Madanly makes a comeback for Syria, same with Korea's Oh SeKeun, while NBA hopeful Satnam Singh also returns to the fold for rising power India. Perhaps the biggest name to resurface, though, is none other than Fadi El Khatib of hosts Lebanon. The Lebanese Tiger, at 37, can still hack it with the best of Asia, and though this may as well be his farewell tour of sorts, I am sure he will go out in a blaze of glory.

Lastly, what I love about this edition is the fact that it's being held in one of the globe's hotbeds of basketball - Lebanon. The Lebanese fans have been nothing short of amazing so far, and their passion seems infectious. The games and players will fill the highlight reels for days and months on end, but it's the fans' unwavering support that will make this tournament stand out even more.

The FIBA Asia Cup 2017 is the first of its kind in the history of Asian hoops, but so far it has blazed a trail for a very bright future.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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