MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) - The FIBA U18 Asia Championship 2018 is just around the corner, and here is my personal take on how the teams stack up.

Remember that these are my personal power rankings. They are not really meant to predict to final standings of the tournament. That'd be pretty difficult given how the competition format will go and how certain teams will be matched up at crucial junctures, especially the Quarter-Finals. For example, the top four teams in these rankings won't necessarily make it to the Semi-Finals. It just means that, on paper and based on my own assessment, they are the four deepest teams out there.

Think of it this way -- right now I am high on the value of certain teams, and, conversely, I am not as convinced about the depth or value of others as well. This is based on different factors like size, experience and talent, though I admit that things can drastically change when the tournament actually begins.

And so now that the preamble is done, here are my FIBA U18 Asia Championship 2018 Pre-Tournament Power Rankings:

1) Australia

 

- The Emus are perhaps the only team who are practical shoo-ins for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. They have good size at every position and have a lot of versatile players like Kody Stattmann, Sean Macdonald and Aiden Krause. Sam Froling, Callum Dalton and Kyle Bowen should also prove to be tough to handle up front for any other team at this level. Unless Australia are caught on a really bad day, I don't see them losing any game here in Nonthaburi.

2) Philippines

 

- This could be the best U18 Philippine team ever. That's a lot of hype, sure, but chances are it's true. They certainly have the tallest frontline the Philippines have ever sent at this level, bannered by 7ft 1in (2.16m) Kai Sotto and 6ft 11in (2.10m) AJ Edu, and both are definitely more than just lumbering big men, too. They can both potentially rule the interior of any game, while the backcourt should be run efficiently by highly touted floor general Dalph Panopio, who is a product of the famed Stellazzurra Basketball Academy in Rome.

3) China

 

- It should not be a surprise that China are the tallest team in Nonthaburi, though it'll be interesting to see them not have a 7-footer leading the charge. Instead, their efforts at returning to the FIBA U19 World Cup will hinge on the efforts of guard Xu Jie, wingman Guo Haowen, who already saw action for China's senior team, center Jiang Haoran and US-based big man Michael Wang (Wang Quanze). What's interesting is that both China and the Philippines are in the same group, which means they will part ways early, but it's likely they may still end up going deep into the knockout rounds.

4) Japan

- With an average height of only 6ft 1in (1.86m), Japan are among the shortest teams in the tournament, but they make up for that with their uncanny speed and relentless activity on both ends of the floor. U16 standouts Keijiro Mitani, Seishin Yokochi and Chikara Tanaka are some of the big names here, but the one to watch is Shuki Nakata, who has already seen action at practically every stage of international youth basketball. Nakata is just 5ft 8in (1.73m), but he's a pocket rocket who can also get hot from long range in a quick minute.

5) Korea

 

- The Koreans have never missed the podium in the last four stagings of the FIBA U18 Asia Championship, but that streak may end here. That's not to say Korea aren't good. It just reflects how stiff the competition has become at this level. There are still marquee names here to watch like Cha MinSeok, Moon JeongHyeon, Yeo JunSeok and Sechan Seomoon, with a particular focus on star forward Lee HyunJung, but a likely knockout pairing against the Philippines in the Quarter-Finals may just derail the Koreans' efforts to return to the U19 World Cup.

6) India

- I'm super high on India coming into this tournament. The trio of Harsh Tomar, Sejin Mathew and Princepal Singh will potentially challenge even the elite teams here, and they have a pretty good shot to finish second in the group. That is, unless they get in their own way. India have shown a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot, especially against the top tier teams of Asia, but as long as they are stable and consistent, some upsets are bound to happen. Look for them to turn some heads.

7) Iran

 

- Yes, I ranked the defending champs this low. That's no disrespect to them, but I feel like this iteration of the U18 national team doesn't have the same degree of potency as the unit that won the title in 2016. There are several blue chip players here, of course, like U16 star Matin Aghajanpour, power forward Amirhossein Rezaeifar, and the guard duo of Behshad Arabzadeh and Ehsan Dalirzahan, but with so many other teams loading up big time, Iran may just fall by the wayside. Still, if they top Group A, they could have a pretty clear path to the U19 World Cup. Their group stage match against Japan could very well determine their fate in this competition.

8) Chinese Taipei

 

- The Taipei quintet will have their work cut out for them in Nonthaburi, especially given their size disadvantage against most teams, but if they can sustain their speed and shooting, upsets may yet be in the horizon. The frontline play of Jonah Morrison, Ma Chien-Hao and Chen Fan Po-yen will be integral to their success here, while Lin Lin's quarterbacking will also be very important. It will be challenging for them to finish among the top two teams in Group D, but if they are able to do so, then an appearance in the Quarter-Finals is not out of the question.

9) New Zealand

 

- I am conflicted about the U18 Tall Blacks. They have great size with big men like James Moors, Samuel Mennenga and Maxim Stephens, while the perimeter platoon of Max Darling, Flynn Cameron, Oscar Oswald and Max De Geest can do wonders, but I don't see them beating Australia to top Group C. After the group stage, they are likely set to play either India or Chinese Taipei, with a possible matchup against either Iran or Japan in the Quarter-Finals. Now if that's not a gauntlet, then I don't know what is.

10) Lebanon

 

- The U18 Cedars have a lot of intriguing prospects here, but with an average age of 16 years old, they are the youngest team in the entire competition. There are bound to be players here who will stand out from the crowd like Gebrael Samaha, Ameer Kasab and Paolo Bedikian, but they will be severely tested early on by China and the Philippines in Group B. That means a second round knockout joust against either Japan or Iran is likely, which could mean the end of the road for the Lebanese. Still, if they are able to pull the rug from under the Chinese or Filipinos, that might set Lebanon up for a deep run.

11) Thailand

- The hosts are not going to have a pretty tournament. They are in the same group as Australia and New Zealand, while Gulf champions Bahrain are also waiting in the wings. If they're not careful, the Thais may actually end up winless in the group stage and be eliminated outright. The onus of stepping up will be on experienced youth team players like Pongsakorn Jaimsawad, Chaiyapong Thanarojwongsa and Witchaya Phithakphawasutthi, while Basketball Without Borders product Tanawat Preechahan should also heavily contribute.

12) Kazakhstan

 

- The U18 Steppe Wolves are by no means favorites in this competition, but they do have two guys who played in the 2016 FIBA U18 Asia tourney - Dmitriy Romanenko and Anuar Shakirov. Both guards should lean on their collective experience as they lead a relatively unknown group of players to, hopefully, a third place finish in Group A and a berth in the Play-Off round. The 6ft 7in (2.00m) tandem of Nil Fomichyov and Anuar Alpamys should also be on their opponents' radar. No team can afford to be careless against the Kazakhs.

13) Bahrain

 

- Bahrain are a smaller team than the UAE, but the former were able to pocket the U18 Gulf crown because of their grit. The big man-small man duo of Karim Aboukuora and Mustafa Rashed will be the one to watch here along with the point guard play of playmaker Baqer Ali and the scoring of 6ft 6in (1.98m) wingman Muzamil Hamoda. They will be hard-pressed to finish among the top two teams in Group C, but they have a decent shot at dealing hosts Thailand a stinging defeat.

14) Syria

 

- The Syrians are a decent bunch, but they are a notch or two behind fellow West Asia teams Iran and Lebanon. Still, there are some players with the potential to impress here, most notably 6ft 8in (2.03m) slotman Mhd Al Ghamian, who averaged 15.0 points and 13.5 rebounds in the WABA U18 Qualifiers. He won't be able to carry this team all by his lonesome, though, so guys like Ahmad Habash and Elias Azrie need to step up as well. They will likely finish at the bottom of Group D, but if they have a good shooting day, then anything can happen.

15) Indonesia

 

- Timnas Basket finished a respectable 12th in 2016, but they are probably aiming higher here in Nonthaburi. They will probably rely on the likes of Aldy Rachman and Yesaya Michael at the perimeter, while bigs William Kosasih and Kelvin Sanjaya try to take care of the inside. They actually have a pretty balanced roster, but being drawn with Iran, Japan and Kazakhstan in Group A is like being thrown into a den of lions. The Indons will likely not make it to the next round unless a minor miracle takes place and they spring a trap against Kazakhstan.

16) UAE

 

- With an average size of 6ft 4in (1.93m), the U18 Emiratis are not far off from the taller teams in the tournament, but talent itself is an altogether different matter. There are some intriguing prospects here like the frontcourt trio of Mahmoud Al Sawan, Mohamed Al Maeeni and Hassan Hussein - the team's three best players in the Gulf U18 Qualifiers. Al Sawan was a double-double machine in that competition, and he should give even the big men of China and the Philippines fits here. Al Maeeni should help him around the basket, while the scoring cudgels will also fall on the shoulders of Hussein. Still, against the traditionally strong squads in Group B, the UAE will be the significant underdogs.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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