15 Hamed Ehadadi (IRI)
11/05/2018
Enzo Flojo's Asia On My Mind
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The Asian Qualifiers Double-Double Elite

MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) - Many players can put up a double-double in a single game, but to average a double-double, well, that's another thing altogether. Only four players have been able to do so successfully in the Asian Qualifiers, and I'll talk about them here.

Ricardo Ratliffe (Korea)

Stats: 21.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks.
- Korea's new naturalized player has made quite the impact for the East Asia powerhouse team. And though Korea went 1-1 in the second window, it's clear that they've found their new main center for the foreseeable future in the 6ft 8in (2.03m) Ratliffe - a long-time Korean Baskeball League import who has been on Korea's naturalization radar for many years. He had a 13-point, 9-rebound outing against Hong Kong before lighting up New Zealand with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. He'll be tested by China's vaunted frontline in the third window before they close their first round campaign against Hong Kong, and the expectations are high for Ratliffe to register strong stat-lines once more.

Hamed Haddadi (Iran)

Stats: 17.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 2.0 blocks.
- 7ft 2in (2.18m) Haddadi was an absolute beast in the second window when he debuted at the Asian Qualifiers. He flat out wrecked Kazakhstan with a 20-point, 20-rebound output in their first game before notching 15 points and 9 rebounds in their win over Iraq. With Haddadi manning the middle, Iran were their dominant selves and notched two easy wins. The 32-year-old big man will certainly be one of their centerpiece players anew in the third window as they battle Qatar and Kazakhstan to close out the first round. He will need to be even more productive in the second round, though, as Iran are set to face off with the likes of the Philippines and erstwhile unbeaten Australia.

Wang Zhelin (China)

Stats: 13.5 points, 11.0 rebounds.
- Wang has not hogged the headlines as much as contemporaries Zhou Qi, Yi Jianlian and even rising star Hu Jinqiu, but in last year's first window, the 24-year-old slotman proved that he still belonged at the elite level. As China's top center in the first window, Wang delivered two impressive double-double performances against Hong Kong and Korea. The 7ft 0in (2.12m) big man is expected to shine again in the third window as he returns to action. He will have his hands full, though, as China go on their toughest campaign yet when they host East Asia rivals Korea and go on the road against the surging Tall Blacks.

Andray Blatche (Philippines)

Stats: 11.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.8 blocks.
- 31-year-old Blatche may have seemingly lost a step or two on offense, but he has compensated by upping his energy and aggressiveness in rebounding and rim protection. The burly 6ft 11in (2.10m) former NBA player has been a rock for Gilas Pilipinas in the middle and has tallied two double-doubles in four games. He struggled against the Boomers in the second window, but he will have another shot at them in the third window when the Philippines host the Aussies in Manila. Though his teammates may no longer expect him to score in the 20s in each fixture, they will still count on him for inside toughness, especially when it comes to gobbling up those boards and swatting those shots back to the third row.

On the bubble:
Quincy Davis (Chinese Taipei) - 16.8 points, 9.0 rebounds.
Ater Majok (Lebanon) - 8.8 points, 6.3 rebounds.
Ira Brown (Japan) - 12.0 points, 9.8 rebounds.
Mohammad Shaher Hussein (Jordan) - 11.8 points, 9.8 rebounds.

Enzo Flojo

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Enzo Flojo

Enzo Flojo

Enzo Flojo, one of Manila’s top basketball bloggers, always has Asian basketball on his mind. His biggest basketball dream? To see an Asian team as a legitimate gold medal contender in world basketball. He believes it will happen in his lifetime. If you have big basketball dreams like he does, then you’re in the right place.