MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) - Legends ruled and stars were born at the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 in Beirut, Lebanon, but there were also several unheralded individuals who made their mark in the tournament.

These are the players who may not have the biggest billings and who may not be household names, but they were still able to turn some heads with their heady play and their production.

Matthew Hodgson (Australia)

- In the absence of Daniel Kickert, one guy who stepped up for the Boomers was 2.11m Matthew Hodgson. The 26-year-old center from Adelaide was force to be reckoned with in the middle, scoring efficiently and grabbing a ton of rebounds for Australia. He recorded a double-double right on opening day against Japan and also put up 15 points in their key Semi-Finals win over New Zealand.

Sajjad Mashayekhi (Iran)

🇮🇷 Sajjad Mashayekhi has been excellent for @iranbasketball at #FIBAAsiaCup2017 - he's averaging 13.6 PPG (best ever) pic.twitter.com/5xTSQpDkpn

— FIBA (@FIBA) August 20, 2017

- This is the first major continental tournament where Iran are playing without superstar floor general Mahdi Kamrani, and tasked to fill in his shoes was up-and-comer Sajjad Mashayekhi. At only 23 years of age, Mashayekhi may seem like a greenhorn, but he played splendidly, averaging around 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game. He has cemented his place as Iran's new elite point guard.

Heo Ung (Korea)

- Another guard who really seized the moment in Beirut is national team coach Hur Jae's own son, Heo Ung. The 1.86m shooter who plies his trade for Wonju Dongbu Promy in the KBL proved to be a very reliable perimeter scorer for the Koreans, especially in the battle for third place, where he torched the Tall Blacks for 20 points on the back of 5 three-pointers.

Christian Standhardinger (Philippines)

- This is Standhardinger's very first FIBA Asia competition with the Philippine team, but boy did he make quite the impression. With Andray Blatche not suiting up, Standhardinger was the designated naturalized player for Gilas Pilipinas, and he proved tons of energy and hustle for their frontline. Given how well he played against quality competition, we will probably see him a lot more in the next few years.

Tarek Al Jabi (Syria)

- Many people thought Syria would be all about Micheal Madanly and naturalized center Ivan Todorovic, but Al Jabi came out of nowhere to make a huge impact for the team. He scored double-figures in every game for the West Asian side, helping them to a big win over India that propelled them to the Qualification to the Quarter-Finals, where they came very close to upsetting China.

Chou Po-Hsun (Chinese Taipei)

- Chinese Taipei missed the services of both naturalized big man Quincy Davis and versatile center Tseng Wen-Ting, so they had to turn to their youngsters for the lion's share of the production. 26-year-old Chou Po-Hsun did not disappoint here, turning in solid performances, especially against Hong Kong, where he tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds. Chou will certainly be a big part of Chinese Taipei's bright future.

Aravind Annadurai (India)

- Twin towers Amritpal Singh and Amjyot Singht are the brightest stars for India's frontline, but the 2.00m Aravind Annadurai rose to the occasion and gave his team high quality play. He collared 10 rebounds against Jordan and scored 20 points on Syria, serving notice that he is another name who could hog the headlines for India in the near future.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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