9 Wael Arakji (LIB)
06/09/2017
Enzo Flojo's Asia On My Mind
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What are the storylines to see at FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017?

MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) - The FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017 is still two weeks away, but intriguing storylines have already been laid out before us.

The most competitive continental club competition in Asia promises to bring a lot of drama and fireworks to the fore, so let's see which subplots will be worth following once the hostilities tip off in Chenzhou on 22 September.

The Philippines is back
We all know that the Philippines is a prime hotbed of basketball, and that the local pro league, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), has had a colorful history. It's surprising, however, to note that no PBA team has ever figured prominently at the Champions Cup and that the Philippines have not played in the last three editions of the competition.

The last time the Filipinos saw action at the Champions Cup was way back in 2011 when it was hosted in Manila. The early iteration of the Gilas Pilipinas squad coached by Serbian mentor Rajko Toroman competed in that joust, finishing fourth overall. The Philippines are actually among the winningest countries at the Champions Cup, though the last time they finished on the podium was in 1996.

Redemption for Al Riyadi Beirut
In this same city last year, Al Riyadi fell short of hoisting the first place trophy, losing to China Kashgar, 96-88. Andray Blatche torched them for 22 points, while Zhou Qi was solid with 9 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Riyadi's frontline led by Ali Haidar and Alade Aminu just could not match up well, but that could change this time around as they have brought in a lot more size in their pool for the Champions Cup.

China Kashgar! #FIBAAsiaCC Champions 🏅🏆🇨🇳

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Joining Haidar up front will be veteran national team big man Charles Tabet along with Egyptian-Lebanese Ismail Abdel-Moneim and potential imports Abdulwahab Al Hamwi from Syria, Chris Daniels from the USA and German-born Donte Green. Armed with more size, Al Riyadi are hoping to redeem themselves this time around.

Welcome to the fray, Dacin Tigers and Mono Vampire
The Dacin Tigers won the Super Basketball League (SBL) title for only the second time in their team's history earlier this year, but they cannot be overlooked. Sure, they may lack some of the biggest names in Taipei hoops, but there are some marquee names here like senior national team playmaker Su I-Chieh, former U18 national team stars Huang Jhen and Shih Yen-Tsung and hulking Canadian import Sim Bhullar.

Another newbie at the Champions Cup are Mono Vampire, who embody the vastly improved level of basketball in Southeast Asia. There are several national team standouts who are mainstays for Mono, including unorthodox scorer Chitchai Ananti, physical big men Teerawat Chanthachon and Chanachon Klahan, shooters Ratdech Kruatiwa and Kannut Samerjai as well as much ballyhooed Thai-American Tyler Lamb. Possible imports for them include former US NCAA assists leader Jason Brickman and their imports from the previous TBL season, Reggie Johnson and Michael Singletary.

Will Andray Blatche face his compatriots?
Perhaps the most interesting subplot right now involves naturalized Filipino Andray Blatche. The former NBA center chose to skip playing for the Philippines at the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 in Beirut, Lebanon, and he will see action now for the Filipinos' bitter rivals - not to mention tournament defending champions - China. Blatche will not face his fellow Filipinos in the group phase, but there's a significant possibility he will meet them down the road in one of the knockout games, where the stakes and emotions will be running high. How will Blatche fare against his national team coach, Chot Reyes, and some of the players with whom he has played?

To answer that and so many other questions, we'll just have to follow the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017 closely when it begins in about 15 days.


Enzo Flojo

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.

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.