2016 FIBA Asia Challenge Group Previews

MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - The 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge is just a little more than a week away, and the excitement is certainly building up for the centerpiece continental men’s tournament in Asia this year. Iran will try to defend the crown they won two years ago, not to mention their homecourt, since they’re playing in Tehran. Reigning FIBA Asia kings China, however, stand in Team Melli’s way with a team stacked with up-and-coming talents. East Asian squads Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea, of course, are also going to be bona fide contenders.

As for the rest of the field? Let’s see as we preview each of the groups.

Group A: China, Jordan, Kazakhstan
For sure, China will be the favorite to sweep this group. With Zou Yuchen, Hu Jinqiu, Fang Shuo and Zhao Yanhao at the forefront, China are favorites to do well, though coach Sam Daghles and his Jordanian team should not be overlooked. Al Nashama have a lot of talent and size to match up well with China, but the Chinese have been preparing for a much longer time now, and that should give them a significant edge. Kazakhstan are the lightest team in this group, especially as they are without many of their top tier players. Still, with 2013 FIBA Asia Championship veterans Vitaliy Lapchenko and Mikhail Yevstigneyev alongside three-point threat Pavel Ilin, this squad may just be able to spring a surprise or two.

Group B: Chinese Taipei, India, Philippines
This, by far, should be the most hotly contested group in the first few days of action in Tehran. The Taipei quintet, with Quincy Davis anchoring the middle, are heavily favored to sweep, but both India and the Philippines have the talent to put up stiff challenges. India’s big three of Amritpal Singh, Amjyot Singh and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi all look sharp and healthy, and they are looking to build on the progress they’ve had over the past few years. One may remember well that they defeated China in 2014, and a repeat of a victory with the same magnitude is possible now more than ever. The Filipinos, meanwhile, have their backs against the wall with a lineup untested at this level and not reinforced by a naturalized player. Still, coach Josh Reyes is parading some of the best players outside of the PBA, so Gilas Pilipinas should not be viewed as pushovers. It’s clear, however, that despite the depth of both India and the Philippines, Chinese Taipei have the most talent. SBL greats like Liu Cheng and Chou Yi-Hsiang would do well to carry their squad to the second round with an unbeaten slate.

Group C: Iran, Iraq, Qatar
Home team Iran are not going to be in full force, what with the absence of Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Hamed Afagh and Mahdi Kamrani, but Team Melli remain clear favorites to finish strong in this competition. Just having Hamed Haddadi is enough for the Iranians to do extremely well, but rising stars Mohammad Hassazadeh, Behnam Yakhchali and Sajjad Mashayekhi should ensure that Iran have one of the deepest rosters. Fellow West Asian squad Iraq may not have any big names, but their strong showing in the WABA qualifiers earlier this year may be seen as a harbinger of their mysterious strength. The one to watch is youngster Ihab Al Zuhairi, who was a beast in the FIBA Asia U18 Championship a couple of months ago. Qatar should offer a good challenge to Iran and may even crack the top eight of this tournament, especially as they are bringing a solid core of veterans led by Mohammed Yousuf, Khalid Adam, Erfan Ali Saeed and Hassan Mohamed on top of having naturalized guard Boney Watson. If the Qataris catch fire, they can beat any team on any given day.

Group D: Japan, Korea, Thailand
Thailand are heading into the tournament quite confident after they gave the Philippines a couple of big scares in the SEABA Stankovic Cup earlier this year, and they’re also expected to bring along the first naturalized player in their team’s history. On a good day, Thailand can be a threat to both Japan and Korea. On most days, however, the latter two teams should be head and shoulders ahead of the Thais. Japan have a balanced crew heading to Tehran, and the likes of Naoto Tsuji, Makoto Hiejima and Takatoshi Furukawa will no doubt lead the way for the Akatsuki Five. Newly naturalized player Ira Brown is also expected to suit up and galvanize Japan’s wing play. He’ll be tough to handle, that much is sure. As for Korea, this is the first time they will play in the FIBA Asia Challenge since its inaugural year in 2004, and it’ll be very interesting to see how they perform. Hotshot point guard Kim SiRae will finally don the national colors at the senior level, and he will have KBL Most Valuable Player Lee SeoungHyun as the main beneficiary of his playmaking. Shooters Lee JungHyun, Cho SungMin and Heo IlYoung are also expected to play at a high level, along with veteran center Kim JongKyu. That said and all things considered, Japan should stop this group.

The 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge will be played at the Azadi Sports Complex from 9 to 18 September. The top five teams in this competition will earn for their respective sub-zones an extra berth in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup (formerly known as the FIBA Asia Championship).

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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