MIES (Switzerland) - Five players in particular delivered sterling performances as Groups A and B raised the curtains of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers' second window on Thursday.
Who among them stood out for you?
Brandon Gilbeck, Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei not only broke through into the World Cup Qualifiers win column but also beat Korea for the first time in a major FIBA contest since the FIBA Asia Cup 2009, and Brandon Gilbeck as a big reason.
The towering big man anchored the crew on both ends of the floor, and went on to finish with yet another double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds, which he laced with 1 steal and 3 blocks for an efficiency of 34.
Fantasy points: 43
Hu Jinqiu, China
China finally got on board with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Japan over at Okinawa, and Hu Jinqiu was time and again a figure so important in realigning Team Dragon on the right track.
The squad's lead big man netted an efficiency of 29, big thanks to solid numbers of 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor alongside 12 rebounds as he helped resuscitate their chances after being down 15.
Fantasy points: 38
Tanner Krebs, Australia
Tanner Krebs wasted no time introducing himself as he helped lead Australia past Guam to remain perfect in the World Cup Qualifiers after three outings - and to book a ticket to the Second Round in August.
One of three debutants in this particular Boomers group, the 30-year-old went 8-for-13 from rainbow country and finished with 28 points to lead all scorers. He shot 9-of-17 all in all and had an efficiency of 23.
Fantasy points: 32
BJ Freeman, Guam
Guam did lose to the Aussies and stayed winless,but BJ Freeman proved to be a silver lining. The new point guard fired 25 points, including 16 in the first half, alongside 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 of their 7 steals.
Fantasy points: 33
Tom Wilson, Australia
A total of five players actually shined bright for Australia and one of those was Tom Wilson, who like Krebs also made his debut with the men's team in yet another proof of how future-fit the program has always been.
The 25-year-old PG was crucial in their second-quarter reversal and eventually fell just short of finishing with a rare triple-double, as he chalked up 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists for an efficiency of 22.
Fantasy points: 28
FIBA