25th FIBA Asia Championship 2009 [Aug 6-16 China]

[b3lowzro]

I would love to filter all the news here on the forum (into non-pinoy and pinoy) so I can find stuff that is really interesting to me (I cant read the 1 Millionth post about some random-philipino player being a god on the court or how good the team will be against some other teams when RP is clearly the underdog in group A - no offense but I cant read it no more, no hate here.Just realism).

So my question is, who knows more about the Sri Lanki team ? I now asia-basket lists a NT for 2007 but dont they have any foreign-born talent? What about the Uzbekis ? Any info on them ? And please dont answer me some stuff like: I think Sri Lanka has a weak team and RP will win this one easy...bla bla bla.

Nardy had put some article about the Sri Lankan NT on the Filipino section.

[tamagurl87]

I would love to filter all the news here on the forum (into non-pinoy and pinoy) so I can find stuff that is really interesting to me (I cant read the 1 Millionth post about some random-philipino player being a god on the court or how good the team will be against some other teams when RP is clearly the underdog in group A - no offense but I cant read it no more, no hate here.Just realism).

So my question is, who knows more about the Sri Lanki team ? I now asia-basket lists a NT for 2007 but dont they have any foreign-born talent? What about the Uzbekis ? Any info on them ? And please dont answer me some stuff like: I think Sri Lanka has a weak team and RP will win this one easy...bla bla bla.

too bad for you, most of the forumers here are pinoys
we are Filipino, what can you expect?
its our sense of nationalism

[bolabasket]

just a comparison in Group A

[BlacKOEIsle]

just a comparison in Group A

It seems the all of the 3 teams are aging...

[rtk04]

they need a help from an import just to beat every team in asia.... your county china must be proud by using only chinese players...

yes he should be proud lebanon is only 3 million....china is 1/4 the population of the world....
for godsssss sake!!!!!!!!! they should be the champions of every sport...anything beneath that is a failure...add the fact that they r the hosts and they choose which group they go to....is there something more silly than that?????????

[regierr]

just a comparison in Group A

The age of the Japanese players are considered the peak years for a player. They could really be dangerous.

It is stated in the FIBA guideline 27 years old is considered old for a player. I don't see this applicable yet to Asian countries that doesn't have the luxury of tall players. Unfortunately for these countries they are forced to use their old players because of having height deficiency. Naturalization is a short route to solve this. China will never experience this problem.

[BlacKOEIsle]

yes he should be proud lebanon is only 3 million....china is 1/4 the population of the world....
for godsssss sake!!!!!!!!! they should be the champions of every sport...anything beneath that is a failure...add the fact that they r the hosts and they choose which group they go to....is there something more silly than that?????????

Hi,China hater.first,China's population now is 1/5 of the world. second,India's populatin is nearly the same as China,why don't you attack India?Population isn't everything.

[karim]

Freije and Barbour will join the lebanese national team 21 days before the asian championship. The return of Daniel Faris is in July 1st. The budget of the lebanese NT is arround 800 000$ while the budget of the jordanian NT is about 14 000 000$.
Matt Freije (208cm-G/F) will join the lebanese national team in the william jones cup. Freije who played recently in the chineese league will be a big plus for the NT because he can play easily on position 3. Note that antwain barbour is on his way to join, still waiting his final response .


samer el-halabi

are these numbers true ? i was shocked because i see players like matt freijeh,vroman and khatib and all these lebanese americans and the budget is only 0.8M compared to 14M for Jordan ...why is jordan,s budget soo high with all do respect i dont see these strong talents and i think they can do better than rasheem , can anyone please tell me what are they paying for , for the budget to be this high ? and i do not think jordan can beat lebanon,iran and china so i dont see how they can qualify unless lebanon has a major problem with chemistry because of all these new players but i still think they can place 3rd worst case which is why i dont understand why freijeh and barbour will join just 21 days in advance they are getting paid so they should come on time and practice well with the NT ....and i hate to this new format because lets say lebanon faces off with philippines in the 1/8 final which there is a good chance of it happening(leb 2nd and rp 3rd) ...rp loses against most teams but they always match well against lebanon and beat them ...they even did it in asian champ. for clubs 2 years in a row so lets hope vroman and these new players dont have a problem with them ......most importantly i think Yao Ming will never play with china anymore and we all know 70% of the chinese team is Yao Ming so another chance for lebanon to be in the olympics in 2012 after a horrible final against Iran 2 years ago

[FatFingerz]

its a T. on the rp bench not the coach thanks to my idol mark caguiao...

hehe... I can still remember coach chot acting like a child in sidelines while complaining... and Quinito Henson emphasized that as he was the commentator of that game...

[TrueBluePinoy]

just a comparison in Group A

Hehehe. The average age of Japan and RP exceeds the recommended age limit of FIBA.

[ThreeStars&aSun]

Guessing game for Guiao's foes

Powerade Team Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao said yesterday he'll throw off scouts during the Jones Cup on July 18-27 and keep opposing coaches guessing as to how the national squad will play at the FIBA-Asia Championships in Tianjin on Aug. 6-16.

Unpredictability has been a successful feature of Guiao's coaching style in the PBA where he has captured five titles and it's the same formula he has in mind for Tianjin.

Guiao said he plans to bring 15 players, including former Ateneo and Western Kentucky center Japeth Aguilar, to the Jones Cup in Taipei but will play only 12 a game. If Kelly Williams is unable to join, Guiao mentioned he will not tap a replacement.

Ten teams will play in the Jones Cup -- Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Japan, Korea, South Africa, the Philippines and two Chinese-Taipei squads.

Guiao said he's sure the Powerade team was scouted by China during the SEABA tournament in Medan recently.

"I saw Chinese taking videos of our games and I'm sure they weren't locals," said Guiao. "I really wanted to put on a show for China. I knew that China had the choice of which group to join (in the FIBA-Asia draw) and all I wanted was for us not to be in the same group. It was the first time China saw us play as a team in Medan. I think the plan worked."

The Philippines went unbeaten in four games in the SEABA meet and averaged a whopping victory margin of 38 points.

At the FIBA-Asia draw in Tianjin the other day, China evaded the Philippines and picked Group C with Kazakhstan, Qatar and India.

"I don't think China was avoiding Japan and certainly not Sri Lanka," said Guiao. "Korea is always a tough opponent for China but it's possible we were the country China wanted to avoid. No, we didn't scare off China. No country in Asia can worry China. Maybe, they just avoided possible complications."

The Philippines was drawn to Group A with Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka.

Guiao said he couldn't be happier with the draw. "As long as we're not in the same group as China, we'll be fine," he went on. "It's a one-game knockout in the quarterfinals so the chances are 50-50. Then, it'll be another one-game knockout in the semifinals."

A one-game knockout format favors underdogs who might be able to catch the favorites on a bad day.

Guiao said he expects the Philippines, Iran, Korea and Japan to qualify for the quarterfinals from Groups A and B and China, Lebanon, Jordan and Kazakhstan to advance from Groups C and D. The teams will be ranked according to their win-loss records and in the crossover quarterfinals, it will be No. 1 A-B vs. No. 4 C-D, No. 2 A-B vs. No. 3 C-D, No. 1 C-D vs. No. 4 A-B and No. 2 C-D vs. No. 3 A-B.

Guiao said he picked Kazakhstan over Qatar to make it to the quarterfinals because of the size factor. He also noted that Kazakhstan has an "awkward" style that's tough to read.

Guiao said he's definitely taking Aguilar to Taipei.

"Japeth is arriving in Manila on June 26," he said. "He hasn't decided whether or not to join the PBA draft this August but when he comes, he'll study his options then make his decision. He's now 24 and from a practical point of view, he should consider that if he plays for Smart-Gilas the next three years, he'll be 27 or 28 by the time he joins the PBA. That might be a little late for a rookie."

Guiao said he is in close touch with Aguilar's father Peter, a fellow Capampangan and former PBA cager who lives in Chicago. "I think the Aguilars know the value of utang na loob and we've helped out their family in many ways in the past," he continued.

Guiao joked that when Aguilar flies in, he'll bring the 6-9 wunderkind to the Burger King camp to acclimatize. If Guiao advises Aguilar to join the PBA draft, the betting is he will. Joaquin Henson - The Philippine Star

[ThreeStars&aSun]

Guiao: Aguilar to have big role in RP 5's running game


Korea and Japan, two East Asian powerhouse squads and the Philippines' toughest rivals in Group A of the FIBA Asia Championship, are expected exploit to use their firepower to the hilt.

The Filipinos will bank on their versatility and running game.

This makes Japeth Aguilar, the 6-foot-9 son of former PBA player Peter Aguilar, so special.

"Japeth will be a good match up against any big guy in the region, particularly in our bracket," said Powerade-Team Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao, who told GMANews.TV that the second-generation cager would join the team's practice anytime soon. "He can use his versatility against the Koreans and the Japanese."

Aguilar would most likely play both forward spots and share minutes with co-captain Kerby Raymundo, Ranidel de Ocampo, Arwind Santos and Kelly Williams, who might be back in good condition by the time the Filipinos start competing in the FIBA World Basketball qualifier in China.

Korea and Japan were the country's old rivals in the region dating back from the 60s and 70s when Koreans Shin Dong Pa and Japan's Masatomo Taniguchi reign supreme in Asia.

Guiao said familiarity with how Korea and Japan plays is the most crucial factor in playing against them.

"I think their new coach, Hur Jae, has brought old players to the Korean national team. It could either be good or bad for them and that we still have to see," said Guiao. "I know Hur Jae as a player, but I still don't know him as a coach. But I've heard he led his team to the championship in East Asia."

Jae, who still holds the most number of points scored by a player in the World Basketball Championship with 60, became one of the best players Korea has ever produced, probably next to the legendary Shin Dong Pa.

Japan, on the other hand, also has an experienced player in Takehiko Orimo, who might be playing his last FIBA Asia tournament. He is already 39 years old, but the team is now built around several young guys, including 6-foot-9 banger Joji Takeuchi.

Guiao, the fiery Burger King mentor in the PBA, was very much relieved after the Philippines averted host China in the draw.

"Had we been bracketed with China, it would be a struggle for us. Bukod sa malalaki na sila, magagaling pa and sila pa yung host, which is a big advantage for them and a big disadvantage to our campaign," said Guiao, who has delegated his deputies Gee Abanilla and Kenneth Duremdes to scout Korea and Japan in the tournaments which they will be participating, including the William Jones Cup in Taiwan next month. GMANews.TV

[ThreeStars&aSun]

I would love to filter all the news here on the forum (into non-pinoy and pinoy) so I can find stuff that is really interesting to me (I cant read the 1 Millionth post about some random-philipino player being a god on the court or how good the team will be against some other teams when RP is clearly the underdog in group A - no offense but I cant read it no more, no hate here.Just realism).

So my question is, who knows more about the Sri Lanki team ? I now asia-basket lists a NT for 2007 but dont they have any foreign-born talent? What about the Uzbekis ? Any info on them ? And please dont answer me some stuff like: I think Sri Lanka has a weak team and RP will win this one easy...bla bla bla.

you can't do anything about that.

oh by the way, here's another news



Guiao upbeat on FIBA-Asia draw, format

Coach Yeng Guiao is thrilled over the prospect of a better finish for Powerade Team Pilipinas in the Fiba-Asia Championship in August in Tianjin, China following the result of the draw and the revised format Wednesday.

In fact, the feisty mentor couldn't wait to gather the team again for training. He is also looking forward to scout the opposition in the Jones Cup in Taiwan next month.

"I'm now raring to return to practice," said Guiao, optimistic of their chance to achieve their goal of making the world meet next year.

Under the format, SBP and PBA officials believe the Nationals have a more than 50 percent chance of making the top three for a slot in the world championship in Turkey next year.

In the initial round in the eliminations, Powerade-RP is bracketed with Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka in Group A, needing only to make the top three to advance to the next phase where it plays the top three from Group B composed of Iran, Chinese Taipei, Kuwait and Uzbekistan.

"We'll meet most of the contenders in the Jones Cup. We'll be able to test their strength and scout their players," said Guiao.

"Of course, they will also be scouting us so we have to devise a strategy. Are we going there to win as many as we can? Or are we going there not showing them what this team is all about? That's being done by many international teams," Guiao said.

Iran and Kazakhstan did the trick in the 2007 Jones Cup, barely using key players whom they unleashed in the Tokushima Olympic qualifier. Both teams made the Tokushima Final Four with Iran going all the way to win the championship.

But Guiao pointed out the Jones Cup will also serve as the final basis for the coaching staff to determine the final 12 who will make RP team to the Tianjin meet.

"We intend to play all our players in the Jones Cup. Hopefully, all the guys are healthy by then. Japeth Aguilar is leaving the US on June 24 to join us," said Guiao.

Aguilar, fresh from his stint with the West Kentucky U in the US NCAA, is joining the pool composed of Asi Taulava, Mick Pennisi, Kerby Raymundo, Ranidel de Ocampo, Arwind Santos, James Yap, Cyrus Baguio, Willie Miller, Gabe Norwood, Jared Dillinger, Jayjay Helterbrand, Ryan Reyes, Sonny Thoss and Kelly Williams.

Reyes and Thoss are nursing injuries while Williams is out with a blood disorder problem.

From the A-B cluster, Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei are three teams aside from Iran which finished better than the Philippines in Tokushima. This happened as the Philippines found itself then in the "Group of Death" with Iran, Jordan and China in the elimination round.

Korea and Chinese Taipei placed first and second in Group D with Hong Kong and Syria while Japan topped Group B featuring Lebanon, UAE and Kuwait. Korea went on to place third in the tourney with Chinese Taipei winding up sixth and Japan eighth.

Curiously, the Philippines finished with a better overall win-loss record of 5-2 as against Japan's 4-4 and Chinese Taipei's 3-5. Nelson Beltran - The Philippine Star

[ThreeStars&aSun]

China stole the show


It was China's privilege as host country to choose which bracket to join in the FIBA-Asia draw in Tianjin the other day.

China's privilege extended to when to make its decision, which came after the four groups were filled with three teams each, leaving four entries, including China, unattached.

As it turned out, China chose to join Group C with Kazakhstan, Qatar and India. The last three teams to be drawn were Sri Lanka in Group A, Uzbekistan in Group B and United Arab Emirates in Group D.

Bahrain backed out to allow Chinese-Taipei to move in. Chinese-Taipei failed to qualify out of the East Asia zone and would've missed its first FIBA-Asia tournament in 24 years if not for Bahrain's withdrawal.

Curiously, the all-powerful FIBA-Asia secretary-general Dato Yeoh Choo Hock was quoted last week as saying he guaranteed Chinese-Taipei's participation despite failing to qualify. He mentioned either increasing the cast to 17 teams, from the traditional 16, or bumping off a qualifier. Sure enough, Dato Yeoh got the job done.

Chinese-Taipei finished sixth in the last FIBA-Asia Championships in Tokushima two years ago. The lofty placing was a factor in bringing Chinese-Taipei to the Tianjin fold with Bahrain out of the picture.

China's decision to join Group C drew a candid reaction from Serbian coach Rajko Toroman who piloted Iran to the FIBA-Asia title in Tokushima.

"I'm not surprised," said Toroman, now coaching the Smart-Gilas national developmental squad. "China chose the weakest group. Kazakhstan may give some teams trouble but not China. Qatar is struggling with a new coach (American Kent Davison resigned last week and was replaced by Ali Fakhro) and India couldn't even beat Kuwait in the last Stankovic Cup."

Toroman said China's style in international competitions is to slowly work to peak form.

"They use the early part of the tournament to get in shape for the playoffs," he said. "That's why they chose an easy group so they won't be too pressured. Then, they'll give it their all when the quarterfinals begin."

But it's also possible China chose Group C because in the tournament format, assuming it qualifies for the quarterfinals, it will play a relatively weak team from Groups A and B. If China picked either Group A or B, it would face a tougher qualifier from Groups C and D, where the teams are stronger, in the quarterfinals.

It's in the one-game knockout quarterfinals where favorites, like China, could get sideswiped and lose "by accident." That's why this format is like beautiful music to underdogs and darkhorses -- like the Philippines.

* * *

The format guarantees 12 teams at least six games. Here's how it works:

The four teams in each group play a round-robin starting Aug. 6. After three games, the lowest-ranked team is eliminated. The three survivors of Group A play the three survivors of Group B once each while the three survivors of Group C play the three survivors of Group D once each. The win-loss records of the 12 survivors will be carried over, except the result with the eliminated teams.

At the end of the second round, the top four finishers of Groups A-B and Groups C-D will advance to the eight-team quarterfinals. The teams will be ranked according to their win-loss carryover records. It will be No. 1 A-B vs No. 4 C-D, No. 2 A-B vs No. 3 C-D, No. 1 C-D vs No. 4 A-B and No. 2 C-D vs No. 3 A-B. Each quarterfinal pairing is a knockout affair. The winners move on to play in the one-game crossover knockout semifinals with the survivors disputing the championship.

The first three finishers will represent Asia in the World Championships in Turkey on Aug. 28-Sept. 12 next year. Four cities in Turkey will host the games involving 24 countries -- Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and Izmir.

Of the 16 countries that played in Tokushima, only Syria and Hong Kong won't be back for Tianjin. Their spots were taken over by Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan.

SBP executive director Noli Eala, Powerade team manager J. B. Baylon of Coca-Cola and interpreter Andrew Teh represented the Philippines at the draw.

"We've got a great chance to make it to the quarterfinals," said Eala. "From being in the Group of Death in Tokushima, we're now in the Group of Hope. Our goal should be to finish either first or second entering the quarterfinals so we avoid playing either China or Lebanon in the knockout quarterfinals."

* * *

If Bahrain hadn't backed out, Eala said the Philippines would've been drawn in the second round, avoiding Japan, Qatar and Jordan in the same bracket. But when Bahrain withdrew, Chinese-Taipei sneaked in and joined Japan, Qatar and Jordan in the second round of the draw. The Philippines fell to the third round but it was still a lucky draw.

The Filipino traveling party left Manila on a PAL flight to Beijing last Tuesday morning. The group motored four hours under heavy rain to Tianjin.

The draw was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel where the Filipinos stayed two nights before leaving for home yesterday.

"The hotel is in the airport industrial park of Tianjin," said Eala. "It's like an EPZA. The hotel itself is new and very nice but there's nothing around it except construction and empty land. Tianjin is a big city about 120 kilometers south of Beijing. When we arrived, it was so dark and cloudy and some streets were already flooded."

A wave of optimism was evident in the reactions of SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas, PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios and Powerade team coach Yeng Guiao upon learning of the results of the draw.

Vargas called it "a lucky break." Barrios said he hopes the Powerade team will continue to be blessed with good luck in Tianjin. And Guiao said this could signal a change in the Philippines' fortunes in the FIBA-Asia Championships. Two years ago, the Philippines finished ninth despite sweeping its last four assignments, including a rematch with China.

Anyway you look at it, China was the big winner of the draw in Tianjin. But the Philippines can't complain - the Powerade team was also a winner in the lottery. Joaquin Henson, "Sporting Chance" - The Philippine Star

[chekov's gun]

@#$% ang mga pinoy dito na mahilig magkwento sa RP team!!! Kayo yung tinatawag ni CHot na mga henyo kasi ang gagaling niyo masyado sa analysis! di niyo ba alam yang analysis niyo sa players natin eh nababasa ng mga eskawta ng ibang bansa.... yung players nila ang i-discuss niyo thoroughly at wag ang mga players natin mga bopols!! kaya tayo nagugulpi de gulat sa tournament dahil nakakadagdag pa kadaldalan ng mga futaynang pinoy kagaya niyo!

trans: stop acting like kids and keep your cool. our time will come. no need to tell them how good rp team is

Please remember to give full translations or ask somebody for help!