Scouting Report: Chinese Taipei

Moniker: Zhong Hai Dui (The Chinese Team)

Qualification: Placed fifth in the 2013 EABA Tournament, beating Mongolia and Macau, but losing to Japan and South Korea.

Last FIBA Asia Appearance: 2011 – 4 wins & 5 losses – Beat Qatar, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, and Malaysia, but lost to South Korea, Iran (twice), the Philippines, and Japan.

Roster:

Name, Age, Height, Position

Quincy Davis 30 6’8 C

Tseng Wen-Ting 29 6’8 F/C

Lu Cheng-Ju 27 6’5 F/G

Lin Chih-Chieh 31 6’4 G/F

Lee Hsueh-Lin 29 5’11 G

Tien Lei 30 6’8 F/C

Chou Po-Chen 23 6’6 F

Douglas Creighton 28 6’6 F

Tsai Wen-Cheng 28 6’2 G

Chen Shih-Chieh 29 5’10 G

Hung Chih-Shan 28 5’10 G

Yang Chin-Min 29 6’2 G

 

Key Player:

1. Quincy Davis – Should Taiwan improve on its previous eighth place finish, Davis should be the big reason why (quite literally). Now that the Taiwanese have a potentially dominant presence in the middle (instead of the oft-injured Wu Tai-Hao), every position is filled and their shooters should have more room with which to work. This also means natural PFs Tseng Wen-Ting and Tien Lei no longer have to put in as much time pretending to be centers. Heck, if coach Hsu Chin-Tse wants to, he can even go tall with all three bigs on the floor. Q can play 5, Tseng will be 4, and Tien has the skill-set to be a match-up nightmare at the 3 spot. Oh the possibilities.

2. Lin Chih-Chieh – Aside from Tseng and Tien, however, the guy who really set to benefit from the presence of Q is none other than the guy Taiwanese have nicknamed “Beast” – Lin Chih-Chieh. Lin actually plies his trade in the CBA, but his popularity in his home country is comparable to how maybe someone like James Yap is popular here in Manila. Lin is, simply put, a born scorer. He is well-known for his streaky sniping, but he is also a great finisher on the break, is a good slasher, and has the ability to hit those tough pull-ups. And with more seams in opposing defenses because of Q, I imagine Lin will have a field day quite frequently.

3. Lu Cheng-Ju – Lu who? Lu is often left as an after thought when people talk about the Taiwanese team, but I believe he is the perfect compliment to Q’s inside game and Lin’s wing versatility. Just imagine how PJ Simon is for James Yap and you can already have a good picture of what Lu is to Lin. If teams don’t do their homework in scouting this guy, or get lazy in closing him out, they will pay dearly.

Points of Interest:

1. Back to the Top? – The last time TPE made the podium in FIBA Asia seniors play was way back in 1989 when they placed third. The last time they entered the semifinals was in 1999. Suffice to say that this is one hungry bunch that will stop at nothing to regain their place among the greats. And with a team that promises to be deeper than any they’ve sent before, they just might make it happen.

2. Bad Blood – Nobody will admit it, of course, but the first round clash between Taiwan and Gilas should be epic. Both teams match-up well against each other, and both are raring to beat the other. The last few times Taipei faced Gilas, they finished on the losing end – 2012 FIBA Asia Cup, 2012 Jones Cup, 2011 FIBA Asia Championships, and 2011 Jones Cup. Heck, even if Taiwan doesn’t qualify for the World Cup, they will still go home happy if they can win over Gilas.

Tournament Outlook: Taiwan should be a sure-fire quarterfinal team. I am actually picking them to finish as one of the top two teams in Group E. That’s how significant Q is for them. On a good day, they may even be good enough to beat the power teams from the other side of the bracket. This is a different Taiwan team, and all the other squads should be ready. – Rappler.com