Gilas Diaries: Asia’s Old Guards (Part 2)

(Fourth of six parts)

Part 1: The Adopted Sons of West and Central Asia

Part 2: The Adopted Sons of East Asia

Part 3: West Asia’s Old Guards

MANILA, Philippines — It is July 26 here in Manila, and there are only 6 nights left before the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championship Tournament, the first ever held in these parts in 4 decades, kicks off at the ultramodern Mall of Asia Arena and the historic Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

An air of excitement can be felt all around the metropolis as the promotions for the event continue to ramp up each day. Various signs along highways, advertisements on radio and TV, and promo spots on YouTube have popped up, readying the rabid Filipino populace for what should be the biggest sporting event of the year.

And as the last one-time-big-time FIBA Asia Men’s Championship (the format will change after the 2014 World Cup) closes in, we will take a look at the players and teams who will take part in it. Now that FIBA Asia has officially released the rosters on the tournament’s official micro-site, I can get down to making proper team-by-team previews, but before even starting that I have to finish this.

In this 4th in a 6-part series, I will put the spotlight on players well into their early 30s from East Asia. These are players who are still persistently chugging along despite wobbly knees. In the last two parts, I will write about the stars who are expected to be in peak form when the basketball version of Thrilla in Manila commences.

I hope that at the end of this series, readers of Rappler and fans of Asian hoops will be more enlightened, and be even more excited for the 2013 FIBA Asia Men’s Championships.

Here we go.

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Liu Wei, China

Specs: 6’3″, 33 years old
Current Club: Shanghai Sharks (CBA)
Been in National Team Since: 2002
Latest Achievement: Helped lead China to the 2011 FIBA Asia crown in Wuhan, and consequently qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics.
Latest Tournament: Played for the Shanghai Sharks in the 2012-2013 CBA season, averaging 21.3ppg, 4.5rpg, and 4.5apg.

Liu is without a doubt one of the best point guards to ever play in Asia. If he were on any other team, he’d average beastly stats, but because he’s a member of the Chinese juggernaut, he hasn’t really been a monster in international competitions. Still, he has a unique set of skills that, even at 33 years old, will still be vital for China to defend its continental title.

I remember first seeing Liu Wei in action during the 2002 Busan Asian Games and thinking how this guy posed a significant match-up problem for many Asian teams. At 6’3, he was taller than most Asian PGs, and he was quicker and stronger, too. He is obviously not as quick and strong as he once was, but his experience and court instincts are things coach Giannakis probably hopes will transfer to the younger set.

Over the years, he has remained a mainstay of the Chinese NT, experiencing three World Championship tournaments and two Olympic tournaments. Though he will probably never reach the popularity of more ballyhooed former and current teammates Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, it’s clear that Liu Wei, whether this is his last FIBA Asia campaign or not, will go down as one of the best Chinese to ever grace the hardwood.

Kim Joo-Sung, South Korea

Specs: 6’9″, 34 years old
Current Club: Wonju Dongbu Promy (KBL)
Been in National Team Since: 1998
Latest Achievement: Helped Korea win the 2013 East Asia Basketball Championships held in Incheon.
Latest Tournament: Was the most consistent performer for the Koreans as they finished 3rd behind Iran and Taiwan A in the 2013 William Jones Cup.

The first time I saw Joo-Sung was in the 1998 Jones Cup as a member of the Korean U18 team that went up against our very own Philippine Centennial Team. He squared off against PBA veteran Marlou Aquino in that game and he, along with the rest of the Koreans, was thoroughly creamed by the crack PBA stars. I remember coach Tim Cone’s wards winning that match by 18 points.

Fast forward to 2013, however, and Marlou Aquino is long retired while Joo-Sung continues to be one of Korea’s best big men. Perhaps more than his skills at the low block or on the defensive end, Joo-Sung’s staying power is his biggest strength. If China’s CBA has someone like Wang Zhizhi still showing the young ‘uns the ropes, then the KBL has Joo-Sung.

He should continue to be a big headache in August especially since he’s partnered with Wonju Dongbu Promy teammate Lee Seung-Jun up front. This veteran crew (Seung-Jun is 35) will banner coach Yoo Jae-Hak’s team at first against the likes of Hamed Haddadi and Yi Jianlian in Group C, and then against Anton Ponomarev and CJ Giles in the second round. Joo-Sung might not have the spring in his step he once had, but his veteran savvy will help him give Korea a solid chance to win every game.

Ryota Sakurai, Japan

Specs: 6’5″, 30 years old
Current Club: Levanga Hokkaido Sapporo (JBL)
Been in National Team Since: 2004
Latest Achievement: Helped lead Japan to a second-place finish behind Iran in the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup in Tokyo. He averaged 8.1ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.7apg, and 1.4spg while shooting nearly 49% from the floor.
Latest Tournament: Quarterbacked the Japanese team in the 2013 William Jones Cup, where the Nippon quintet won just one game out of eight.

He doesn’t look it, but Ryota Sakurai is already one of the elder statesmen on Team Hayabusa. In fact, he has spent nearly 10 years as part of the Japanese National Team, experiencing play in the 2006 and 2010 Asian Games, the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Saitama, and about 5 FIBA Asia Men’s tournaments. If there’s any guy on the Nippon NT that can be described as a battle-hardened soldier, this guy is it.

For most of his career in the JBL and for the NT, Sakurai has played mainly as a small forward or shooting guard, but starting last year coach Kimikazu Suzuki, who is known for using tall playmakers, converted the Levanga Hokkaido Sapporo mainstay into the team’s primary floor general. A 6’5″ PG, of course, is uncommon in Asia (the only other names that come to mind are Jordan’s Sam Daghlas and Gilas’s Gabe Norwood), and it should create a few match-up headaches for opposing teams.

This was in full display in the FIBA Asia Cup last year, when Japan took full advantage of their homecourt edge to go all the way to the championship game, narrowly losing to a deep Iran team. Sakurai was instrumental in leading his relatively young guys past more seasoned teams like Qatar and Taiwan, and he will certainly be one of the barometers of success for Japan when it starts its campaign in Manila.

Tien Lei, Chinese Taipei

Specs: 6’8″, 30 years old
Current Club: Dacin Tigers (Taiwan SBL)
Been in National Team Since: 2001
Latest Tournament & Achievement: Helped Taiwan capture second place in the 2013 William Jones Cup, finishing behind champions Iran.

Early in the 2000s, the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) made a controversial move, junking its veteran-laden national squad (featuring the likes of Cheng Chih-Lung and Lo Shin-Liang) in favor of a bunch of tall, talented, but inexperienced teeners. Tien Lei was one of those teeners, along with now established stars Tseng Wen-Ting, Wu Tai-hao, and Lin Chih-Chieh.

The objective of the CTBA back then was to create a team built to win “for the future.” The mindset was this team would gel and learn the ropes now and bear fruit within the next decade. Now, it’s well over 10 years since Tien Lei and co. first played in the FIBA Asia Men’s tournament, and their highest showing so far has been fifth, but all that can change with the addition of Quincy Davis.

For his part, Tien Lei will probably play less center (something he’s probably thankful for) and more SF/PF. This will definitely be good for him and the rest of the team, since his physique and skill-set are built for the perimeter game. He is an unusual breed, of course, because he has the size and athleticism to be competitive down low, but he also has the outside shooting to stretch opposing defenses. And, yes, even at 30 years old, he can still hack it.

#parasabayan – Rappler.com

Enzo Flojo is one of the closest followers of the Philippine National Basketball Team. He is a self-proclaimed Asian Basketball hoop nut, and he doubts if anyone knows as much as he does about the best players in this corner of the world. He maintains a nationally-recognized basketball blog (HoopNut.com), and he hopes you can pester him on Twitter — @hoopnut.