Hong Kong nat’l team: Firemen, teachers, students

 

MANILA, Philippines — As I write this, Hong Kong just lost its 4th game in a row — an 80-54 shellacking from Jordan. This was only the second win for Jordan in the tournament, but they did so with much dominance. In contrast, the difference in quality and inexperience of the Hong Kong players were in stark focus. 

Hong Kong shot just 33% from the field and allowed Jordan to make 43% of its shots. Hong Kong also got clobbered on the glass, with Al Nashama grabbing 50 rebounds and HKG collaring just 30.

Though Hong Kong is currently playing in the second round of competitions, it’s clear they are out of their league, at least on paper. Ask any FIBA Asia observer or even casual fan, and I doubt if any of them would pick Hong Kong over Jordan, or any of the other Group E teams for that matter, on any day. 

Punching bag

In terms of its recent history, Hong Kong has not enjoyed much success on the basketball court. In the 2006 Doha Asian Games, HKG lost both of its first round games — 57-65 to Afghanistan and 61-89 to Syria. As a result, they failed to qualify for the preliminary round. 

In the 2007 FIBA Asia Tournament in Tokushima, Japan, Hong Kong lost 2 of its 3 preliminary round games. They were blasted by Korea, 67-107, and Taiwan, 81-98. Their win over Syria, 104-100, was not enough to carry them through. They went 2-2 in their next 4 games to finish at 13th place — lowest among all East Asian squads. 

In the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, HKG was paired with North Korea in the qualifying round. If they won, they would move on to the preliminaries. They didn’t. North Korea narrowly beat them, 78-71. 

For the first time ever, they missed the FIBA Asia Men’s tournament, both in 2009 and 2011, and are only returning now after a fortunate fourth place finish in the 2013 East Asian Basketball Championships.

In that particular joust, HKG lost to China (59-84), beat Mongolia (76-73), lost to South Korea (62-105), and also got beaten by Japan (71-87). And that was with their two top gunners already playing — Liang Man Hung and Lo Yi Ting. 

Lo Yi Ting is of particular interest since he is, as of now, the only Hong Konger who is a fully professional hoopster, playing for the Fujian SBS Sturgeons in the Chinese Basketball Association. One of his teammates is current China NT center Wang Zhelin. In 26 contests this past CBA season, Lo averaged 4.3ppg and 2.0apg in 16 minutes of play per outing. He shot 45.5% from the floor and nearly 35% from beyond the arc. 

Part-time national basketball players

Of course, he upped those numbers in the 2013 EABA tournament, norming 19.8ppg and making nearly 2 triples per contest. His compatriot, Liang, also did well in that competition, averaging 12.3ppg, and 2.5 triples per game. Both guys aren’t on the current iteration of Team Hong Kong here in Manila as Lo is prepping for the next CBA season and Liang is caught up in his day job. 

Day job? Yes, for most of Hong Kong’s national players, basketball is not a full-time thing. According to my interview with HKG’s main big man, Duncan Reid, some of Hong Kong’s players are teachers, some are firemen, and some are students. 

As I think about that, I remember a scene from the film “300” where King Leonidas meets another group of Greeks before facing the Persians in Thermopylae. This bigger group of Greeks asks Leonidas why he brought so few, and Leonidas simply replies, “Spartans! What is your profession?”

To this, his cohorts respond by saying, “WAR! WAR! WAR!”

No pro basketball

As Reid mentions in our conversation, this is one of the main reasons Hong Kong has trouble doing well in international competitions. There is no culture or organization of professional basketball in HKG, although there are certain corners that want to change that. 

Until then, however, it is clear that Hong Kong is bound to continue struggling through lopsided games like this, where, despite their best efforts, they are bound to stare at another notch on the loss column.

The rest of my conversation with Reid went this way:

Rappler: How has your stay in Manila been so far? What has been the highlight of your visit aside from basketball?

Duncan Reid: Oh the people have been very warm and it has been a great atmosphere. This is a really beautiful stadium and it’s great to play here. Aside from basketball, we went to see the Taal volcano during the break day before resuming practice. That was nice.

R: How do you feel about the way you guys have played so far?

DR: I feel proud. We’ve competed very well, I feel we have given a good showing and that we belong here. In fact, it seems the other teams are scouting us now because of our competitiveness. There are couple of tough games coming up, though, so we have to really be at our best for those.

R: What is your mindset heading into the next 2 games against Jordan and the Philippines?

DR: We’re very excited to play, especially against the Philippines because this gym will be packed with a lot of people of cheering. These are such high-level teams and we have to play our best.

R: Which player from another has really impressed you so far?

DR: Kamrani, the Iran point guard is very skilled, and it’s a pleasure to watch him play. I love the way he runs their team and I like the tempo he plays in.

R: Can you talk about the future of basketball in Hong Kong?

DR: There is a growing fondness for the NBA in Hong Kong, even if basketball is still at an amateur level. In fact on this team we have some teachers, some firemen, and some full-time students. We’ve only had 3 weeks to prepare, but we’re doing better than expected. I really think that our basketball association needs to foster a professional environment in Hong Kong.

Right now, we only have one pro player in who plays in the CBA (Lo Yi Ting). There is certainly a lot of talent and potential, but not much support. Even the roster of the national team is constantly changing because we don’t have any professionals. It all depends on everyone’s schedule and who is available.

R: In terms of your basketball career, what are your plans moving forward?

DR: I hope to be able to play in the CBA or Canada or anywhere basketball takes me. I just graduated from school, so I am hoping I get signed somewhere. – Rappler.com