China cinch to top Asian cagefest

The last ticket to the 12-nation Athens Olympic basketball competition next year will go to the winner of the 22nd Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) championships that started yesterday in Harbin, China.

The countries guaranteed to play in Athens are world titlist Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), host Greece, Australia and New Zealand from Oceania, Angola from Africa, the US, Argentina and Puerto Rico from the Americas and Lithuania, Spain and Italy from Europe. One slot is reserved for the Asian champion.

As this year’s ABC host, China chose its group unlike the other 15 teams that were classified in declining order based on their 2001 standings. China picked Group C where Taiwan, Syria and Iran are bracketed to avoid a South Korea confrontation until the semifinals.

Coach Wang Fei was sacked after piloting China to a woeful 12th place finish at the World Championships and a loss to South Korea in the Busan Asian Games finals last year. Back in the saddle is 62-year-old Jiang Xingquan who took China to the 1994 World Championship quarterfinals.

National Basketball Association (NBA) veterans Yao Ming and Mengke Batere are anchoring the Chinese squad. Veteran Sun Jun, a recent Manila visitor, was enlisted as a late replacement for injured Gong Songlin. Dropped from the Asian Games roster were veterans Gong Xiaobin, Hu Weidong and Liu Yudong. Returning cagers include Li Nan, Guo Shiqiang, Liu Wei and Zhu Fangyu.

Korea isn’t expected to pose a threat to China with 6-10 center Seo Jang Hoon a doubtful starter nursing a knee injury. Two other Korean mainstays Chun Hee Chul and Hoon Joo Yup are out of the lineup because of injuries. Leading the charge for Korea are Kyung Eun Moon, Kim Joo Sung, Choo Seung Gyun, Lee Kyu Sup and Bang Sung Yoon.

Japan gunner Takehiko Orimo–who torched the Philippines with 33 points in the last Asian Games–is not in Croatian coach Zeljko Pavlicevic’s lineup. Orimo voluntarily gave up his slot to give younger stars a chance to play for the country. Last July, Pavlicevic steered Japan to a 79-70 win over Portugal in the Kirin Cup. The Japanese stalwarts include Maikeru Takahashi (Michael Dorsey of California State at Northridge), Takuma Watanabe, Fumihiko Aono and Hidekazu Ishizaka.

The Philippines is bracketed in Group D with Japan, Qatar and Jordan.

If the Philippines makes it to the quarterfinals, it will finish at least eighth–a modest goal for national coach Aric del Rosario in the biennial tournament that the country used to dominate. But in a pre-tournament forecast, Asian cage expert Chris Wang doused cold water on the Filipinos’ hopes, picking Japan and Qatar to qualify.

The Philippines topped the ABC tournament in 1960, 1963, 1967, 1973 and 1986. It was disqualified from participating in the 2001 joust because of the leadership crisis that rocked the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP). The national team’s last showing was a disappointment in 1999 as coach Vic Sanchez led the squad to 11th place. One of Sanchez’ players Richie Melencio is in Harbin.

To advance, the Philippines must win at least two games in the eliminations. That means the national team can’t afford to lose to Qatar today. It plays Jordan tomorrow.

The Philippine squad left for Harbin in two waves last Monday. The first batch took off via China Southern Airlines at 9 a.m. via Xiamen. The second group included late additions Jonathan de Guzman, Chris Nicdao and Romar Menor and flew to Seoul via Cebu Pacific then transferred to a China Southern flight for Harbin.

BAP secretary-general Graham Lim, meanwhile, lashed out at the Universities and Colleges Athletic Association (UCAA) for refusing to allow St. Francis of Assisi stars Ranidel de Ocampo and Irwin Sotto to play in Harbin.

St. Francis of Assisi is locked in a best-of-3 duel with Philippine School of Business Administration (PSBA). Game 1 was won by the Doves last Monday. Game 2 is scheduled on Sept. 30.

"The ABC tournament will end on Oct. 1," said Lim. "Why couldn’t the UCAA reset the finals until after the ABC? Isn’t it an honor for the UCAA to be represented in the national team?"

After Lim threatened to sanction the UCAA for the refusal, the league terminated the services of BAP referees and table officials.

Lim also lambasted Philippine Basketball League (PBL) team Montana for withdrawing hotshot Gary David from the national roster. He claimed a conflict of interest prompted the withdrawal as Montana is a business competitor of national team sponsor Cebuana Lhuillier. Lim took PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad to task for not abiding by an alleged promise to release players for the Philippine squad.

Trinidad told The STAR he never promised anything to Lim. "Players are not under contract to the PBL but to their teams," explained Trinidad. "I never promised to release players. It’s up to the teams to release players. Willy Wilson and Marc Pingris are examples of PBL players who were released. In David’s case, Montana simply exercised its right to protect its investment. Remember that Montana paid for David’s hospitalization and rehab when he injured his knee last year. David is scheduled to play in our Vis-Min Cup starting Oct. 1. The issue has nothing to do with Cebuana Lhuillier."

Trinidad, however, said the PBL is prepared to allow all its players to suit up for the national squad at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam this December. The PBL will end its last conference this season before the start of the SEA Games.

A plan to air the ABC tournament was scrapped by Solar TV after organizers refused to budge on a staggering price tag of $3,000 a game.