Following in the wake of a tumultuous offseason that included the dmedia Numen? ownership change, the absence of a broadcast carrier and the lack of a legitimate home court in Taipei, the 2009 Super Basketball League (SBL) season will open this Saturday with a rematch of last season? championship final between the defending champs, Taiwan Beer, and the 訃unners-up, the Yulon Dinos, at the Miaoli County Sports Complex.
For those not too familiar with Taiwan? semi-professional basketball league, it is made up of seven teams: three-time champs the Dinos, crowd favorite and defending champs Taiwan Beer, the Dacin Tigers, the Taiwan Mobile Leopards, Pure Youth Construction, Bank of Taiwan and the newly acquired Kinmen Liquor (formerly the dmedia Numen).
What was once considered a bright outlook following five solid seasons of play has muddled through to a questionable start this year that had many worried about whether scheduled play would even begin on time.
Headlining a wave of negative publicity was the ownership change that turned the Numen into Kinmen Liquor after dmedia became embroiled in a game-fixing scandal that led to the dismantlement of its professional baseball affiliate, the dmedia T-Rex, last October.
Further complicating the problem was the reluctance of local sports broadcasters ESPN and Videoland Sports to keep sharing the broadcast rights this season, not to mention a reduction of almost 75 percent in the broadcast fees paid to the league ?from NT$56 million (US$1.7 million) last year to a proposed NT$14 million to NT$15 million this year. Apart from blaming the recent global economic downturn, officials involved in the deal refused to discuss the reasons behind such a huge reduction.
Finally, there is the issue of the SBL not having a real ?ome court?this season because neither the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium nor the Taipei County Sports Complex is available this year as a result of reconstruction and scheduling problems. The Taipei Dome is also out of the question because of cost and scheduling conflicts.
This leaves the league hosting most of its games this season at Miaoli and Hsinchu, until May? postseason play at the Taipei City Arena.
Aside from the off-court upheaval, all seven squads have been preparing hard for the upcoming season, with friendly matches taking place as early as last month.
While Taiwan Beer are clearly the preseason favorite to defend their title, with all five of their starters returning from last year, the Dinos should pose a serious threat to the beer crew, with top forward Chen ?irman?Hsin-an and healthy center Tseng Wen-ding heading a potent lineup.
Lurking not far behind the Dinos will be a tough Dacin club that has acquired the services of US veteran forward Byron Allen, who should provide the inside presence that the Tigers have missed over the past few seasons to complement the three-point attack in the Dacin perimeter game.
Also opting for foreign help this season are the Leopards, who picked up Mario Boggan of the US along with scoring threat Ouyang Jing-hen (from Kinmen Liquor) to lead a fairly experienced squad under the direction of Cheng Chih-long.
Looking to build on their success from last year will be a young Pure Youth team that made it into postseason play, with center Jien Jia-hong championing a quick and agile fivesome that can run the ball up and down the court all day long.
Rounding out the rest of the league are Kinmen Liquor and Bank of Taiwan, who are in a rebuilding phase after losing several starters to more favorable offers from other teams during the offseason.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
DOMINANT JUVENTUS: Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao both scored braces as Juventus made a statement in their opener with a big win over Al-Ain Phil Foden on Wednesday scored two minutes into the match and later had an assist to lead Premier League powerhouse Manchester City past Moroccan club Wydad AC 2-0 at the FIFA Club World Cup. City broke Wydad’s five-man defensive line early when Foden scored on a deflected cross by goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid. Jeremy Doku doubled City’s lead in the 42nd minute off a corner-kick from Foden. Shortly afterward, an animal-rights advocate ran onto the field to protest Morocco’s treatment of stray dogs and cats. The man was tackled by security workers and escorted out of Lincoln Financial Field, which was just over
RSS