More than 10,000 hoops fans are expected to flock to the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City at 7:30pm tomorrow to cheer on Team Taiwan against Japan in the opener of the 33rd William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament.
With most this year’s participants having already secured a spot in the upcoming Asian Championship in Wuhan, China, the annual mid-summer basketball classic will promise an all-out effort from each squad as they look to showcase the results of their months of preparation and perhaps land a higher seeding for the championship.
Seeking to improve on their fifth-place finish of a year ago, the Taiwanese national squad will be led by head coach Chou Chun-san (a Taiwan Beer assistant coach), who is making his debut at the helm after being named to the post less than six months ago.
Chou will receive plenty of support form technical adviser Bob Hill, a former NBA coach, and assistant coach Hsu Chin-che (Pure Youth Construction) as he leads a crew that features the potent frontcourt trio of Chen “Airman” Hsin-an, Lin “The Beast” Chih-chieh and former Yulon Luxgens great Tseng Wen-ding, which should pose a serious threat to their opponents.
Rounding out the starting five are backcourt tandem Chen Shih-nian (Taiwan Beer) and Lin Hsueh-lin, who have been regulars on the national squad for the past few years.
The United Arab Emirates will make their first appearance in the competition this year, which also includes the defending champs from Iran and perennial powerhouse Jordan, who won the title three years ago, along with Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea.
South Africa had committed to make the trip to Taiwan as recently as last week, before canceling this week because of funding difficulties, leaving just eight teams to do battle.
Unlike last year’s competition, which did not have a medal round, this year’s play will feature a round-robin preliminary round before a medal round on the final two days of competition.
DOUBLE: Harry Kane has now netted 12 goals in six games, scoring his second hat-trick this season after Bayern’s opening Bundesliga match against Leipzig last month That man again. Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday to steer Bayern Munich to a 4-1 win at Hoffenheim for the best Bundesliga start any team has made after four rounds. The England captain scored before the break and converted two penalties after it to take his club tally to 12 goals in six games across all competitions — 13 goals in seven games including the German Supercup. Kane’s other hat-trick was in the Bundesliga-opening 6-0 rout of Leipzig. Bayern’s record of 12 points with a goal difference of 15-plus is the best after four rounds of the Bundesliga
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
After Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday pitched five hitless innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Rafael Marchon hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer off Blake Treinen with two outs in the ninth inning for a 9-6 win. Brandon Marsh had a two-run homer and Max Kepler added a solo shot in a six-run sixth for Philadelphia. Ohtani’s 50th homer leading off the eighth helped the Dodgers tie the game 6-6. The Phillies erased a 4-0 deficit against Justin Wrobleski in another stunning collapse by the Dodgers bullpen. Philadelphia rallied for four runs in the seventh and eighth innings and another in the