Tso Tsong-kai was named last week’s Player of the Week in the Super Basketball League for his outstanding effort and fine leadership in guiding Taiwan Beer to a 2-1 record over an arduous three-game weekend.
Members of the Basketball Writers’ Association were near-unanimous in their decision to select the shooting guard out of Taipei’s Tsai Hsing High School to the weekly honor for his steady offensive production that saw him pour in 17.3 points and four rebounds per game over a three-game sequence for Taiwan Beer.
His five-for-six shooting from behind the three-point arc was especially crucial in lifting the Brew Crew past their archrivals, the Dacin Tigers, in a marquee victory that propelled them to third spot in the standings.
“I’d like to thank my coaches and teammates for their confidence and support in helping me land [the Player of the Week honor], I could not have done it without them,” Tso said.
His continuing success in the shooting guard’s role will not only take the scoring load off fellow forward Liu Chan, but also strengthen Taiwan Beer’s backcourt presence with the return of point man Su Yi-cheh from injury.
“Now that [Tso] is back to where he feels most comfortable at the shooting guard position [as opposed to the point guard position at the start of the season], he will have even more opportunities to do what he does best, which is shooting the ball and scoring,” Taiwan Beer skipper Yen Chia-hua said of his budding star.
Yen and his crew will have a chance to make a run for the No. 2 spot in the standings this weekend with a big game against streaky Kinmen Kaoliang tonight, followed by Sunday’s showdown against the second-ranked Taiwan Mobile Cloud Leopards.
With Tso matching up very well against a smaller Kinmen backcourt, the sharpshooter should have several good looks at the basket this evening to help him crank up the scoring for the Brew Crew.
How well Taiwan Beer big man Patrick O’Bryant stacks up against his counterpart Aaron Pettway will also play a role in determining the outcome of the game, with the winner in this matchup and his team likely to take the game.
Tonight’s other contest
The second weekend of play in the year begins tonight with top-ranked Pure Youth Construction taking on last-placed Bank of Taiwan in a David and Goliath battle at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City. The tip-off is scheduled for 6pm.
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