Pauian Archiland coaches and players vowed to defend their title for a second straight year as the Super Basketball League (SBL) season tips off in Taoyuan this weekend, with the seven teams bracing to play 155 games to reach the playoffs in April.
Archiland head coach Ben Metcalf said his team would face many challenges in the 2018-2019 campaign and would need to make adjustments, but would continue to rely on same core players who helped them win last season’s championship.
Among the tough challenges is a new rule that allows each team to have two foreign players, Metcalf said at yesterday’s launch event.
“We will have more combinations to play in the game, but it also poses more complications for integrating the lineup and how to fit it all together to play the style that is most suitable for our team,” he said.
SBL secretary-general Lee Yi-chung said the new rule should make the season the most exciting one in league history, adding that the news has brought many fans to watch warm-up games over the past few weeks, as many of the new faces played in the NBA.
Lee said the league is leveling the playing field by stipulating that each team’s foreign players have less than a combined height of 405cm and a salary cap of NT$928,025 per month.
Although both imports can be starters, they are limited to a total of six quarters, meaning that two quarters per game would only have one foreigner playing, including the pivotal fourth quarter, Lee added.
The biggest names coming to the SBL this year are the Dacin Tigers’ O.J. Mayo, who played in the NBA for eight seasons, the Bank of Taiwan’s Greg Smith, who played five seasons in the NBA, and the Fubon Braves’ Daniel Orton, who played three NBA seasons.
Mayo told reporters that looks forward to playing in the SBL.
“It will be very exciting season for me, playing for the first time in Taiwan,” Mayo said. “This is a new experience for me and I will have to learn new things, but I will pick up my game to help the team to win the title... I have played against Greg Smith and Daniel Orton in the NBA, so it will be great to face them and do battle here in the SBL.”
Mayo said that his goal this year is to remain healthy and not get injured, adding that it is crucial for him to get his team into the playoffs while showing his shooting, blocking and rebounding abilities.
Taiwan Beer has filled out their lineup with Edvinas Seskus of Lithuania and Ihor Zaytsev of Ukraine, while Yulon Luxgen have signed Terry Thomas of the US and Sani Sakaini, the first Palestinian player in the SBL.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was