Amid the exodus of super stars Lin “the Beast” Chih-jeh, Yen Hsing-shu (Taiwan Beer) and Chen Hsin-an (Yulon Luxgens) to China’s higher-paying Chinese Basketball Association, this year’s Super Basketball League (SBL) season opens this afternoon at the Miaoli County Sports Complex with a showdown between Pure Youth Construction and three-time champs the Yulon Luxgens.
To compensate for a potential lack of competitiveness and fan interest because of the departure of the iconic players, the league has instituted a new rule that will allow one foreign player under 200cm in each team instead of the old rule that only allowed them in the last three finishers from the previous season.
“We wish all of them [the departed players] the best and we are confident that the games will not be affected by their absence at all,” league commissioner Wang Ren-da said at the season-opening press conference in Taipei on Thursday.
Also in attendance were National Sports Affairs Council Minister Tai Hsia-ling and Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung. Tai’s organization agreed to subsidize each SBL team NT$1 million this season and Liu invited hoop fans to experience the refreshing air and Hakka cuisine in Miaoli.
While the Dacin Tigers are clearly the preseason favorite to defend their title this season with all of the starting five returning from last year, Pure Youth should be able to give the Cats a run for their money, with proven winner Jonathan Sanders opting to return to the league after a one-year absence. The American standout — who led the former Videoland Hunters (Taiwan Mobile Leopards) and the former dmedia Numen (Kinmen Liquor) into the playoffs in 2007 and 2008 respectively — will team up with James Mao and big-man Jien Jia-hong to complement a backcourt featuring three-point threat Hong Chih-shan.
Also opting for foreign help this season with veteran American forward Delvin Thomas are Taiwan Beer, who are looking to fill the shoes of the Beast with the former ETTV Antelopes muscleman. Thomas will reunite with fellow center Wu Dai-hao in a twin-tower lineup.
Closing out the projected top four squads are Kinmen Liquor, who picked up all-purpose player Shawn Hawkins in an offseason move that should make Kinmen Liquor very competitive this season.
Rounding out the rest of the league are the Taiwan Mobile Leopards, the Yulon Luxgens and Bank of Taiwan, who are in a rebuilding phase after losing several of their starters to more favorable offers from other teams.
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