Play in the much-anticipated 34th William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament is scheduled to start at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium in Tianmu on Saturday, with three-time defending champions Iran taking on Team Lebanon at 1pm.
The annual mid-summer basketball classic, which began in Taipei 33 years ago in an effort to improve the local level of play in the sport, features two local teams, the Taiwanese national team and Team Kuang-hua, which is made up mostly of college all-stars, as well as Iran, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, the Philippines, South Korea and the US. The nine-day competition is to be played in a round-robin format.
Like last year, no medal rounds are scheduled for this year as the final standings are to be strictly based on the results of the preliminaries, with a set of tie-breaking rules in place in case teams finish with identical records.
Looking to improve on their second straight fourth-place finish last year are Team Taiwan, led by skipper Hsu Jin-tseh of Pure Youth Construction, whose Builders won the title in the Super Basketball League (SBL) for the first time last season.
Hsu is to have the most complete lineup that Taiwan have had to offer in many years, with premier center Tseng Wen-ding and top scorer Lin “the Beast” Chih-chieh at his disposal for the first time in three years to help lift the hosts back to a top-three finish.
“This is the first time in a while that we’ve had as complete a lineup as we have this year, so hopefully good things will happen for us,” Hsu said at a press conference in Taipei earlier this week.
He will also have Wu Dai-hao and Tien Lei to join a frontcourt that was at least two men short in the past two years, plugging up a hole in the middle of the Taiwanese defense that left them vulnerable to a bigger Iranian and Jordanian lineup who lived off their size advantage in recent years.
Standing in Hsu’s way for a top-three finish are the Iranians, who are the early favorites to win the event, with essentially the same lineup from a year ago playing in a familiar city, a South Korean squad made up of the champions from its professional league (KBL), Anyang KGC, as well as a strong US team that includes players who have played professionally in Asia in the past.
It is the first time since 2004 that Team USA have assembled a team of players of similar caliber, with the teams from the most recent years coming from various amateur squads, or clubs that were not as well organized.
Another vast improvement in this year’s event will be the teams’ accommodation, which is to be exclusively provided by the Palais de Chine, a five-star establishment that should keep the players well rested for what is expected to be an intensive nine days of competition.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
US President Donald Trump said he would attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but said he does not have much sympathy for ordinary basketball fans who cannot afford sky-high ticket prices to do the same. “They can watch it on television,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Friday as he flew to Wisconsin for an event with farmers, after he was asked about tickets that have climbed as high as US$8,000 each when the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs square off in Manhattan for the first time in the series. “It’s sorta
RSS