Last week’s Super Basketball League Player of the Week honor went to a very deserving Liu Chan, who won the nod from members of the Basketball Writers’ Association for his outstanding play that helped Taiwan Beer take both of their games last weekend to victories.
The third-year forward out of Changhua’s Ming Dao University has steadily improved to become one of the league’s premier defenders with a league-best 3.9 steals per game.
HIGHER LEVEL
Liu has also taken his offensive game to a higher level with a 20.2 points per game average, which is second only to that of fellow Taiwan Beer player Patrick O’Bryant.
“I’d like to thank the coaches and my teammates for their support, without which [winning the Player of the Week honor] would not have been possible,” Liu said modestly upon learning of his selection to the weekly honor.
“I never thought I would get [the Player of the Week honor] because my terrible turnover nearly cost us the game against Dacin,” Liu added jokingly.
BAD PASS
His ill-advised inbound pass, which was intercepted by the Dacin Tigers and quickly turned into an easy basket, nearly cost the Brew Crew the game and they needed triple overtime to put away the diehard Cats.
Liu ended the game with a career-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, two dish-offs shy of a triple-double in a tremendous victory that catapulted Taiwan Beer to No. 3 in the standings.
“[Liu] has really come around for us in terms of his maturity and his understanding of the game,” Taiwan Beer head coach Yen Chia-hua said of his budding star.
WEEKEND ACTION
Yen and his crew will have their hands full with a pair of tough matches at the Hsinchu Municipal Gymnasium this weekend, starting with a showdown against the second-placed Taiwan Mobile Cloud Leopards this evening, followed by tomorrow’s battle against the streaky Kinmen Liquor.
A win against the Leopards will not only cut the No. 1 team’s lead in the standings over the Brew Crew to a lone game, but also avenge a tough loss in the first meeting between them two weeks ago.
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