Taiwan’s cagers are to get the 2016-2017 Super Basketball League (SBL) started today with two games, including the traditional match-up between the previous season’s finalists, defending champions Taiwan Beer and Pauian Archiland at the Sinjhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City at 7:30pm.
There is also a game at 5pm, with the Fubon Braves taking on the Dacin Tigers before league officials and clubs conduct a season-launch ceremony at 7pm.
It is the 14th season of Taiwan’s semi-professional basketball league, which this year has seven teams vying for the title. The first round of post-season play is scheduled for March 4 and a best-of-seven championship series starts on March 25.
The other three teams are Bank of Taiwan, Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor and the Yulon Luxgen Dinos.
Officials unveiled the slogan “Hero for Team” for the season, which also sees games played in Taoyuan, Changhua County and Kaohsiung.
Veteran coach Yen Chia-hua again skippers Taiwan Beer. They face tough challenges from the other teams, who have bolstered their rosters through trades and new signings.
Center Patrick O’Bryant, a US import who has played in the NBA, is to return to head up Taiwan Beer’s offense. He is to be supported by fellow star players Chiang Yu-an, Wu Min-hsieng and Chu Yi-tsung.
Pauian Archiland should be strong this year with the return of US-born Quincy Davis, a naturalized Taiwanese.
Davis sustained an injury and spent most of last season as an assistant coach, although he suited up to represent Taiwan at the Jones Cup and international tournaments in the past year.
Playing alongside Davis are other current and former national representatives, including Taiwanese-American Douglas Creighton, Wu Tai-hao and Huang Chia-ming.
Another team to watch are the Dacin Tigers, who signed the towering Gursimran Bhullar, who at 2.26m is to anchor their defense, filling their one import quota.
Known as “India’s Yao Ming,” Bhullar was born in Toronto, Canada, to parents from India, and played college basketball in New Mexico. He had a brief stint with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings last year.
In tomorrow’s games, Bank of Taiwan face the Dinos at 3pm at the Sinjhuang venue, the Dacin Tigers play Kinmen at 5pm and Pauian Archiland play the Fubon Braves at 7pm.
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