Are these Chinese Taipei champions for real?

MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - Chinese Taipei were not supposed to win the EABA Championship 2017 crown - not with such a young roster - but that's exactly what they did.

This Chinese Taipei team, despite being devoid of the country's biggest basketball names like Lin Chih-Chieh, Tseng Wen-Ting and Tien Lei, managed to do what no other Taipei squad have done ever - bring home the gold. Chinese Taipei have never won the top prize at any continental men's basketball event, whether it's at the FIBA Asia Championship, FIBA Asia Cup or even the quadrennial Asian Games.

This is the first time ever, and because of that, this team just etched their names in the history books and cemented their places in Chinese Taipei basketball lore.

Things did not start well for coach Chou Chun-San's wards, though. They absorbed a shellacking from China on Day 1, 96-63, before regaining their bearings against Hong Kong on Day 2 and running their miracle mile against Japan and Korea.

At the forefront of their efforts were naturalized player Quincy Davis, former Super Basketball League (SBL) MVP Liu Cheng and speedy rising star Chiang Yu-An.

Davis led the team in scoring and rebounding, serving as their rock in the middle. He averaged 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.0 block per game while also shooting 57.7% from the field. Needless to say, he was nearly unstoppable, especially in the Semi-Final and Final. Liu also did well, playing great two-way basketball. He scored 13.5 points per game, but, more importantly, netted 2.0 steals per contest. Chiang, for his part, was the team's main playmaker, handing out 3.5 assists per match while also scoring 7.0 points and swiping 1.5 steals per game.

As a team, Taipei were the tournament's best rebounding team and, thanks mainly to Davis, were one of the best inside scoring squads as well.

As they enjoy their time in the spotlight, however, there is one question that is still hanging - are these champions for real?

I mean, sure, they went 3-1 in the EABA Championship 2017, beating Japan's A-team and a team made up of Korea's best up-and-comers, but moving forward, can this Chinese Taipei quintet really make a lot of noise heading into the bigger tournaments of the year like the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asia Qualifiers? Are Taipei good enough and ready enough to spring a few upsets and make another memorable run in those more challenging competitions?

As optimistic as I want to be and as promising as this team is, in all honesty, I believe Taipei will not be able to even approximate the feat they achieved in Nagano, Japan. Chinese Taipei are severe underdogs in both the FIBA Asia Cup and the Asia Qualifiers, and as impressive as winning the EABA Championship is, their general status will remain unchanged.

At the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, Chinese Taipei are grouped with Japan and Hong Kong - both teams they recently beat - but they are also going to face Australia and probably New Zealand, Korea and hosts Lebanon. For them to advance to the Quarter-Finals, Taipei will have to win at least 3 of their first 6 games, and against high caliber opponents, that will definitely be an uphill battle.

Things get even more difficult in the Asia Qualifiers, where, again, they face Australia at home before going on the road against highly talented Philippines in November. Notching wins against either or both will be tall tasks.

For Chinese Taipei to continue to be highly competitive and to maintain a good level of success in their remaining games this year, the terrific trio of Davis, Liu and Chiang need to efficient in every matchup. Guys like Chou Yi-Hsiang, Chou Po-Chen and Hu Long-Mao also need to step up, while coach Chou may also consider having a couple of veterans like Tien and Tseng or maybe even Lu Cheng-Ju return to action.

Having said that, the Chinese Taipei side I saw in Nagano has undoubtedly a ton of potential. They know how to effectively utilize Davis, and the other players know their roles on the team well. Give the core of this team a year or two to continue to gel, and they may just find themselves returning not just to the podium at the continental level but perhaps even barge into the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. By all indications, Taipei hoops are on the rise, and we better keep watch.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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