Top 10 reasons to follow the FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women 2016
The final big tournament in Asia this year is about to go down, and it will pit some of the most promising young female hoopsters in the continent. The FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women 2016.
BANGKOK (FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women 2016) - The final big tournament in Asia this year is about to go down, and it will pit some of the most promising young female hoopsters in the continent.
The FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand tips off on Sunday with twelve teams divided into two groups. China, Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, Korea and hosts Thailand are in Group I, while Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka are in Group II.
What are the most compelling storylines as we near the tournament? FIBA.com gives you 10 reasons to follow the action in this exciting U18 tourney.
1 - Can China get four in a row?
China crowned 2014 FIBA Asia U18 Women's champs in Jordan; India finish 6th and stay in Level I. My recap: http://t.co/LZjksIbMsB
— Karan Madhok (@Hoopistani) October 18, 2014
China have won fourteen U18 Women’s titles in total, including three straight from 2010 to 2014. They have also finished on the podium in nineteen editions, just one shy of Korea’s total. They have also not lost a match at this level since a 73-72 upset by Japan on 23 June 2010. For sure, coach Cong Xuedi will look for China to sweep again.
2 - Will Korea win the title again after more than two decades?
Korea are the second winningest team in the U18 wars, having brought home the crown seven times and having finished among the top three teams in twenty editions. They have, however, missed the Tournament Final for the past five stagings of this competition, and have not won the title in more than two decades. That drought certainly gives them a high level of motivation to return atop the podium this year.
3 - China's Twin Towers
Xu Han headlines China’s strong preliminary U18 roster https://t.co/HTRd5mKJda #FIBAU18Asia
— Enzo Flojo (@hoopnut) October 26, 2016
Powering the mighty Chinese in this joust are 2.05m Han Xu and 2.00m Li Yueru — a veritable twin tower combination for the defending champions. Given their imposing size, Han and Li are expected to dominate the paint for China, and it should not come as a shock if they routinely win the rebounding battle in each game. Whether that will be enough to annex the title, though, is still up in the air.
4 - Can Thailand capitalize on home-court advantage?
The Thais have placed on the U18 podium only once, and that was way back in 1980. Curiously enough, that happened when the tournament was also held in Bangkok, and now that the U18 competition is being held in Thailand's capital city for the fourth time, the home team are hoping it will give them an added push to defy expectations and play at a higher-than-expected level.
5 - Japan's speedsters
Whereas teams like China and Korea will lean on their tall frontlines to anchor their respective squads, Japan will have to make do with their speedsters. In particular, the backcourt duo of Mai Yamamoto and Haruki Takahara are expected to play big roles for the U18 Akatsuki Five. Both were vital cogs in Japan's competitive play during the FIBA U17 World Championships for Women earlier this year, and their quickness will be great weapons as they try to regain the title they last won in 2008.
6 - Can Chinese Taipei get on the podium?
The last time the FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women was held in Thailand, the Chinese Taipei quintet finished on the podium, and coach Chen Mei-Li is definitely hoping her squad this year can regain their spot among the top three Asian teams. That is easier said than done, of course, but with reliable players like Kao Yu-Lin, Wang Ting-Jing and Chen Meng-Hsin in tow, anything can happen.
7 - The Chakravortty factor
WOW ! India U18 Captain Sushantika Chakravortty is the player to watch at the #FIBAU18Asia 2016 #IndiaBasketballhttps://t.co/sn3w1rKeAp
— India Basketball (@BFI_basketball) November 10, 2016
At just 16 years of age, Sushika Chakravortty already carries the hopes of India on her broad shoulders. The 1.78m frontliner will be among the South Asians’ main weapons as they try to avoid falling down to Group II. Without a doubt, her level of play will be the most crucial factor in India's campaign, and coach Shiba Maggon certainly hopes her prized center can be highly productive.
8 - The rising stars
Born just after the turn of the millennium, Chakravortty is going to be around the youth level for quite a bit more time. Joining her among the "names to watch" are fellow Indian Srishti Suren, Li Yuan of China, Chen Ya-Tong of Chinese Taipei, and Park JiHyun of Korea. These are among the youthful rising stars on whom we should keep tabs in this tournament, especially since they should be back for second servings a couple of years from now.
9 - Who will rise from Group II?
Aside from the intense battles in Group I, we should also watch out for the game sin Group II, where a lot more rising stars are set to steal the spotlight. Hong Kong and Kazakhstan are favored in that set, but we cannot discount contenders likek Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and even Sri Lanka — all of whom are hoping to crash the party and pull the rug from their more ballyhooed opponents.
10 - JiSu's time to shine
One player who will really be in the spotlight is Park JiSu of Korea. Despite her youth, Park has played for Korea’s national side in a few senior tournaments, most notably in the FIBA World Championship for Women 2014, where she turned a lot of heads after putting up 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Should she meet expectations and be a dominant inside force here, Korea may just snatch the title from the Chinese.
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