AMMAN & AS SALT (Jordan) - The first day of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024 is in the books. We're all starting to see a better picture of how this competition might unfold, but it's still only the beginning.
Here are three key takeaways from all of the action in Gameday 1:
The defending champs mean business
The typical title contenders put in their bids with solid displays of dominance whether it was Australia beating Mongolia 93-32 in the opening game or Iran defeating Kuwait 90-53.
Still, the reigning U18 Asia Cup champions are Korea and they made sure everyone remembered that fact as they unloaded 119 points in a 72-point win over India. It was easily the biggest win of the day and the most points scored so far in this year's edition of the competition. Korea also did this with all 12 players getting on the scoreboard with seven players scoring at least 10 points.
Coincidentally, 119 points is also the highest amount of points scored in a U18 Asia Cup game since 6 August 2018… when it was, again, Korea defeating India 134-95. That year, Korea also scored 130 points a day earlier against Syria.
Korea dished out 36 assists in their opening day win, also the most among all teams in the first gameday. It's also the third most amount of assists made in a U18 Asia Cup game in the past decade. Numbers 1 and 2? Korea against India (43) in 2018 and Korea against Malaysia (37) in 2014. We get it Korea, you like to share the ball.
Hosts are no pushovers
Jordan are a known power in the Asian basketball scene, but most of where the national team has made a name for themselves are at the senior national team level. In the history of the U18 Asia Cup, while they had a third-place finish in 1995, they've only made three other appearances finishing no better than 9th.
And even though they lost in their home debut, it was in a game that could have gone their way as they held the lead for a large part of the second half. Coach Wesam Al-Sous will take a quick look at their efforts at the free-throw line (11-25) and try to quickly shift the team's focus to the next game, but fellow Jordan legend Sam Daghlas said it best via Instagram Stories:
"Tonight wasn't just about the win or loss to me - it was about the heart, effort, and growth of our National team displayed. Proud of the passion and fight they showed on the court! Learn and move on to the next one!"
Let the race begin
We've had some good performances to start the competition here on a high note. Korea's Jeonghyun Kim went perfect for 32 EFF on 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists. Leon Watanabe had a big double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds as Japan took down Qatar. Karim Oueidat was just one assist shy of a rare triple-double for Lebanon.
And we haven't even started to talk about Boyuan Zhang or Cabs Cabonilas yet.
But we haven't yet to see a player stand out entirely from the pack as a leading candidate for U18 Asia Cup MVP yet… right?
Prime suspects like Dash Daniels, Daniel Edi, Riku Segawa and Sinan Huan have had good but not head-turning games so far. But you can expect them to erupt at some point in Jordan. It just feels like the race is wide open.
So keep your eyes on the games. Don't blink. The next big talent from the region might blossom in front of your very own eyes before you know it.
FIBA