These players are flying high at the U18 Championship for Women

MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - After the first three days of the FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women 2016, a couple of things are clear: China are still, far and away, the heavy favorites to win it all, while Korea and Japan posed for a serious challenge. Amidst that backdrop, a few individuals have already played at an impressively high level, and they are the ones on whom I would like to focus right now.

These are the young stars flying high at the U18 tournament currently being played in Bangkok, Thailand.

Stephanie Mawuli (Japan)
At 1.81m, Mawuli has the size to be a center for most teams in this competition, but she mainly plays the power forward position for the Akatsuki Five. She has been a big reason why Japan won two of their first three games, and she will probably continue playing a major role for the Eats Asian powerhouse, which is looking to return to the Final for the sixth time in a row.

Kanokwan Prajuapsook (Thailand)
The 1.78m Prajuapsook is one of the veterans of the home team, having already played in two FIBA Asia youth events in the past. Her experience has served her well so far, especially in their Day 1 win over India. In that contest, the 18-year-old Prajuapsook put up a monster double-double with 11 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal, and she continues to be the team's most productive player despite recently losing back-to-back against Japan and China.

Lea Elvensia Wolobubo Kahol (Indonesia)
Indonesia have cruised past their first three opponents, and Kahol has been the biggest factor in their unexpected success. The 1.78m 17-year-old center has already put up two double-doubles for the Indons, and she is expected to continue being their most reliable inside operator moving forward. If she can continue to be effective, Indonesia may just find themselves advancing to Level I.

Park JiSu (Korea)
The 1.95m JiSu entered this tournament carrying the weight of heavy expectations, and, for the most part, she has delivered. After three outings, the 17-year-old international veteran has averaged 13.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. She struggled on Day 1 against China's Great Wall composed of Li Yueru and Han Xu, but JiSu has dominated in Korea's last two wins against Chinese Taipei and Japan.

Karina Olenberg (Kazakhstan)
Kazakhstan haven't had much to smile about after losing their first three games, but, as of this writing, they finally notched their first win, beating Singapore, 68-48. At the forefront of their attack has been Olenberg, who mans the middle for the Kazakhs. At 1.86m, she towers over most players in Level II, and the numbers embody her dominance. She puts up 14.0 points and 14.2 rebounds per game.

Li Yueru (China)
A lot of pundits were raving about Han Xu and Park Jisu before this competition started, but 17-year-old Li Yueru has quickly garnered a lot of attention after some amazing performances. The 2.00m center - one-half of China's twin tower combination - has been norming eye-popping numbers. She scores 14.3 points, grabs 10.3 rebounds and blocks 3.0 shots per match!

Han Xu (China)
As good as Li and JiSu have been, however, Han Xu has really emerged as the tournament's most unstoppable player so far. Her 2.05m frame makes her the most imposing figure on the court, but she has shown that she has more to offer than just her size. She is an excellent finisher around the basket, making 76% of her field goals while scoring 13.3 points per game. She also has great timing on the boards, hauling down 8.3 caroms per contest, and is a very good rim protector, swatting 2.3 shots every outing.

It will be interesting to see which teams will finish on the U18 podium and qualify for the World U19 Championship in 2017, but, aside from that, it will also be very interesting to see who among the aforementioned players remains highly productive by the time the final buzzer sounds.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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