Players I like in this 2013 FIBA Asia Championships

Players I like in this FIBA Asia tournament. Note that this is not a 'best of' list. Just the players who I enjoy following for the reasons stated below.

Mohammed Hadrab (Jordan) – Played behind Islam Abbas before and now owns that small forward/power forward position. Great instincts and feel for the game. Superb athlete. Plays both ends of the floor. Can post up. Face up. Shoot threes. Finish. Will lead Jordan for the next few years. The heir to Sam Daghles as team leader.

Tseng Wen-Ting (Chinese Taipei) – I like players who are multi-faceted. Tseng is one of them. On a team with great players like Lin Chih-Chieh, Lu Cheng-Ju, Tien Lei, and Chen Shih-Chieh, he holds his own and just as important to his team’s success. Rebounds well. Good on help defense. Passes well. Can shoot from three-point range and medium range. Those three-pointers that he banks in? Lucky? Not at all. He does that all the time. Good feel for the game.  

Hamed Hadadi (Iran) – Plays the game with a lot of class and skill. Excellent feel for the game. Great touch for a big man. Can pass that ball. Doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Good leader on and off the bench. I mentioned he plays with a lot of class. Always willing to help up or tap opposing players for good plays. And he doesn’t play dirty. Just with a lot of class and skill (obviously am raving about him coz I’ve mentioned those qualities several times now).

Yasseen Musa (Qatar) – For years now, I have been watching this do-it-all forward hold down that position with a lot of savvy and class for Qatar. In this tournament, clearly on his last legs, can still bring it (he’s 38 years old). Smart player. Does what his team needs. If it’s passing, leadership, scoring, or post-up plays, Musa can do it. Not the athlete that Daoud Musa (another fave of mine) is but he gets by on sheer smarts.

Ahmed Akber (Bahrain) – Watching Akber, I have to go, WTF! Do Arab players play like this? This team is one of the most fun to watch and Akber with his hops, slams, and energy plays is a huge reason. If these Bahrain team were any taller they’d be world beaters.

Duncan Reid (Hong Kong) – White men can’t jump but they sure make for smart basketball players. Team player with an excellent and contagious positive spirit. Not the most athletic but he gets by on smarts and a good court sense.

Yadwinder Singh (India) – Not the most graceful nor talented player. But he has an excellent attitude. You will never see him complain. Great potential. Obviously did not grow up playing the game but he should get better. If he gets exposed to more quality basketball watch out.

Gabe Norwood (Philippines) – Loved watching Gabe for his high-flying exploits but now am fully appreciative of what he brings to the game as a terrific defensive presence. Has matured from a gravity-defying slam dunker to a more well-rounded basketball player. Displays a polished game where he opts to lay the ball up or shoot medium or long range jumpers. Figured out that a defensive stop is a bigger play than a slam (the Philippines has Japeth Aguilar to provide that) Doesn’t make too many errors as well.

Wang Zhizhi (China) – At 36 years old is still showing why he was and is one of the top players from Asia ever. Like Hadadi, plays the game with a lot of skill and class. Except he has a three-point shot! Doesn’t dunk as much as he used to but is still a damn good center.

Kim Mingoo (Korea) – Not one of the bigger players on the team. Plays off the bench but provides solid quarter backing, shooting, and defense. No nonsense player. Terrific role player on a talented Korea squad.