On June 22, Hong Kong's Bay Area Wing Loong Club announced a list of 10 players from Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, including several former CBA players. The team's head coach is legendary Australian coach Brian Gore, who has led the team to the Australian League (NBL) championship six times and led the Australian men's basketball team to win the first Olympic medal (Bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics).
Photo: Hong Kong Bay Area Pterodactyls announces player lineup
As a newly formed team, the Bay Area Wing Loong adopts an unprecedented team model, opening its doors to Chinese players around the world and competing with the strongest club teams in East Asia to improve their strengths. The squad announced today features several outstanding players from Hong Kong, including five-time champion Hui Long'er, who is also considered the best player in Hong Kong. In addition, the club has signed Chinese star Liu Chuanxing, who will play alongside Song Jianhua, former Nanjing men's basketball captain of the Chinese CBA League, and Zheng Qilong, who won the Cuba championship of the Chinese University Student League for Tsinghua University.
The Bay Area Pterodactyls will represent Greater China in the East Asian Premier League and will compete with the top teams in East Asia and the world. This new army is committed to becoming the top professional team in Greater China, with top free agents from Greater China and 2 foreign aides and 1 Asian foreign aid, which together make up one of the most competitive teams. "We're building a team with immediate combat strength. Our ultimate goal is to win games and create a strong team culture that allows players to hone their skills and achieve extraordinary results in the fiercest confrontations in East Asia. Head coach Gore said.
Photo: Liu Chuanxing joins the Bay Area Pterodactyls
Gore and general manager Liu Quansheng have assembled a world-class coaching staff with experience, including former NBA team management Brian Colangelo. In addition to China's top basketball talents, the club will also introduce 2 top foreign aides with NBA or Euro league experience and 1 Asian foreign aid. "Hiring a Gore coach is the first step in building a team to compete at its best. Now, together with the top players in greater China, we will strive to become a team that can make Chinese fans around the world proud and continue to improve the level of Chinese basketball. Liu Quansheng, general manager of The Bay Area Wing Dragon, said.
In March this year, the Bay Area Pterodactyls and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) jointly announced that due to the epidemic control in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, the newly established Pterodactyl Club will participate in the Philippine PBA League Commissioner's Cup as a special team, which is also the first special team in the PBA League in the past 20 years.
Photo caption: East Asian Premier League "Extraordinary 12" match infographic
In addition, the Bay Area Pterodactyls will also use Manila as a temporary home for the Home-and-Away East Asian Premier League. "With this squad and a first-class executive team, we fully expect the Pterodactyls to be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming east Asian Premier League first season." Matt Beyer, CEO of the East Asian Premier League (EASL), said: "This unique team is not only strong, but also gives Chinese players the opportunity to interact with the top players of Japanese, Korean and Filipino teams and polish their skills. This is an unprecedented feat. ”
The Eastern Premier League's first home-and-away pan-regional season will kick off in October 2022 with eight teams competing. The last season champions and runners-up of the Japan B League, the Korean KBL League and the Philippine PBA League will directly qualify for the Eastern Super League, while the Bay Area P-Dragons and the winning teams from Chinese Taipei P-LEAGUE+ will represent the Greater China region.
(Xinmin Evening News reporter Li Yuanchun)