The new power of Asian basketball
Recently, FIBA columnist Enzo Floho has made a list of Asian under-20 stars that are believed to shine on the international stage in the future. All 20 people were introduced in two phases, and in the first 10 people list, two Chinese rising stars Wang Quanze and Guo Haowen were recommended by Enzo, and among the last 10 people on this list, there was a name that Chinese fans were not familiar with - Sun Haoqin.
In early May, Enzo listed the top 10 of Asia's Best Players Under 20 list, including star players who play in the United States, such as "Yao Ming" Kay Soto of the Philippines, University of Pennsylvania red Wang Quanze, and Japanese mixed-race player Rishi Tanaka.
Recently, Enzo launched the second half of the list, and he hopes that the players mentioned in the list will become the glory of Asian basketball and shine throughout the 2020s.
In this issue of "The New Forces of Asian Basketball", let us continue to know the pride of these days.
Jonah Morrison (Taipei, China)
We were supposed to have seen Jonah Morrison back in the 2015 U16 Asian Championships, when Chinese Taipei lost to South Korea in the finals and ended up in second place, when a knee injury prevented Morrison from playing, so we had to wait 3 years to see him play at fiba.
The 2018 U18 Asian Championship was held in Thailand, and Morrison didn't disappoint his supporters, with stats such as rebounding, blocks and player efficiency all leading the team.
The Chinese-British Mixed Morrison Chinese name is Tan Jielong, when he was fighting bulls with his classmates in the middle school, he was discovered by the coach because of his extraordinary physical talent, and stepped into the basketball world. Until entering Taishan High School, he received formal basketball training, and his skills improved by leaps and bounds in 3 years.
Now, the 6-foot-8-inch (2.03-meter) 19-year-old boy studied at the University of British Columbia in Canada, and Tan Jielong, who has outstanding physical condition, is considered by some basketball players to be expected to take over the banner of Zeng Wending, Wu Daihao and other former waves in the future, becoming the first center of the Chinese Taipei team, and carrying the Chinese Taipei team together with internal competitors Zeng Xiangjun and Wu Peijia.
Zambaka Brothers (Lebanon)
The Zambaka brothers represent a bright future for basketball in Lebanon. Rayan Zambaka, who just turned 19, was Lebanon's top scorer at the 2018 U16 Asian Championships, averaging 20.1 points per game.
His younger brother, Alex Zambaka, who is about to turn 18 this year, scored 15.8 points per game at the 2018 U18 Asian Championships.
Two players have also attracted attention outside Lebanon, with Lajan having pledged to join Lafayette College in the U.S. NCAA First Division League, and Alex leading John Paul II High School to a Regional 6a in Texas.
Martin Agajampur (Iran)
Martin first impressed the Asian basketball community at the 2018 U16 Asian Championships, when he scored a top 39 points in the match between Iran and Chinese Taipei, while averaging 23.2 points per game in that tournament.
He was the only player in that U16 team to make the Iranian U18 roster, and in that year's U18 Asian Championships, he also performed well, averaging 9.7 points per game.
At 6 feet 8 inches (2.02 m), Martin's outstanding physical condition, excellent mobility, coupled with a good shot, made him an exhilarating hopeful star for the Iranian national team.
Yusuke Kawamura (Japan)
At just 19 years old, Kawamura has already achieved a dream that most Japanese players can't match – winning the All Japan High School Basketball League championship, being selected for the national youth basketball team, and being named to the best rookie team in the 2019-2020 Japan B-League.
Diminutive, with just 1.72 meters, Kawamura is one of the fastest players in Asia, has excellent field views, and is a master stealer.
It would not be surprising if Kawamura were to replace another legendary defender of the Japanese national team in the next 10 years, the 1.67-meter-tall Toki Kenki.
Yang Junshuo (Korea)
At the 2018 U18 Asian Championships in Thailand, Yang Junshuo, who is 6 feet 8 inches (2.04 meters), averaged 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
He was even more impressive at the 2019 Basketball Borderless Asia Pacific Training Camp, where he excelled throughout the 18-year-old and was named an All-Star and Camp Most Valuable Player.
We'll see him at this year's U18 Men's Basketball Asian Championship and he's sure to be among Asia's top big men. Give the NBA Global Academy member more time to hone, he will gain a foothold in the Korean adult national team, and help the national team seniors Lee Seung-hyun and Kang Sang-jae take on more responsibilities in the No. 4 position.
Carl Tamayo (Philippines)
Another amazing big man in the Philippines, he is a player not to be missed in this list.
The 19-year-old Tamoyo hasn't been seen in any of fiba's Asian races, but as long as he makes appearances at other world-level competitions, he will have a glittering performance.
At last year's U19 World Cup in Greece, the 6-foot-7-inch (2.01m) striker was killed on the brink of death after injuring teammate Aj Edu, and his playing time rose sharply.
He just led his high school team to a back-to-back championship in Manila before this tournament, and then added to the Filipinos in the World Cup, averaging 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 three-pointers per game. This undoubtedly proves that he can compete with the best players in the world at his age.
Tamlayo, Aj Edu and Kay Soto will be the core of the Philippine national team in the coming years.
Hiroo Tominaga (Japan)
It seems to be a legacy of the times, and when the 50-year-old legendary Japanese shooter Takehiko Origami announced his retirement, another young Japanese sharpshooter was on the rise.
This is the kid tomino, who is only 5 feet 11 inches (1.81 meters) tall and will never be the most conspicuous one on the court, but he can kill you with his excellent shooting ability.
At the 2018 U16 Asian Championships and the 2018 U18 Asian Championships, he averaged the top 5 points per game and averaged more than 3 three-pointers per game. If Tominaga increases his height by a few inches, he is likely to enter the Japanese men's national men's basketball starting five-man group within a few years and play the role of shooting guard.
Aman Sand (India)
Oman was one of the 64 high school students at the 6th Basketball Without Borders camp in Chicago and the only player from India.
He is 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) tall and only 17 years old this year, one of India's brightest-looking big-man players and is expected to further improve his basketball, especially since he is the son of two former Indian national players, which allows him to undergo first-class basketball training.
He is India's youngest player to play in the 2021 Asian Cup qualifiers, and it makes sense that we will see him in more Indian national team matches in the future.
Sun Haoqin (China)
If we don't talk about China's young rookie Sun Haoqin, we can't talk about promising young shooters.
He became famous at the age of 12, became the thigh of the team at the age of 13, and scored a high of 36 points in a single game in the CBA reserve team at the age of 14, averaging 29 points per game, and was known as a genius prodigy. Due to his super scoring ability, he is also known in the circle as "Little Guo Allen".
At just 15 years old, Sun Haoqin has already led the Chinese team to compete in the 2018 U16 Asian Championship and the U17 World Cup, and has shown his strong offensive ability. In particular, at the U17 World Cup, he ranked 7th in the tournament with an average of 16.7 points per game, attracting worldwide attention.
Sun Haoqin was born in 2003 and meets the age requirements of this year's U16 (last year's postponement to this year) and U18 men's basketball Asian Cup.
He is 1.91 meters tall, he used to be a playing guard, and as he got older, he began to transition to the No. 1 position, but his score remained high. He has good physical conditions, and if he can improve himself in terms of ball control and organization, he may become the main reliance of the Chinese men's basketball team in the future.
Yusuf Kayet (Lebanon)
In addition to Sun Haoqin, Yusuf Kayet is another player on this list who was born after 2002. He represented Lebanon at the 2018 U16 Asian Championships and the U18 Asian Championships, both of which he was the youngest player.
At 6 feet 7 inches (2 m), Cayet, who turned 17 just a few months ago, is considered the top player in the youth squad in recent years and has also impressed with his past performances.
At the U16 Asian Championships in Foshan, he averaged 9 points and 7 rebounds per game, and also achieved good results at the U18 Asian Championships in Thailand, with 7 points and 5 rebounds per appearance.