|
Twenty-two teams from New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia area arrived at Ramapo College on Saturday, May 7th to compete in the1st Tournament of Champions Asian Basketball Tournament. With the games being played at the brand new Bradley Recreation Center (2 full courts) and newly renovated auxiliary gym (2 full courts), the teams and the players were eager to make a name for themselves by claiming the championship in their respective divisions. 
Final Results MEN'S "A" - CEMC TITANS, NY CRUISERS 2, NY FISHMEN,
 Local team, Rutgers Lincoln Park scored a 38-32 victory over the the NY Rockits U. team in the championship game of the Men's A division. It was a tight game throughout with the more experienced Rutgers Lincoln Park team capitalizing on the mistakes made late in the game by the Rockits U. team. The victors were led by the balanced scoring attack of John Hsu 10 pts, Tony Lin 9 pts, and Joe Yen with 8 pts. Ian Yu paced the second place Rockits with 11 pts. MEN'S "C" : 1) NY Junior Rockits, 2) Well
Luck, 3) G-Force,  The Men's C division championship game pitted the older NY Thunder team (players 35-50 yrs. old) against the much younger Junior Rockits team (16-under). Playing against each other for the second time, the Thunder looked to avenge their earlier preliminary loss (36-40) to these young upstarts. This time around, the veterans put a spanking on these young hoopsters by winning 48-21. The Junior Rockits just had no answer for the resurgent play of the NY Thunder. John Leung, the senior member of the team led the way with 14 pts. Also making a big contribution was Mun Bun Ng with 10 pts and Mark Kwan with 11 pts. For the Junior Rockits, Da Shi Ho finished with a team high, 7 pts. WOMEN'S INVITATIONAL written by Denny Lee WOMENS : 1) NY LADY CRUISERS, 2) NYC SABRES, 3) PHILLY LADY SUNS, 4) RAMAPO ALUMNI  The first ever Women's Invitational featured the top two ladies teams from NYC coupled with the up and coming Philly Lady Suns and the Ramapo College women's basketball team alumni. It was a momentous occasion for Asian Women's basketball as this might've been the first time that a non-Asian team was invited to play in an Asian tournament. It was definitely a success as all teams involved enjoyed playing against each other. But those involved were eager to see the showdown between the NY Lady Cruisers and the NYC Sabres. The Lady Cruisers made a statement as they cruised to an easy 39-22 victory. Led by the three-point shooting of Angie Leung ( 4 treys made) (former walk on at St. John's U.), the Lady Cruisers never trailed and looked ready to make a name for themselves at the upcoming NACBA Chinese National Tournament in Chicago during the Memorial Day Weekend. at Temple University, Philadelphia Mens Open AA written by Mike Mon BOYS JUNIOR 18-UNDER written by Mike Mon The Juniors Division was all about the run and gun, with many teams topping 50 points per game throughout pool play. Once playoffs began, the games became a little more settled though, as teams focused on the letters W and L, instead of the numbers and ppg. In the first round, the NY Purple Junior Rockits really took it easy on the inexperienced Philly Suns 18C (subbing in for the departed Philly Eclipse) and still won 60-8 in a walk through. Kar Wai led the Suns 18C with 4. Also in the round, the #8 seeded Philly CCC&C Joy truly earned Chinatown playground bragging rights by playing without fear and then crushing the spirit of the Philly Suns 18B, who had expected to win easily. With Jon Chan (18 pts, 5 steals) sprinting down the court against nonexistant defense, and with the Suns 18B gunning themselves out of the game, Joy was able to almost double up on the Suns B 27-14. In the Quarters, Joy then had the unfortunate luck to be paired up with #1 NY USAB 18A. USAB put Joy on the opposite end of a drubbing, as they were gangstadocious in their 73-18 layup drill. The #2 CASE Cougars then faced the #7 NY Jr Rockits. The Rockits were without the services of their top player, but Peter Li capably filled in as he hit a couple first half 3's, and Ian Yu provided the Rockits with invaluable direction to get the Rockits up by a compfortable margin. After that, the Cougars seemed to give up and they lost 35-24. #4 seed NY USAB 18B met up with #5 Washington CYC 18's also in the round. The Washington CYC 18's are clearly in the retooling stage, as their roster is dotted with a myriad of young faces. However, with the Tournament's top PG Kevin Lee on the squad, CYC will always be in the game thanks to his hustle, court sense, and leadership qualities. With USAB towering over CYC, they were able to control the paint and the boards, and able to alter any layup attempts by CYC. They took a 17-12 halftime lead, thanks to Menley Khuu (12 pts, 2 triples) and Raymond Chin (9 pts, 2 steals). CYC made a run in the second half, and USAB missed free throws down the stretch but at the end the scoreboard read USAB 18B 33- CYC 18's 29. The final game of the round was the hometown Suns 18A taking on Maryland Deh Ming. Josh Chang was a killer for Deh Ming in the first half as they hung close, but in the second half All Tournament players Thinh Vo (17 pts, 15 rebs, 6 steals) and Bin Chin Woo (13 pts, 8 rebs, 5 assists) led the Suns 18A to victory 47-30. The Semis began with a USAB-USAB game, and of course USAB won. The USAB 18A took advantage of the talent disparity 57-38. Menley Khuu led the young boys with 13, and Kevin Chang had 15 for the oldies. The second game was a little more exciting with the Suns meeting the Rockits. With these organizations having met hundreds of time over the years, many classics have been produced and this was yet another game to add to the list. The Suns put on the press and the Rockits responded with turnovers by trying to dribble through the press. The Suns had steals and breakaways but couldnt convert the easy layups, so the game remained close in the first half. The Suns game plan finally began to kick in during the second half as 4 consecutive turnovers gave Philly a 4 point lead 19-15. Later in the second half, the Rockits went to big man Frank Miu (10 pts, 6 rebounds) relatively often to take advantage of foul trouble with the Suns players, and NY began to pull away. They controlled the tempo and made their foul shots to win 37-28. In the Chip it was NYC-NYC. Rockits and USAB. USAB was positioned for the win, with the Rockits being forced to play back to backs, and also thanks to the confidence of having won earlier in the day by 21 points in pool play. NY USAB had the right mentality in the first half to take a 20-13 lead. USAB had that swagger about them as Nick Miu (15 pts, 5 steals) was their top guy. Second half rolled around, and Tommy Zheng decided to play ball. He was killin em with 12 second half points and perfect 6-6 ft shooting. Ian Yu took over where Tommy left off, and he pumped in 11 points to go along with 4 boards. The Rockits managed to come back as they won 41-36. Imagine what damage they could have put on if they had their full squad. Good Job to Denny, Nelson, and the Rockits. Pool J1: Philly Suns
18A 3-0, Washington CYC 18's 2-1, Philly CCC&C Joy 1-2, Philly
Eclipse 0-3.
First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
at Ramapo College - Mahwah, New Jersey Ramapo College and the newly built Bill Bradley Athletic Center played the perfect host to the 8th Asian Basketball Classic. This year's event saw thirteen teams compete for the coveted championship trophy. Out of town teams included the Boston Hurricanes, Boston Knights, Rhode Island Top Flight, and the Philly Suns. But in the finale, two local favorites battled it out with the New York Renegades defeating the USAB Warriors 46-30. (see below for full story)  Final
Four Scoop
Playing in their 5th game of the day against the USAB Warriors proved disastrous as the onset of cramps and fatigue was evident. Even the addition of two unattached hoopsters to the team couldn't overcome the dominating play of the younger USAB team. Leading the way for the USAB team was Joe Yen (coach of the USAB 18-under team) who tallied 20 pts, followed by Chi Ming with 11 pts, and all-tournament selection Brandon Chock with 9pts. Pacing the way for the NJ Pirates was Wai Tsang with 13 pts. and Joshua Pena 12 pts. The other semifinal saw the NY Renegades defeat the NY Cruisers 44-29. Leading by 10 points at the half, the Renegades continued to play relentless hoops and increased their margin of victory. Tournament MVP, Ace Wantanasurpara led the way with 17 pts. For the NY Cruisers, all tournament selection, Charles Zheng tallied 12 pts. It was a good showing for the Cruisers as they made the final four and played this tournament without their big three combination of Tony Hu, George Chan, and Chris Liu. Who knows what would have happened if these three were present.  All-Tournament Selection: Charles Zheng of the NY Cruisers  Tourney MVP: Ace Wantanasupara (l.) with teammate and All-Tournament Selection: Wei Wang Tip-off for the Championship Game was 9pm, and both teams were eager to get started after a crueling day of hoops. Both teams started off struggling at the offensive end. That was to be expected since this was the 6th game of the day for both teams. The Renegades held onto a slim 2 point lead at the half, 17-15. But when the second half started, the Renegades did two things right. They began to attack the basket and speeding up the tempo of the game. They went on a 14-2 run in the first eight minutes of the second half. Sitting on a comfortable 10-15 point lead, the Renegades countered every comeback attempt by the USAB Warriors. At the buzzer, the Renegades were victorious with a 46-30 win and walked away with the Championship of the 8th Asian Basketball Classic. Once again, tourney MVP, Ace Wantanasurpara led the way for the Renegades with 12 pts. Note: Thanks to all the teams for participating in our tournament. Hope to see all of you at the Tournament of Champions scheduled for May 7 & 8, 2005 at Ramapo College. Men's "A"
Champs - NY Rockits AIA Results Second Place: New York Warlords Final Four: Boston AAU, NY Rockits AIA written by Denny Lee The Asian basketball hoops season began with a bang as the 1st Annual Preseason Asian Basketball Classic held on October 11 & 12, 2003 on the beautiful campus of Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey crowned its first two champions: LOWELL (from the Massachusetts area) took home the championship trophy in the top level Men's AAA division on Saturday while the ASIAN DUCKS were victorious in the Men's A division on Sunday. With a balanced, and talented field in each division, the competition was fierce and full of non-stop action. Group A - NY Kings, NY Rockits AIA, Lowell, Philly Halo, MMAC Kaitas Group B - NY Crossbearers, NY Cruisers, Boston Hurricanes, Philly Suns, Washington CYC LOWELL DEFEATS
NY CRUISERS 42-27 TO TAKE TITLE In Group A, the battle for the two playoff seeds went down to the final preliminary game of the day before it was known which two teams would advance. The NY Kings, Lowell, and NY Rockits all ended the preliminaries with a similar 3-1 records. Each team had their own special player who could possibly lead them to the championships. The Kings were led by their up and coming center, Alex Stewart while the NY Rockits were led by their top player, Dave Scott (all tournament). Lowell was paced by super quick point guard, DRAGON BUN (MVP). Through the use of the tie break rules, Lowell was seeded first in Group A followed by the second seeded NY Rockits. In Group B, the NY Cruisers advanced through the prelims unscathed at 4-0 after eking out a one point victory against the Boston Hurricanes, the other remaining semifinalist. The semifinals began with Lowell defeating the Boston Hurricanes by a score of 49-37. The Boston Hurricanes hung tough for 36 minutes out of the 40 minute game. Numerous times throughout the second half of the game, the Hurricanes led by their all tournament selection (Johnson) pulled to within three points only to have Lowell make a couple of clutch shots to extend the lead back to a more comfortable double digit margin. The other semifinal pitted local powerhouses, the NY Rockits AIA and the NY Cruisers. With impact player-Tony Hu of the Cruisers unable to play due to an injury suffered in an earlier preliminary round game, it looked liked the NY Rockits were on their way to play in another championship game. But someone forgot to tell the NY Cruisers, as they surprised the NY Rockits with a 40-34 overtime victory. George Chan (all tournament) dominated inside the paint and finished with 12 points. Also playing a fine all around game for the Cruisers was point guard San Mac (12 pts), on loan from the Philly Suns. Leading the way for the NY Rockits was Dave Scott with 9 points and Kevin Chin with 6 points. All eyes were set on the championship game, with local favorite, the NY Cruisers looking to keep there 5 game winning streak intact. From the get go, it was all Lowell as they easily built up a 12 point lead. After playing in an overtime game in the semifinals, the NY Cruisers just didn't have the legs to keep up with the much quicker Lowell team. The game was never in doubt as Lowell constantly held onto a double digit lead and finished the game with a score of 42-27. Lowell guard, Dragon Bun finished with 12 pts. While the NY Cruisers were paced by George Chan (11 pts). ALL-TOURNAMENT
SELECTIONS ASIAN
DUCKS SQUEAK TO CHAMPIONSHIP Group B - NY Fishmen, Smoked U, Asian Ducks, Philly Suns B The Mens "A" division on Sunday produced some of the most exciting games of the weekend. Comprised of mainly local teams from the New York City area, it even included two veteran teams (NY Titans and NY Fishmen) who wanted to compete against today's younger hoopsters. After the preliminary round of games, both groups were forced to use the tie breaker rules to determine the top two teams that would advance into the playoff round. In Group A, it was the NY Titans and NY Free Agents. In Group B, it was the Asian Ducks and Philly Suns B. The first semifinal matched the NY Titans against the Philly Suns B. The Titans, with all their players over the age of 35, played brilliantly throughout the day conserving their energy for the playoff round. Back in their younger days (1985-1995), the NY Titans were one of the top teams in the New York and east coast region. As soon as tipoff time came, it was serious business as the NY Titans jumped out to an early lead and by halftime held a 26-16 advantage. But the Philly Suns team never gave up. In the second half, they made numerous runs to cut the lead to as close as four points on numerous occasions only to see the NY Titans counter back with some clutch shooting. In the end, the NY Titans outsmarted their younger opponents to a 45-31 victory. Gary Tsang (11 pts) and Tony Pau (7 pts) led the way for the Titans. The Philly Suns were led by Bin (18 pts, 4 3-pointers). The second semifinal featured two local teams from the Chinatown area, the Asian Ducks and the Free Agents. With only six players, the Free Agents were looking to pull an upset of the favored Asian Ducks. But this didn't happened as the Ducks just overwhelmed the tired Free Agents on their way to a 54-37 victory. The Ducks were led by Peter Mei and Mao with 12 pts and 11 pts, respectively. On the losing end, Tymin finished with 10 pts. The final game of the day was set as the NY Asian Ducks were matched up against the NY Titans. Young against old. Who would win? From the start, both teams seemed nervous and looked a little tired after having already played four games. By halftime, the Asian Ducks managed to hold a slim 3 point lead, 20-17. It was a close game and the second half was one of the most exciting ever as both teams battled it out to the end. If one team made a 3-pointer, the other team would reciprocate doing the same. This went on until the final seconds, when the Ducks who were on offense and down by 1, passed the ball to Michael, who was fouled on the shot attempt. After calmly sinking the first shot, all eyes were glued to him for the second attempt. Let's just say this, I WANNA BE LIKE MIKE. The second shot also went in and the Ducks were up by 1 with only 3 seconds left. The Titans called time out to set up their final shot. Coming out of the time out, there was still some hope amongst the Titans players, families, and friends. But this wasn't to be the day as the shot sailed wide. The Asian Ducks had just claimed a remarkable 45-44 victory. The Ducks were led by Mao (14 pts and MVP), and Danny (22 pts). The Titans were led by Gary Tsang (19 pts-all tournament) and Tony Pau (9 pts). All-Tournament
Selections 5 on 5 Friendship Cup written by Denny Lee After staging a successful the first 5 on 5 Friendship Cup in 2001, many were left to wonder if there would be a second edition. Well, leave your worries behind as this year's edition of the 2nd Annual ASIANHOOPS.COM 5 on 5 Friendship Cup held on the weekend of June 28-29, 2003 attracted over 22 teams participating in three divisions (Men's Open AAA, Men's A., and Men's "B". With mother nature offering up some sunny skies, the players and spectators were in for some exciting hoop action. The Men's AAA division, featuring some of the best Asian teams from the east coast was certainly the most competitive. Vying to unseat the previous champion - NY Sharks (previously called the NY Dolphins), was a contingent of teams from as far away as Boston (Hadley's Crew) and Virginia (Georgetown Storm). Locally, the NY Rockits AIA, Young Life Rockits, NY Crossbearers, Da Bien and NY Cruisers were all ready to show their skills. But this would not be the year for a repeat as the NY Sharks were upset in the very first game by Da Bien, a team consisting of students from NYU by a score of 51-45. In the other first round preliminary games, the NY Rockits AIA defeated Hadley's Crew 50-36, while Young Life Rockits and Georgetown Storm narrowly beat their opponents too also advance into the championship round. The first semifinal matchup of the afternoon at Columbus Park pitted the upset minded Da Bien against local park favorite - NY Rockits AIA. Both teams shined in the early going as Shawn De Los Reyes (13 pts) of Da Bien and Kevin Chin (20 pts) of the Rockits led the way offensively. But Da Bien was no match for the crowd favorites as the NY Rockits pulled away in the second half to a 47-36 victory. The second semifinal was exciting as it can be as the Young Life Rockits eked out a 37-35 victory over the Georgetown Storm. The Storm were led by their point guard Kevin Nishimura who displayed his quickness to a tune of 15 pts. Not to be outdone, Ming Wang of the YL Rockits flashed his speed tallying 13 pts. In the end a desperation jumper from the Storm missed its mark and propelled the Young Life Rockits to a championship matchup against their senior team, NY Rockits AIA. The stage was set for the showdown of young versus old. The up and coming Young Life Rockits against the more experienced New York Rockits AIA. This wasn't just for fun anymore. Bragging rights were at stake. The game started out with a bang as three point specialist Brian Wong of the NY Rockits nailed a couple of treys to start the onslaught of what was to come. The senior Rockits gave the Young Life Rockits a lesson on the fundamentals of team basketball by handily defeating them 55-36. Needless to say, the Young Life Rockits were surprised, shock and upset. The fact that the Young Life Rockits, a team consisting of high school age teenagers, made it to the championship game was a remarkable feat in itself. The all Rockits final was certainly a pleasant surprise for the coaches, volunteers, and supporters of this community based organization. We'll see what happens in 2004. To view a complete tournament bracket with final scores, please click here (adobe acrobat reader required).  2003 Champions - NY ROCKITS ALUMNI The Men's A division, featured eight teams from the local New York City community. Most teams were colleged aged except for the New York Rockits Alumni and Tempo, with players ages ranging from 21-35. It was these two talented teams, slightly past their prime, that ultimately challenged for the Men's A championship. The championship game started slow as both teams struggled early. By halftime, team Tempo held onto a 20-15 lead. A hint of worry started to show on the faces of Rockits Alumni team. If they were going to come back to win, they knew they had to play defense. Play it they did as they held Tempo to 4 points total in the second half while managing to score 20 themselves to come back and claim a 35-24 victory. Kevin Low led the defense with several blocks and steals and finished with 10 pts. Another pleasant surprise was the scoring of Michael (Mongol) Louie who tallied 12 pts. himself. Pacing the Tempo was Can Zhu who finished with 11 pts. To view a complete tournament bracket with final scores, please click here (adobe acrobat reader required). Only six teams signed up for the "B" division, but it definitely didn't stop these teams from showing there love for the game of hoops. Two teams sponsored by local businesses even showed up to play. One from the Bank of East Asia led by Raymond Eng and the other (CMC Mustangs), a family of doctors led by brothers, Felix, Mark, and Joseph Chu. It was truly inspiring to see these young adults 40-under compete in this friendly competition. There was also a couple of younger teams of high school age who were participating - the United East Junior team and the NY Junior Rockits. The two other remaining teams were the Bearcats and the Alcoholics, teams formed amongst friends who wanted to hoop it up in a friendly atmosphere. This time around, the young kids prevailed as the NY Junior Rockits defeated the Bearcats, 36-21. The Junior Rockits were paced by the scoring of Joshua Pena (13 pts) and Patrick Lee (12 pts). Chinese National Invitational Basketball Tournament MEN'S ELITE OPEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP The 23rd Annual NACBA Chinese National Basketball Championships was a slam dunk success as five teams were crowned Chinese National Champions: Seattle Bladerunners Men's Elite Open Men's Senior 35+ over Los Angeles Aiya Women's Elite Open New York Young Life Rockits Junior Boy's 18-under San Francisco Freemasons Friendship Division written
by Mike Mon The year, 22 of the most competitive Chinese Mens teams from the United States, Canada, and Taiwan registered for the Mens Open Division. Following pool play, defending champ Los Angeles Alpine R&K Little Horse once again sat atop the standings, earning the number 1 seed. LA was followed by 5 other undefeated teams- the SF Dukes, Seattle Bladerunners, SF Cornerstone Church, SF Dream League All-Stars, and Texas Ballistics. In all, the top twelve teams advanced to the Medal Round, with the remaining 10 teams dropping into the Consolation Round. In the Consolation Round, the Final Four teams were last year's Junior Champion SF Hoopsters, the veteran Philly Suns A, the newcomer Atlanta Chinese Christian Church, and the team with the best name, the LA Fat Cats. With the Suns bringing only 7 players to the tournament, exhaustion proved to be their enemy as they met up with Atlanta. Atlanta pushed the ball against the undermanned Suns, to advance to the Finals against the SF Hoopsters, who put away the LA Fat Cats. In the Finals, the young Hoopsters faced off against the much bigger Atlanta team led by All-Tournament selection James Yoon (8 pts). The Hoopsters put their full court running attack on display, while Atlanta worked the clock for a good shot each time down the court. In the end, led by co-MVPs' Michael Lau's 12 point and Greg Ong's performances, the Hoopsters took the game 47-42. Congrats to Tim, Stan, and the SF Hoopsters for bringing home their 3rd consecutive NACBA Title. The Medal Round provided high drama throughout this Single Elimination Tournament. In the First Round, the Chicago Dragons had the unfortunate chance to be matched up against the 2002 Runner-Ups Washington CYC A. Jeff Wu led CYC with 12 points and dominated the boards to lead Washington to a 54-49 win. In other First Round action, Toronto CCYAA somehow managed to upset Hubert Liu and the previously undefeated SF Dream League All-Stars 52-49 in the closest game of the First Round, as Denny Lee led Toronto with 13 points. Also in the round, the Texas Ballistics defeated the one-man gang of Oak Nguyen and the Boston Freemasons 57-36, and the Boston Hurricanes AAU survived a rough game with their nemesis the Montreal Kaitas 46-36, as Danny Lin dropped in 8 points. In the Quarterfinals, a rematch of last year's Championship game was the highlight, as LA Alpine and Washington CYC A squared off. Washington took an early 8 point lead as Keith Wang (14 points) had a marvelous game, however LA recovered to cut the deficit to 5 at the half. Alpine coach Tony Wong got his troops going with a motivational halftime speech, and that was all it took for his boys to play with a little more pride as Alpine came back with their patented ball pressure and advanced 48-40 to the Semis. The next game saw Toronto once again upset a San Francisco team as this time the Cornerstone Church was the victim of the Cinderella attack 42-36. Also in the round, Seattle defeated Texas 54-49, and the SF Dukes edged the Boston Hurricanes AAU 51-47 to move on to Monday. On Monday, the gym was rocking as the Final Four teams rolled into the gym. The Toronto CCYAA Dragons were looking for yet another miracle against the 4-time defending Champion LA Alpine team. Although Denny Lee provided the inside punch, he was limited in his touches, as the Toronto guards could not handle the pressure defense of LA's Song Cun (16 pts, 4 treys)and Benny Hoang (2 treys). Alpine cruised 46-29. The other Semifinal was the best game of the day, as the SF Dukes met up with the Seattle Bladerunners. This was a game of runs, as each team survived their ups and downs. Jim Shih (15 pts) powered up early on a plethora of inside buckets for Seattle, while the whole Dukes team was popping strings from all over the gym led by Henry Hong's 15 and Jeremy Lee's 13. With 3 minutes to go, Seattle looked like they were on their way to the Finals, but then the Dukes made one last run. They finally knotted it up as the clock was near expiration. The Dukes had the ball one last time. In typical Vegas fashion, Seattle's Jim Shih took a gamble and fouled SF's Stan Yeung on a drive to the hoop with the score tied. His gamble led to a hefty payout, as Stan missed both free throws, and the game moved into overtime. In overtime, Seattle took an early lead and then barely squeaked by 63-62. In the Finals, Seattle had the definite edge in size and they capitalized by feeding their big men frequently. LA seemed tired and was unable to apply their usual ball pressure, allowing Seattle to get the ball in to their bread and butter. Late in the second half, Alpine made a run spurred by Daniel Liu's 14 points, but Seattle's Kyle Kiang scored 6 straight points to put the game out of reach as Seattle won 53-47. Congratulations to the Seattle Bladerunners on their first ever NACBA title. Pool A- SF Cornerstone
3-0, Boston Freemasons 2-1, Toronto Dragons 1-2, Atlanta CCC
0-3. Consolation
Round Quarterfinals Semifinals MEDAL
ROUND
Jim Shih, Seattle
Bladerunners (Medal Round MVP) The highest level of play yet marked the 5th year of the Womens Open, as 10 teams of ladies took to the courts in Las Vegas. Following 2 days of spectacular pool play, the top 2 teams in each pool advanced to the Semifinals. In Pool W, LA Aiya and the Toronto Dragons moved through the pool pretty easily with the ever-improving NY Lady Cruisers taking 3rd followed by the SF CCU and Philly Lady Suns. Meanwhile Pool WW was stacked with a surplus of excellent teams including 2002 Champion SF ArcAngels, 1999 Champion Washington CYC China Dolls, 2000 Champion SF Dragons, the always tough Toronto CCYAA squad, and the young NY Sabres. It boiled down to points, as the ArcAngels and CCYAA narrowly made the cut. The first Semifinal was a game between the SF ArcAngels and the Toronto Dragons. While the Dragons boasted the top baller in the Tournament in Ann Ching (16 points, 6-6 FT's), SF showed why a deep bench is more important in a 3-day Tournament. The ArcAngels used their subsitutions freely to run their way past a tired Toronto squad 42-31 led by Kelly Tiao's 12 points and Robin Martin's 10. Lee Anne Chong chipped in for Toronto with 15 points and 3 trifectas. In the other Semifinal, Toronto CCYAA surprised the veteran LA Aiya team with a bold and energetic style of play led by Christine Vuong's 19 and Cecilia Chan's 11. The young CCYAA squad took it to Aiya until LA snapped out of their funk. After LA decided to take care of the ball, they forced it inside to Kristen Welsh, who dropped in a dozen points on easy layins. LA's experience guided them to a 44-40 victory, and a shot at reclaiming the crown. Last year, LA had a dominating Tournament except for 1 lackadaisical game in the Finals, so they had been waiting 12 long months for the chance to redeem themselves. In this year's rematch, LA played with more intensity and toughness in addition to hitting the outside shot. Although the ArcAngels had the quicker guards, they didn't try to force the tempo as much as would be expected. Aiya managed to keep the game from turning into a running match by getting back on D, while MVP point guard Sidney Giang (17 pts, 2 treys) orchestrated the tempo perfectly in LA's favor. LA took a double digit lead and seemed to have the game in hand until the ArcAngels' Irene Wong dropped 6 points and added a steal within a 90 second span to bring the defending champs back in the game. However, it was not in the cards this year for the ArcAngels, as the 2001 Champion LA Aiyas captured the 2003 NACIBT Championship 54-38. Congrats to Bree and her squad! Pool W- LA Aiya
4-0, Toronto Dragons 3-1, NY Lady Cruisers 2-2, SF CCU 1-3, Phila
Lady Suns 0-4. Medal Round Semifinals This year marked the commencement of the Mens Friendship Division. This division produced a surprisingly high level of play from veterans and newcomers alike. For these 10 teams, a shot at a the title was all they could ask for. The top 2 teams in each pool advanced to the Semifinals, with the first Semifinal being the SF Freemasons matching up with a surprising Boston Knights B squad. With Burt Ho gunning unconsciously from anywhere, the Knights seemed that they could beat anyone. But the problem was that Boston had no one to counter the gargantuan Frisco post players, as the Freemasons had a field day on the blocks to move on. They met up with the veteran NY Rockits Alumni, who had a close game with the SF G-Unit. With Doug Deng's outside game on target for SF, the Rockits were forced to go retro and show why they were one of the top Chinese teams of the mid to late 90's. With Tony Wong dishing the ball, and the NY big men feasting on the boards and in the post, one might think that it was 1996 all over again as the Rockits won the game. However in the Finals, father time seemed to have finally caught up with the Rockits, as their bodies began to betray them with cramps and fatigue. The SF Freemasons looked to MVP Chris Hong (15 points) for their offense, as he demonstrated what young legs do for a player. San Francisco captured the first ever NACBA Friendship Championship 48-33. Well done. Pool F- SF Freemasons
4-0, NY Rockits Alumni 3-1, Boston Hurricanes A 2-2, Washington
CYC B 1-3, NY United East 0-4. Playoffs BOYS JUNIOR 18-UNDER This year, the NY Young Life Rockits had dominated the 2002-2003 East Coast Juniors Circuit, and even took home a major title in a Mens Open Tournament in March despite a starting lineup averaging about 5-8. They showed that it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog that matters. An awe-inspring full court press, and an uncanny ability to finish were their trademark all year long. So with no West Coast teams participating this year, the Rockits were the heavy favorite to take the 23rd NACBA title. Following pool play, the top 3 teams advanced to the Playoffs. The second and third seeds, Washington CYC 18's and the Boston Hurricanes Young Life battled it out for the right to face the undefeated Rockits. Boston only brought 5 players to Las Vegas, and CYC did not show any mercy as they made Boston work for everything they got. Boston did an admirable job, led by 2002 and 2003 All-Tournament Selection Ivan Wong, but could not overcome yet another clutch performance from Washington's Henry Chow. CYC won by 10. The Finals was played in front of the big dogs, as the Mens Open teams watched the future of the NACBA take shape. As expected, the Rockits applied their vaunted press keyed by Jarvis Miu and Ming Wang, but CYC coach Alan Wang found a weakness in the defense and went over the top for easy layins. At the half, it was anyone game, but then MVP Kenny Yu effectively won the game by taking 2 key charges from CYC's main weapon Henry Chow, giving him 4 fouls. After that, the Rockits played with an even greater sense of confidence and took home the Championship. A well-deserved high-five to Denny Lee and the NY Rockits Organization. Great job guys. Pool J- NY Young Life Rockits 4-0, Washington CYC 18's 3-1, Boston Hurricanes Young Life 2-2, Phila Blazing Suns 18's 1-3, NY United East 0-4. Medal Round Semifinals Championship * Kenny Yu, NY Young Life Rockits (MVP) * Jarvis Miu, NY Young Life Rockits * Henry Chow, Washington CYC 18's * Ivan Wong, Boston Hurricanes Young Life * Yi Hong Zhao, Phila Blazing Suns 18's Spring 2003 Invitational Basketball Tournament written by Michael Mon On March 22-23 2003, the Philadelphia Suns and Washington CYC once again teamed up to host the Spring 2003 Asian Invitational. The event was held at Temple University and the Cozen PAL in Philadelphia. In all, 36 teams took the courts and attempted to bring home the most prestigious trophy on the East Coast. There were champions crowned in 6 divisions: Womens Open, Boys Juniors 18 & Under, Mens Open AA Gold, Mens Open AA Silver, Mens Open A, and Mens Open B. We would also like to say thank you to all the participants, supporters, and volunteers for making the event a success, and please be on the lookout for our Summer Invitational in June, 2003. With 6 teams competing in the Womens Open division, an impressed onlooker stated that the women and their teams would be headed for an exhausting day of hard core basketball. This premonition certainly rang true, as the teams battled with each other through pool play before heading on to the single elimination playoffs. In one Quarterfinal, point guard Angie Leung completely dominated the game on both ends of the court as the NY Lady Cruisers handily beat the Philadelphia Lady Suns Gold 39-16. In the other Quarterfinal, Philadelphia Ronin/Touch of Glory relied on an ailing Melissa Belonia (9 points) to narrowly defeat the Philadelphia Lady Suns Blue 21-19. This was Ronin's second close call of the day, as they had earlier defeated the Lady Suns Gold by 1 point in pool play. However, Philly's luck ran out in the Semifinals, when fatigue and the Washington CYC China Dolls' pressure defense finally wore them down. In the other Semifinal, New York took an 8 point lead on the defending champion Toronto Dragons , as Angie Leung dropped in 13 big points. But Toronto somehow managed to claw back behind Lee Anne Chong's offensive spurt. Lee Anne averaged over 22 points per game for the Tournament and certainly earned her Krispy Kremes. Toronto was determined to meet Washington in the finals, as they moved on with a 37-34 victory. Following their win, Toronto seemed to find a renewed level of energy as they fought back and forth with Washington throughout the first half in a grind it out fashion. Toronto's Danby Wong put the lock down on the China Dolls' offensive force Lulu Wang (14 ppg), holding her to only 3 points in the finals. However, in the second half, MVP Treena Limenco exploded for 15 of her 25 points as Washington outran the exhuasted five from Toronto 40-28. Much props to the China Dolls. Pool W1: Toronto
Dragons 2-1, Phila Ronin/Touch of Glory 1-2, Phila Lady Suns
Gold 0-3. Womens Open Playoffs * QUARTERFINALS This edition of the Juniors Tournament featured 10 of the top East Coast Asian Junior teams. Following Pool Play, the top seeded teams were Washington CYC 18's, Philadelphia Ronin 18's, and Philadelphia CCC&C Joy. In the Quarterfinals, the Philadelphia Blazing Suns upset Chinatown Playground rival (and the previously undefeated) Joy team 57-20, as Bin Chung Woo had 11 points. Also in the Quarterfinals, the NY Junior Rockits defeated their own city rival NY Freemasons by 8 points. CYC took care of business 42-27 against Philadelphia CB, and Philly Ronin crushed the G-Unit 75-16 behind Steve Miller's 16 points. The Semifinals were both rematches of pool play, and the earlier winners once again prevailed. Washington CYC's version of the Fab Five beat the NY Junior Rockits 45-25, as scoring machine Henry Chow dropped in 22 and Martin Hsieh added 12. The Ronin 18's also defeated the Blazing Suns 18's thanks to Mel Fabian's 10 points. When the Championship Game started, Washington's five players had already started to cramp up. Ronin coach Armando Buligon had been waiting all day for this game, and he tried to force the tempo as much as he could. Washington countered with a slow down game by patiently getting the ball inside to big man Terry Callier (14 pts) and by setting up screens for Henry Chow (7 pts). Washington took a 4 point lead late in the second half, but the Ronin 18's(Summer 2002 Champions ) are no strangers to pressure situations, as MVP Nam Tran scored 8 of his 10 points in the final 4 minutes. With CYC clinging to a 1 point lead, they missed 2 consecutive free throws, and Ronin came down the court with ball and 6 seconds. A shot went up quickly, missed, and was tapped around a couple times until a mystery Philadelphia hand extended up and beyond the cramping legs of Washington and tipped the ball through the hoop as Ronin took home the title 29-28. Congrats to Armando and his boys. Pool J1: Phila
Ronin 18's 2-0, Phila Blazing Suns 18's 1-1, NY Freemasons 0-2 Boys Juniors 18 & Under Playoffs * FIRST ROUND
There is a phrase that goes- Don't believe the hype. So when NACBA co-chair Denny Lee told me that his Juniors team NY Young Life Rockits wanted to enter the Mens Division of this Tournament, I thought he was off his rocker. Then when he boldly stated that his team could not only hang with the Big Boys but possibly compete for the title, I just thought he had forgotten to take his medication. An 18 and under team being able to play and win in the Mens Division against established teams? No way. Well, the Young Life Rockits made a believer out of me and anyone else who saw them play that day. The Rockits earned the top seed by breezing through pool play with a 2-0 record against Washington CYC B and the Boston Hurricanes A. The other pool had KUPC sitting atop the standings with a 2-0 record thanks to their high scoring offense. In the Quarterfinals, Washington CYC was led by Mitch Hubbard's 21 and Dave Liu's 17 points as they thumped Phila CB (Mike Su led CB with 14) 51-36. The other Quartefinal was possibly the day's best game, as the Boston Hurricanes A scratched out a 32-29 overtime win over the Phila Suns B despite a huge effort from Philly's Keith Chin (10 pts, 4 steals). The Canes A then faced the NY Young Life Rockits in the Semis. New York's Chris Chin (14 pts) and Boston's Christian Tran(9 pts) battled back and forth throughout the second half as the Rockits pulled out a 43-37 win. The other Semifinal featured the offensive minded Pittsburgh KUPC squad (led by the silky smooth lefty Terry Chan) against an equally athletic Washington CYC team. Pittsburgh led the game by 6-8 points throughout the game, until CYC hit back to back trifectas to send the game into overtime. In the overtime period, CYC raced to a 4 point lead and then iced the game on the foul line to move onto the Finals. In the Finals, the young bucks from New York proved that bigger is not necessarily better. Their pressure defense and collapsing traps more than made up for their huge size disadvantage. Pointman Ming Wang directed the offense, Jarvis Miu finished his layups, and Chris Chin tallied 17 points for the Rockits, who jumped to a 10 point halftime lead. With under 2 minutes to go, CYC got within 3 points, but the Rockits showed maturity beyong their years as they played stall ball on their way to a well deserved 41-35 victory. Pool B1: NY Young
Life Rockits 2-0, Washington CYC B 1-1, Boston Hurricanes A 0-2 Mens Open B Playoffs * QUARTERFINALS All-Tournament
Team MEN'S OPEN A March Madness. The Mens Open A Division was the complete epitomy of the term. Upset after upset and tight games were the norm in this division. Pool Play games were decided by an average of only 4 points per game. The highly anticipated Single Elimination Playoffs did not let down anyone either, as the intensity never subsided in the most evenly matched Division of the Tournament. In one Quarterfinal, Maryland Woo-Tan Clan (5th seed) upset the Princeton Ballers (4th seed) as Bobby Hsieh registered 22 points. In the other Quarterfinal, the desire to win was evident on both teams as the teams played hard and went at each other constantly. Virginia Supernova played a more disciplined offensive game to defeat the NY Spades despite 14 points and 6 steals from Francis Sioco. The Semifinals both resulted in yet another set of super intense games. In the first Semifinal, a rough and tumble affair resulted in the clash between the NY Crossbearers (1st seed) and Maryland (5th seed). Henry Chow paced Maryland with 10 points to get the big W. In the other Semifinal, Henry Wang of Carnegie Mellon 3E (2nd seed) displayed his tremendous shooting range by popping shots from all over the court, and Mark Yiin toughed out 2 injured leg muscles to score 13 hard earned points. However, Virginia Supernova (3rd seed) was able to reach the finals in the A division for the 3rd consecutive time through their unselfish play and consistent defense. In the Finals, Virginia Supernova (3rd seed) and Maryland Woo-Tan Clan (5th seed) met up as 2 unlikely Cinderellas. Supernova was well aware of the reputation that Maryland's Bobby Hsieh carries (2002 NACIBT Nationals All-Tournament Team selection, MVP of Spring 2002 Tournament ) and their game plan was to keep the ball out of his hands. The strategy worked, as Bobby was held to only 5 points for the game. MVP John Tsai played through his injuries, and Chris Chesterfield had 11 points for the winners as Virginia took it to the house with a 34-33 win. Pool A1: NY Crossbearers
2-0, Virginia Supernova 1-1, Maryland Woo-Tan Clan Mens Open A Playoffs * QUARTERFINALS All-Tournament
Team The Mens Open
AA featured 8 of the most reputable teams on the East Coast.
Advancing to the AA Gold Division were the top four teams: Boston
Hurricanes AAU, NY Rockits AIA, Philadelphia Touch of Glory (Drexel)
and the Montreal Kaitas. In the first Semifinal, the Boston Hurricanes
advanced past the Rockits AIA 44-38 thanks largely to Johnson
Lam's 13 points and Jimmy Cheng's 3 treys. Brian Wong led New
York with 15 and Kevin Chin added 9 points to go along with huge
rebounding numbers. In the other Semifinal, Philadelphia Touch
of Glory squared off with the Montreal Kaitas. Montreal utilizes
a patient offense to get their outside shooters and post players
open, but TOG used their quickness and depth to prevent the Montreal
marksmen from getting clean looks at the basket. TOG was led
by Qui Lieu's 7 points and moved on to a rematch of the Summer
2002 finals game against the Boston Hurricanes AAU. In the Finals,
Boston held a 24-17 halftime edge and preserved that lead throughout.
Boston was led by the MVP performance of Jimmy Cheng (11 pts)
and the glass cleaning of Ricky Chan. Philly had one last chance
to win the game, but Darren Tang misfired on a three-pointer
at the end of the game. Congratulations to Mike Lee and the Boston
Hurricanes for winning their first ever CYC Invitational. Pool
AA1: Boston
Hurricanes AAU 3-0, Montreal Kaitas 1-2, Phila Suns A 1-2, Georgetown
Storm 1-2. Mens Open AA Gold Playoffs * SEMIFINALS Mens Open AA Silver Playoffs * SEMIFINALS
Winter 2002 Invitational Basketball Tournament courtesy of the www.washingtoncyc.com On December 7-8, 2002, the Philadelphia Suns and Washington CYC teamed up to host the largest and most competitive Asian Basketball Tournament on the East Coast. The event was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Temple University's Pearson and McGonigle Gymnasiums as well as the Cozen PAL center. In all, 35 teams were scheduled to take part in this winter's event. There were champions crowned in 6 divisions: Womens Open, Boys Juniors 18 & Under, Mens Open AA Gold, Mens Open AA Silver, Mens Open A, and Mens Open B. Thank you to all the teams, friends, families, spectators, and volunteers for participating in the tournament, and please be on the lookout for our Spring Invitational in March, 2003.  2002 Champions - DREXEL UPTEMPO
Pool
AA1: Drexel
Uptempo, NY Cobras 2-1, Phila Suns A 1-2, Georgetown Storm 0-3. Mens
Open AA Gold Playoffs
 2002 Champions - TORONTO LADY DRAGONS Wow. Without
a doubt, the best story of this Winter's Invitational was the
Toronto Dragons. This barnstorming team of five braved the snow
and ice covered roads to drive 10 hours down to Philly. Despite
having no subs and with 2 members of their team sick, Toronto
breezed through pool play with an unblemished 3-0 record, winning
their games by an average of 26 points. During pool play, the
Dragons were led by 5 foot 10 (16 yr old) shooting guard Kimberly
Lee, who displayed an uncommonly smooth stroke from behind the
arc. Not to be outdone, point guard Ann Ching dazzled the crowd
with her own 3-point frenzy and her ability to finish. Throw
in the unselfish play and countless assists by Danby Wong, and
one can see why the Dragons were so dominant. Meanwhile, outstanding
performances were also being turned in by the Philadelphia Rage's
inside-outside duo of Michelle Takemoto and Melissa Belonia.
The Rage finished second in the pool, followed by the NY Lady
Cruisers and the Philadelphia Lady Suns. The Lady Cruisers showed
true grit and didn't back down from the bigger and more experienced
teams. Despite numerous injuries, New York battled through every
game, turning each possession into a rough and tumble affair.
Meanwhile, the Lady Suns displayed tremendous improvement since
the 2002 NACIBT and their enthusiasm made each game fun to watch. Pool W: Toronto Dragons 3-0, Phila Rage 2-1, NY Lady Cruisers 1-2, Phila Lady Suns 0-3. Womens
Open Playoffs
BOY'S JUNIOR 18-UNDER The Juniors Tournament
provided us with a glimpse of the future, as 10 teams fought
for the title. Heading into the playoffs, the strongest teams
looked to be the athletic NY Crossbearers, a new team called
the NY PASS Juniors, the host Philadelphia Blazing Suns 18's,
and, as always, Armando Buligon's Philadelphia Ronin 18's. Pool
J1: NY Crossbearers
3-0, Phila Ronin 16's 2-1, NY Cruisers 18's 1-2, Phila CB2 0-3. Boys
Juniors 18 & Under Playoffs
MENS OPEN "B" The Mens Open B Division provided onlookers with a number of dramatic finishes thoughout the day. Following pool play, the teams were seeded and headed right into the playoffs. In the first round, NY United East pulled out a close 26-24 game against Temple TUKA as guards Steve Liu and Jude Mercado controlled UE's offense under the TUKA pressure defense. Lanky forward Mike Stone led TUKA with 7 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 blocks. In the semifinals, the NY Consultants took an early 7 point lead on the Temple Mayas. At that point, Temple's Roque Guerzon put on his cape and led the Mayas to a comeback victory with 14 points and 8 steals. The other semifinal pitted the top-seeded Nate's USP Alumni with NY United East. This match was a true battle throughout. With neither team able to find the rim, and the referees letting the teams play rough, it all came down to toughness. Tournament MVP Jeff Pham (9 points) of Nate's USP made a pullup jumper with 19 seconds to go to tie the game. UE quickly raced to the other end, beat USP down the court, and made a layup to go up by 2 with 11 seconds left. Mike Mon then converted for USP on a driving layup to send the game into overtime. In overtime, each team scored only one bucket to keep it tied. At the end of overtime, USP's Mike Mon hit a free throw to win the game as time ran out. In the finals, ball control and simple execution was the name of the game, as the two undefeated teams played at a snail's pace. Guards Christian Lopez and Roque Guerzon orchestrated the Mayas offense with 10 points each, but that was not enough as Roger Liu and Mike Mon each had 8 second half points to lead Nate's USP Alumni team to a 45-41 decision. Pool
B1: Nate's
USP Alumni 2-0, NY Consultants 1-1, Temple TUKA 0-2. Mens
Open B Playoffs All-Tournament
Team MEN'S OPEN "A" The Mens Open A Division was highlighted by a reunion of the UPenn Bullets, who had not seen tournament action in almost 2 years. In the quarterfinals, a new team to the circuit, Penn State came out of nowhere to surprise the usually tough Philadelphia Ronin A team 47-25. In the semis, Penn State ran out of gas when they met the top seeded UPenn Bullets as Phil Ting gunned the Bullets to a win. In the other semifinals, the NY Lightning faced Virginia NOVA. NOVA took an early lead on the Lightning, but NY's Dave Lee (formerly of the UPenn Bullets) desperately wanted to meet his old team in the finals. He valiantly tried to shoot his team back into the game with a late 3-point barrage, but his 12 second half points were not enough as NOVA kept its composure and moved on to the championship game. The Championship was a rematch of pool play, where UPenn had held on for a 41-40 win. NOVA's Kyu Choi was money all tournament long and continued his stellar play in the championship. UPenn lost their primary weapon early on when Phil Ting was too fatigued to play solid defense and he fouled out. Boo Kim (11 points) picked up the slack for UPenn and led the Bullets to the title with a 47-37 win. Pool
A1: UPenn
Bullets 2-0, Virginia NOVA 1-1, Phila Ronin A 0-2. Mens
Open A Playoffs All-Tournament
Team
CCCNJ
CAPTURES Once
again, the top division of the annual summer basketball church
league climaxesd with the championship game as 5-time champions,
CCCNJ (1996-2000), went up against a heavily favored (undefeated
thus far in this year's League) Grace Faith Church team.
It promised to be one of the most hotly contested finals as CCCNJ
was eager to avenge an earlier preliminary game loss to this
same team.
22ND NACBA NATIONALS
RESULTS The year, 24
of the best Chinese Mens teams from cities all over North America
participated in the NACIBT's Mens Open Division. Teams were divided
into 6 pools of 4 teams each. Following pool play, defending
champ Los Angeles Alpine was sitting atop the standings and earned
the number 1 seed, followed by 5 other undefeated teams- host
team Washington CYC A, Boston Hurricanes AAU, San Francisco Chinese
Christian Union CCU, Los Angeles Fat Cats, and Texas Ballistics.
The top 16 teams advanced to the Medal Round, while the remaining
8 teams dropped into the Consolation Round.
On Saturday March 30, 2002, Washington CYC hosted our 6th Invitational Basketball Tournament at Temple University's Student Pavillion and Pearson/McGonigle Gymnasiums in Philadelphia, Pa. In total, 23 teams registered for the Invitational in 3 separate divisions- Mens Open, 18 & under, and 14 & under. Teams from all over the East Coast and Canada took part in this event. Washington CYC would like to thank all the teams, friends, family, and fans for attending our Tournament. We would also like to thank our largest Tournament sponsor PNC BANK. Please be on the lookout for our next Invitational in the fall. The 14 and under division provided the biggest buzz during the tournament as spectators were treated to a surprisingly high level of play performed by players as young as 8 years old. In the 14's division, Philadelphia Ronin/SAF Travel 14's went undefeated in pool play, followed by Washington CYC/Gotkickz.com 14's, Phila Rising Suns 14's, and Phila Ronin/SAF Travel 12's (0-3 by forfeit). In the first semifinals, Phila Ronin/SAF Travel 14's won by forfeit over their 12& under team. In the other semifinal, Washington CYC/Gotkickz.com defeated the Phila Rising Suns 14's depsite the shot-blocking prowess and all aorund hustle of Philly's Sin Su. When the finals rolled around, it was CYC 14's taking on Ronin/SAF Travel 14's. The heavily favored Ronin squad did not disappoint their large contingency of supporters as they easily captured the title in the division, 46-17, led by Paul Nicdao's 17 points. Pool 14- Phila Ronin/SAF Travel 14's: 3-0, Washington CYC/Gotkickz.com 14's: 2-1, Phila Rising Suns 14's: 1-2, Phila Ronin/SAF Travel 12's: 0-3 (forfeits). * SEMIFINALS * CHAMPIONSHIP ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM Paul Nicdao,
Phila Ronin/SAF Travel 14's (Most Valuable Player) 18 & UNDER In the 18 & under division, 7 teams took part in the event. These players of tomorrow demonstrated that they will certainly be ready to step up to the next level within the next few years. Following pool play, the 2 teams atop the standings were the NY Rockits and Phila Ronin/SAF Travel 18's. In the quarterfinals, Washington CYC/Gotkickz.com 18's narrowly defeated the Boston Hurricanes Young Life team 38-32 in the biggest upset of the round, as Henry Chow poured in 14 points. Also advancing to the semifinals were the NY Cruisers 18's (defeating the biggest team in the tournament, the Long Island Bullets 36-34), the NY Rockits (defeating the Phila Blazing Suns 18's by 6 in a rough match), and Phila Ronin/SAF Travel 18's (Bye). In the semifinals, the seedings held firm as the Rockits easily beat CYC 39-26 and Ronin/SAF Travel 18's headed to the finals after dismantling the NY Cruisers 18's. In the finals, the Rockits jumped out to an early lead, and then maintained their composure as Ronin began to mount a small comeback. The Rockits held on for a 41-29 victory. * Pool 18A- Phila
Ronin/SAF Travel 18's: 2-1, Boston Hurricanes Young Life: 2-1,
New York Cruisers: 1-2, Phila Blazing Suns 1-2. * QUARTERFINALS * SEMIFINALS * CHAMPIONSHIP ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM Chris Chin, NY
Rockits (Most Valuable Player)
YOUNG LIFE ROCKITS SQUEAK TO CHAMPIONSHIP The Boy's 18-under division of the Friendship 5 on 5 was the most exciting game of the day as the Young Life Rockits squeaked past the NJ Asian Knights by a score of 38-35. These two teams have played against each other on numerous occasions and the games have been just as exciting as this one. The NJ Asian Knights were led by the outstanding guard play of Zachary Liu (14 pts) whose dad Yean coaches the team. Also playing well for the Asian Knights was Jonathan Lum (6 pts, 5 rebs.) and Tommy Shek (4 pts, 8 rebs). The Young Life Rockits were led by the play of Chris Chin (14 pts) and Jarvis Miu (12 pts, 2 stls, 4 asst). Both players were stroking from the outside when they weren't driving the ball inside. The final minute was pressure packed as Jarvis (Rockits) and Zachary (Asian Knights) both hit some clutch free throws to keep their teams in the game. At the end, the Young Life Rockits escaped with a three-point victory. Congratulations to the Young Life Rockits and NJ Asian Knights for a wonderfully played competitive game in addition to the respect and friendship that both teams showed each other. Championship
Game 3rd
Place Game Preliminary
Games
BEARCATS SHOW THEIR CLAWS The University
22-under Division of the Friendship 5on5 introduced a new team
in the New York area that might begin to make a name for themselves
if they keep on winning. The Bearcats played a near perfect tournament
as they easily defeated their opponents by double digits in each
game played. Their ability to apply pressure defense and clutch
shooting were the catalysts of the team's outstanding success.
Champions - BEARCATS 2nd Place - Elmhurst Dawgs 3rd Place - NJ Bad Boys NY DOLPHINS VICTORIOUS IN FRIENDSHIP 5 ON 5 6/24/01  PLAY HARD ! NEVER GIVE UP ! These are the words being used to describe the play of the New York Dolphins as they captured the Men's AAA Championship of the 1st Annual Friendship Cup 5 on 5. After defeating the team of FX handily in their first preliminary game by a score of 51-35, the Dolphins were going to face a much tougher team in the New York Rockits (fresh off their 2nd place finish in the Chinese Nationals). The game turned out to be a ho-hummer as both teams struggled offensively in the first half with the NY Rockits holding onto a slim 22-15 margin. With the second half under way, the Dolphins came storming back thanks to the sensational play of Wilson Lew and Frankie Li. With both teams still struggling offensively, everyone knew the game would come down to the final two minutes. With just under 2 minutes left, the Dolphins came back to take a two point lead 25-23. Both teams exchanged baskets and free throws and with less than 30 seconds left the Dolphins were clinging to a narrow 31-29 lead. The Rockits took the ball down court and worked the clock to about 12 seconds remained when Ed Chan missed a field goal in the lane. The Rockits fouled immediately, putting the Dolphins back at the free throw line. But to no avail, the Dolphins remained undefeated by beating the NY Rockits A.I.A. by a score of 33-29. With their second
straight victory secured, it was onto the Championship to face
the NY Cruisers. From the moment the game started, the Dolphins
seemed lackadaisical as they were outscored 18-4 by a sharpshooting
Cruisers team. By halftime, the deficit was even bigger as the
Cruisers had a commanding 20-point lead (31-11) thanks in part
to 3-pointers from C.B. Liu, Ray and Warren. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NY DOLPHINS Championship
Game Preliminary
Round CONSULTANTS DOMINATE
IN MEN'S OPEN A
Remember the name, the CONSULTANTS. Playing in their first tournament sponsored by the NY Rockits and Asianhoops.com, this Filipino based team dominated the Men's A divison of the Friendship 5on5 by defeating the Villains in the championship game by a score of 44-31. The one-two punch of Stephen Wonge (scoring leader) Robert Nguyen (steals and assists) was just unstoppable. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CONSULTANTS Championship
Game Preliminary
Round YOUNG
LIFE ROCKITS SURPRISE IN With five teams competing in this annual invitational classic, the thought of a high school age team winning the championship was remote to say the least. But stranger things have happened. The first game of the day pitted the same two final combatants with the NY Dolphins defeating the Young Life Rockits by seven points. The loss proved to be a godsend as it sent a message to the young hoopsters that they needed to work harder if they were going to be successful. Work harder they did as they defeated their next two opponents to earn a berth in the title game. JARVIS MIU - PLAYING "D"
CYC Invitational Basketball Tournament
2001 On Saturday March 24, Washington CYC hosted its 4th Invitational Basketball Invitational at the University of Maryland Reckord Armory. Twenty four teams from Boston, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Maryland, Washington, and Virginia competed for the title in the largest Asian basketball tournament on the east coast. Heading into the playoffs, the top seeds were Washington CYC A, Boston Hurricanes A, DC Uptempo, NY Rockits, NY Cruisers A, and the tournament's surprise team Rutgers-Newark, who surprised everyone by winning their pool. On the morning side of the bracket, the first of the high seeds to fall victim to a cinderella was DC Uptempo, who was upset by a scrappy University of Maryland team. In the ensuing quarterfinal round, the Georgetown Storm looked to upset the Boston Hurricanes A behind the play of Len Kamdang and Eddie Allegart. However, Boston finally pulled away late in the second half. The play of they day occured when Boston Ricky Chan drove the lane for a thunderous dunk, and got the "and 1." On the afternoon side of the bracket, the UPenn Bullets won their wild card game, and then almost upset the top seeded NY Rockits, as Randy Wong got hot early and Phil Ting almost single handedly carried his team to an upset victory; however in the end, the patience of the Rockits paid off and they headed to the next round. Meanwhile, Rutgers-Newark used their quickly paced offense to dispense of the NJ Big Show, depsite Myong Choi's first half scoring binge. The Ny Cruisers A also advanced to the next round by defeating the Philly Suns A, as the Suns failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities at the charity stripe. The tournament's 2000 runners-up Philly Mabuhay Hoops (SAF) also was eliminated in the first round by the DC All-Stars, who ran past the tired Philly squad. The next round provided the most exciting match-up of the tournament, as the NY Rockits defeated the DC All-Stars in a triple overtime match. When the final four teams emerged, it was Washington CYC A, Boston Hurricanes A, NY Rockits, and NY Cruisers A who were all left undefeated at that point. In the first semifinal Washington CYC A's game plan was to utilize its deep bench and full court pressure to keep Boston out of its half court offense. The strategy worked, as Washington advanced to the finals against the NY Rockits, who had defeated their intra-city rivals, the NY Cruisers A by pushing the ball inside to Ed Chan, who got the Cruisers big men into early foul trouble. In the finals, CYC's Keith Wang hit three early 3's and Jeffrey Lee got numerous easy transition layups, as fatigue set in for the Rockits and CYC's bench pushed them to the championship. Washington CYC would like to thank all 24 teams for their participation and for making this event a success. We would also like to thank all our supporters, friends, family, and volunteers for their help. Washington CYC looks forward to once again hosting an Invitiational this coming summer/fall. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First
Round Second
Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All Tournament Team Keith
Wang, Washington CYC A (MVP) © 1998-2000 Chinese Youth Club of DC. All rights reserved.
|
The championship game
was exciting from start to finish as both teams played spectacularly.
Playing well all day for the Dolphins was the guard tandem of
Wilson Lew and Frankie Chan. There speed and experience showed
as their team remained undefeated thus far. Leading the way for
the Young Life Rockits was the terrific play of Chris Chin (15),
Rich SanPedro (16) and Jarvis Miu (14). These three young stars
along with their team displayed a style of team basketball that
hasn't been seen around the New York area in quite some time.
Their brand of basketball - hard nosed man to man defense coupled
with a princeton type offense began to click in the final game.
With the lead changing hands numerous times, it finally took
a couple of free throws by Jarvis Miu to seal the victory. No
one was more ecstatic about their victory than interim coaches
Jeff Miu (older
brother of Jarvis) and
Nelson Yu. Both were filling in for Coach Stone Han who was in
Taiwan pursuing a coaching vacancy. Congratulations on a job
well done.