COMPETITIONS
1998 EXHIBITION GAMES





ASIAN GAMES ROSTER


               PLAYER                CLUB                     HEIGHT/WEIGHT            POSITION      AGE

#  7     Yung Kam Wah          Regal                      186 (6'3")/72 (158)                    G                26
#  9     Cheung Kam Chau      Seapower               188 (6'0")/80 (176)                     G               22
# 10     Lui Chor Wai              Fukien                   183 (5'10")/68 (150)                   F                20
# 12     Chan Chi Ho              Seapower               194 (6'5")/90 (198)                    F/C              22
# 13     Ho Kwok Man          Wideway                  191 (6'4")/85 (187)                      F                26
# 17     Chung Ming Tat          Fukien                     174 (5'8")/67 (148)                      G                20
# 18     Wu Kwok Fung          Fukien                     175 (5'8")/70 (154)                      G                22
# 20     Yeung Man Wah         Seapower              181 (6'3")/70 (154)                     G/F              21
# 21     Yu Hing Hoi                 Wideway              191 (6'4")/82 (180)                       F                21
# 22     Chak Man Keung        Wideway                198 (6'6")/85(187)                     F/C              28
# 23     Choi Fong Yue             Regal                     202 (6'7")/88 (185)                     F/C              20

Head Coach:              Timothy Darling

Assistant Coaches:   Doug Aitchison, Carlos Frade
Volunteer Doctor: Dr. David Cosman (D.C.)


The accent is on youth for this edition of the Hong Kong Men's National Team. A new Head Coach, Timothy Darling, is implementing an aggressive man to man defensive scheme, to sharpen the team for the XIII Asian Games. The National Team may not have the talent to win at the Asian Games, but Darling's focus is to prepare the team, not only for the Games, but to lay the foundation for future international success. All team members participated in Hong Kong's A-1 Division, last season. Lui Chor Wai of Fukien led the division in scoring with a 23.4 ppg average. Regal's Yung Kam Wah was second in scoring at 12.6 ppg, and led his Regal club to the Asian Basketball Confederation Champions Cup in 1997.


ASIAN GAMES BASKETBALL COMPETITION

Wednesday, December 16, Thammasat University, Hall 3

Hong Kong    
Japan          

CLASSIFICATION GROUP RECORD:    (-)


Tuesday, December 15, Thammasat University, Hall 3

Hong Kong       60
Uzbekistan    79

CLASSIFICATION GROUP RECORD: (1-1)

Hong Kong played it's best half of basketball of the Asian Games when they battled with Uzbekistan to trail by 4, 39-35 at halftime.

Hong Kong executed smartly on offense, and kept the Uzbekistan squad off- balance with a variety of looks for Yung Kam Wah in the early going. Wah finished the game with 15 points, but had 12 at half thanks to the disciplined efforts of his teammates.

Uzbekistan, who was in the toughest pool during the opening round had not played since last Thursday, and lack of game time and the classification round grouping seemed to get them off to a slow start. Hong lead 17-12 when Uzbekistan began to assert themselves inside and use their superior size to advantage. The lead alternated on almost every possession during the last 10 minutes of the half, and Uzbekistan edged into the lead at the halftime buzzer. "I was really proud of our team this afternoon", said Head Coach Tim Darling, "I don't think they realized how well they played against a very tough and well disciplined team. We seemed disappointed at the half because we were losing, and in fact that was our best ball of the year."

Uzbekistan's experience showed in the second half though, as their defensive adjustments to Hong Kong's offensive system left Hong Kong stymied and frustrated. Hong Kong had to wait until the 14 minute mark of the second half to get their first basket, and only scored 10 points in the first 12 minutes of play. By then, the smooth Uzbekistan squad had done their damage and build a 20 point lead. Hong Kong finally settled down and cut the lead to 13 points with just over 4 minutes to play, but an Uzbekistan three pointer ended Hong Kong's charge.

For the second time in as many days, Hong Kong played everyone on their team, and everybody once again scored at least two points to contribute to their offense. Wah led the team with 15 points, followed by Yu Hing Hoi with 11 and Chung Ming Tat with 10. The team closes it's Asian Games competition with Japan tomorrow afternoon at 13:45.


Monday, December 14, Thammasat University, Hall 3

Hong Kong     74
Kyrgyzstan      71

CLASSIFICATION GROUP RECORD:     (1-0)

Hong Kong assured themselves of their best Asian Games finish ever by upsetting Kyrgyzstan 74-71 this afternoon.

Hong Kong went into the classification round without the services of Li Wai Lun who was dismissed from the team yesterday for the remainder of the Games. With Lun gone the team stayed committed to the offensive and defensive systems implemented by Head Coach Tim Darling, and the resulting performance saw a breakthrough game from Hong Kong's best player Yung Kam Wah.

"Wah showed why he is the complete professional with his effort today" said an exhausted Darling. "Yung is the standard by which all Hong Kong players should be measured by. Our team respects him, and the youngsters in Hong Kong should all want to be like him. What he did today was remarkable." Wah took over the game in the final five minutes hitting a three pointer, two pull-up jump shots and providing the final margin of victory with two free throws in the last minute. Wah's game high 27 points led Hong Kong, but he has proven he can score his points out of Coach Darling's system. "Yung is so unselfish and he tries to make everyone else around him look good, but when today's game was on the line, I now know why Yung is considered one of the clutch performers in Asian basketball circles."

Today's contest was a foul infested affair, but Hong Kong's bench depth provided the much needed cushion at the end of the game. Hong Kong fouled out 4 players, but Kyrgyzstan also fouled out 3 and the parade to the free throw line ruined the flow of the game. Kyrgyzstan's proficiency from the foul stripe saw them hit 33/44 shots, and keep the contest close until Wah drilled a jumper with 2:18 to play to give Hong Kong it's first lead of the second half. Hong Kong trailed by as much as 8 points in the second half, but showed discipline and patience for the first time this tournament to come back.

Credit team volunteer doctor David Cosman with getting Chan Chi Ho ready to play in this game, as Ho entered the second half out of necessity, and played sound basketball to help anchor the win. Yu Hing Hoi, a player who Coach Darling fought to keep on the team also was instrumental in the victory as he scored 15 points and snared 8 key rebounds against the taller Kyrgyzstan squad. Choi Fung Yue added 12 points before fouling out with 8 minutes to play, and all members of the team played and scored for Hong Kong.



Thursday, December 10, Thammasat University, Hall 1

Hong Kong    64
Thailand       77

GROUP RECORD:    (0-2)

A hungry Thailand team combined with an enthusiastic standing room only crowd were too much for Hong Kong to deal with, as Thailand scorched their way to a 77-64 victory. This win assured Thailand a spot in the Final Eight as Hong Kong went winless during their group play.

The first half was a nip and tuck affair, as the squads struggled to adjust to the physical nature of the game. Hong Kong Head Coach Tim Darling employed full court pressure defense and reverted back to their man-to-man defense instead of the zone used against China. Thailand responded with 1/2 court pressure and alternated between man-to-man and zone to keep Hong Kong off-balance. The strategies by both coaches worked early, as neither team could develop any consistent offense attacks, though Thailand stayed more committed to their system. The biggest lead enjoyed by either team during the first half was 4 points, until Thailand's superb 3 point marksman Pramoch Jantharaniyom drilled one at the halftime horn to give Thailand a 37-32 lead.

In spite of Coach Darling's best efforts at halftime, warning his troops of the importance of the first 5 minutes, Hong Kong got off to a sluggish start in the second half. Thailand scored the first 8 points, and immediately put Hong Kong under the gun. Hong Kong was unable to answer the challenge as they ran virtually no offense the second half, turned the ball over an inexcusable 18 times and did not allow Yung Kam Wah to get the ball where he could use it. The resulting freelance style saw Thailand build a 20 point lead before cruising to victory in front of the appreciative hometown crowd.

Thailand Head Coach Felton Sealey noted that Hong Kong had the game won in the first half, and just gave it to Thailand in the second half. "The team went away from it's game plan, it was as plain as day. I knew they would be well prepared for us, and they sure were" said Sealey, "The team didn't do what the coach wanted in the second half. That was obvious."

Wah led Hong Kong's offensive attack with 21 points as he went 6/14 from the three point line. Choi Fung Yue added 16 points from within the paint. Thailand was paced by Jantharaniyom with 23 points and S. Prirong had 20.

Hong Kong's stand-out performance again belonged to Ho Kwok Man. While suffering back spasms throughout the second half, Man checked in and out repeatedly to get treatments, and continued to give Coach Darling quality minutes on offense and defense. Man's gritty and aggressive performance saw Coach Darling formally salute him in front of the team, saying Man has "the heart of a lion".

The loss dumps Hong Kong into the 9th through 12th place classification pool, where they will open with Kyrgyzstan on Monday.


Tuesday, December 8, Thammasat University, Hall 1

Hong Kong    47
China             105

GROUP RECORD:     (0-1)

" I now know what it's like to coach against an NBA team" remarked a contrite Coach Tim Darling, after watching his Hong Kong team systematically dismantled by the gold medal favourites China.

China was simply dominant draining 14/29 three pointers enroute to a lopsided 105- 47 victory in the opening game of the Asian Games Competition. Hong Kong played a tight zone defense to defend against the immense size of the Chinese, but China responded from the perimeter. Hong Kong had two Kodak moments during the game, the first when Yun Kam Wah hit a three pointer to give Hong Kong a 3-2 lead, and then when Wah hit another three pointer to push Hong Kong in front 9-7. Then reality hit.

"They are the complete package", noted Darling, "Huge front line, excellent perimeter game, solid defense and unselfish offense. I am proud of our team's efforts though, it would have been very easy to quit today, and we didn't. We represented Hong Kong with pride." China forced Hong Kong into 32 turnovers, with their stingy defense, and China's point guard Fan Bin had 5 steals.

Lui Chor Wai had 10 points for Hong Kong, while Wah and Yu Hing Hoi added 8 each. Ho Kwok Man typified the gritty Hong Kong effort. Man played an outstanding game for Hong Kong, refusing to be intimidated by the bigger Chian forwards. Man screened effectively and set a bone jarring back pick on Fan Hin at center court in the second half, before fouling out. For China each of their 12 roster players scored, led by smooth shooting Shang Jinsong with 17. Li Nan had 13 points while China's twin towers (2.12+, 7'+) Menk Batere and Wang Zhizhi combined for 22 and 15 rebounds.



PRE-ASIAN GAMES COMPETITIONS

Thursday, December 3, at University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong National Team      73
University of Hong Kong      35

FINAL OVERALL: (7-4) Winning Pct: .636   Points, For: 707 (64.3)     Against: 622 (56.5)

The National Team closed out it's pre-Asian Games competition schedule by dismantling the University of Hong Kong by a score of 73-35.
The Nationals used a zone defense, for the first time all year, with a large degree of success. The zone applied constant ball pressure to the strong perimeter shooters of the University squad, and forced them to penetrate inside the 3 point line for their scoring attempts.
For the second time in as many games the Nationals' full court 2-2-1 press wore out their opposition and forced numerous turnovers, which resulted in easy baskets for the National team.
The game University squad played man-to-man defense almost exclusively throughout the contest, to give the National Team so much needed work in their man-to-man offensive looks. For the first time this year the National Team responded by looking inside to post players Chan Chi Ho, Chak Man Keung and Li Wai Lun. Their success inside then opened up numerous three point looks for the perimeter players when the ball was rotated out.
The University squad was forced to play without Chan Chi Ho and Yung Kam Wah, who coincidentally are on the National Team. Wah responded by scoring 18 points , to lead a very balanced offensive attack for the National Team. Point guard Chung Ming Tat, probably the most improved player over the last two weeks, played another strong game, and will be gaining some serious floor time in Bangkok as a result.
The National Team played without Ho Kwok Man and Wu Kwok Fung, to mark the 11th time the National Team has played without their full roster, a point that has frustrated Head Coach Tim Darling immeasurably.
The coaching staff is now expected to shorten the bench for the Asian Games competition beginning next Tuesday, to develop some much needed on-court chemistry.


Tuesday, December 1, at Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong

Hong Kong IE                  &nbs p;         31
Hong Kong National Team         61

Overall: (6-4)   Points, For: 632 (63.2)     Against: 587 (58.7)

The National Team blew out Hong Kong IE, with a solid defensive performance. The Nationals used a rotating full court press, introduced in practice the night before, to bewilder HK IE and force numerous turnovers.
The National Team was playing without leading scorer Yung Kam Wah and Chan Chi Ho, to mark the tenth consecutive game the team has played at less than full strength.
The Nationals were once again forced to play against a zone defense for the entire evening, and the team responded drilling three 3 pointers in the first three minutes to open up the HK IE zone. The combination of the press and zone offense helped the National Team gain a 37-16 lead at halftime.
The second half saw the Nationals go a 7 minute stretch without scoring, but their defense remained rock hard. Head Coach Tim Darling hopes to add one more game to their schedule to get an opportunity to tighten up their man-to-man offenses.
For the National Team Chung Ming Tat continued his strong play of late and tossed in 15 points to lead all scorers. Lui Chor Wai added 13, in his first game action since November 7. National team alternate Leung Kwok Shing played a strong game, both offensively and defensively, for HK IE and led his team with 11 points.


Saturday, November 28, at Dung Koon, China

Hong Kong National Team         64
China Guan Dong                         84

Overall: (5-4)   Points, For: 571 (63.4)     Against: 556 (61.8)

Guan Dong upended Hong Kong's National Team 84-65 in front of a standing room only crowd in Doung Guan on Saturday.
Guan Dong, one of the top 3 teams in China's A1 Professional League, got off to blistering start that the Nationals were never able to overcome. Guan Dong drilled four 3 point field goals in the opening five minutes to go up 18-2. Hong Kong was tentative from the outset and suffered from the inability of Li Wai Lun and Choi Fong Yue to function within the team's system. Guan Dong led 44-22 halftime.
The second half showed tremendous promise for the National Team as they shortened their bench considerably and made a dramatic run at the local side. Yung Kam Wah and Chung Ming Tat began to heat up from the 3 point line and Yeung Man Wah added points with some tough penetration moves. The National squad's superior conditioning became a factor and the Guan Dong lead which once stood at 30 points was cut to 8, with just over 6 minutes to play. The experienced Guan Dong side regrouped in the nick of time for the assembled locals, and went on an 8-0 run to secure the win.
Hong Kong Coach Tim Darling was philosophical in defeat. "I saw some individual and team efforts that I was extremely proud of, and I also saw some players that, quite frankly, appear like they don't want to make the commitment necessary to play on my team. I'm glad we scheduled this game, because it proved a number of things to me. Most importantly, I now know who I want to be on the team for the Asian Games. I also saw efforts from Chan Chi Ho, Ho Kwok Man and Yu Hing Hoi that reassured me I made the right choice in keeping them. Finally, once we got over the initial fear of facing Guan Dong in front of a packed house, we played well, and executed productively on offense", said Darling. Darling was also frustrated by the fact the National Team has not played with a complete lineup for any of their 9 friendly games. Hong Kong's A1 Division's leading scorer Lui Chor Wai was unable to participate in the game.
Wah finished with 20 points, and Tat drilled 12 to lead Hong Kong's perimeter oriented attack. The Nationals will try to fit in one more contest before the Asian Games begin next weekend. Hong Kong's first match up will be against Iran on Tuesday December 8th.

Saturday, November 21, at Shek Kep Mei, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Junior National Team      37
Hong Kong National Team                 57

Overall: (5-3)   Points, For: 506 (63.3)     Against: 472 (59.0)

The Hong Kong National Team ripped the National Junior Team by a 20 point margin, at Shek Kip Mei on Saturday.

Yung Kam Wah showed why he is considered the best shooter in Hong Kong by raining down 5 three pointers in the second half, leading the Nationals to a 32 point lead at the midway point of the half. Wah finished with 25 points, almost half of his team's total.

National Team Head Coach Tim Darling said "Willie (Wah) really showed glimpses of what he can do on the basketball court. Our Asian Games success will depend on us getting him as many open looks as we can. Willie has really subordinated his game to help his teammates come along, but it is no secret he will be the key for us. I very pleased with his offensive minded approach to the game tonight."

Although the Juniors did not provide the Nationals with a physical test on the floor, Darling scheduled the game because he knew they would play zone for the entire game, and it was a great opportunity to test and refine their new zone offenses.

The Nationals would have really taken out the Juniors by a greater margin, but were sloppy finishing inside and in transition, two facets of the game the coaching staff will look to correct next week.


Saturday, November 7, at Szenshen, China

Hong Kong National Team            &nbs p;         53
China Motion Telecom Provincial Club    58

Overall: (4-3)   Points, For: 449 (64.1)      Against: 435 (62.1)

A short staffed Hong Kong National Team lost a physical contest to China Telecom Provincial Club, here Saturday night.

The National team entered the final two minutes of play ahead by 1 point, but were capsized when Telecom hit for a 4 point play in the final minute. Hong Kong unveiled full court pressure defense for the first time this season during the final 3 minutes of play, and it drove the team back from a 7 point deficit to the brink of victory.

The Nationals were missing Li Wai Lun (6'5"), who was hospitalized with Hepatitis, 16 year old Tam Wai Yeung (6'6"), who was competing with the Junior National Team in India, and Choi Fong Yue (6'7"), who is still under contract in Taiwan.

The Telecom Provincial Club was coached by the legendary Chan Tak Chun, China's National Team Head Coach for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and a former National Team player. Chun complemented Head Coach Tim Darling on his team's defensive play, which was praise that Coach Darling took immediately to heart considering Chun's impressive credentials.

Yung Kam "Willie" Wah led Hong Kong with 15 points, while Lui Chor Wai added 11.

Darling felt his team's effort was there, just not the offensive and defensive execution required to win the game. "The guys are really starting to put the defensive (positional) concepts into play. It's important now to build on our defensive success by complementing it with aggressive offensive play", an exhausted Darling noted after the contest.


Monday, October 26, at Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong

Philippine Touring Stars            59
Hong Kong National Team      68

Overall: (4-2)   Points, For: 396 (66.0)      Against: 377 (62.8)


Sunday, October 25, at Yuan Long, Hong Kong

China Guan Dong               &nbs p;       67
Hong Kong National Team         55

Overall: (3-2)   Points, For: 328 (65.6)     Against: 318 (63.6)


Monday, October 5th, at Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Junior National Team       47
Hong Kong National Team            &nbs p;    87

Overall: (3-1)   Points, For: 273 (68.3)     Against: 251 (62.8)


Sunday, September 13, at Bangkok, Thailand

Hong Kong National Team            69
Thailand Bangkok Bank            &nbs p;    61

Overall: (2-1)   Points, For: 186 (62.0)     Against: 204 (68.0)


Saturday, August 22, at Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong

Houston NCAA All Stars                83
Hong Kong National Team            &nbs p; 49
Overall: (1-1)   Points, For: 117 (58.5)     Against: 143 (71.5)

Hong Kong Standard - The Hong Kong Asian Games squad was ill prepared for the friendly match against the Houston All Stars, which ended in an 83-49 defeat for the SAR squad last night, according to national coach Tim Darling.

The SAR squad-playing their first major warm-up match since the league ended five weeks ago, were without three key members for the match, held at Sai Won Ho indoor games hall.

The three absentees were competing for league champion Regal in the Asian Professional tournament in China and although the Hong Kong side were no match for the American collegians, Darling felt the team would have played better had the three, including three pointer Yung Kam-wah, had been present.

"If you take Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman away from the Bulls, do you think their chances would be as good against Utah?", he joked.

But Darling said the bigger issue was that they were not prepared for any matches at this stage, as the team has not bonded yet.

Darling only learned about the game three weeks ago: "Even the past three days we've had to rush to get ready for this game."

He stressed an overseas trip was vital for team development as they needed to train in a distraction free environment. He has suggested to the Hong Kong Basketball Association that they go to Canada later this month but the decision rests with the Association: "Once we do go away I know the team will bond. That hasn't happened yet." -- Aries Chow


Saturday, April 18, at Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong

China Touring Stars              60
Hong Kong National Team   68

Overall: (1-0)   Points, For: 68     Against: 60








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