The Philly Suns B finished second in the Friendship last year, but this year will be a little bit different as an overhauled roster and some defections to the C team will make new coach Li Yuen Fung’s first year pretty challenging. Star PG Jimmy Huynh has a merit worthy game, and rookie 6-2 F Andrew McCarthy is an athletic big who can really shoot the rock from anywhere in the gym. 5-9 F Eric Law has an unorthodox style that often catches opponents napping, and Kellen Ngo is a defensive standout thanks to good length and anticipation. If SG’s Wai Wai Fung and Yit Mun Lee can score on enough jumpers, then Philly could repeat last year’s success. The NY Rockits Alumni were the team to beat last year but somehow found a way to lose the Suns B in the Semis. The team has made some changes as a result of their loss, most notably adding former Rutgers-Camden starting PG and 2003 Juniors MVP Kenny Yu. Kenny’s presence automatically makes the Rockits the favorite. Muscular Ed Chan (2008 All NACBA, semipro football, Ultimate Fighting star to be), Kevin Chung (2006 MVP, Baruch), and 3-point lover Rick Wong will bolster this team’s chances, as the Rockits are the pick to win big in FLL. Not much can stand in their way, especially if Chairman Denny Lee drops in 20 a game as he recently did in the asianhoops.com tourney. The NJ Raging Demons have also undertaken a dramatic change, which could lead to a better finish than last year’s quarterfinals. Greg Goon will direct the offense, while Bernard Eng will hang out in the paint. The addition of 6-2 Jason Chan should help out, and picking up John Hsu will make defenses focus on his all around scoring ability. The Demons are a dark horse. Although they haven’t really played together a whole lot, all of these guys all know what to do with the ball. The Montreal Kaitas finished second in the Men’s Open last year, but have decided to take a step down to the Friendship this year. With a little bit of an older (veteran) roster, Todd Hsu’s team will seek to control the pace and make efficient offensive decisions. Johnson Ku is their leader. They should be fine.
NY AA is the new team to watch out for. A team formed by friends who want to compete at a more comfortable pace, AA has good basketball IQ. With All-NACBA guy San Mac holding it down at the point guard slot, Quincy Tso dialing up from deep, and Dave Chiu doing all the little things, they may be able to pull out an upset of the established teams. AA knows how to play basketball. Toronto CCYAA Friendship has not appeared for a couple years, but these guys always make it fun and gun. This is an experienced team of vets who plays the game the way it was meant to be played. Don’t fall behind because they can close you out. The NY ISS Flights Men will be paced by the play of 6-4 George Tang in the middle. George hordes stats like they were going out of style, with rebounds and blocks being his primary forte. Daniel Mui mans the 4 spot with determination, and point forward William Hu is a Chinese Magic Johnson. Keddy Chen and Peter Zhao are solid guards with great speed and shooting range. With their uptempo style and steady guard play, ISS may be the most dangerous team in the division. These guys can defeat any of the other 7 teams if things go right. The Philadelphia Suns C round out the field. They are a collection of leftovers who really are just here trying to prove they belong. This young group is wildly inconsistent, having suffered through many winless tournaments this season, but may have found their rhythm at just the right time, capturing the Pre NACBAIT Classic (Friendship division) in undefeated fashion. You never know what to expect from these guys. They will be led by 6-2 center Loc Tang (2008 NACBA 3-Point Champ), undersized F Tang Vu, and veteran G Bin Chun Woo. If their press gets going, C team has the talent to win a Chip. These guys have spurtability.
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