EXCITING times are once again upon us as in less than 24 hours, the Clark bubble formally opens for the third window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers.
Seven national teams will go out in Clark as they all seek to book their spots in the continental tilt in Indonesia in August.
But before the ball gets tipped at center court of Angeles University Foundation Gym, Spin.ph picks the 10 players fans should keep an eye on once the games begin.
Kai Sotto (Philippines)
All eyes will definitely be on Sotto as he finally makes his seniors team debut for Gilas Pilipinas.
The 19-year-old has grown leaps and bounds since he took his act to the United States, training with The Skill Factory in Atlanta and even briefly signing with the NBA G League Ignite team.
Sotto has surely improved a lot from the last time the public saw him, from his MVP year with the Ateneo Blue Eaglets in UAAP Season 81, where he normed 24.5 points on 57-percent shooting, alongside 14.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.7 blocks in 30.2 minutes, to his run with Gilas Pilipinas Youth in the 2019 Fiba Under-19 World Cup, where he posted 11.7 points on 53-percent shooting, on top of 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, and 2.0 assists in 28.4 minutes for the Philippines' 14th place finish.
But as much hype is surrounding the 7-foot-3 center, he knows that he has to deliver the goods in this window, all the more that he'll battle with the likes of Ra Gun-A of Korea and Lester Prosper of Indonesia.
RJ Abarrientos (Philippines)
Far Eastern University has pinned its hopes on Abarrientos for so long that it's a pity that the global COVID-19 pandemic has delayed his arrival in the UAAP.
But the 5-foot-11 nephew of PBA great Johnny Abarrientos will have his moment in the spotlight as one of the top scorers in high school basketball gets his moment of glory with the seniors team.
It's been two years since Abarrientos played significant basketball, helping FEU-Diliman reach the semifinals of UAAP Season 81 where he averaged 16.3 points on 34-percent from threes, along with 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 25.4 minutes to earn a Mythical Team nod. The only time he represented the country was in the 2019 Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup, where the Philippines ended with a 2-2 slate but failed to make it through to the knockout rounds.
Abarrientos will surely make the most of this opportunity, especially with the depleted guard rotation this Gilas crew has, as he gets a chance to prove his worth at this level.
Lee Hyun-jung (Korea)
Korea is also giving a glimpse of its future with the 20-year-old Lee.
The 6-foot-7 forward was a part of the Korean youth team which finished eight in the 2018 Fiba Under-18 Asian Championship in Thailand. Despite the team's horrid showing, he did make his mark as he led the tourney in scoring with 26.0 points on 39-percent from deep, on top of 10.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 3.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 32.1 minutes.
Lee has since taken his act to the United States and attended Davidson College, where he posted 13.5 points on 44-percent shooting from threes, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 29.9 minutes in his sophomore year with the Wildcats.
Yeo Jun-seok (Korea)
Not far behind for Korea is the 19-year-old Yeo.
The 6-foot-8 forward was also member of the aforementioned Korean youth team in 2018 and collected 16.2 points on 52-percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 24.5 minutes in the Asian youth tilt.
Yeo, a product of Yongsan High School, has continued to develop his game, leading to him being named as the 2019 Basketball Without Borders Asia MVP and playing in the 2020 BWB Global Camp during the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
Abraham Damar Grahita (Indonesia)
Grahita has been a fixture on the national team for the past few years now that it's easy to forget that he's only 25.
But the 5-foot-11 guard has truly shown his worth for Timnas, averaging 21.3 points on 46-percent from threes, on top of 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 32.7 minutes in three games in these qualifiers.
Back home, Grahita has also been one of the elite players in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL), posting 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 28.2 minutes for Prawira Bandung to earn his place in the All-Indonesian First Team this IBL season.
Hardianus Lakudu (Indonesia)
Lakudu, 29, has been a revelation for Timnas in the qualifiers, notching 14.8 points on 63-percent shooting from the field, on top of 3.3 assists, 1.7 boards in 14.8 minutes through the past three games.
The 5-foot-10 point guard has sustained that streak to the IBL, where he corralled 9.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 29.4 minutes to help Satria Muda Pertamina capture the title and led to him being named as the Finals MVP.
Indonesia could certainly benefit from getting those numbers from Lakudu in this third window with Brandon Jawato missing this stretch due to an injury.
Chanathip Jakrawan (Thailand)
Without Tyler Lamb in the second window, Jakrawan became Thailand's breakout star as the 24-year-old center for Hi-Tech Bangkok City held the torch for Thailand.
The 6-foot-8 banger has been magnificent for the Thais through four games, averaging 17.3 points on 49-percent shooting, alongside 9.0 rebounds in 28.7 minutes of play. His breakout, though, came in Thailand's 93-69 loss to Gilas last November, where he punctured a solid 34-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Despite the loss, it's a performance Jakrawan could build on, especially as Thailand seeks for upsets against Korea and Indonesia in this window.
Wu Qian (China)
China may be missing familiar faces in its pool, but the talent isn't absent from this said group.
Leading the charge is Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Domestic MVP Wu Qian, who is just on an ascent in the local league.
Wu barely made a dent in the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup in Lebanon, only nabbing 5.7 points on 50-percent shooting, to go with 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.0 minutes as China ended up at fifth.
But the 26-year-old has slowly come to his own and this past CBA season, tallied 19.6 points on 34-percent shooting from threes, aside from his 7.8 assists, 3.5 boards, and 1.1 steals in 32.6 minutes to lead the Zhejiang Golden Bulls to the semifinals.
It's almost a new-look Chinese team which will compete in Clark, but rest assured that Wu will definitely have a big part in their success.
Ryan Rossiter (Japan)
Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe may not be in tow for Japan, but fear not as Rossiter is here to lead the way.
Japan has undergone a huge facelift, giving the US-born Rossiter the reins to lead the Akatsuki Five.
The 31-year-old Siena College product made his national team debut in the first window, where he registered 17 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block in Japan's 108-68 win over Chinese Taipei last February 2020.
Since then, the 6-foot-9 Rossiter has continued to tore shreds in the B.League, unfurling 12.8 points on 38-percent shooting from threes, alongside 7.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals in 24.7 minutes. Unfortunately, his Utsunomiya Brex ended up as bridesmaids to Chiba Jets in the finals.
That could only motivate Rossiter to redeem himself with the Japanese national team, with the group looking at this as a training camp of sorts before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics next month.
Abbasi (Chinese Taipei)
Speaking of change, Chinese Taipei has also joined the party as it replaced its longtime naturalized player, 38-year-old Quincy Davis.
In his place comes Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga, more commonly known as Abbasi, as the 6-foot-2 guard will now be tasked to steer the Taiwanese to wins in Clark.
Born to a Senegalese father and American mother, the 22-year-old Abbasi was raised in Taiwan and will surely blend in with the youthful Chinese Taipei pool.
He was stellar in his last season for Shih Hsin University -- the same Taiwanese college of Jack Animam -- as Abbasi captured 16.6 points on 35-percent shooting from threes, on top of 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.0 block. The Tigers, however, suffered a tough defeat in the championship game against National Chengchi University.
What a way for Abbasi to avenge that defeat as he seeks to make a triumphant debut for Chinese Taipei in this said window.
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