UAE coach says China unbeatable in hoops

United Arab Emirates coach Zoran (Zuba) Zupcevic of Bosnia predicted China to retain the basketball title at the 14th Asian Games in Busan "even if it doesn't play 100 percent" and downplayed his team's chances of making waves in the 12-nation tournament starting today.

Zupcevic, who formerly coached in South Africa, said the Emirates squad "is too young and all the players are amateurs." He added, "We don't expect too much from them and I just hope they would fight for every match and gain as much experience as possible."

The Philippines makes its Asiad debut against the Emirates this afternoon.

NBN-4 will air the game live at 2:30 p.m.

Zupcevic described China as "the strongest team in Asia (and) the future of world basketball." He said China "has all (the) basketball talents and they just need more time (before becoming a world power)." Zupcevic's comments were published in the Chinese newspaper People's Daily.

Before departing for Busan, national coach Joseph Uichico said he's wary of the Emirates which won its second Gulf championship in Dubai recently. The Emirates beat Qatar, 69-58, in the finals of the competition that also included Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. With Zupcevic at the helm, the Emirates won only its second Gulf title in 10 years. The first came in 1992.

"They're quick and athletic," said Uichico. "The team is much stronger than Qatar. They penetrate, kickout, and play a running game. With their new Bosnian coach, they won't be easy to beat."

Assistant coach Binky Favis flew to Dubai to scout the Emirates during the Gulf championships and confirmed the team is no pushover.

The Philippines is bracketed in Group C with the Emirates and North Korea.

Comprising Group A are China, Hong Kong and Kuwait. Group B is made up of South Korea, Japan and Mongolia. Group D lists Chinese-Taipei, Kazakhstan, and Qatar. India and Lebanon previously withdrew from the tournament.

In 1997, the Emirates took fifth place at the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) championships in Riyadh. But it slid to 10th in the next ABC tournament in Fukuoka two years later, relegating the Philippines to 11th spot after a 95-81 win in the preliminaries. And in the 21st ABC tilt in Shanghai last year, the Emirates--coached by American Bruce Wilson--finished 10th once more.

At the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, the Emirates upset Japan, 75-74, before losing a 93-57 decision to the Philippines. It wound up eighth of 12 teams.

The Emirates is led by its potent Mutt and Jeff combination--5-6 Ibrahim Khalfan and 6-9 Abdul Latif Abdul Elah. Other key players are comebacking veteran 5-9 point guard Hamdan Saeed, 6-1 three-point bomber Khalifa Al Sheeba, and 6-4 power forward Hisham Mubarak.

Ibrahim, 22, averaged 16 points and shot 78.3 percent from the line in Shanghai last year. He hit 7-of-10 from the field and 8-of-8 free throws in the Emirates' 77-60 win over Singapore.

Abdul Latif, 37, is the team's ageless wonder. He remains a dominant force at the post. In Shanghai, he averaged 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds. What was remarkable was his field goal marksmanship--63.8 percent. He shot 17 points in the Emirates' 85-50 loss to South Korea.

Saeed, 32, didn't play in Shanghai but was reactivated by Zupcevic for the recent Gulf championships. The wily playmaker--the only remnant from the Emirates' 1992 Gulf title squad aside from Abdul Latif--provided the leadership that paved the way to the title.

Khalifa, 27, hit at a 16.2 clip in Shanghai and was the Emirates' leading scorer. He shot 46.8 percent from triple distance. In the Emirates' 70-69 defeat to Lebanon, Khalifa shot 24 points, including 4-of-8 treys, and grabbed seven rebounds. He fired 20 to power the Emirates to an 80-77 decision over Kuwait.

Hisham, 30, was the only Emirates player to post a double-double in Shanghai. He compiled 13 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Kuwait. Hisham knocked in 12 in the Emirates' 83-63 demolition of Thailand.

The Emirates' chief weakness is lack of depth. Beyond Zupcevic's first five, the team struggles. Another weakness is lack of height. Abdul Latif is the team's tallest player. Next in ceiling is 6-5 Salem Mohammed. Since the Emirates likes to run, Zupcevic must establish control of the boards to play uptempo. With no dominant big man except for the aging Abdul Latif, the Emirates will be in trouble against teams with size.

In today's game, defense will play a big role in the Philippines' bid to nail a first win. If the Emirates' outside shooters are checked and the guards find it difficult to penetrate, Abdul Latif will be the main weapon on offense in the lane. That means Asi Taulava must work extra hard in defense to crush the Emirates' threat.