Fukien lining up NCAA players
Defending champions Fukien will rely again on top-class foreign players as they appear in the second 3D- Gold Super League next month.
Club chairman Alex Wong Wai-hung said they had approached several US collegiate players to take part in the four-team tournament, also featuring Winling, South China and Flying Eagles at Southorn Stadium from July 19-23.
'All these players will appear in the NBA draft this summer and if they cannot secure a place in the world's best basketball league, they will come to help us,' Wong said. 'Also, we have approached the two Americans who played for us last season to see if they are interested in returning.'
Wong refused to disclose the budget for hiring these NCAA players, but said their total budget would exceed HK$500,000 for the four matches.
Former New Jersey Nets shooting guard Rodney Buford and Tyrone Sally, who played NCAA college basketball for West Virginia, were instant hits with Fukien last year when they defeated Winling 88-80 in the first Super League final; Buford, who scored 28 points, was voted MVP.
Featuring the top-four finishers of the A1 Division, the Super League was launched last season as the only competition that allows teams to field foreigners and thus attract more fans. Each team will be allowed to use two foreign players per match. The four teams will play in a single round robin, with the top two facing each other for the title.
