*Dreamleague   All-Stars*
asianballers.net 2008 National Champions!



Tournament Review

And your 2008 National Champions are the Dreamleague All-Stars! The 2008 championship tournament was very competitive and showcased a lot of big names in asian basketball. Names like John Lane, Nic Echevestre, Xiro, and Fruity Brooks. It would be tough to pick any team to win this tournament because of all the solid teams that had size, height, and great talent.
 
Dreamleague was a little under the radar because they haven't done much in the east coast region, but they brought a lot of height and a lot of Mr. Nic Echevestre (Tournament MVP). Nic showed why he is one of the top scoring talents in the country. With his clutch shooting, he brought a championship to the Dreamleague organization. Everyone who watched the playoff game with TLC vs Dreamleague will remember his take it to the bank, 3-point prayer, off the glass shot, with 4 seconds to tie the game and send it into overtime. TLC and their fans were stunned. The went from looking at a title to going home in a blink. That shot propelled Dreamleague to the championship. So congratulation to Dreamleague for a job well done! Your are the Champions of 2008!

There were some suprises and dissapointments in this tournament with Toronto 25 not making the final four. They struggled all tournament to get things going. And also, Team United fell apart against the tough NY Cruisers, who finished as the runners up to the championship. Tony Hu and Eddie Wang help lead the Cruisers all tournament long. F/C #20 Tony Hu was a handful down in the paint and SG - #23 Eddie Wang dropped bombs from the outside. John Lane and the NY Maximum Output felt the power of Tony also in the final four game verses the Cruisers. But it was a close game all the way with a lot of physicality. As a matter fact this tournament was very physical from beginning to end. The officials were inconsistent in calling fouls and let players pound on each other for most of the tournament. So the NY Maximum Output fell short once again. John looked a little hobbled with injuries so he wasn't his usual self. Because he was limping seemed to be in pain most of the games.

The suprise team of the tournament was the NY Top Guns. With their physical big men inside and their good shooting from the perimeter, they made to the final four. They actually had the lead late in the game against Dreamleague, but some crucial mistakes and leaving Nic wide open cost them a trip to the championship game. But this team looks to be on the rise, so watch out for them! Good effort anyways.

TLC who finished as runners up last year looked revamped with the additions of Leo(2007 Championship MVP) and Dustin Coloso on their frontline. A long lanky team with young guards and experienced inside players. But Dreamleague stopped their dreams with one shot from Nic Echevestre. But this team was very talented and could have easily been the champs! If this same team comes next year, they should definetly be considered one of the favorites.

The most dissapointing performance of the tournament was the play of Xiro. He played with Yellow Fever and Bo Noung & Atif Sajid out of Atlanta. They were eliminated by TLC who just did everything right from the tip. Xiro couldn't buy a basket in this game against TLC. After the game a lot of people were criticizing him, saying, "He's Number 1? He's not that good!". You will always have a bulls eye on you when you are ranked as the number 1 player in the country. So when you play bad, there will be always a lot of trash talk. But every player has a bad game. And he's not making any excuses. Remember its a team game, the Yellow Fever were at a disadvantage with no real big man in the paint. Their tallest player was 6 foot even. At a championship tournament with players 6'4 to 6'9 on the blocks, you will not survive without a some kind of a big man. Yellow Fever needs to recruit some height if they want to compete for a championship! But it didn't help that Xiro didn't deliver his usual magic either.

But overall, the championship was an upgrade from last season. We want to thank Larry Chow and the NY Maximum Output for being a great host. Next year's tournament location will be announced very soon. We will be coming to the Midwest hopefully. Thanks to all the teams, players, and spectators for making this championship a success. Remember there is always next year!

Final Four Teams

NY Maximum Output vs NY Crusiers
Dreamleague All-Stars vs NY Top Guns

All Championship Tournament Team


G - John Lane (Maximum Output)
G - Eddie Wang (NY Cruisers)
F - MVP Nic Echeverstre
(Dreamleague All-Stars)
F - Fruity Brooks(Boston Masae)
C - Tony Hu (NY Cruisers)