Hong Kong students vowing to play ‘fast and smart’ during AUBL tournament in China

Local students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) said they need to play “fast and smart”, and be able to utilise their style on the court when they compete at the Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) this summer.

One of the six newcomers in the regional university basketball league, local champions CUHK will pit themselves against teams from China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, the Philippines and Australia, when the tournament runs from August 2 to 9 in Hangzhou.

Forward Yip Mau-shing admitted the coming experience was rare in Hong Kong, and is looking forward to the challenges.

“We only played certain teams in Hong Kong and never had the chance to compete against higher-level opponents,” said the 19-year-old, who was named the Final MVP (Most Valuable Player) at the local intercollegiate cup when they dethroned the University of Hong Kong (HKU) with a 74-72 win in April.

“So I want to know if there is a huge gap between us and them, or if we could still be competitive. We will likely be the underdogs, especially physically. Let’s see what we can develop in the coming training, and learn to play faster and smarter.”

First-year guard Kevin Choi Ho-tung said it is important for CUHK to play their style despite the potential differences with their opponents.