TAIPEI (FIBA Asia Championship for Women) - Do not be surprised if Chinese Taipei have a lot of new faces in their squad this year at the FIBA Asia Women's Championship.

While the country wants to be competitive and reach the podium, it also has something else that may just be more important.

Taipei is hosting the 2017 World University Games, and Hung Ling-Yao, the coach of the women's team since 1988, wants to have a strong a team as possible for the event.

"This year's national team should have a lot of young players," she said to FIBA.com.

"For the 2017 World University Games in Taipei, we have begun to train a group of young players with an average height 1.78cm and average age of 20.

"We're looking ahead to the 2017 performance, also towards trying to reach the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo."

As for this year's big tournament, the FIBA Asia Women's Championship, recent history shows that Chinese Taipei are all but guaranteed a top-four finish, along with China, Korea and Japan.

The last time there was another side in the elite quartet was 1984.

The Philippines came in fourth that year.

Chinese Taipei did not have a team in that tournament.

When it comes to the top three at the FIBA Asia Women's Championship, there has also been some certitude.

China, Japan and Korea usually find their way to the podium.

Not since 2005 have Chinese Taipei finished as high as third.

"China, even Korea and Japan, they have very good players in the restricted zone (paint)," Hung said to FIBA.com.

"We can only use speed and better skills to challenge them and, of course, more important than that is to play smart."

There were plenty of times at the 2013 FIBA Asia Women's Championship that Chinese Taipei did play smart and looked like a side that may be good enough to finish third.

On Day 2, in fact, they fought hard against Japan before falling, 69-57.

When the teams met again in the Semi-Finals, Japan jumped on top of Hung's team early, outscoring it 24-10 in the first quarter before rolling to a 74-56 triumph.

Chinese Taipei's 1.86m center, Tsai Pei-Chen had 19 points and seven rebounds but it was nowhere near enough against a Japanese side that went undefeated in the tournament and captured the title.

In the battle for third place and a spot in the FIBA Wome's World Championship, Huang Ping-Jen and Huang Ying-Li, a pair of guards, had 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Chinese Taipei but China prevailed, 61-73.

Hung is optimistic that her players can achieve a top-three finish this year and stay in contention for a spot in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

"Of course," the coach said.

"We'll do our best to qualify for the Olympics."

In the FIBA 3x3 game, there is cause for excitement when it comes to the Chinese Taipei women.

They made their mark last November.

From a personal standpoint, even though she has been in the job for a quarter of a century, coaching Chinese Taipei never gets old for Hung.

"Every time you are the coach of the national team, it's something to be proud of," she said.

"I am with the players going all out in training in the country's fight for honor."

The fighting spirit and basketball intelligence we show is something to be proud of - Hung

FIBA