Bao Hsi-Le returns to headline Chinese Taipei pool
TAIPEI (FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017) - Bao Hsi-Le was a vital piece for Chinese Taipei in the FIBA Asia Women's Championship 2015, and she returns to the national pool for FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017.
Also known as Joy Burke, the 1.96m center averaged 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game two years ago in Wuhan, China while also shooting 61.4% from the field. She led Chinese Taipei to a 2-win, 5-loss record, which was good enough for a top four finish in the competition.
It's no surprise then that Bao has been called up again to represent Chinese Taipei at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup that will tip off in 25 days at Bengaluru, India. Chinese Taipei have missed the podium in the last five editions of the tournament, and they are hoping to have a breakthrough this year with a more seasoned Bao in tow and flanked by other stars like Lin Yu-Ting and Huang Ping-Jen.
| Chinese Taipei 24-player Pool for FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017 | |||
| Bao Hsi-Le | Chen Wei-An | Chen Yen-Yu | Chen Yu-Chun |
| Cheng I-Hsiu | Han Ya-En | Hsieh Pei-Chun | Huang Fan-Shan |
| Huang Hsiang-Ting | Huang Ling-Chuan | Huang Ping-Jen | Huang Ying-Li |
| Lan Hao-Yu | Lin Chi-Wen | Lin Hsieng-Fang | Lin Yu-Ting |
| Lin Zhi-An | Lo Pin | Peng Szu-Chin | Tsai Pei-Chen |
| Wang Li-Yun | Wang Wei-Lin | Wu Ying-Chieh | Yang Cing |
Bao's size gives Taipei a big lift, especially when they meet other Asian heavyweights like China, Korea and defending champions Japan, all of whom are bannered by marquee frontliners like Sun Mengran, Park JiSu and Ramu Tokashiki. With Bao patrolling the lanes, Chinese Taipei have a strong presence around the basket.
Chinese Taipei are in the same group as East Asian rivals China and DPR Korea and Oceania squad New Zealand in Division A. They play a single round-robin before all Division A teams are seeded in the knockout Quarter-Finals phase, where the four winners advance to the Semi-Finals and earn tickets to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 in Spain.
FIBA
