In the last two years, Filipino basketball players have been forging a new path, seeking opportunities to play professionally overseas. So far, the biggest market for homegrown talent is Asia, with Japan’s B. League providing the most employment with 13 young Pinoy players suiting up full-time for different teams. Taiwan and Korea also have their fair share of Filipino players, while other countries in the region hire Filipino athletes for shorter tournaments. Two of them (Jack Danielle Animam and Juan Gomez de Liano) pioneered the way to play in Europe. Come to think of it, our countrymen have been seeking better income abroad for close to a hundred years. Even coaches in basketball, boxing and a handful of other sports have found their niche even in the mainland United States. Why not athletes? Aside from the pay – up to five times what they would be making professionally in the country – there are palpable differences between the way basketball is run between Europe and Asia, even the rest of the world. To the casual observer, the differences may be slight. But in reality, they are significant.
Tournament play. Unlike most of the world, professional European teams routinely play in two tournaments at the same time. Of course, the dream is EuroLeague, but each country has its own high-level competition which makes up the backbone of its schedule. There’s the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), Polish Basketball League (PLK), Latvian-Estonian Basketball League, and many others, which are the staple. National players of those countries are divided among the participating teams. Almost all of their member teams also see action in international leagues like the European North Basketball League and others. Teams are often in a different country every other day, traveling by team bus or commercial flights. Strangely enough, despite their hectic schedules, they avoid playing on weekends. This is unheard of in Asia, where leagues never overlap, and other tournaments are very short and are held only in the offseason.
Imports. Unlike in Asia where only one to two imports are the norm, in Europe, teams often have up to four American reinforcements, not to mention players from other countries. But like Australia, the imports are more role players than dominant do-it-all workhorses. They don’t play the entire 40-minute game, and rarely play more than 25 minutes. And while many are among the leaders in scoring, assists and rebounding, they are not all at the top, as the size and talent level in Europe is very competitive. Imports also play in the European system, where there is little to no isolation. In Asia, it is standard to clear out one side to allow a strong import a chance to score one on one when a basket is needed.
Pace. The pace of the European game is more deliberate, and relies on half-court sets much more than Asian or even American style of play. Once the ball crosses midcourt, there is much less dribbling. Teams rely on long passes and a lot of screening and use up the shot clock. The pick and roll is used ad nauseam, in an effort to create mismatches. More long shots also means less offensive rebounds, so the ball spends more time going back and forth between teams.
Shooting. There is much more outside shooting in Europe than in Asia. One reason is that they use FIBA rules, while Asian leagues often use variations of pro rules, which put the three-point line further out. However, the three-point shot is more or less an equal option to a regular basket, and teams routinely average 40 percent from beyond the arc. Dunking usually happens on fastbreaks and when defenses aren’t set, unlike in Asia and America, where players dunk in traffic.
Crowds. This is perhaps the biggest difference between Asia and Europe. Crowds are often much smaller in European leagues than in Asia, except for crucial home games. Given the love for football and the ease of land travel, people do other things and don’t view basketball as a priority as much as Asians do. Though both continents have pro basketball teams in smaller cities, hoops is still not as appealing to the masses in Europe, particularly in cold winter months when people would rather stay indoors. This also goes for social media engagement. Asian fans are much more active in basketball than European fans, which is partly a spillover from watching movies, TV series and bands from other Asian countries like South Korea, Japan, China and Hong Kong.
If you prefer a more deliberate, technical, democratic style of basketball, you’ll love European play. But if you want it faster, more dynamic and higher scoring, then Asia is your market.