The Taoyuan Leopards’ fans enjoyed the rare chance to be upbeat again on Saturday, despite the team’s seven-game losing streak, when they witnessed in Tainan a strong outing by its former general manager Brett Su (???).
Su, who will turn 36 on Jan. 28, proved he still has much gas in the tank by scoring 17 points and dishing six assists as starting point guard in his nearly 34-minute stretch on the floor in the Leopards’ 96-105 loss to the Tainan TSG GhostHawks, which was also his first professional game in more than three years.
“I worked out for only three days before playing the game,” Su said after the game. “I got no speed now. I cannot keep dashing on the court and have to take a rest once in a while.”
Slow and slightly out of shape as he might appear, throughout the game Su amazed broadcasters and the audience with his fakes, passes, and penetration — moves that had been rarely seen from the Leopards’ local players this season.
It is believed that his comeback would help the American Superman Dwight Howard showcase to Taiwan his monster game in an upcoming competition.
Leopards’ head coach Bobo Liu (???), also Su’s coach 15 years ago at the Dacin Tigers in Taiwan’s Super Basketball League (SBL), minced no words in praising Su for facilitating the team’s offense.
“His ability to pass the ball is still there. He made some great passes today but our players didn’t expect the ball to come,” Liu commented, adding that it was particularly praiseworthy that Su had been busy working as the franchise’s general manager until six days ago.
Su announced the Leopards’ signing of the eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard in early November, but he stepped down from the post on Dec. 19 to take responsibility for not informing fans in advance of the team’s decision to bench Howard.
Su’s comeback was also welcomed by his teammate Lin Yi-huei (???), who joked that he felt “rejuvenated to 10 years younger” by their reunion after leaving the Tigers.
In spite of the somewhat rusty performance by Su on the defensive end versus the GhostHawks, Lin trusted the veteran point guard will soon find his old self.
Aside from his two short stints in the Chinese Basketball Alliance (CBA) in 2012 and 2015, the 5-foot-11-inch guard who played for Taiwan’s national team had an illustrious career, including winning the SBL Rookie of the Year in 2006, three SBL assist titles in 2007, 2012 and 2015, two SBL championships in 2009 and 2017, and one SBL FMVP in 2017, just to name a few.
Su announced an early retirement at his 32, via Instagram, in August 2019, but the post has been removed after the Leopards announced in late October that Su would comeback as their player this season while serving as their general manager at the same time.
Meanwhile, the New Taipei CTBC DEA bagged its fifth straight win at home court versus the Kaohsiung Aquas 93-85 to top the six-team T1 LEAGUE with a 7-3 record.
There were also two games on Saturday by the P. LEAGUE+, the other six-team professional basketball league in Taiwan.
The Taoyuan Pauian Pilots slaughtered the visiting Hsinchu Jko Lioneers 103-60 to improve to 6-3, while the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers were still seeking its second win of the season after they lost to the Formosa Taishin Dreamers 94-117 in Taichung.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel