Taiwan’s men’s national basketball team is set to upgrade its depth in the paint after signing Brandon Gilbeck of the P.League+’s Formosa Dreamers to a naturalized player’s contract.
The 27-year-old big man from the US landed in Taoyuan early on Monday, where he was welcomed by Chinese Taipei Basketball Association deputy secretary-general Chang Cheng-chung.
The two signed the deal, which still has to be approved by the Sports Administration and the Ministry of the Interior.
Photo: CNA
Chang said he is confident that “the proceedings would go smoothly.”
If approved, Gilbeck would become the third naturalized basketball player in Taiwan, following the New Taipei Kings’ Quincy Davis, now 41, and William Artino, who parted ways with the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers when his contract expired in late January before returning to the US.
Gilbeck has made a name for himself in Taiwan for his defense. Since joining the Dreamers in 2021, the 2.1m American has won the shot-blocking title three seasons in a row. He is also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and has been twice chosen for the P.League+’s All-Defensive Team.
Gilbeck had expressed an interest in playing for Taiwan, saying he likes the people and the environment of the country.
In a social media post on Monday morning, the association thanked Dreamers general manager Jonathan Han and franchise cofounder Chen Li-tsung for their help in the deal.
If approved, Gilbeck would suit up for Taiwan’s A Team at this month’s William Jones Cup, where he would play with top national players such as Chen Ying-chun, Liu Cheng and Benson Lin in a warmup for FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in November.
In February, Taiwan lost 89-69 to New Zealand in their first game with no naturalized players on the roster.
At the Jones Cup, Gilbeck would face off against two of his Dreamers teammates: Julian Boyd, who plays for Taiwan’s Team B, and Chris McCullough, who plays for the Philippines.
Boyd and McCullough are also likely to become naturalized players, the franchise said.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
TWO-NIL LOSS: Taiwan’s best chance to score came at the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and one out, but Venezuela’s Liarvis Breto got out of the jam Taiwan yesterday suffered a shutout 2-0 loss to Venezuela in the opening game of the WBSC Premier12 Super Round at the Tokyo Dome. Taiwan had seven hits, one more than Venezuela’s six, but catcher Carlos Perez’s two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning delivered the only runs scored by both teams and secured victory for Venezuela. Taiwan’s best chance came at the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and only one out. However, Venezuela reliever Liarvis Breto struck out Chen Chen-wei before reliever Pedro Garcia finished the inning by allowing an infield flyball by Lin
As sporting celebrations go, it does not quite have the charm of Roger Milla’s hip-wiggling shimmy with a corner flag at the 1990 World Cup or the imperious swagger of Usain Bolt’s iconic lightning pose. However, a dance move inspired by US president-elect Donald Trump’s stilted on-stage boogieing has rapidly become the celebration of choice across the US sporting world. From the blood-soaked UFC to the hard-hitting NFL and the reliably decorous world of the LPGA Tour, athletes across North America have succumbed to the viral Trump dance craze in the past week. On Monday, US soccer star Christian Pulisic became the latest
RSS