By Joe O'Brien Translated by Annie Liu

      Everywhere you look in Taipei, as far as the eye can see, there is an endless landscape of blacktop, a seamless vista of three-on-three games stretching well into the horizon. The city is full of courts, and the courts are full of players, day and night. For many basketball players in Taiwan, heaven truly is a playground.

      Taipei hoopsters rock the latest kicks and the freshest gear. Basketball's inevitable fusion with hip-hop is setting the tone for a whole new generation of youth who buy into (both literally and figuratively) this new cultural influence. This new order is making the game more prominent in Taiwan, and making Taiwan a higher priority for many of those who make money from the game. Taiwan has always been a baseball island--but it may soon wind up a basketball republic.

      Being a former collegiate player in the U.S.A. and big fan of the game, I initially feared that in Taiwan there would be nowhere to play, no decent competition to go up against, and I would grow apart from the game. Luckily I was able to hook up with The Butchers (a collection of expats who play three times a week) shortly after I arrived; that provided some good competition, and a bit of tradition, as it's one of the oldest foreign sports club in Taiwan. Curious as to what kind of leagues the Taiwanese play in, I hit the outdoor courts.

      The first thing I learned playing outdoors was that I had a lot to learn. Basketball in Taiwan is played very differently from the game in the West. Taiwanese dribble and shoot the same way, but it's the little things that may force you to alter your game. Basketball has an ebb and flow to it (otherwise people would be constantly crashing into each other), and this ebb and flow differs from place to place. Playing basketball in Taiwan is similar to driving in Taiwan; people will jump in front of you when you least expect it, and people will crash into you when you're least prepared. However once you get used to the rules of the road, you can settle in and have yourself a lot of fun.
After sussing out the outdoor scene, I was invited to play in a few five-on-five tournaments for some local teams, which turned out to be much more enjoyable than the playground favorite of halfcourt three-on-three, but these were too few and far between. I had a basketball addicition and I needed a steady fix.

      For me that fix came in perhaps one of the best additions to the Taipei hoop scene in recent years, the creation of Taipei Hoop Dreams, a well organized league which provides all participants with team uniforms, officials, scorekeepers, statisticians, indoor venues, and has a very eager general manager looking to develop his idea into a first-rate product Johnny Wong came up with the idea for an indoor recreational league upon his return from New York City in December 2002, While in the Big Apple, he participated in a corporate league and the desire to start something similar in Taipei is what got the ball rolling. Not wasting anytime, Johnny got down to the business of advertising his idea by posting flyers around various outdoor courts, and the league opened its inaugural season on April 7, 2003 with 63 players, only a few months after the idea was spawned.

      The most recent spring season (which ended in early August) had a total of 56 teams spread out through four different divisions, a monumental leap considering this was all done with only one corporate sponsor, Benetton Formula 1 (BF1) which makes the uniforms (Dada was also a sponsor for a period of time). Johnny hopes to get 150 teams, and perhaps expand to Taichung and Kaohsiung. Current trends suggest he'll soon reach his target.

      The 2003 winter season marked the first time a foreign team played in the THD. Our Intellinet squad has players from Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, and Ireland. Things started off very well, but it wasn't meant to be: We went down in a double-overtime heartbreaker in the playoffs. This season we find ourselves once again topping the table late in the Spring Season but there are four teams with a realistic shot of taking home the championship, so nothing can be taken for granted.

      In a short period, the competition has gotten fiercer, and the talent pool has deepened with the addition of many players with CBA, UBA and SBL experience. Next season, we'll take on a new team sponsor, and our Nike squad will be looking forward to what the league GM promises to be an even bigger, better, and more talented league.

      Being a part of this league is very easy whether you're talented or just a keen beginner. THD is divided into different divisions based on ability, so even if you haven't played a lot of basketball but would like to, there's sure to be a team for you. The league accepts both team and individual registration, so grab your friends--or do it solo. The ball is in your court.

      For more information: www.taipeihoopdreams.com