East Asia's most dynamic new pro basketball team, the Bay Area Dragons, have unveiled a restructured roster ahead of the 2023-24 season.

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The Dragons - who will be named the “Chun Yu Bay Area Dragons” in Hong Kong competition under an affiliation with the Hong Kong Basketball Association Chun Yu Basketball Club - have signed five new players from mainland China and Hong Kong SAR for the 2023-24 season. Eight players from the team’s inaugural 2022-23 season are returning.

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The team will be competing in East Asia Super League Season 2, tipping off in October, and also in the upcoming Philippines Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup.

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The new blood

Oliver Xu:

Hometown hero Oliver Xu is a 27-year-old player who has spent most of his career in Hong Kong. After high school, Xu was accepted to NCAA Division 1 college, Rice University, spending four years there. After graduation, the 6-2 combo guard moved back to his hometown and suited up for Fukien Basketball Club from 2019 to 2022. He spent last season with Hong Kong Eastern of the Hong Kong A1 Division and the ASEAN Basketball League.

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Xu has also represented the Hong Kong Men’s Team since 2019. He has a YouTube channel @howtomakethenba showing his training regime and giving fans a peek into his daily life.

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Adili Kuerban:

Adili Kuerban is a 25-year-old combo guard that started his basketball journey at Sierra Canyon School in California, USA, the same school as Marvin Bagley III, the second overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Kuerban was recruited by the NCAA Division 1 college Kennesaw State University, where he spent two seasons with the Owls.

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Kuerban then moved to China to play in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He spent last season with Fujian SBS Xunxing Sturgeons, where he averaged 7.5 points, 1.5 steals and 1.5 assists.

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Seva Chan:

Australian Seva Chan will be helping the Dragons man the point this upcoming season. Chan suited up for Australian NBL team Cockburn Cougars since 2010, playing over 200 games, including being a part of the 2012 championship winning team.

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Since the NBL1 West was rebranded from SBL in 2021, Chan has averaged 10 points, 5.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 55 games.

Ramon Cao:

A 26-year-old from Sydney, Australia, Ramon Cao has signed with the Dragons as a new forward. Cao started playing basketball at the age of 10. He travelled to the States where he was a key player at Dyersburg State Community College in Tennessee, averaging 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

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Cao was recruited to NAIA school Florida College, where he played for three seasons.

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Wang Yunzhang:

A 22-year-old small forward, Wang Yunzhang has just graduated from Beijing University of Chemical Technology.

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Wang was the flag bearer for China in the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, where he represented the country in the 3x3 Basketball event as well as the Dunk Contest.

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Returning to the lair

Eight players from last season’s team are returning to the Dragons for the upcoming season.

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Guard Hayden Blankley averaged 13.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 24 PBA games last season. One of the youngest players in the team, Blankley will look to play a bigger role this season.

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Small forward Ju Mingxin returns to the team after playing 24 games in the PBA last season. The 30-year-old brings a wealth of experience – he previously played in the CBA for 10 seasons.

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The 26-year-old, 225 cm center Liu Chuanxing will once again be manning the paint for the Dragons. “Big Liu” averaged 6.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26 games in the PBA and EASL Champions Week last season.

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Guard-forward Kobey Lam will look to continue his lethal shooting form this season after averaging 13.6 points in the PBA last season.

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Hong Kong Team captain Duncan Reid will be welcoming his new and old teammates to his hometown. The 33-year-old was drafted third overall in the 2017 CBA Draft, where he became one of the first players from Hong Kong to be selected in the Chinese league.

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Another player representing Hong Kong, guard Glen Yang, played the most minutes for the Dragons last season, while also leading the team in assists, averaging 5.8 dimes per game in the PBA. Yang spent the offseason playing for the Winnipeg Sea Bears in Canada’s CEBL, where he led the team to their first-ever playoff berth.

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Power forward Zheng Qilong suited up for the Dragons in 19 games last season. Zheng previously played for the Jiangsu Dragons in the CBA for two seasons.

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Power forward Zhu Songwei played an important role as a stretch-four for the Dragons. Zhu averaged 11.9 points per game in 24 games in the PBA last season.

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Quotes

Head Coach Brian Goorjian:

“We’re building this team based on our learnings from the previous season, which was a successful one. We’re very excited about the potential of our roster this year and can’t wait to showcase our players’ talent to fans in Hong Kong SAR and the world.”

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Glen Yang:

“All I’m going to say is: revenge season! We’re coming back for blood! All those teams we’ve got history with. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be a lot of action, it’s going to be intense.”

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Liu Chuanxing:

“I'm looking forward to playing with our new players, fighting for new goals together this season. With the foundation that we laid last year, plus our new guys, I’m excited for the journey ahead.”

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EASL CEO Matt Beyer:

“I have no doubt the Dragons will once again prove to be the most dynamic and exciting new team in East Asia in EASL Season 2. Now they are based in Hong Kong, they will put Greater China talent on an even bigger stage and will continue to be a catalyst in improving the level of the game in the region.”