2009 player rankings

1. Nic Echevestre location: Los Angeles, CA Ethnic: Philipino age: ? team: dreamleague height: 6'4 position: G/F Nic Echvestre is the top asian baller of 2009! Nic showcased his talents at the Asianballers.net National Championships! From the first game to the championship, Nic showed why he is the top player in the nation. With his all-around skills and deadly range, Nic is a nightmare for defenses. At 6'4 he towers over most asians at any position. His height lets him shoot over his opponents from outside. Nic can go inside with his athletic ability and plays above the rim when chooses to throw one down. Nic also has teammates rave about his unselfish team play. He doesn't have to score all the points to win games. He does whatever is needed by his team. This quality makes him a hot commodity in the asian basketball scene. It is never easy to pick the best asian baller in the country! But after seeing Nic play it was a no brainer for 2009. Congrats Nic on being Mr. Asian Basketball 2009! You earned it.

2. Sunny Margate location: Bay Area, CA ethnic: Philipino age: 30 team: Shootout height: 6'2 position: F/C Sonny maybe the most impressive athletically in the country. Well built and strong, he has the power to dominate inside. But his versatile game is what makes him so deadly. Great basketball skills all-around on offense. There isn't an asian baller than can stop him from scoring. But its his great defensive presences that sets him apart from most scorers. He can dominate defensively as he dominates offensively. If it wasn't for what Nic did in the National Championships in New York, Sonny would be in the number 1 spot!

3. Xiro Navaulath location: Minnesota Ethnic: Laotion age: 21 team: NS2Faded height: 5'7 position: G Mr. Xiro was 2007 and 2008's number 1 ranked player. Did he get worse? Did he stop scoring? Did he stop giving defense's a nightmare? Did he get slower? No. No. No. And NO! Xiro is still the deadliest scorer in asian basketball, but he didn't have a better year than Sonny and Nic. Xiro actually improved on the defense end, by causing havoc on ball handlers. Always known for his 3 point bombs and super speed on offense, but he showed this year that he could take over a game on defense too. But the one knock that he has is that his size and still can't come throught in some of the major tournaments. We will see if Xiro can reclaim his number 1 spot, and show that he can win a major tournament and championship!

4. Jeremey Lin location: Palo Alto, California ethnic: Chinese age: 21 team: ? height: 6'2 position: G Jeremey Lin was widely unknown until he appeared on ESPN Sportscenter. That night he lead Harvard over Boston College scoring 27 points. But Jeremey has been a local legend in northern California since his highschool days. He has a state championship to boast about, and a reputation for game winning shots and plays. Jeremey has all the skills to be a great point guard. Great passer, good fundamentals, good ballhandling, nice outside range, and great leader. And at 6'2 he has the ability to play above the rim. Will Jeremey be good enough to get a shot in the NBA? That is yet to be seen. But we are sure to see a lot more of Mr. Jeremey Lin.

5. Ryan Boado location: Houston, Texas ethnic: Philipino age: 21 team: Team Houston height: 5'11 position: F As former Asianballers.net Player of the Year, Ryan is getting respect where ever he goes. Ryan is a professional player for the PBA. Still so young, he has the potential to be the top player in the country one day. His athleticism is one of his best talents. It allows him to hit some acrobatic shots around the rim. And his great work ethic in a game is unmatched. He gets to loose balls and rebounds for easy put backs. If most superstars would learn to do that they could definetly win more games. Great penetrator with decent range, so it makes him a headache to guard. So young, and so talented, Ryan will be doing some great things in the future!

6. Tony Akins location: Atlanta, GA ethnic: Korean/Black age: 27 team: ? height: 6'0 position: G Tony Akins is well known for his days at Georgia Tech as a four year starter. He is a former Georgia Highschool Player of the Year and McDonalds All-American. Why wasn't Tony more dominate? Talent, skills, size, no. Work ethic. Tony lacks the desire to be the best. He has shown many times especially in highschool that he was an NBA talent. He should definetly be the top asian baller in the country, but doesn't want it as bad. For what ever reason he doesn't play his best at all times. In college his intensity seemed to drop off all of a sudden. But his abilities speaks for itself. Very athletic, quick, great handles and playmaking ability, great court vision, killer outside shot, and great finisher on the break. If his desire and work ethic changes, so will his game. Because he should be the number 1 player in the country.

7. Ephraim Balactas location: Texas ethnic: ? age: 27 team: Public Enemy height: 5'11 position: F If you meet Ephraim on the street, you wouldn't think he was a basketball superstar. And if you watch one his games you might not think that either. Ephraim is no what you call flashy. But if you look at a stat sheet after a game and maybe see: 25 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Pretty good stats. Even better when you can do that on a consistent basis. He maybe the best in the country at finishing shots near the basket. And just like Ryan Boado, he works hard all game doing the dirty work. But as one of the best all-around scorers in the country, he can be impossible to stop from getting to the basket. But Ephraim seems to very humble off the court, but he is a tenacious competitor on it.

8. Robert Reyes location: Jacksonville, Florida ethnic: Philipino age: 29 team: Team Jacksonville height: 6'7 position: F/C The best big man in the country period! Robert has the size, the talent, and the power to dominate the paint. We will just call Robert the POWERHOUSE! Robby maybe one of the strongest players in the nation. And at 6 foot 7 he can just do lay ups all day long on most defenders. And he is a good free throw shooter for a big man. But he is often doubled and tripled in the post, because he is so dominate. If he played on a team with players that had more range, he would definetily win more consistently. And he also needs to develop more inside moves so he doesn't seem one dimensional. Maybe a season of play pro ball in the PBA will help him. But there should be no dispute, his is the best rated asian big man in america!

9. John Lane location: Hawaii ethnic: Japanese/White age: 30 team: Chosen Few height: 5'9 position: G Mr. Hawaii Basketball. Thats what he is known as. John Lane's resume includes championship after championship. John Lane has lead the Chosen Few to many victorys in some big tournaments around the country. As the leader of the one of the best teams in the country, John can will his teams to wins after wins. As a great floor general and super ball handling skills, John can dominate a game in different ways. If he's hot he can drain from outside all day long. But what makes John dangerous is his talent to get to the basket and score or get to the foul line. There aren't many weaknesses in John's game, but John does have one. He doesn't seem to have the quickness during his younger days and he lacks effort on the defensive end. But with the basketball, you might not find another person better to handle the rock.

10. Thomas Byrd location: Atlanta, Georgia ethnic: Thai/White age: 32 team: Teddy Bears height: 6'7 position: C If Robert Reyes is the best big man in the country, then Thomas Byrd is a close second. Since Thomas has joined forces with the superpower team of the southeast, the Teddy Bears, they are back to their winning ways for the last couple years. Thomas is over thirty, but he seems to have found the fountain of youth. Getting better in the last year, Thomas has done nothing but win games with the Teddy Bears. Thomas at 6'7 can shoot from the outside and has great footwork on the inside. Thomas is one of the few players in asian basketball that can consistently play above the rim. Thomas is known for throwing down some nasty facials in games. So be careful near the rim if plan on playing against the Byrd Man. Thomas still needs to work on his conditioning and improve on his decision making. Thomas also needs to play strong more consistently. At tims he can be too soft. But any team would love to have his 6'7 frame be a force in the middle.

Players 11- 25 11. G - JR Buenesceso - Pac Rim 12. F- Tae Lee - Tigers Blue 13. G - Mo Quereshi - Public Enemy 14. G - Mario Thompson - Pac Rim 15. F - Hank Huang - Desert Jade 16. F - Tony Hu - NY Cruisers 17. G - Benny Batoon - Team United 18. F - Jamal Brooks - Boston Masae 19. F - Ali Mokdad - Atl Rat Pack 20. F/C - Dustin Coloso - TLC 21. F - Darren Jiang - Desert Jade 22. F - Ephraim Balactas - Public Enemy 23. G - Bo Noung - Max-Out 24. G - Xiao Lee - Dynasty 25. F - Billy Kim - Teddy Bears