University basketball coach hopes players develop greater self-awareness

Sang Mao-sen, head coach of the National Taiwan University of Sport (NTUS), expressed a desire for his players to cultivate stronger self-awareness and take more initiative in their basketball journeys. NTUS secured a runner-up position in the UBA league's top division last season, and as they look towards the upcoming season, Sang emphasized the importance of personal drive.

NTUS, which competed with an all-local roster last season, reached the UBA finals for the first time in eight years but ultimately lost to the defending champions, National Chengchi University. The team faces roster changes with key players graduating, but also welcomes new talent, including transfer student Xia Huan-hong and freshmen Chen Li-kai and Wang Jun-shan.

During the Chang Yao Cup, a charity invitational tournament, NTUS secured a victory against Liming Institute of Technology. Sang highlighted the tournament's primary goal as team integration, noting that the new players' roles are still undefined. He expressed hope that intense competition would help them excel in their strengths and demonstrate competitiveness at the university level, while also aiming to attract professional team attention.

Reflecting on the upcoming UBA season, Sang acknowledged that all teams have strengthened. He pointed out that coaches are familiar with each other's strategies, and while last season's success was due to experienced players, NTUS is not a new team and needs stability built on teamwork. He candidly stated that developing players at the university level is becoming increasingly challenging. "Players need to have expectations for themselves, not place expectations on the coach," Sang remarked. "After playing basketball for nearly 10 years, it's difficult to further develop players at the university level. Players must understand the environment, what the environment expects of them, and what they want to do themselves. They need to integrate into their roles to find their positioning."