Glen Yang struck gold in the regional level after helping South China Athletic Association take home the Basketball Champions League Asia-East 2026 crown by beating Taoyuan Pauian in the Final, 113-103, on Sunday in Malaysia.
The former PBA campaigner with Bay Area and Hong Kong Eastern submitted his best showing of the competition with 24 points alongside six assists, as he helped put together their third-quarter breakaway toward annexing the crown.
And to cap it off, the 29-year-old playmaker went on to earn Most Valuable Player honors, as he played a crucial part in the Hong Kong A1 Division powerhouse’s turnaround from a 1-4 start to becoming the tilt’s new rulers.
“It’s very, very special,” a grateful Yang expressed moments after their coronation at the Arena Larkin Indoor Stadium in the city of Johor Bahru. “This club was the club that I started my professional career with when I was 19.
“And to come back full circle… it’s just a short period, but it felt so special,” he added. “It was just a total team effort. It’s honestly unbelievable, and a huge career moment for me, and I know for my teammates and coaches as well.”
A well-traveled pro who also had stints in Europe, the Canadian-born pro rejoined South China for this year’s BCL Asia-East and became one of their more consistent producers, even though they struggled at first.
In the six games they played in the regular season, the former EASL bronze medalist averaged 13.3 points on 46.4 percent shooting from deep, 3.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.2 steals in 28.7 minutes of action.
That included a 14-point outing against the Chinggis Broncos in their final game of the preliminaries last May 5. There, he scored 11 in the fourth to tow his side to the 86-84 victory, which eventually sent them to the BCL Asia-East Final 6.
He’d go on to up the ante come the playoffs, averaging 15.6 points to help South China sweep their way into the Final in a stretch highlighted by big wins against the erstwhile unbeaten Pilots and the Broncos in the Semi-Finals.
That conquest of the Broncos, a 90-75 rout last Saturday, ousted the Mongolian powerhouse from its reign as champions of the pan-regional contest that serves as a qualifier to the Basketball Champions League Asia proper.
Yang then saved his best for last for the Big Dance, fulfilling a major role in repeating against their counterparts from Chinese Taipei to claim the coveted trophy, in the process sending the latter settling for another silver medal.
Taoyuan Pauian, for starters, finished as runners-up behind the Broncos last year after bowing to an 86-77 decision in the Final in Ulaanbaatar.
“We really had no expectations coming into it, we just kinda went into it hoping for the best,” reflected Yang. “And to come out on top, winning the Basketball Champions League Asia-East is amazing. It’s unbelievable.”
By finishing as the top two teams of the tourney, South China and the Pilots are headed to the BCL Asia 2026, details of which will be announced soon.
