Xinjiang Flying Tigers

From Hoopedia

Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers (新疆广汇飞虎) or Xinjiang Flying Tigers or Xinjiang Guanghui are a basketball team in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), based in Urumqi, Xinjiang. Its corporate sponsor is Xinjiang Guanghui Group, Ltd. (新疆广汇集团有限公司). The Flying Tigers play their home games in Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Sports Centre.

In the 2004–05 season, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers finished in third place in the North Division with a 20-18 regular season record, but lost in the quarter-finals to the South Division's Jiangsu Dragons. In 2005–06 they finished in second place in the North Division (28-12), but were again eliminated by Jiangsu in the quarter-finals. The Flying Tigers fell back to earth in the 2006-07 season, finishing even at 15-15 and missing the playoffs.

The Flying Tigers had a great 2007-08 season on the court, but it ended shockingly. According to game results, they finished the season with a 26-4 mark. On January 10, 2008 the CBA stripped them of all points earned in 18 games in which Guan Xiuchang played. The Vietnamese-American Guan, whose true name is Sou Song Cun, was caught using a fake Chinese ID in his registered profile and the club was accused of violating the regulation that a club can only have two overseas players. As a result, the club dropped to 11th place, out of contention for the playoffs.

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