Interview contributed by reader Ian Chew
Imagine playing in front of the American National Basketball Association (NBA) coaches and scouts. Or having NBA players show you their moves up close and personal. That's what Catholic High’s 1.96m centre Khaw Yeong Wooi can boast about when he goes to Shanghai from May 18 to 24 for the adidas Nations Camp as Malaysia's sole representative.
As part of Team "Asia Blue", he finds himself training with the best under-18 players from Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, while being coached by Bob Weiss, ex-head coach of the Seattle Supersonics. Guest players for the camp are NBA superstars Mo Williams and Desmond Mason, both from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Ian Chew: Tell me about yourself.
Yeong Wooi: I started playing basketball since I was 13 years of age and came to Catholic High when I was 14 years old. I am currently in Secondary Four and will be taking my O level examinations at the end of the year. I am also playing for the U-18 Johor Baru team in the state competition.
How do feel being selected for the camp?
I am both excited and proud. It will be a good exposure for me as well as a good opportunity for me to develop my basketball skills.
Did you expect to be chosen?
Yeong Wooi: No, it (his selection) was a total surprise. Mr Yeo Wee Han (adidas executive) had told us earlier that the players from the Singapore U18 team were more likely to be chosen. I also felt quite bad for taking the place of a Singaporean in the adidas team.
(At this point, I reminded him that he was selected based on merit and should not feel at all ashamed of depriving others of a place. Nationality is not an issue here.)
How did you find the adidas U-18 team?
Yeong Wooi: Although our teamwork was not very good due to the short time we had training together, yet our fighting spirit as a team was very good. The coaches are also very friendly and gave us a lot of advice. We formed close friendships through lunches after training sessions, although we came from different teams. Fang Ching (another teammate) and myself even fetched the others home as we both were able to drive to the training sessions!
How did you find the selection match between the national U18 team and adidas team?
Yeong Wooi: I felt that I didn't play well at all. (When prodded about his 19-point performance in the fourth quarter…) Except in the last quarter.
How are you preparing for the trip?
Yeong Wooi: Currently, due to heavy load of schoolwork and remedials, I do my own physical training. I also train with the Johor Baru team on certain nights and play for them in the state competition. (The JB team recently won the Johor U-18 state championships.)
What are your aspirations for the trip?
Yeong Wooi: I don't want to be just a bench player, but I want to perform to my best in the camp. Right now, I feel both proud to be selected and stressed at the same time, knowing that there will be a lot of skilful players at the camp. I don't want to let adidas Singapore and my school down.
How are you coping with your schoolwork?
Yeong Wooi: School work is quite stressful with a lot of remedials in the afternoons and homework to do. I often sleep late at night as a result of trying to keep up with the lessons. On the other hand, the teachers are quite helpful and understanding and give me time to finish my work.
Any advice for aspiring young players?
Yeong Wooi: Train hard and don't give up. Also have a humble attitude and accept the coaches' advice in order to improve.
Notes: The selected players will stay at the Shanghai University of Sport for the duration of the camp and undergo a gruelling schedule… There will be three teams: "Asia Red" consisting of China players, "Asia Blue" consisting of Australian, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Singaporean, Malaysian and Hong Kong players and Team "US 08″… The players also get a chance to go to Dallas, Texas in August for a worldwide adidas camp…
[…] I don’t think missing a few days of training will make much of a difference. Anyway, the camp is a chance in a lifetime!” he […]
Aren’t Calvin Chia and Lim Shengyu of HCI going for this camp too, as Singapore representatives?
go yeong wooi go