Segamat Rimba Timor basketball team to pose greatest challenge to Cagers

By Ian Chew

The Cagers basketball team, aiming to win their maiden tournament in the Cagers Asia Basketball Challenge from 27-29 June at the Jurong East Sports Complex.

That was the frank assessment of Mr Ng Choon Hong, head coach of the Singapore Cagers basketball team.

Boasting a wealth of experience in their team, the Malaysian team consists of seven national players, five of whom were part of the bronze medalists team at the 2007 SEA Games in Korat. They have also been one of the powerhouses in the Malaysia National Basketball league (NBL), having been crowned champions in 2004 and 2006. In addition, they emerged winners in the Agong Cup (National Championship) for two consecutive years in 2006 and 2007.

Mr Ng remains undaunted, however.

“Our players are hitting their peak condition during recent training sessions. They have also displayed a high level of commitment and hard work towards the team’s goal of winning the championship for the upcoming Cagers Asia Basketball Challenge.”

“Our main weakness of not possessing post players will also be solved by the arrival of the Taiwanese players in our team,” he continued.

Taiwanese basketball league players Wu Dai Hao and Ha Xiao Yuan, standing at 2.02m and 2m respectively, are expected to add steel to the centre positions in the team. Together with celebrity player 1.83m Johnny Yan, all three turn out for Taiwan Beer in the native country's premier basketball competition.

He expects to field a maximum of two Taiwanese players together with three local players at any one time.

There is also no room for complacency though.

“We aim to start with a bang to boost our chances of winning the tournament,” declared Mr Ng, alluding to his team’s first match against the Malaysian Junior Men’s team on 27 June.

Despite the Malaysian team clinching the runners-up spot in the recent SEABA Junior Men basketball competition, and also possessing top scorer of the tournament Ong Chun Kee in their team’s roster, Mr Ng fancies his team’s chances against them.

“We definitely have the edge in terms of experience,” he explained.

The final team facing the Cagers would be Cahaya Lestari Surabaya (CLS), founded in 1946. This team has consistently produced excellent results in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL), finishing within the top 4 positions in 2003, 2004, and 2007. In 2008, they came in 5th in the IBL.

The competition will not be solely focused on the four teams though. Spectators can look forward to 3-on-3 competitions ($50 per team for boys/girls aged 13-14 years), 1-on-1 challenges ($20 for boy/girl aged 15-17 years) as well as a Hip Hop Dance Contest (also at $50 per team) during the half time breaks. Teams or individuals looking to register can send their application forms and payment to:

“Finesse Consulting Pte Ltd”
101 upper Cross St #07-02 People’s Park Centre S(058357).

Winning teams can look forward to a total prize purse of more than $1000 in cash and apparel vouchers. Tickets are sold at SISTIC outlets at $20 for a day pass. Block booking forms for schools and companies are also available here. Orders of more than 50 tickets by schools and companies can look forward to enjoy a discount rate of 30%.

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Point guard Wong Wei Long, currently a Nanyang Poly student, is expected to feature prominently in the young Cagers team.

The Segamat Rimba Timor team, one of the favourites for the championship.

The Malaysian Junior Team ecstatic at finishing second in the SEABA Junior Men’s tournament 2008, thus earning for themselves a spot in the Asian Junior Men’s Championship.

Indonesian Charly Affandy, a key player in the CLS Knights, also formerly known as 群力社, aiming for a good performance at the competition.