8 youth ballers selected for coaching clinic with Lakers’ Kobe Bryant

By Koh Yizhe and Erwin Wong/Red Sports. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports.

Singapore Basketball Centre, Sunday, July 19, 2009 – Out of the 95 that came, eight lucky youths were chosen to get the once in a life time opportunity to meet National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Kobe Bryant and undergo a training clinic led by him on Wednesday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Ng Hanbin, Cinco Dan Elvir, Koh Kwee Kiat, Raymond Chong, Ang Wei Xian, Richard Neo, Lin Cheng Yu and Lor Weng Siang stood out among the crowd and will now be part of the group of 20 Kobe Bryant will meet at his training clinic.

But it was no easy feat for these up-and-coming basketballers. Not only did they have to catch the eye of the selection panel, they were put through intense trials which tested the fundamentals of basketball in agility, shooting, dribbling, defense and even footwork.

Each participant spent 10 minutes in each of the four stations while under the watchful eye of the selection panel.

Ong Yao Kwang, who currently coaches the national under-15 basketball team, shared what would catch their eyes.

"We were looking for those with a good attitude as well as the basketball fundamentals. Sure, there are those with fanciful moves like dribbling through opponent's legs, but we were not looking for that. In the end, the attitude of the player is the priority."

"From this trial, we can see that local basketball has great potential. There is hope to go far and this is a great opportunity to showcase that. Meeting Kobe Bryant is a once-in-a-life time thing for these youths and it might fulfil some of their dreams to meet an NBA superstar. Singapore should hold more of these events!"

J.J. O Brien, an ex-Singapore Slingers player, also added.

“We looked for players who stood apart from the others. This was always going to be a quick selection process due to time constraints, and hence we did not manage to scrutinise them as much as we wanted to. We had a very short period of time to assess them.”

“We also looked for players who showed determination and displayed the ‘Just Do It’ quality, as well as their passion for the game.”

What was disappointing, however, was the turn out of participants. Although the limit was set at 500, only 95 youths came down for the trials. One would have thought many will jump at the opportunity to be trained under this year's NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

Michael Johnson, General Manager of Singapore Slingers explained why.

“We had some publicity going for this, but sometimes it can be adverse, because the people might see that only eight will be selected, hence they stayed away due to this low chance of being chosen. The overseas students are also away due to their holidays.”

“But it somewhat worked to our favour because with 500 trialists, the selection process would have been too quick, and it would be like a hit and miss. With 95, everyone had a real opportunity and a fair chance to show what they could do. There was no preconceived notion of which player would be selected.”

Still, there were some dedicated to the "Black Mamba". Ivan Lee, from Bedok View Secondary, arrived at 7 am and waited in Singapore Basketball Centre till registration opened at 12 pm.

"I am a big Kobe Bryant fan! But I know my chances in these trials are slim, but I'll just give it a try. I am banking on the ‘Just-do-it’ spirit to get me picked!"

Unfortunately for him though, he wasn't selected.

Out of the 95, 20 were selected to go through a scrimmage of a 5-on-5 match to decide the final eight.

Ang Wei Xian, of Anderson Junior College, was modest about his chances before the trials, describing it as "50-50".

He was visibly relieved after his name was read out, saying, “I did not expect it. The 1-on-1 defence, as well as the defensive drills and footwork was the hardest. They were tiring. It is important to have passion for the game.”

When asked if the "Black Mamba" is his favourite player, he said, “It’s not Kobe Bryant, but Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets). But I still attended this selection trial because this is an once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet him.”

“I would ask him how it is like to be a professional basketball player if I were to ask Kobe anything.”

The MVP of the schools’ B Division National Championship, Lor Weng Siang, was another player that was selected. He also felt that the 1-on -1 and dribbling was "tough", and instead, it was the 5-on-5 scrimmage that got him selected.

"I just came here to have fun. I don't really want to expect too much as the competition is tough. I am definitely a Kobe Bryant fan! But don't test my Kobe trivia! All I know is that he is MVP last season and that he didn't go to college. That gives me some inspiration because I am not that good in studies!"

There were some, however, who had to take the bitter pill of defeat.

Xu Meng of River Valley High made it to the last 20, but missed out narrowly when he played in an unfamiliar position in the 5-on-5. He was visibly very disappointed after the eight names were read.

"I am used to playing as a small forward! But because I am the tallest in my team, I had to play centre and defend against the opponent. The competition was really very strong and I tried my best. Just unlucky, I guess. On top of that, the scrimmage was only 10 minutes long!"

Although Nike sent 87 hopefuls home without a chance to meet Kobe Bryant, they didn't leave empty-handed. Each received a pair of tickets to watch the "Black Mamba" in action at the Indoor Stadium, making everyone a winner!