Hoops talk with Coach Reece
Kevin Antoine Reece or Khairul Ameer Ridwan is working hard to improve the quality of basketball in Brunei. The 49-year-old Los
Angeles-native, who was appointed Brunei basketball coach last December, recently took a break from his busy schedule to talk all things basketball, and more to YEE CHUN LEONG
Q: Hello Coach Reece. Let's start with a personal question: is being a basketball coach your
dream career?
A: It wasn't, actually. I wanted to become a doctor, but I couldn't stand the sight of blood. After that in my teenage years I thought of being a mortician. I was fascinated by medicine and the human body. But when I started high school there were only two real choices for me American football and basketball.
American football was actually my best sport. I was a very physical player on the football field. But I had to switch to my second passion when I was 16. I eventually ended up playing and coaching basketball.
Q: Why did you choose basketball?
A: It was actually my parents who helped me out with the choice. My mother was worried about me playing football since there was a lot of contact in the sport. She was worried that I would sustain injuries from that sport. My dad fully supported me in any decision that I made. He just made sure that I went with the feel and should be certain.
Q: Did anyone else inspire you?
A: Lorenzo Romar, the head coach of the University of Washington. He was the one that gave me the confidence needed to play the game. He pushed me through and the rest of my journey just went nicely. I'm living my childhood dream.
Q: Why didn't you play in the NBA?
A: I was invited for tryouts with NBA teams (Los Angeles Clippers,
Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors) but I left to play in Europe right after I graduated in 1984.
Then in 1988, I left for New Zealand and played professional basketball in Australia. I have no regrets that I declined the Warriors (in 1988) as my first daughter was born that year. Furthermore, I was already an established player in Australia already.
Q: Does being a Muslim help you to become a better coach?
A: It does because Islam teaches patience. This is very important in my job and everyday life.
Q: Now that you have seen the Brunei basketball scene, what do you think about it?
A: I think Brunei has a lot of room to improve especially in the area of
developing it's grassroots programmes. The most important ages for boys and girls in basketball to develop is 6-12 years old. This gives you a
support system or feeder programme for the upper divisions. I feel we
can meet that target with the support and resources available in the country. Brunei could become one of the best countries in this region, but this will not come over night. We must all remember that when it comes to development it's a marathon not a sprint. There are no
shortcuts or quick fixes to success. For such a long time from my
understanding nothing or not enough was being done and it took the breath and life out of playing basketball. But, I think, now there's a
buzz going around in our basketball community, because of the schemes that we were able to interject through our new system. I see and hear it from people coming up and saying: Coach, it was over 60 kids at the Sunday morning training session. These people are happy to see the youth coming out to learn, train and improve their skills in the game of basketball. We have some ex-national players that come out on a regular basis and train with us and even school teachers participate in these sessions to learn drills to take back to their schools and implement them in their basketball programmes. This is our goal to open the doorsto all to find potential players and coaches to improve the standard of development and play.
Q: Have you identified those potential national players?
A: Yes, the coaching staff and I have taken note of all potential national team players that are presently here and we are also waiting for a few players to come back to Brunei they are studying abroad.
Q: What kind of players are you looking for?
A: It's simple, players that love the game and are willing to work hard.
Q: Are there any main players who are not on the national team?
A: There is none for we believe as coaches we must go with the tools that have been given to us. Until we've seen those candidates up close and personal they don't exist. Why? Because it puts your team on an
emotional roller coaster and creates what we call a false sense of hope
and as coaches we can't have that because teams are very fragile.
One player, however, has notified us that he's not able or available to
train for the national team. We respect his decision. But my coaching
staff and I have left the door open for this player to train for the national team when he feels he is ready.
Q: You are a firm believer in 'defence is the best offence' policy. Why is that?
A: Defence wins games and it creates havoc among your opponents. If a team play defence they will be in every game that is being played. Through your defence you create more offensive opportunities from the opponents turning the ball over. Read More…
Source: The Brunei Times
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