Slashers, Stingers ready for war

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, February 7, 2010

 

IT is the clash of the titans befitting the championship match of the Brunei Shell Recreational Club (BSRC) five-on-five Open basketball tournament to be held at the Mumong Sports Complex in Kuala Belait today.

Tagged as the favourites to enter the final, it will be the battle of the Ilonggos with the Ilonggo Slashers taking on the Ilonggo Stingers in the final set to tip off at 6pm.

The Ilonggo Slashers were the champions of the 2008 Aewon's Sultan Cup after they defeated Tumasek, the 2008 national team, 97-86 to lift the trophy.

The Ilonggo Slashers will once again be banking on Geve Leones, who was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in that competition, to lead the team on offence.

In addition, he was also chosen the MVP for the 111th Philippine Independence Basketball Cup last year.

However, Lito Porlahe, the playing coach of the Ilonggo Slashers, is playing down their status as the favourites to win the tournament.

"They are a very strong team. I believe that they have the height and size advantage so we'll have to work extra hard at the defensive end," said Porlahe in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday. Read More...

Source: TBT

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Serious about basketball

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, February 6, 2010

 

Kuhan Foo, the Asean Basketball League's (ABL) CEO, was in Brunei recently. YEE CHUN LEONG met the 40-year-old Malaysian to learn more about the regional league

Q: What is the purpose of your visit to Brunei?

A: We (the ABL) are trying to get the ABL matches shown on Brunei TV (RTB). We want to see games and highlights from the league aired on local TV.

We want to help Bruneians understand the ABL more. Just like Kuala Lumpur (Dragons) and Singapore (Slingers), the players are also involved in the media, for example they get invited to talk shows and have fun.

Q: Why did your team come up with the Asean Basketball League which is the first of its kind in the Southeast Asian region?

A: The ABL was Tony Fernandez's (the CEO of AirAsia) idea. It is his dream to promote sports through private investors and run it on a professional basis.

In addition, we want to create a professional platform for development of the sport in the region.

Take for example, the Under-14 and Under-17 categories, one day we might even get a 14-year-old player who progresses through the ranks and plays for a professional team. Read More...

Source: TBT

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Stingers, Slashers have final date

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, February 6, 2010

 

THE Ilonggo Stingers easily defeated BSRC-Sunnybee 106-66 in the semi-finals of the Brunei Shell Recreational Club (BSRC) five-on-five Open basketball tournament last night to book a date with the Ilonggo Slashers in the final tomorrow.

The Ilonggo Stingers had five players in double figures with Lowey Jee Palma leading the way with 23 points while Cesar Asaldo contributed 20 points.

On the other hand, Yap Chun Ping topscored for BSRC-Sunnybee with 14 points and Mark See chipped in 12 points in a losing effort.

According to Rhaul Palma Jr, the head coach of the Ilonggo Stingers, it was their man-to-man defence right from the start that led to the lopsided victory.

"We controlled the match right from the start as we realised that they haven't got a legitimate point guard," said Palma, in an interview with The Brunei Times, after the victory.

"All the players responded well and we managed to contain their shooters. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going heading into the final." Read More...

Source: TBT

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Cesar rules as Stingers win again

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

THE Ilonggo Stingers continued their winning run with a 110-64 victory over Easyway in Group B to advance to the semi-finals of the Brunei Shell Recreational Club (BSRC) five-on-five Open basketball tournament at the Mumong Sports Complex in Kuala Belait last night.

Cesar Asaldo topscored for the Ilonggo Stingers with 21 points and Lowey Jee Palma contributed 16 points.

On the other hand, Lim Chun Sian led Easyway with 17 points and Lee Khoy Yuan chipped in 14 points in a losing effort.

According to Raul Palma, the head coach of Ilonggo Stingers, both teams started strongly but his players quickly took control when they switched to a 1-2-2 defence, containing their opponents' shooters to cruise to victory.

"The team played well tonight (Monday night) and they executed brilliantly. Everyone contributed to the victory," said Raul in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

Asked about the semi-finals, Raul replied: "We still have one more game left and it is against another unbeaten team (DMD) in the group. It's going to decide who will top the group so we'll focus on that first."

Meanwhile, Steven Cheong of Easyway found it a difficult loss to swallow as it put them out of contention for the semi-finals.

"It was a wasted opportunity. We needed to win but we lost badly as one of our main players (Choo Yung Jian) and our coach couldn't make it to the game," said Cheong. Read More...

Source: TBT

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Pilgrim writes to his Brunei fans

Mike Pilgrim
OHIO

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

 

IT was a very good season an exciting and fun-filled year with the Barracudas and Brunei fans.

They say that people will remember fondly those that they leave behind, and likewise Brunei and the fans will always have a special place in my heart. I'm not trying to score brownie points here that's a sincere truth.

I never thought my time in Brunei would end so soon and never wanted it to end the way it ended.

One thing I will never forget and always appreciate about my 'Bruneian family' is the way the fans always showed their love and support through the highs and lows of the season. This, in my opinion, reflects the resilience and determination of a great country.

I enjoyed being a part of a culture that graciously invited in the unfamiliar and embraced me with open arms.

I would also like to thank my ex-teammate (the Barracudas' first American import) Lonnie Jones for his patience and time he put in in Brunei.

A lot has been said about him, but I just want to stress that he was indeed a positive figure in his short tenure with the Barracudas and a voice of reason among his teammates.

Lastly, I would like to thank all my fans in Brunei once again for all the support.

Terima kasih, Brunei! Read More...

Source: TBT

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