Barracudas face tough battle

ABL Update: The game between Brunei Barracudas and Philippine Patriots which is scheduled this afternoon has been cancelled due to typhoon “Santi” which is expected to hit the Philippine capital. 

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, October 31, 2009

FOLLOWING their 80-82 home loss to the Singapore Slingers last Sunday, Brunei's first professional basketball team, Barracudas, are looking to bounce back against the Philippine Patriots tonight in the inaugural Asean Basketball League (ABL).

"We are totally ready and are confident on giving them a hard game. We will just try our best to win as we have the disadvantage heading into every game as the underdogs," said Barracudas head coach Bong Ramos in a telephone interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

Ramos mentioned that they are going to have a very difficult time against the Filipino side who are under an experienced coach Louie Alas, who after completing his duties with the Letran Knights in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), made his ABL coaching debut and led the Patriots to a 74-61 rout of the Thai Tigers last Sunday. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Bumiputera ready to prove their worth

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, October 31, 2009

LIGA BUMIPUTERA are ready to showcase what they got when they take on Beaver Engineering for the regular seven stars category of the LBC Cup tonight at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.
"We are ready for the game. I've been putting the players through the normal drills and teaching them the game situations just to keep them in touch," said Hj Md Sofrian Hj Md Yusof, coach of Liga Bumiputera.

When asked on what he thought of his opponents, Hj Md Sofrian said: "I haven't really seen the way they play. But I know that it'll be a hard match. However, this will be a good test for the players to gain some tournament experience."

Liga Bumiputera will be banking on Hj Md Rahmat Hj Suhaili, their only player on the team with two stars, to deliver and steer them to victory.

"I'm ready to step it up together with my teammates. We'll have to rely on our teamwork and communication and hopefully we can put up a good game and probably cook up a win," said Hj Md Rahmat. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

AKK Design bully IMD B

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, October 30, 2009

AKK DESIGN kicked off their campaign in the 45 years old and above category of the LBC Cup by demolishing IMD B 80-54 at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat last night.
Jojo Apat had a game-high 35 points for AKK Design and Rogel Diaz poured in 14 points.
An AKK player (yellow) was double-teamed inside the paint by two IMD B players (white).

On the other hand, IMD B were led by Ronnie Ramos with 18 points and Andy Pasion with 16 points.

Both teams started out slow from the field but AKK Design, made up of players below the age of 45 years old, upped the tempo towards the end of the first period to take an 18-8 advantage into the second quarter.

AKK Design were relentless on defence not giving their older opponents any chance by applying full court pressure.

IMD B had difficulty bringing the ball up the halfway line. This led to turnovers as AKK Design punished them on fastbreaks.
AKK Design were in the driving seat leading 39-18 heading into halftime.

IMD B began to slow down in the third period while AKK Design never let their guard down to run away with victory.

AKK Design were meant to be in the regular seven stars category but due to late entry could only participate as a guest team.

"There were no more opening slots in the seven stars category because they handed in their registration late. So we could only put them in the 45 years old and above category as a guest team," explained Mhar Porlahe, the president of the Filipino Basketball Association.

Despite being a guest team, Romel Galano, captain of AKK Design, was delighted with the result.

"Our aim is to win the game eventhough we're in this category. It feels great to be able to win our first game despite having some new players in the team," said Galano.

Galano pointed out that they were also taking the games as preparations for future tournaments. "What we actually want to do is to build our stamina and try out our set plays," explained Galano.

In the second match of the night, Palm Cafe came up on top 88-73 against Pinoy 1st Edition in Group A of the seven stars category.
Geve Leones topscored for Palm Cafe with 20 points while Marcelino Magaan scored 18 points for Pinoy 1st Edition. 
The competition continues tomorrow when the all-Malay Liga Bumiputera take on Beaver Engineering in Group B at 7pm. One of the favourites, ABMS, will go up against El Tigre Marshalls at 8.30pm.

Source: The Brunei Times | photo: BruneiBasketball.com

Read more...

PTE Katok the centre of basketball excellence

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, October 30, 2009

THE Katok Sixth Form Centre (PTE Katok) may have only opened its doors in January but that has not stopped it from assembling arguably the best school basketball team in the country.

How did PTE Katok manage to do that in such a short time?

Maxim Yap, the PTE Katok coach, revealed his winning formula to The Brunei Times yesterday telling how he put together a team that won the Under-19 MD Cup in July.

"It was easy to start a team (at PTE Katok) since I have four of my youth players Jamri (Ramlee), (Soon) Kian Leong, (Chen) Wee Nien and Jon Lee there. All I needed to do was find support players," said Yap, who is also the head of department (HoD) of chemistry at PTE Katok.

Yap added that Jamri and Soon helped him select those players while Lee was a big help during practice as he knew the basic training drills.

Chen, meanwhile, has plenty of experience having represented Bandar Seri Begawan's Chung Hwa Middle School before joining the centre.

Being a new school, Yap said the team did not even have proper facilities when they started training. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Brunei Barracudas off to Manila to play Patriots.

James Kon

Brunei's very own professional basketball team, Barracudas, left for Manila yesterday to face the Philippine Patriots in an Asean Basketball League match on Saturday, Oct 31 at the Fil Oil Flying Arena at 4pm.

Having only won one game out of four in the league, Barracudas will be looking for a win against the Patriots to get back into contention in the league.
The Patriots having won twice with the latest against Thailand Tigers on Oct 25, will be carrying their winning momentum into the match-up.

The fast pace game of the Filipinos has been the advantage of the Patriots. And now they have added depth in the squad with two American imports of Brandon Powell and Jason Dixon.

The speedy tactic of the Patriots looked set to be the main threat for the Barracudas who lacked the endurance aspect.

Head coach Bong of Barracudas is expecting a tough match-up. In an interview at the Barracudas training ground, he said: "They have new players and they are now a tougher team. We are expecting a good match-up."

"We know that Filipino teams always play a fast pace game. The Barracudas will adjust to the pace of the Patriots," he highlighted.

"It's not only the Philippines team but all our opponents play fast pace game against us,' he added. Read More...

Source: Borneo Bulletin

Read more...

Brunei is no pushover – Alas

JONAS TERRADO

October 28, 2009, 6:57pm

The Philippine Patriots is not taking the Brunei Barracudas lightly when both teams collide on Saturday in the resumption of the ASEAN Basketball League action at The Arena in San Juan.

In fact, coach Louie Alas is wary of the capabilities of the Barracudas, who not only have two American imports on their roster but ex-PBA cagers Leo Avenido, Don Camaso, and Kiko Adriano.

Adding more concern is that the Barracudas are led by Filipino coach Bong Ramos, who is no stranger to Alas’ defense-oriented system.

"That's our problem right now, they have at least an idea on how we run our offense and defense. It's now imperative for us to play real tough defense,” said Alas.

Patriots, co-owned by Harbour Centre CEO Mikee Romero and businessman Tony Boy Cojuangco, are sporting a 2-1 record following their 74-61 rout of the Thai Tigers last Sunday.

Brunei is currently in fourth place with a 1-3 record but nearly pulled off a stunning upset last Sunday when it bowed to the unbeaten Singapore Slingers, 82-80, in Bandar Seri Begawan.

The Barracudas’ loss was a stark contrast to their humiliating 87-69 defeat at the hands of the Slingers in their season debut.

"After losing by a huge margin in their first game, they mauled the Malaysians in their next game and they almost beat the Slingers the second time they met," said Alas. "So grabe talaga ang progress nila."

Read More...

Source: Manila Bulletin

Read more...

Tough opener for Palm Cafe

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

PALM CAFE hope to kick off their campaign with a victory in the regular seven stars category of the LBC Cup when they take it to the basketball court against Pinoy 1st Edition in Group A at 10pm tomorrow at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

The team are made up of the Linktech side, who grabbed runners-up spot in the 2009 Brunei Pepsi Cup in August, and the Palm Cafe squad that won the 3rd Manjaro Cup earlier this month.
photo above: Two of the best basketball fanatics in Brunei - Chef Teresa and Rommy of Palm Garden Cafe.

Lito Porlahe, the playing coach of Palm Cafe, feels that they will have a hard time in their opening game as the team haven't had much time for practice.

"We will probably get one session before our game," said Porlahe during an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday. "Most of my players have a lot of stars ... like (Geve) Leones with three and (Elvin) Requintin with two. Only four players in the team are without stars. It will be difficult to rotate the players without any proper training."

Asked about their opponents, Porlahe said: "Our opponents are a strong team as they have big players like (Joel) Valdez and (Sherwin) Antonio who can control the post. We will have to play a running game." Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

UBD cagers just too good for ITB

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

 

THE Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies (FBEPS) I of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) defeated BMC of Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) 45-29 in the Inter-Faculty basketball tournament at the UBD Sports Complex in Tungku Link, near here, yesterday.

Lim Kok Hui had a game high 14 points for FBEPS I while Lim Kok Shien contributed 13 points.

On the other hand, Choo Yung Jian and Fang Bo Yuan each had 12 points for BMC.

Both teams were neck and neck in the opening half. But consistent scoring by FBEPS I allowed them to open up a 14-5 lead midway through the period.

However, BMC shifted gears towards the end of the quarter to reduce the deficit to within two at 15-17 heading into halftime.

FBEPS I relied on their outside shooting to keep them in the driving seat after the interval. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Captain Adriano pleads for more time

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

BARRACUDAS' captain Francis 'Kiko' Adriano yesterday urged the fans to give the team more time to adjust after their 80-82 loss to the Singapore Slingers on Saturday night at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.

It was their second straight defeat at home following their 73-76 loss to the KL Dragons at the same venue last Saturday.

"We are a new team. We are still adjusting but we're already looking forward to more games in the league to improve," said Adriano in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

The Barracudas had led for most of the game against the Slingers but the turn of tides occurred in the third quarter and they squandered their 44-39 lead at halftime to be down 59-62 heading into the final stanza.

"I think that we were unlucky to have lost the game. (Kyle) Jeffers hit that three-pointer at the buzzer and (Al) Vergara came back with another basket that really killed us late in the game," said the 34-year-old Filipino.

Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times | photo: Saifulizam

Read more...

Wildcats maul Morley Movers

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, October 26, 2009

 

GILR WILDCATS opened their campaign in Group B of the LBC Cup with a 97-57 demolition of Morley Movers at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat yesterday.
Ronnel Sugnan had a game-high 38 points for the Wildcats and Ernesto Espique poured in 16 points.

Marvin Beleza, meanwhile, topscored for Morley Movers with 16 points.

Both teams started out equally but the Wildcats managed to edge ahead 16-10 going into the second quarter.
(Team Young Once in above 45 category)
The Wildcats shifted gears in the second period while Morley Movers were having trouble executing on offence. This allowed their opponents to open up a 20-point lead at 41-21 heading into halftime.
(Ambassador Alexander Yano goes for a layup.)
The Wildcats were relying on their fastbreaks to grab points dominating the boards because Morley Movers were not boxing out.

To make matters worse, Sugnan caught fire in the third period to put 18 points on the board. The Wildcats were penetrating the Morley Movers' defence to score from underneath the basket as well.
(Team Nueva Ecija Patriots in above 45 category) 
This gave the Wildcats a 69-35 lead heading into the final stanza. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Barracudas suffer second straight home loss.

photo above: Hope turns to agony after the loss to the visitors for Mike Pilgrim, the Barracudas American import.


BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Singapore Slingers sends the Brunei Barracudas to its second consecutive home loss in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) last night. Final score 82-80. The win puts the Slingers on top of the team standings with 3-0 card while the Barracudas fell to 1-3.
It’s quite (almost) the same story from their first encounter. The Barracudas manage to control the tempo and led mostly in the first two quarters and then they couldn’t handle choking pressure of man-to-man defense by the visitors applied in the last two quarters. The visitors pressured the ball handlers and denying every entry pass to the post. The pressure forced the Barracudas to commit turnover after turnover.

Any chance for the Barracudas comeback in front of the home crowd was foiled by an inability to get shot to fall from the inside, outside and most of all from the free throw line. The Barracudas is only 56% from the charity stripe while the Slingers had 75%. The paint was basically controlled by the Barracudas, 38 from opponents 28 but second chance points goes to the visitors.
Every time the Barracudas would pick up momentum – a 3-pointer or two consecutive baskets – The Slingers would come right back down the floor and snag a pair of free throws. 

When we talk about size, the Barracudas actually has the advantage over the visitors, Don Camaso had his chance most of the time posting the smaller guards of the Slingers but he failed to capitalized and limit himself to only 5 points. It may look like an advantage to them but when the possession changes, the Barracudas had trouble with the opponents dribble penetration style. Nothing hurts a team defense more than dribble penetration because it forces the Barracudas inside players to help and recover and they failed on that.

Slingers led by Michael Leblanc’s 32 points and 5 boards followed by 17 points and 9 rebounds of Kyle Jeffers. Filipino import Al Vergara contributed 15 points and dished 4 assists for the visitors.

Leo Avenido top-scored the Barracudas with 20 points, 17 points for Lonnie Jones who showed inside aggressiveness in the early period, grabbed 6 rebounds and 3 blocks while Mike Pilgrim added 16 points, 11 boards and 4 assists shy for triple-doubles. Benjamin Sim added 5 points who is coming off from the bench.

The team must now regroup, starting again in practice this week leading to another away game on the 31st, this time against the Patriots of the Philippines.

More photos in our Facebook fan page. Become a fan!

Read more...

FBA-LBC Cup: Beaver outshine Menglait All-Stars

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, October 25, 2009

BEAVER ENGINEERING stamped their class over Menglait All-Stars 82-46 in the regular seven stars category of the LBC Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat last night.

Junard Presado led Beaver Engineering with 14 points while Kristofer Serrano topscored for Menglait All-Stars with 11 points.

Menglait All-Stars started the game shaky as Beaver Engineering opened up a 24-12 lead in the first quarter.

Beaver Engineering were grabbing the boards as they had the height advantage compared to their opponents.

However, Menglait All-Stars hung in there despite remaining down 35-24 heading into halftime.

Menglait All-Stars were not helped by their turnovers while good teamwork helped Beaver Engineering extend their lead to 53-34 heading into the final stanza. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Barracudas ready to blunt Slingers' challenge

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, October 24, 2009

MIKE PILGRIM is set and ready to put his bad game behind him in the hope of guiding the Barracudas to their first home win in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) when they take on the visiting Singapore Slingers at Berakas tonight.

"I'm ready and I know that I just need to be more active and effective just like the imports of the Slingers," Pilgrim said yesterday.

"If I can stay active for at least 35 minutes in the game then I'll be okay. That would be my main aim," added the 25-year-old American.

Brunei's first professional basketball team are coming off a 73-76 loss to the KL Dragons at home last Sunday and are ready to bounce back against one of the early favourites of the league that handed the Philippine Patriots a 74-69 loss on the same day.

Coach Bong Ramos is confident that he has found the right formula to hand the Slingers their first defeat of the season.

"The team is ready and the motivation level is good and the players feel great. We will have to make sure that we blunt their full court press and half court press," said the former Indonesian national coach.

When asked on what were the adjustments of his team in preparations for the match, Ramos didn't reveal much but said: "We know what we have to do. We have to work on our defense and just tweak a little to adjust our side but what we hope to do is to contain them."

Read More...

Source and photo: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Pyrogen down Easyway

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, October 24, 2009

PYROGEN took second place in the Belait District Basketball Association Under-23 tournament after defeating Easyway 69-48 at the Kg Baru basketball court in Seria yesterday.

Pyrogen had a balanced offence with Darren Wong leading the team with 13 points. On the other hand, Choo Yung Jian had a game-high 18 points for Easyway and Lee Khai Yuan contributed 13 points to a losing cause.

Both teams started out equally but Pyrogen edged ahead 15-10 heading into the second quarter. Pyrogen picked up the pace with good teamwork and passing in the second period to extend their lead to 36-21 going into halftime.

Pyrogen were relying on their fastbreaks to outrun their opponents to score quickly. Easyway, the Brunei Youth Basketball Championship Under-21 champions last month, had difficulty getting back on defence and were losing out on the boards to their opponents. This allowed Pyrogen to open up a 20-point margin heading into the final stanza at 52-32.

Easyway were trying to cut into the deficit with their man-to-man defence but their careless turnovers put them out of the match as Pyrogen ran away with the victory. "Our opponents seemed a little demotivated for the game. Maybe it's because they had to play two days in a row after the loss to White Haven the previous night (Thursday night)," said David Choo of Pyrogen. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

ABL: Brunei Barracudas Recap and Round 3 Preview

JC

October 23, 2009

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - While we are either suffering from the heartbreak loss to the KL Dragons at home ground last weekend or with the ABL hype still fresh on our minds, let me put this into your perspective. In the three games that the Barracudas have played, we witnessed 3 different performances:

• Game 1: The Barracudas were playing their first game. The players went into the entered the ABL not knowing what to expect and were feeling relatively nervous. Started the game committing turnovers thus dishing out easy baskets to the opponents. However, the Barracudas managed to gel in the 2^nd quarter and even took the lead at one stage after a 3 point basket from Benjamin ‘Boy’ Lim. After halftime, the Slingers exploited the Barracudas defense and capitalised on the foul trouble experienced by Francis ‘Kiko’ Adriano and Mike Pilgrim with pin point accurate shooting.
• Game 2: The Barracudas were disappointed after their first loss to the Slingers and were hungry for their first ABL win. They never looked back from tip off to the final whistle. They tamed the misfiring Dragons with excellent performances from Adriano (his driving game in 2^nd half), Lonnie Jones (his dominating paint and defensive display) and Mike Pilgrim (who showed glimpse of his true capabilities).
• Game 3: Both teams were neck to neck in this game but after playing 3 games in a week including all the travels, the Barracudas looked fatigued. Our imports were LJ and MP were limited to 4 and 12 points respectively and the Dragons’ defense were able to cut off LJ’s impact on the game. Points have to go to Leo Avenido for his hungry and battling performance and Don Camaso for contribution on both ends with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

If we were to slay the Slingers at the Brunei Indoor Stadium this Saturday, there’re a few points to ponder upon:

• We need Lonnie Jones to step up his game. Low posting to draw double or even triple teams and dishing it out to shooters in the likes of Don Camaso, Adriano and Esmond Tan for open shots.
• The Barracudas over dependence on Mike Pilgrim is becoming more vivid. Yes, we need a go to guy, franchise player but we do not want to end up being like the Cleveland Cavaliers in terms of their over dependence on Lebron James and that is why the added Shaq ‘the Force’ into their squad for the 2009-10 NBA season. In another view, the Lakers wouldn’t have won the 2008-09 NBA Championship if Kobe did not have Gasol and Odom for support.
• The Barracudas have been basically playing with 6 players. The 5 imports and our national cager, Esmond Tan. No doubt, there’re reasons why coach Bong are not fielding the other local players as he feels that they’re not quite ready in level wise the Barracudas would not win the ABL playing only 6 players. The reasons why the Barracudas lost to KL Dragons was because fatigue and Coach Goh from KL was rotating his bench well.

Therefore Brunei, let’s brace ourselves for another thrilling encounter with the Slingers at Brunei Indoor Stadium with tip off at 8 pm and this round, let us invite the Slingers into the cold waters of Brunei where the Barracudas will shout victorious.

Read more...

White Haven beat Easyway to take crown

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, October 23, 2009
FAVOURITES White Haven defeated Easyway 70-54 to capture the crown of the Belait District Basketball Association's Under-23 tournament at the Kg Baru basketball court in Seria last night.
photo by: Tan Kah Boon

Josend Mangoroban had a game-high 21 points for White Haven while Yeo Chun Kiat led Easyway with 18 points.

The opening period was close but Easyway managed to edge ahead 12-9 at the end of the first quarter.

A switch in defence from 2-3 to 1-2-2 by White Haven slowed Easyway down and allowed them to grab the lead from their opponents 30-25 heading into halftime.

White Haven were relying on layups for points rather than their shooting.

In the third period, White Haven were also relying on good teamwork and passing as they extended their lead to eight points at 48-40 going into the final stanza.

Easyway seemed to have run out of steam in the final period, missing from three-point territory. They couldn't keep up with their opponents who were scoring from fastbreaks despite putting up a full-court pressure defence as White Haven ran away with the title.

"The tournament is not as exciting since it was played in a round-robin format," said Cheah Yong Sin, the coach of White Haven. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

'Hungry' Pilgrim sets the record straight

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, October 23, 2009

IT WAS not hunger but fatigue that had hampered Mike Pilgrim's performance during the Barracudas' 73-76 defeat to the KL Dragons in their ASEAN Basketball League match in Berakas last Sunday.

According to a popular Brunei blog, Pilgrim had said after the loss that "he ran out of fuel as he didn't eat that much on Sunday".

But Pilgrim set the record straight when met yesterday.

"It has nothing to do with eating. It's just that I've only been here for three weeks and I'm still trying to get adjusted," said Pilgrim in an interview with The Brunei Times.

"It was a long week as we had three games in a row but there are no excuses. I know it's going to get a lot better," said the 25-year-old American.

Pilgrim said this was his first time away from the United States and that he was slowly adjusting to the warmer climate in the region.

However, the 6ft 9in American is ready to bounce back with a better performance in their next game against the Singapore Slingers tomorrow.

"I will just have to play with more energy and more heart. I'm ready to play hard with the team to grab another victory," said Pilgrim. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

Was he too hungry to play?

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

WAS IT just a bad day or was Mike Pilgrim in some discomfort on Sunday when he recorded only 12 points and five rebounds during the Barracudas' 73-76 defeat to the KL Dragons in their ASEAN Basketball League match in Berakas?

According to a popular Brunei blog, Pilgrim said that "he ran out of fuel as he didn't eat that much on Sunday".

The American was superb when the Barracudas beat the Dragons in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday scoring 22 points and registering five rebounds. But he was not the same player at the weekend looking somewhat listless.

Could hunger have hampered Pilgrim's performance on Sunday?

Barracudas coach Bong Ramos said Pilgrim just had a bad day at the office, quickly dismissing the American's statement as a joke.

"It is not true about him having not eaten much. I believe that it is a joke," said Ramos when contacted yesterday.

"Mike was in foul trouble so we had to sit him down much of the game but even if he was playing it didn't mean that we would have won the game," added Ramos. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

U-23: White Haven inch closer to title.

Read more...

ABL: Brunei Barracudas 73 – 76 KL Dragons

Sunday, 18 October 2009, Brunei – Brunei Barracudas met with the KL Dragons at the Brunei Indoor Stadium.

 

The KL Dragons took their revenge and won 76 - 73 against the Brunei Barracudas in a hard fought match, with the first period ending 25 – 21 in favor of the KL Dragons. They managed to maintain their slim lead throughout the remaining 3 quarters, averaging a 4 point lead every quarter.
(Guganeswaran Batumalai was exceptional in orchestrating the Dragons offense.)
(It was Brown’s D on Jones and Pilgrim that made impact throughout the night. Jamal Brown limited Jones to only 4 points. He added 15 points and 13 boards followed after Lynch’s 23 points.)
(Leo Avenido made crucial baskets in the remaining minutes of the last period but fell short. It’s just me, do you think our Barracudas needs a backup pure point guard for Leo?) 

KL Dragons’ Aaron Christopher Lynch lead the team with 23 points, and Jamal Daryl Brown with 15 points. Brunei Barracudas’ Celedon Camaso also scored 23 points but it was not enough to prevent the Brunei Barracudas’ from losing at their homeground.

Off night or was shutdown by the Dragons? – Kiko Adriano contributed only 5 points compared to his 23 from the previous meeting.

KL Dragons team owner Mr Ruben Gnanalingam was proud of his team. ‘After a nervous first game, the boys came back to show their worth. The boys and the coach did really well especially being away from home. It was a narrow victory but a win is a win. We have to work much harder now to prepare for the tough games coming up. Go Dragons!”
Read More…

Source: Asean Basketball League (ABL)

Other Sources:

The Brunei Times

Borneo Bulletin
Ranoadidas

Read more...

LBC Cup: Mordeno's ABMS slay Warriors

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, October 19, 2009

FAVOURITES ABMS got their campaign off to a flying start with a 103-74 victory over Warriors in Group A of the LBC Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat yesterday.

Roldan Binas topscored for ABMS with 26 points and Don Dadis Mordeno poured in 20 points.

On the other hand, Jeff Paraiso led Warriors with 20 points and Efren Espiritu chipped in 15.
Both teams started out with a running game and were neck and neck with ABMS just ahead at 22-20 midway through the opening period.

Espiritu, standing at 6ft 5in, was at the heart of the Warriors' defence coming up with various block shots.

Good transition basketball by Warriors eventually allowed them to take a 30-26 lead into the second quarter.

There was a turn of tides in the second period as ABMS picked up their defence to hold the Warriors scoreless for more than three minutes while they executed on offence.

ABMS quickly grabbed the lead from their opponents racing ahead 45-33 midway through the period. They were boxing out to clean up the boards which allowed them to open up a double-digit lead at 55-44 heading into halftime.
(Ambassador Yano greeted the teams together with BBA officials and FBA president Mr. Mhar Porlahe.)

ABMS started out with a full court pressure defence after the interval. The Warriors succumbed to the pressure to commit turnovers as ABMS went on fastbreaks.

Mordeno caught fire in the third period to put 18 on the scoreboard including four three-pointers.

ABMS opened up an 83-65 lead heading into the final stanza.

Both teams then lost some steam as they couldn't add to the scores for more than two minutes.

However, ABMS continued with their full court pressure to limit their opponents and run away with victory.

Despite notching up a winning margin of 29 points, ABMS head coach, Kaka Espartero, was not satisfied with the team's performance.

"I think we made too many errors and we'll have to further work on our defence," said Espartero.

Asked about what was key to their victory, Espartero replied: "It was the full court pressure down the stretch as we saw that our opponents didn't really have a proper point guard."

In the second match of the day, Aziz Latif & Company (ALC) thrashed Menglait All-Star 93-55.
Twelve teams are competing in the seven stars category with the draw taking place during the opening ceremony yesterday.
ABMS have been drawn into Group A together with another favourites Palm Cafe, Warriors, SOLD, El Tigre Marshalls and Pinoy 1st Edition.

Meanwhile, Group B is made up of Menglait All-Star, ALC, Beaver Engineering, Liga Bumiputera, Morley Movers and GILR Wildcats.

Five teams are competing in the 45 years old and above category IMD A, IMD B, Nueva Ecija Patriot, Young Once and AKK Design.

Organised by the Filipino Basketball Association, the tournament is being held to welcome Alexander Yano, the Philippine Ambassador to Brunei. Present as the guest of honour during the opening ceremony yesterday was the ambassador himself who is competing for Young Once.

Source: The Brunei Times | photo: BruneiBasketball.com

Read more...

BBA: Basketball Youth Cup

James Kon

Brunei Basketball Association will be organizing the Basketball Youth Cup starting Nov 21.

The two categories to be contested are U-18 and 18-23. Players must be Brunei citizens or holding green IC.

The entry fee is $200 per team and registration forms can be obtained at the basketball court of Batu Bersurat from 7pm to 8pm. The closing date for registration is Nov 12.

For further information, contact 8770316/8897449.

Source: Borneo Bulletin

Read more...

The Barracudas: Size does matter to Ramos.

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, October 18, 2009

NOT satisfied with their first win in the ASEAN Basketball League a 94-76 victory over the KL Dragons at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday night the Barracudas are plotting another heartache for the Malaysians.

Their first home game of the ABL season, the Barracudas are confident they can keep the momentum going today using their big American imports as their main weapons.

But Barracudas head coach Bong Ramos believes they will have to work hard at the National Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas today if they want to slay the KL Dragons for the second time this week.

The former Indonesia national coach warns his players that the Dragons will look to bounce back from their opening defeat and believes that the Malaysians' head coach, Goh Cheng Huat, would have made the necessary adjustments to avenge Wednesday's defeat.

"The team consist of players from the (Malaysian) national team and I know that they are really good players. We expect a different Dragons and we will not underestimate them," said Ramos in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday. Read More...

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

The Barracudas: Keep Off The Water

It’s gonna be a Bloody Sunday – The Dragons wants revenge but The battery of Barracudas wants them off their waters. Host eyes a second bite. 

While its been a week since the Barracudas played their first game on the road, Sunday's game will be the first chance for the fans to watch the team under their own roof, the Brunei Indoor Stadium. The venue has the capacity to hold 5500 seats. Game will start at 4:00 in the afternoon NOT 8:00pm from the schedule previously released.

Bring along your friends and the neighbors that you hasn't spoken for years. There's no better reason for you to stay home on a Sunday afternoon, Everyone must go! For the fans, I think the home team will be wearing white, blue or yellow (I’ll keep you posted on this). So please come with those colors during the game day. Fan gears are available in the stadium as well during the game day i believe. Don’t wear red :) 

“Hey Pilgrim!”, He said. Mike Pilgrim finished a drive with a two-handed reverse dunk after a steal by Benjamin Lim on ESPN highlights from Wednesday’s game.

The second meeting of the teams won’t be a walk in the park for the Barracudas. KL Dragons head coach Goh Cheng Huat will make major adjustments for the team definitely on the defensive end. Their first meeting resulted to a blowout victory by the visitors. Final score 94-76.

In their first encounter, the Dragons has no answer to the Barracudas spacing and one-on-one plays (I guess man-to-man D against the bigger Barracudas is not for them, How about zone?). They gave up so much points on the inside letting Mike Pilgrim and Lonnie Jones control the painted area. This Sunday, the Barracudas offense should expect more help from the weaker side of the defense to double team the two foreign imports. This will leave the outside shooters open.

It’s a Triple-Header-Sunday on ABL!

Thailand Tigers welcomes the visiting Satria Muda BriAma of Indonesia in Nimibutr National Stadium and Philippine Patriots tries to win another road game against the Singapore Slingers.

Read more...

How to slay the Dragons?

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, October 16, 2009

... only coach Ramos can tell you

THE Barracudas team that defeated the KL Dragons 94-76 at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday night were a different side that lost to the Singapore Slingers 87-69 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Sunday. But what were the changes that coach Bong Ramos made in just 48 hours to conjure up their first victory in the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League (ABL)?

"It was just a simple thing. In the first game, the team were too eager to play and in turn they didn't play smart. We didn't maximise our size advantage in the low post with (Lonnie) Jones and Mike (Pilgrim), but last night (Wednesday night) we managed to execute and use them fully,"said Ramos.

"We just have to execute and wait and everything will follow," continued the Filipino coach.

The Barracudas shot a blistering 57 per cent from the field hitting 40 of their 70 field goal attempts. Read More…

Courtesy of The Brunei Times | photo: BruneiBasketball.com

Read more...

The Barracudas: Home Games & Tickets Info

The Brunei Barracudas Promotional Poster - click photo to enlarge

After losing their opening match against the Singapore Slingers, last night saw a different battery of Barracudas after feasting on a non-fire breathing KL Dragons, winning their first. Final score 94-76.

Kiko Adriano had a stand out  performance that night, scoring basket after basket when the Dragons applied the full court press. Mike Pilgrim was superb as well. He wowed the crown with his two thunderous jam. With his size and strength his dangerous on the inside but don’t leave him outside as well, he’ll knock down those 15-foot jumpers. On the defensive side, I was impressed by their performance on neutralizing the opponents imports in Jamal Brown and Chris Lynch. Coach Bong should deserve the accolades too, he made major adjustments in the rotation of the players. “No Fly Zone”, Its the message from Lonnie Jones to his opponents. I  believe he swatted at least 5 shots or more that game.

The 31-year-old Jamal played in Australia and for Petronas Malaysia which won the 2008 Malaysia International Championships.  The 6’5” Lynch had a stint with Perth Redbacks in Australia and was named the MVP after leading the team to their first playoff season in five years. Aside from the two international imports, the rest of the Dragons are local players. Most of the local players are members of the national team. Advantage is actually on Coach Bong since he handled the Indonesian national team, he has gone against the Malaysians and he know most of the local players. 

Mark your calendars for the first home game of the Barracudas against the KL Dragons this coming October 18, 2009 4PM (Sunday).

Read more...

FBA Cup meeting tonight, Barracudas seeks first win

Later tonight at 7:00, the final meeting is scheduled for the 2009 LBC Cup basketball tournament at Senjarasa Restaurant in Seri Complex for the final briefing and to discuss the tournament’s ground rules. The tourney is organized by the Filipino Basketball Association (FBA) in Brunei led by Mr. Mhar Porlahe.

Opening date will be on the 18th of October, the same date when our very own Barracudas plays home against the KL Dragons. But there’s nothing to worry about  since the opening ceremony starts at 12noon. Ambassador Alexander Yano of the Philippines will be the Guest of Honor and BBA officers will be there as well.

There’s two categories in this tournament; 7-Stars category and 45 & above (veterans). For more info and explanation about the rules you may contact the organizer directly at 8722659 or attend the meeting later.

7-Stars - Pinoy First Edition, SOLD, ABMS, El Tigre-Marshal, Palm Cafe, Warriors, Beaver Engineering, GILR Wildcats, Aziz Latif & Co., Menglait All-Stars, Morley Movers and the new breed of Malay Hoopsters "Liga Bumiputra"

45-Above - IMD All Stars, MK Kids, Young Once and Nueva Ecija Patriots.

On the same night, The Barracudas will seek it’s very first win against the KL Dragons in Kuala Lumpur at 8:pm. You can watch the game live on Star Sports (CH813).

Read more...

Lost in 'communication'

Jason Thomas

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

THE Barracudas' captain Francis 'Kiko' Adriano believes the team need to work on their communication if they want to stand a chance at beating the KL Dragons in their next ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) match tomorrow.

Opening their ABL campaign with a 87-69 loss to the Singapore Slingers at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Sunday, the team representing Brunei in the regional league will be looking to bounce back when they face the Malaysians at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

The Barracudas only had two weeks of training with a complete roster, and after the defeat to 2008 Brunei Cup champions, Adriano knows just what the team should improve on.

"We did not have enough communication, especially on defence," he said in a telephone interview from Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

Read more...

ABL: Singapore Slingers 87 – 69 Brunei Barracudas

Brunei Barracudas. Tan Esmond. Photo: Francis B. Espeleta

Both teams were neck-in-neck at the start of the match when Slingers pulled away in the third period where Slingers took a 17 point lead. They advanced their lead in the fourth period with a 20 point lead. The match ended with Slingers winning 87 – 69 against the Brunei Barracudas.

Michael LeBlanc led the Slingers to victory with 20 points total, which was closely matched by Barracudas’ Michael Pilgrim with 16 points. Leblanc is one of the four foreign imports playing for the Slingers. The other three are Kyle Jeffers, Al Vergara and Marcus Ng.

Brunei Barracudas team owner Ms Nadzaty Azma Azeez was happy with her team’s performance “After practicing for only 2 weeks as a full team, they showed great teamwork and could hold their own against the more experienced Slingers”.

Read More...

Source: ABL | Photo: Francis B. Espeleta

Read more...

Patriots won its first, Barracudas will be tested

Patriots robbed Satria Muda BritAma: The Philippine Patriots overcame a late surge from host Satria Muda BritAma of Indonesia to take the opener, 76-69.  The opening game of the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League was held at Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday.

Patriots led by American import Brandon Powell who once played with our very own Mike Pilgrim before, scored 18 points and was a rebound shy for a double-doubles. Bogs Adornado was appointed as the interim coach of the team in the absence of Coach Louie Alas due to his commitments to Letran which is now in preparation for the coming NCAA Final Four.  The Patriots are Khazom Mirza,  a stalwart in the Philippine collegiate tournament (UAAP), Rob Wainwright, Froilan Baguion, Chris Coronel, Neil Raneses, Mark Andaya, Erwin Sta. Maria, Nat Cruz, Dino Daa, Jerwin Gaco, Warren Ybanez and Ricky Ricafuente who once work and played here in Brunei. Most of them had once played in the professional leagues and they’re all seeking a second chance and opportunity to prove themselves and to serve their country once again. 

BritAma is the four-time champions in a major tournament in Indonesia, spearheaded by Filipino point guard Rensy Bajar and two American imports in Alexander Hartman and Theo Little. Faisal Ahmad Julius led his team with 16 points followed by Hartman’s 13 and Little’s 12.

The wait is over! Our Brunei Barracudas will meet the tournament’s favorite Singapore Slingers today at 4pm. The Barracudas is led by 2 US-based international imports and 3 ASEANs from the Philippines. Watch out for Al Vergara (a replacement after Jason Castro's departure), the Slingers starting point guard from the Philippines match head-to-head with Leo Avenido of the Barracudas, it’s gonna be a great game. The Slingers will only rely on 4 imports giving more room for locals to play. Today’s Game is live telecast on ESPN channel 812.

Live blogging of the game from the Singapore Indoor Stadium by RedHoops.com can be followed here.

Read more...

White Heaven eye Under-23 crown

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, October 11, 2009

THE Under-23 basketball tournament organised by the Kuala Belait Basketball Association is set to tip off with two games today starting at 7pm at the Kg Baru basketball court in Seria.

Six teams White Heaven, Chicken King, Pyrogen, Easyway, Tribal and Yun Hin Trading Co have registered for the tournament.

According to Liew Kok Hua, tournament organiser, the competition will be played in a round-robin format. He said that if more than one team had the same number of wins then the winners would be based on points difference.

White Heaven, who will be fielding Filipinos Majomar Aying and Josend Mangoroban, are favourites to lift the title. The two were part of the Babes Boutique squad that won the 2009 Brunei Pepsi Cup in August.

"We are aiming for the title despite not having any training as there was no venue available. We also hope the tournament will help the local players to learn from the Filipinos," said Kenny Ching, the assistant coach of White Heaven.

Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Read more...

2009 Construction HSE Network Basketball Tournament

Construction HSE Network is organizing a basketball tournament and will kick off this coming Saturday, 10^th of October 2009. The assembly time is between 6:00 to 6:30PM at Komplek Sukan Mumong, Kuala Belait and then followed with a program at 7:00PM. This years tournament will feature Basketball for Senior Division (Inter-Company), Junior Division (Mixed and Matched) and Ladies Netball.

Basketball – Senior Division (Inter-Company) participants: SCO,  ADININ Group of Companies,  M.O.P.S (Mashhor),  SAHID,  IIW-SKS,  SKS SDN. BHD.,  SKSWOOD, MAHKOTA MAJU RAPIERS,  QAF Oilfields Services Sdn. Bhd  and  Syarikat Perusahaan Fazrul.

Basketball – Junior Division participants: KHOON MING HARDWARE, SC OILFIELDS & LOGISTICS Sdn. Bhd., SUNNY BEE BAKESHOP, FRIENDS INTERNATIONAL and PILIPINAS.

Ladies Netball Participants: P-TAS, SKS SDN BHD, SKSWOOD, ADININ WORKS & ENGINEERING, SCO1 AND SCO 2.

Games will be played at Komplek Sukan Mumong every Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays start at 1730 HRS.

Everyone is invited to watch by

Rhaul R. Palma Jr, the organizer to

come and support this healthy lifestyle program initiated by the Construction HSE Network.

Read more...

Bring on the Singapore Slingers, say Brunei's Barracudas coach

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, October 9, 2009

THE Barracudas last night left the Brunei International Airport for Singapore to embark on their inaugural ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) campaign.

Brunei's representatives in the ABL open their campaign against the Singapore Slingers on Sunday and then move to Malaysia for a date with the KL Dragons on Oct 14.
(Baptism of Fire: The Barracudas departs to Singapore to face the Slingers on Sunday. photo: BT/Yee Chun Leong)

"I've seen the line up of the Slingers and I know that they can shoot the ball well," said coach Bong Ramos. "They are a very serious team but I know that we are ready for them," added the 48-year-old Filipino.

The Barracudas are made up of American imports Lonnie Jones and Mike Pilgrim as well as the Filipino threesome of team captain Francis 'Kiko' Adriano, Don Camaso and Leo Avenido.

They will form the starting five of the team.

They are joined by teammates local players vice captain Esmond Tan, Benjamin Lim, Xavier Fong, Benjamin Sim and Presley Ho.

The rest of the Barracudas roster include Lim Aik Hock, Soon Kian Leong, brothers Hj Md Badri and Hj Md Rahmat Hj Suhaili, Jamri Ramlee and Muhd Mohzani Abd Ghani. Read More…

Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Read more...

ABL: Barracudas Press Release and Schedule

The Barracudas: Official team launching, press conference and unveiling of full roster to the media in I Lotus Restaurant at 3pm today. Everyone’s excited. More photos in our Facebook fan page, become a fan!

The teams website is accessible here but it’s still under construction. So stay tuned until it’s ready. You might want to bookmark the link. I would love to see the team having their own cheerleaders and a mascot that would be fun. 
(The Barracudas,  with team owner Ms. Nadzaty Azma Azeez, Brunei’s Tourism Chief, Sheikh Jimmy and BBA officials during the official team launching and press conference).

Complete schedule for the 2009-2010 ABL Season can be found here.

PRESS RELEASE -

Let the excitement begin. After months of speculation and interest, the nation of Brunei bore witness to the birth of the very first professional basketball team in the Sultanate with the official launching of the Barracudas.

The team jet off today to begin their campaign in the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League with two away games to Singapore Slingers on Sunday October 11 and then the Kuala Lumpur Dragons on Wednesday October 14.

So while the Brunei basketball crowd will have to wait just a while longer to catch the Barracudas in action, the Brunei media and a small host of guests got the opportunity to meet up with the team up close and personal.

Within the parameters of the rules set by the ABL, the Barracudas are comprised of a mixture of players from outside and within Brunei and are ably guided by their experienced head coach Geraldo Bong Ramos from the Philippines.

 (The Barracudas gathered for the media photo shoot, Some key players like Esmond Tan  wasn’t able to make it due to other commitments.)

The trio of Francis Adriano, Celedon Camaso and Leonidas Avenido also from the Philippines will join the American duo of 6’11” Lonnie Jones and 6’9” Mike Pilgrim to form a formidable starting five for the Barracudas.

While the imports are expected to play an absolutely pivotal role in the upcoming months, the local players will have an equally important role to play in backing up the imports with some quality minutes.

The local players, headed by vice-captain Esmond Tan Kah Hong, have been undergoing a crash course in basketball at the highest level and coach Ramos has been impressed by their work ethic.

“They may lack some of the basics that other teams have but they have tried their utmost best in the short space of time that we had and they have applied themselves the best they can.

“Their role is very important. All I ask of them is to provide me quality minutes with some good defense and hustle. If they can do that then I think we will be in very good shape,” said the Filipino coach.

Together with Benny Ang, the Barracudas’ Basketball Operations Manager, Coach Ramos has worked tirelessly to secure their lineup to ensure that the Barracudas are a competitive outfit in the inaugural ABL.

(Mr. Benny Ang, The Operations Manager of the team with his welcome speech to the guests and the media.)

“Even before I arrived in Brunei, Benny (Ang) and I have been in constant communication with regards to building the team that we want.

“It was a new adventure every single day and given the short space of time that we had, we feel we have done the best job possible of building a team that can compete in the ABL,” added Coach Ramos.

Brunei’s first chance to watch the Barracudas in action will be on October 18 at the National Indoor Stadium against the KL Dragons with tip-off at 4pm. Ticket details will be released soon.

The Barracudas are owned by Everwide Sports Company and the management are grateful for the support from the various government departments and also the companies from the private sector who have stepped in to assist.

“We are extremely thankful to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Brunei Tourism and the Brunei Basketball Association for their support and assistance. They have certainly made our task a lot easier and we are eternally grateful for that.

“We also have to thank the various private corporations that have come in to assist us and support us in whatever way they can,” said Benny Ang, the Barracudas Basketball Operations Manager.

Complete schedule of the 2009-2010 ABL Season can be found here.

FULL LINE UP:

Francis Adriano (Capt),

Esmond Tan (Vice Capt),

Celedon Camaso,

Leonidez Avenido,

Michael Pilgrim,

Lonnie Jones,

Fong Yeh Leong,

Ho Hee Lee,

Lim Aik Hock,

Benjamin Lim,

Benjamin Sim,

Hj Md Badri Hj Mohd Suhaili,

Md Jamri Ramlee,

Muhd Mohzani  Abd Ghani,

Soon Kian Leong

Read more...

Brunei Barracudas all set to face Singapore Slingers

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

WITH a few days left before their opening game in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), the Barracudas are all set to take it to the court when they face dangerous Singapore Slingers on October 11 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The Slingers are coming off a 71-65 victory over Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference champions San Miguel Beermen on Sunday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium which was part of a four-game stint in the Challenge Series.

Bong Ramos, the Filipino coach of the Barracudas, is not intimidated with the Slingers' victory as they have been undergoing intensive training in preparations for their opening game in the ABL.

"I'm not surprised that the Slingers pulled off a victory against the PBA Champions. That's because the Slingers have got very good imports including some of their locals who can really shoot," said Ramos in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday morning at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Ramos feels that his team have done their best to be prepared for not only their opening game against the Slingers but for back-to-back games where they will face the KL Dragons in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 14.

"We tried our best to be prepared for the games and from the way I look at it, we're ready with the time that was given to me and the team," said the 48-year-old mentor, who arrived in Brunei on September 15. Read More…

Source and Photo: BT/Rudolf Portillo

Read more...

LBC Cup to start on Oct 18

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, October 5, 2009

THE start of the all-Filipino LBC Cup basketball tournament organized by the Filipino Basketball Association (FBA) of Brunei to welcome the new Philippine Ambassador to the Sultanate, Alexander Yano has been postponed to Oct 18.

The tournament was scheduled to start on Oct 11 at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

"There are three reasons why we have to postpone the tournament. One is that there are a couple of teams formed in the last minute and they have yet to submit the necessary documents," said Mhar Porlahe, the FBA president, during an interview yesterday.

"There are also teams that could not get their jerseys ready within the given deadline," said Porlahe.

"The other reason is that our sponsor's (LBC Mabuhay Sdn Bhd') manager is currently not in town and will only return on Oct 11," added the Filipino during the interview.

The FBA president added that the initial start too clashed with the Brunei Shell Recreation Club (BSRC) Open Basketball tournament, also slotted for Oct 11. Read More…

Courtesy of The Brunei Times

In other news: Queenielin Enterprise co-owner Francis Chan Kai Fai won the hole-in-one prize in the 9th Rotary Golf Tournament at the Pantai Mentiri Golf Club yesterday. He won himself cash prize of $10,000 sponsored by Paint Man and one unit of 52" Plasma TV, sponsored by Panacom Sdn Bhd. Read More…

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Mr. Francis Chan has been active in sports specially in basketball, He was behind in some major basketball tournaments lately.

Read more...

He came, he shot, he conquered

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, October 4, 2009

 

Sharp shooter Don Dadis Mordeno, takes a break to talk to YEE CHUN LEONG.

Q: Please help me to introduce yourself before we get started.

A: I am 27 this year and I started playing basketball at the age of four when my father was coach of our local team. During my varsity years, I played for Les Pinas College from 2001-2005 and managed to win two championships with the team.

I then moved on to play for various towns in the (Philippine) commercial league and lastly for Tagaytay City for a season last year before coming to Brunei.

Q: What are your thoughts about basketball players in Brunei?

A: I think that the players here are very competitive. My first tournament in Brunei (the 2009 Brunei Pepsi Cup) showed me just that. There were various players who would put up a lot of challenges to make you want to play better.

Q: How would you compare the standard of basketball in Brunei to that in the Philippines?

A: I feel that they are almost of the same standard. There are players here such as (Geve) Leones or those from the national team that play with their heart and soul in all their matches.

Q: So, what's next for you? Read More...

Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Read more...

Liga Bumiputera ready for real test

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, October 3, 2009

DESPITE winning all their games as a guest team in the 38 years old and above category in the 3rd Manjaro Cup with Aewon and Western Union last month, Liga Bumiputera, are taking it to another level as they registered themselves in the regular category for the all-Filipino LBC Cup.

"We haven't really had a proper selection of players yet. We will most likely be sticking with the same players that we had during the Manjaro Cup," said Wira Pori, manager-cum-player of Liga Bumiputera, an all-Malay basketball team made up of players aged between 20 and 25.

"The team will be missing some key players (Ahmad Termizi Hj Nordeen, Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin and Ikram Damit) who are away for their studies and busy with work commitments," added Wira.

Wira pointed out that they were currently still searching for new players to feature in the tournament which is scheduled to start on Oct 11 at the Brunei Basketball Association Court in Batu Bersurat.

The team have set their sights on reaching at least the quarter-finals of the tournament.

"Hopefully we can go as far as possible. I think that we are ready for it as we're carrying the momentum over from the Manjaro Cup," added Wira during the interview. Read More…

In other basketball news, the Filipino Basketball Association (FBA) of Brunei are calling all cagers to participate in the Southeast Asian Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Friendship Games that is set to take place from Nov 7-9 in Johor Baru, Johor, in Malaysia. Source here.

Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Read more...

The Barracudas: Tune-up Games

 
Murdered twice - Another one-sided match between The Barracudas and Linktech from last night’s tune-up game. The Barracudas 6’9” Mike Pilgrim wowed the crowd with his thunderous two-handed jam in the first and second period but he stayed in the bench most of the 2nd half. He is the last piece of the puzzle for the team to compete for the coming ABL. According to Coach Bong that the team had improved much but not close yet to the level of his expectations. He said that there’s still a lot of room to improve for them, the players must work hard and double their efforts during practice since their competing against the best of the region.

The two international imports of the Barracudas are just too much for the Linktech’s bigs to handle. No match, not even close. IMHO, it’s a bad tune-ups for the Barracudas. I believe that there’s still a lot of better players left from the previous tournaments that can be assembled to match them (probably better than Linktech). I don’t expect them (the selection) to win but this will give the Barracudas a better tune-up game.

More photos in our Facebook fan page. Become a fan!

Read more...