Malaysia's ''Mulan'' puts versatility on display as player and coach

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia) - Generally, an "all-around" player is someone who can do multiple things in a game at a high level from scoring, passing, rebounding, and defending.

Being an all-around player takes a lot of skill, which means that anyone who fits in the category is a rare breed. Even rarer are those who not only play at a high level but possess the smarts and guts in the role of a coach as well.

"I hope that the young players will get more chances to play [in international competitions] and learn other styles of play because when I played, I didn’t get many chances."

That’s why Malaysia can consider having a special talent on their hands in Hui Pin Pang, who is not only one of the star players of the senior women’s national team - potentially for the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2023 Division B - but has also served as the head coach for Malaysia’s youth national teams in the past year.

Prior to the Women’s Asia Cup Division B tourney in Bangkok from 13-19 August, Pang had just returned from Amman, Jordan as she coached the U16 national team to a third-place finish at the U16 Women’s Asian Championship Division B.

One year ago, in her head coaching debut, Pang led the team in India to a win in the Final of the U18 Women’s Asian Championship Division B - gaining that sweet promotion to Division A for the competition in 2024.

That’s certainly not a bad resume for a rookie head coach with only one year of experience at the youth national team level. It’s certainly even more impressive coming from a 33-year-old active player that is still considered a featured player on the national team.

Nonetheless, Pang still feels that she has a long way to go.

"I feel like I’m a better player than a coach because coaches need to think a lot about strategies and plays," Pang said humbly, shortly after her coaching debut in 2022 while playing in the South-East Asian Women’s Basketball League (SEAWBL).

Even though Pang, or as fondly referred to as "Mulan" by those in Malaysian basketball circles, feels that she still has a lot to offer to Malaysia basketball as a player, she did not say no when MABA presented the opportunity to be the sideline tactician for the youth national team.

"I [have wanted to] be a coach for a long time," she said.

As a coach, Pang can also impact the next generation of young female ballers in Malaysia in a way that she would have wanted to receive when she was an up-and-coming prospect herself. And that’s what she hopes to do.

"I hope that the young players will get more chances to play [in international competitions] and learn other styles of play because when I played, I didn’t get many chances," she said.

As a senior national team player, Pang has now had many opportunities to play at the international level. She’s been doing so since she was 19 when she made her Women’s Asia Cup debut in 2009 and went on to play in 3 more editions at the Division B level. Pang was one of the top players for Malaysia in 2015, with averages of 10.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.

She’s now expected to make her fifth appearance in Bangkok, which will be a special one as she could be teammates with 18-year-old Sammi Tan whom she coached at the U18 tournament last year. In that sense, Pang is already impacting the next generation as she hoped - developing players like Tan well enough to a level where they can be considered for international competitions like the Women’s Asia Cup Division B.

It can be exhausting to be in the role of both a player and a coach, but Pang has done well so far. And, in any case, she has the full support of her own coach, Tracy York. The Australian head coach recently took over the senior national team's head coach position last year.

"I think it’s sensational," said York about her star player assuming the dual role.

"She did a sensational job [at U18 ]. She coached well. They had 2 losses in the tournament and then they went on and won that Division. It’s great to have a player [take on that role] and she’s not an ex-national team player, she’s a current player."

For now, Pang can set aside her coaching hat for a moment and shift her focus to balling out for Malaysia. They’ll need her at her best as they go up against Indonesia, Iran, and Mongolia in Group A.

The "Harimau" are one of the few teams that have played in Division A of the Women’s Asia Cup, but have not played at that level since 2007. Could a seasoned veteran with coaching experience like Pang have what it takes to bring them back to that stage?

FIBA