Singapore will use speed to overcome size concerns

 SINGAPORE (FIBA Asia Cup 2021 SEABA Pre-Qualifier) - The Singapore National Team has been as consistent and feisty as they can get over the years and it doesn’t seem like much will change with the team that’s heading into the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 SEABA Pre-Qualifier.

Headlined with the likes of Wong Wei Long and Delvin Goh, there are plenty of players on this team that gives us a feel of the Singapore National Team in the recent years. However, there are also some new additions and returning pieces that might shake things up.

 “This team is a combination of young, experienced, and talented players .” Says Coach Hsu Tung Ching,  who is also new to the team after taking over from Frank Arsego.

 Coach Hsu will certainly be missing the services of proven veterans like low-post presence Russel Low and long range gunner Ng Han Bin. This means that Singapore has had to make even more extra preparations to fill in those gaps— something  Hsu wishes they had more time for.

 “The duration of our preparation isn’t really sufficient as we only got to have the full squad for merely a month,” Coach Hsu adds. “We’ve focused more on how we play as compared to the past. I want them to gain more individual confidence. I want them to increase their speed, since after all we are not a huge team.”

 They can certainly play fast with speedy guards and forwards like Wong Wei Long, Toh Qin Huang, and Leon Kwek bursting out in the open court. You can also be sure that they will be pesky and quick on their feet from the perimeter on defense as they have always been.

 But as Coach Hsu mentions, Singapore will be lacking some size heading on to the court without the aforementioned Low and they will be anchored down low by Goh and 17-year-old Lavin Raj. The concern here is that Goh will be shouldered with a lot of responsibility, while Raj is still merely learning how to adapt to this level of competition. Both will be put to the test here in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

 “There’s definitely a slight difference when Russel [Low] is not in the team,” Coach Hsu says. “We need someone to be able to help out in the paint. For Lavin, it’s more like gaining experience so Delvin will have a really big responsibility in the tournament.”

 There’s not as much pressure here with four teams qualifying from the playing field of six, so Coach Hsu will take that to his advantage to reboot the program and get things according to his plan for development.

 “We want to try and kick away the bad habits both as individuals and as a team. We also want to develop or change the style of play of the players and also to improve in team’s understanding of plays.”

FIBA