Home win in front of packed crowd over rivals Indonesia is full-circle moment for Moses Morgan

BANGKOK (Thailand) - The vibes at the Nimibutr Stadium felt as if it was a release of unvented passion.

The crowd of nearly 4,000 fans in Bangkok took a stand on their turf and truly made it a "home court advantage" for the Thailand national team in their rivalry win over Indonesia, 73-56.

"I JUST THINK THAT IT WAS GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY, FOR THE CITY, JUST TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND TO SEE US PLAY. IT’S BEEN A WHILE."

"It was really hard to communicate on the court because the crowd was so crazy and so good," said Indonesia captain Kaleb Ramot Gemilang.

Despite making their jobs on the court more difficult, the fans received appreciation and respect from the visiting team.

"Credit to all the supporters of Thailand, they did a good job," said Gemilang.

"Congrats to nice crowd, nice support tonight," added Indonesia coach Milos Pejic.

The fact was not lost on the home team as well. They soaked in and fed off the energy from the stands, in a win where they led by as much as 28 points and in all but just under two minutes of the game. The 19-0 run early in the second half should be credited just as much to the "Sixth man in the stands" as those that were on the floor. It didn't matter if you were a proven star like Chanatip Jakrawan or a debutant like Takamin Sirijariyapoern, you couldn't help by feel energized by the roar of cheers that sounded from start to finish.

The experienced Thailand head coach Edu Torres was wary of the effects in such a situation but was happy to come away with a win.

"We were a little bit sloppy," admitted the Spaniard. "I think we were a little bit nervous, thinking we had to play well because we played on our home court."

"And that was the first game in such a long time."

Five years. It's been half a decade since Thai fans have been able to watch their senior men's national team live in action in a FIBA competition - going all the way back to the Pre-Qualifiers of Asia Cup 2022.

Moses Morgan remembers this very well, as that was his FIBA debut. That time, Morgan and Thailand played at Stadium29 in Nonthaburi which housed a smaller - yet still packed - capacity.

"I think it's exciting to be able to play for something like this on the line," said the 1.94M (6'4") forward at that time.

"Being able to represent Thailand and just having the opportunity to help the national team qualify for something like this - I've never been a part of any like this and I'm excited to be a part of it. Hopefully, we can get it done."

In his debut competition, Morgan said "will do everything for Thailand" and he did by averaging 20.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game. Fast forward to five years later here in this first game of the Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers and he's still doing everything he can - which includes scoring a team-high 24 points in the important victory.

It also felt good to play at home once again with a special bonus of doing it in front of family for the 32-year-old.

"It was a nice crowd with a lot of family and friends," Morgan said in the post-game press conference. "My mom was able to make it down as well as my cousin, and I just think that it was good for the country, for the city, just to be able to come in and to see us play. It’s been a while."

What made playing in this much-awaited home game much sweeter, was the fact that it was a win against their long-time tormentors. When Morgan made his FIBA debut in Thailand, Thailand had also played against Indonesia - and suffered in a heartbreaking loss. 

To be able to exact revenge was a full-circle moment for Morgan and another chapter in the rivalry between the two teams. Indonesia have dominated the matchup for most of the part, making this win a big one for Thailand.

"It felt good," said Morgan. "The last time we played a game here was my last FIBA window in Thailand and we played Indonesia. [This time] we had an opportunity and we just took advantage of it."

"Well, we respect Indonesia a lot," added coach Torres. "Very well-coached team, good players. We met in the past [Southeast Asian] games twice so it is a big rivalry."

Thailand vs Indonesia rivalry since 2017

With the win, Thailand are now heading into the next game on a high note, even if it will be a tough away game in Korea. They are confident of the team that they are, which goes a long way into being a team strong enough to qualify for Asia Cup 2025.

"This was a very important game in a huge scenario playing in a FIBA window to make the Asia Cup so it was really important for us to start the group with a win," said Torres. "I think we played pretty well so it’s going to give us confidence for sure."

"We know that we're going to play hard and be physical," said Morgan. "We just wanted to set the tone for the next few games."

"We know who we are as a team and think we showed that."

FIBA