National basketball coach Kevin
Reece guiding the national team
during an earlier training
session. Brunei's Under-21 squad
lost 103-54 against Miri in
their 15th Borneo City Men's
Basketball Invitational
Tournament 2013 opener
yesterday. Picture: BT file
Brunei succumbed to a 103-54 thrashing at the hands of hosts Miri in their 15th Borneo City Men's Basketball Invitational Tournament 2013 opener yesterday.
It was sweet revenge for Miri since they lost back-to-back games to the Sultanate over the past two years in the annual competition.
It was history made back then as Brunei defeated their Sarawak neighbours for the first time en-route to the championship for in 2011, but that was a totally different team.
The Sultanate sent an Under-21 squad accompanied by seniors Muhd Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin and Soon Kian Leong to the July 26-28 tournament.
Ching Wei Ming, Muhd Masduqi Hj Hussin, Samuel Jong, Leong Ming Seng, Yee Xiao Hao, Liew Chee Jean, Han Yei Siew, Mak Chia Wee, Darren Yap and Gideon Fong complete the line-up at the Miri Basketball Association court.
The tournament is being used as a benchmark for the upcoming Borneo Games in Labuan in September, which is an Under-21 competition.
Prior to leaving for Miri, national basketball coach Kevin Reece said he is looking at the big picture and felt that it is the right time to test his new batch of players at the annual tournament.
Reece had previously said that they are not looking at preparing a team that can just compete at the Southeast Asian Games to be hosted by the Sultanate in 2019, but to finish in the mid-table.
The youthful players will have to regroup as they will face defending champions Kota Kinabalu (KK) today at 3pm.
Over in the women's category, the Sultanate fell to a 68-52 defeat at the hands of the hosts yesterday.
They will take on KK today at 6pm.
Brunei are also competing in the veterans' category but the result was not known as of press time.
