Attaporn Lertmalaiporn of the Thailand Tigers was named the winner of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) regular season award at the awards night held earlier this year in March 2010.

“Winning the award made me very happy for Thailand and the Tigers,” Attaporn told Red Hoops. “I never thought I would win it. It will help the Thai players in general to show you can make it.”

For the best import award, which was won by Jason Dixon of the Philippine Patriots, the ASEAN players who were brought in as imports in any of the six teams were also in the running. As for the regular season MVP award given to Attaporn, the award was only restricted to locals. Attaporn finished 11th in the league for points per game (14.9) to lead all local players.

The award winners were chosen by a panel made up of ABL technical director Agus A. Mauro and ABL CEO Kuhan Foo.

“The criteria are based on an MVP points format from FIBA that calculates from points, rebounds, assists, etc, that accumulate from all the games the players played,” an ABL spokesperson told Red Hoops.

“He’s very special. He plays maybe a little odd. But that’s what people like,” said Thailand Tigers owner Wim Reijnen at the awards dinner in Kuala Lumpur in early March. “Now of course his stats are also very good. He is a national team player in Thailand but up until October, he was not a professional player. He had some challenges in the beginning, when it was difficult for him, and then we figured it out with him, and I think he did very well. He scored 230 plus points. His free throws were great, 71%, which is high, I would say. And that’s not three or four free throws. I think he had a 100 or so. That’s very good.

Attaporn, who picked up basketball when he was 13, is currently doing a master degree in physical education at Srinakarin Thalawirot Pasanmit University and is in his final year on a full scholarship. Before suiting up for the Tigers, Attaporn played for the Bangkok Bank club and Hi Tech Apparel. He still plays for Hi Tech Apparel when he is not with the Tigers. He also turns out for his university team.

Reijnen said that Attaporn’s award comes from a lot of hard work.

“I’m very happy for him. Extremely happy for him also because of his background which is not the easiest and so he had to work doubly hard to get to this. And now the first season, being a pro, being an MVP of the ABL. His personal background is not easy. He’s not from a middle class or wealthy family and so it’s extra difficult. So he had to work hard to get to university and that’s why he’s not here tonight because he had to play in a university tournament,” said Reijnen.

Reijnen was also confident that Attaporn would return for the second season.

“Absolutely. He’s already said so. 110% that he’s coming back for sure. He actually feels the same way that he adds something to it. I think he’s also a good role model and kids love him. The only unfortunate thing is that he doesn’t speak English. But that’s ok. It’s fine. You don’t need to. Sports is the language and you don’t really need to speak English for what he does. It would be handy, maybe sometimes. He understands but didn’t get enough practise,” said Reijnen.

The award for Attaporn was a highlight of an otherwise forgettable first season in the ABL. The Tigers finished with a 3-12 win-loss record although the team lost seven of those games by six points or less.

A short pre-season was a key reason, said Reijnen.

“We were only able to start the preparations for the season a few weeks before the season. Had a new pro sport, with a brand new team in a new league. Our imports did not do the trick, especially the Filipinos were way under qualified regarding what we needed,” said Reijnen. “Ike was ok regarding rebounds, but lost it regarding free throws at 29%. Chaz also made some great points, but was not consistent enough and also low on free throws (35%). Happy that Nop (Attaporn), Boy (Piyapong Piroon) and J.O. (Ratdech Kruatiwa) helped us to win some games, with Nop and J.O. being nominated for the MVP regular season and Nop winning the MVP award.”

The regular schedule also did not seem to do the Tigers any favours. The squad played eight away games in a 15-game regular season, with four of those in a stretch from November 28th to December 13th, 2009.

“Scheduling was not really in our favour, or any of the new teams (who all played 7 at home and 8 away). Playing 4 games away, followed by 4 at home (including a bye in the middle) did not help either. But it is hard to schedule with all the venues, and on such a short notice. Think this will be better in the next season,” siad Reijnen.

The team also was not helped by a change in head coach nearing the end of the season. Their American coach, Chuck Davission, a former scout with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, left the Tigers after the game against the Singapore Slingers on December 18th, 2010.

“Davisson breached his agreement, furthermore he did not have the international experience we were looking for, and did not adept to the Asian style of coaching a team,” said Reijnen.

The Tigers have also been rocked by online grumblings about players allegedly not getting their salaries. Reijnen declined to comment on this matter for this story, citing confidentiality issues.

Attaporn’s MVP win is certainly one of the few bright sparks in a losing season dogged by player unrest for the Tigers.

Attaporn Stats
- Most points in a game by a local player (23, Oct 18 2009 v Satria Muda)
- Most 20-point games by a local player (5)
- Tied for third place in the league for most 20-point games
- Most games with double-digit points by a local player (12)
- Finished 11th in the league for points per game (14.9), led all local players
- Finished 8th in the league for total points scored (223), led all local players
- Finished tied-11th in the league for field goals made (74), led all local players
- Most field goals made in a game by a local player (9, Oct 18 2009 v Satria Muda)
- Finished 12th in the league for field goals attempted (168), led all local players
- Most field goals attempted in a game by a local player (21, Oct 18 2009 v Satria Muda)
- Finished tied-1st in the league for free throws made (70), led all local players
- Most free throws made in a game by a local player (10, Dec 13 2009 v Dragons)
- Finished tied-3rd in the league for free throws attempted (98), led all local players
- Most free throws attempted in a game by a local player (11, twice)
- 1 of only 4 players in the league to make at least 44% of their field goals and 70% of their free throws
- 1 of only 2 players to shoot 100% from the free throw line in a game with at least 10 attempts (10/10, Dec 13 2009 v Dragons)
- Finished 2nd among local players in total minutes played (402)
- Finished 3rd among local players in minutes per game (26.8)

Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday, March 9, 2010 – American Jason Dixon of the Philippines Patriots walked away with the Best ABL Import award at the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) end-of-season dinner last night in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Philippine Patriots also received their championship rings on the night, their reward for sweeping Jakarta-based Satria Muda BritAma 3-0 in the best-of-five finals last month. It was a night of celebration for team owners, sponsors and the organisers of the inaugural league that tipped off in October 2009.

The 6′ 9″ (206cm) big man though, was modest about his award.

“To be honest with you, I personally don’t feel I deserve it,” said Dixon to Red Hoops after the dinner at the Garden Hotel in Mid Valley City. “I personally feel there are various other guys who outperformed me, Gabe Freeman being number one. Nakiea Miller is a guy that you have to give him his credit.

“When you come in number one scorer, number one rebounder, numbers talk. I’m just a guy, I fit in well with my team, I make my team play better. [But] I accept the award, thank you.”

Dixon finished the season with 228 points over 15 games for a 15.2 points-per-game average. Miller, who was brought in after the season started to replace Theo Little in the Satria Muda squad, played 10 games, scoring 207 points for a 20.7 points-per-game average.

For Dixon, who just turned 37 in February, the experience with the Patriots in a new league has been a good one so far.

“With it being a new league, I think every moment is going to be a highlight. I think there’s a lot that they have to learn, but they’ve set their bar so high. It was actually a joy to play for them (Patriots),” said Dixon.

Dixon, a much-travelled professional basketballer who has played in the Philippines, China, Turkey, Cyprus and Europe, was impressed by how the league was run.

“As far as off the court, I have no complaints. We stayed in good hotels. We travelled as well as we could. It was a good league. I was actually surprised at how the league was run,” said Dixon.

“Yes, I have seen [some leagues in my time]. I’ve stayed at some terrible hotels in the leagues that have been established. I’ve seen them treat players like they’re dirt. The ASEAN league has treated the players like they are professionals and that’s a good reputation to have,” Dixon added.

The native of Colorado, USA, is certainly looking forward to resuming his position as centre on the Patriots roster for the upcoming season.

“I am looking forward to seeing how many championships we can win. The thing is when they add more teams, you add more competition. I’m sure the salary cap is going to increase as well. We’ll see what happens,” Dixon said.

Attaporn Lertmalaiporn of the Thailand Tigers won the ABL League MVP award while Patriot Warren Ybanez pipped teammates Robert Wainwright and Jerwin Gaco for the ABL Finals MVP recognition.

Jason Dixon Career Highlights

Guangdong Southern Tigers, Chinese Basketball Association (1998−2001,2002-2009)
- Dixon achieved team-highs of 3908 rebounds, 349 blocks and 498 dunks
- Dixon’s number 15 jersey was retired by the team

Coca-Cola Tigers, Philippine Basketball Association (2008 – Fiesta Conference)

Previous Clubs

1997 – Hapoel Galil Elion, Israel Premier League
1997 – Portland Wave, USBL
1998 – New Jersey Shorecats
1998 – Karsiyaka Izmir Turkiye, Turkey Basketball League
1999 to 2000 – Guangdong Southern Tigers, Chinese Basketball League
2001 – Sodertalje Kings, Sverige Basketligan
2001 – Guangdong Southern Tigers, CBA
2001 – Trotamundos de Carabobo, Venezuela LPB
2001 – Keravnos Keo Nicosia, Cyprus A1
2002 – Huntsville Flight, D-League
2002 – Keravnos Keo Nicosia, Cyprus A1
2003 to 2009 – Guangdong Southern Tigers, CBA

source: www.basketpedya.com

Frank Arsego took the Singapore Slingers to a 10-5 win-loss record and second place during the regular season of the ASEAN Basketball League. The Slingers eventually bowed out of the semi-final playoffs after going down 1-2 to Satria Muda BritAma in a best-of-three series.

Arsego resigned his position as head coach of the Slingers to return to Australia to be with his family. Before he left, he gave this exclusive interview to Red Hoops.

Les Tan, redhoops.com: What’s your take on the basketball scene in Singapore?
Frank Arsego: The word I would use to describe the basketball industry in Singapore would be potential. I do see tremendous opportunity and potential for basketball in Singapore, especially for the men’s side. They now have a fully professional team which young guys have something to aspire to within the region and the opportunity to represent Singapore.

There are also a lot of good foundational building blocks in place. Singapore has an established association, a good school system and basketball is one of the number one played sports in the schools. They also have a national team program as well as junior programs (U-15 and U-17 national teams). All these blocks mean … certain pathways for players to develop themselves and move into a professional environment.

But there needs to be someone to work with the athletes in an elite environment, bringing the athletes together with more coaching expertise. Also, to educate them in the skills required to be a professional athlete. If they (Singapore Basketball) can do that with the younger guys, before some of the little things like deciding their education paths and National Service in the later years, it would be great for basketball.

These programs have to be for the 13-18-year-olds. These ages are the most crucial for the athlete as these are the years that most greatly influence and develop the athlete. There might also be athletes of this age group that can go further up the learning scale because of their mentality and passion for the sport. It is for these athletes that there should be an elite training environment.

For the younger ones like those under 13, you want them to enjoy the sports and have fun. At the same time, it also needs to be educational where they are learning the basic fundamental steps to playing basketball in a fun environment. Then as they grow older, there is a more serious look at the development of the fundamentals in a more competitive environment.

The biggest thing would be to maximize the potential and this would be done by working with coaches to send the right messages to athletes to develop their fundamental skills and the whole package of the game.

Les Tan, redhoops.com: What are some of the highlights for you working with the Slingers?
Arsego: A personal highlight for me would be the opportunity to put together the first ABL team for Singapore.

Another, of course, was finishing second in the regular season with our 10-5 win-loss record. That was a very special highlight because it is an indication and a tremendous reward for the five and half months of work.

There were many smaller individual highlights during certain games and with players stepping up and delivering.

But the main highlight would be taking this group to another place of high standing within the region. Some say that the Slingers got where they are now because they have imports, but the reality is, every other team have imports as well. It was a very even playing field in my eyes and we move through all that with the resources that we have.

We climbed from where people think we might be, maybe fifth or sixth, to being one game from being the top team in the competition. So that, to me, was one very special highlight.

The final one would be having a group of guys, getting a product out of them and getting our basketball community in Singapore excited. The highlight would be creating a greater interest that might not have been there in the past and getting our name out there.

Last night I went to a function at Swissotel and the doorman grabbed me as I was getting out of the cab and said, “Slingers! I had a great time this season and I love the games! I can’t wait for next season!”

When you meet people like that, you feel that you have made a connection through sports. A coach wants to be successful and win championships but if a coach doesn’t make a connection with your fans, he is not really doing his job.

Another would be getting Singapore fans to learn how to be involved and learn from the other fans that come into the stadium. As we were fighting on the court, the fans were doing the same thing in the stands! Not in a physical manner, but you know what I mean!

Les Tan, redhoops.com: Did it cross your mind to bring your family over to Singapore?
Arsego: We have a unique family dynamics. I am really outgoing, love travelling and meeting new people. At home, we have my wife – who is the most beautiful girl in the world – who enjoys her job and love the people she is around. While I have my coaching career, she has her own career in human resources – and she is very good at what she does. So for her to come over would be a major decision. Then my son is entering college so his school environment is very important to us.

For us, it wouldn’t be a pack-your-bags-and-leave decision. There are a lot of things to consider.

Les Tan, redhoops.com: Why did Hong Wei Jian get the Slingers’ Most Improved Player* award?
Arsego: At the start of the season, he was part of our starting five. Midway through the season, we wanted to give other players an opportunity to show their mental toughest or skills and some did have their moments. But eventually, Wei Jian became the most consistent.

He had the ability to come in and make something happened – whether it was good all the time is debatable, but he always came in with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence. Generally, I would say, good things happened when he came on. From that point of view of being able to play at a consistent level, he showed me that he was developing himself into a player that could be relied on.

Wei Jian has an inner confidence – something inside him that sets him apart from the other boys. If that was to come out and spread throughout the group, that would help the group further along. His improvement was also able to be shown during the ABL competition and that made him a worthy candidate.

Les Tan, redhoops.com: How about Marcus Ng? Why did he deserve the Best Defensive Player* award?
Arsego: He was a guy that was regularly expected to match up with one of the imports from the other team. I think his competitive nature and his defensive fundamentals warrant him as our best defensive player.

People think that imports that are brought in are expected to have 20 points every game, but Marcus brought another dimension to the group that helped us immensely. Going to every game knowing that you have to defend the best player – it requires a mental toughness and characteristic about you.

There’s no question that throughout the season if Marcus had not done certain things, games would not have went the ways we wanted to.

Les Tan, redhoops.com: How about Jeffers? An automatic choice for Most Valuable Player*?
Arsego: When people think MVP, they automatically go to the stats, the numbers, and what happen on the court. But with Kyle, he could give us the numbers consistently, and also contributed to the team in other ways. He would only be second to Jason Dixon in relation to what Jason did for the Patriots. It was about where the team went with having him as our center.

There was a lot that Kyle did behind the scene that was really important for the club. Most importantly, it was what he did on the court but not only that, his work ethics, being role model for the local boys and an ambassador for the Slingers to the schools and community, made him a really worthy choice.

Les Tan, redhoops.com: What are the Slingers doing for youth development?
Arsego: I think there are some preliminary plans in the works, but I am not too sure about that. If someone gave me six youth players as part of Slingers’ academy, I would definitely spend time with them. In a roundabout way, I sort of did.

With the Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS), I spend time with the U-17 boys and some lads that might be playing in the YOG (Youth Olympic Games) and realistically, they are potentially future Slingers. So it wasn’t exactly a Slingers academy, but just spending some time with the boys which could move into something more structural – something where time is set aside for professional coaches giving guidance or whatever is need. I like to think something like this is being done behind the scene and maybe during the off season.

Les Tan, redhoops.com: How would you compare Singapore with other ASEAN countries?
Arsego: Everyone who is in sports knows that it is a work in progress in Singapore. Form a cultural perspective, sport is not a high priority. It is there, as a means for people to have recreational activity, but the actually ability to drive athletes to an elite level and take them forward is only just starting to come around. The Singapore Sports Council and people that work at that level of the sport are keen to introduce sports as part of the culture.

It just needs to find some great souls that want to make a commitment to sports. Having a structure like the ABL definitely helps.

Although there are full-time jobs for coaches, but it is just a job. What they need to do is to ask, “Can I take a person that is in this school and move him through to the possible pathway of the national U-17 and then the national team and then the Slingers? Can I do that? Do I have the time, the knowledge, the skills to move certain players to that level? Or is my agenda just to be successful for a year then find other good players for the school?”

I don’t blame coaches if they think like that, but if you want athletes to be prepared to play professionally, it has to be more than that. Whether it be through the BAS creating training centres, or the Singapore Sports Council creating an institute where basketball is a chosen sport where an athlete can study the sport full time – whichever would be fantastic.

I am a bit disappointed that basketball isn’t one of the sports in the Singapore Sports School because there are boys that can really benefit from that kind of environment. © Red Sports

*The awards are awards given out by the Slingers management. They are not ABL awards.

Patriots coach Louie Alas. (Photo © Koh Yizhe/Red Sports)

The imperious Philippine Patriots swept Satria Muda BritAma 3-0 in the recently concluded ASEAN Basketball League best-of-five finals.

As the team winds down after a six-month campaign, what would you like to know about the Patriots?

Red Hoops will be getting in touch with coach Louie Alas for his thoughts on his campaign and would like you to jump in with your questions for him.

Just drop your question in the comments section and we’ll make sure it’s part of our set of questions for the winning coach.

Thanks.

Friday, February 19, 2010 – The Singapore Slingers head coach Frank Arsego has decided not to return for the second season of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) later this year.

Coach Arsego led the Slingers to a 10-5 win-loss record during the regular season before bowing out with his team 1-2 in the playoffs against Satria Muda BritAma.

Having been in Singapore since 2008, going home to family in Australia is now his main priority.

“The reason for heading back to Australia is family,” Arsego told Red Hoops. “I’ve been here for two years and my family stayed home in Australia. I need to get back to connect with the family. I want to spend more time with my son and not miss out too much.”

Coach Arsego took the Slinger players aside last night to break the news to them personally.

“It’s not an easy thing to give up what you’ve started and have had some success with. The two things I’m proud of is that I’ve left a good team and helped to create a lot more interest in Singapore for basketball.”

Slinger general manager Michael Johnson understood where Arsego was coming from.

“I would have liked for him to have stayed 12-18 months but it’s a family decision. It’s not one of those situation where we had a bad season and the coach has to go. We had a great season!” said Johnson.

Johnson added that Arsego told him of the decision after the playoffs and that the Slingers will decide on a new head coach closer to the start of the second ABL season.

For assistant coach Neo Beng Siang, the experience of working alongside Arsego had been a good one.

“I’m pretty happy working with him because he’s a nice coach who has taught me a lot of stuff, sharing with me his 35 years of coaching experience, giving me articles from coaching clinics he’s attended to read,” said Neo.

“The players and I were sad to hear that he was going because we expected him to be staying another one or two years because we had a good season where everybody jelled together,” added Neo.

“I felt quite sad when I was told about the news, as I have been working with him since the last season when I am still a development player,” said local Slinger Steven Khoo. “I learnt a lot of basketball skills and also life skills from him. He is always a very nice coach and friend to me. He is always the first person I would approach and talk to when I am in doubts.

“But this is part and parcel of life, people come and go, so I wish him all the best,” added Khoo.

“I enjoyed the time working in this program with him,” said Wong Wei Long. “He has had an impact on my basketball career. It is our loss that we could not keep him as our coach for the next ABL season.”

In other team news, Slinger Kyle Jeffers will play for his old club Langen of Germany in the ABL off-season and he expressed a strong desire to return for a second season with the Slingers.

Jeffers was named Most Valuable Player by the Slinger management while Hong Weijian got the Most Improved Player.

Marcus Ng, who got the Best Defensive Player accolade, will be returning to Australia to resume his medical studies while Michael LeBlanc and Al Vergara have no definite plans at the moment.

The local Slinger boys will in the meantime spend the off-season conducting basketball clinics for Singapore schools before resuming training some time later.

Since the first ASEAN Basketball League season is two-thirds of the way through and rosters are now settled, who do you think would make a dream starting five?

Let’s have fun with a reader-nominated and reader-driven poll, shall we?

If you think there are still players who deserve to be in the poll, let us know in the comments section.

Each reader will have 12 votes and you have to use your votes all at one go.

The player who has the most votes for that position (PG, SG, SF, PF, C) will be in the starting five while the player with the second highest number of votes for that position will make the Red Hoops all-star team.

Nakiea Miller and Alexander Hartman provided the one-two punch which deflated the Slingers from tip-off, while their local teammates stepped up in the absence of starter Christian Sitepu who is sidelined for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Miller bossed the Slingers on both ends of the court and finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds and an ABL record nine blocks, while the flamboyant Hartman added 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

The dynamic duo themselves out-scored the Slingers till the fourth quarter of the game, which by then had become a mere formality as the home team led 56-35.

Michael LeBlanc led the Slingers with 14 points, but Al Vergara was the only other Slinger in double digits with 10, as the team shot an ABL-record low 24% field goal percentage. Their 15 field goals were the lowest in the league as well.

A pumped-up Satria Muda team came out with greater aggression, and maintained it the entire game as the Slingers were porous in defence and toothless in attack. The home team led by 10 after the first quarter, 17 at the half, and extended it to as many as 34 late in the final period, as both coaches emptied their benches to end the game.

It was arguably the Slingers’ worst display of the season so far. They were outrebounded by 13 and out-scored 44-14 in the paint by their rampant opponents, whose local players contributed 35 points, led by Welyanson Situmorang’s 12 points on 5 for 5 shooting.

The deciding game is now scheduled for Singapore on February 7th, 2010, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Quarter-by-Quarter Scores
Satria Muda v Slingers
1st Q: 24-14
2nd Q: 14-7
3rd Q: 18-14
4th Q: 18-10

Full game story and box scores:
Fired up Miller shuts down Jeffers to ensure Satria Muda win

Maba Stadium, Wednesday, February 3, 2010 – The KL Dragons redeemed themselves with a battling performance in front of their own fans but they finally went down 65-70 in the end to the visiting Philippines Patriots.

The Patriots advance to the finals of the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) after winning the best-of-three series 2-0.

Patriots center Jason Dixon was simply unstoppable especially at crunch time, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds to spearhead his side into the finals. His import counterpart Gabe Freeman had a poor shooting night by his lofty standards but still finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, proving his all-around worth to this formidable Patriots squad.

The Dragons were clearly a different team from the one that was embarrassed by the Patriots just three days earlier and came out intent on proving the critics that they did indeed belong in the playoffs.

In particular, their import Chris Kuete, who had been a no-show in game one came out a different player, scoring 10 points en route to helping his side to a 40-32 lead at half-time.

Kuete, who was much maligned in the first game, earned a mark of redemption with a handy double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds but more importantly played some solid defense on Freeman to limit the American’s effectiveness.

He was helped by local boy Loh Shee Fai who has used the ABL to great effect to establish himself as a legitimate 3-point shooter, finishing with 12 points as the Dragons’ third highest scorer on the night.

In fact the half-time deficit could have been a lot grimmer for the Patriots at the interval had they not gone on a slight mini-revival late in the half hitting three consecutive 3-pointers from Wainwright, Alcaraz and Ybanez to make the deficit a manageable one.

The Patriots were a different side in the third quarter as they tightened down on the defensive end with Jerwin Gaco providing a spark on both ends and playing with his usual brand of gritty, hard-nosed interior defending, earning a chorus of boos from the partisan home crowd.

Gaco’s six points in the third quarter helped his side narrow their deficit heading into the fourth quarter, at which point his teammates took over, opening the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into a five-point lead.

The Dragons fought back hard to tie the game at 63-63 but then Dixon simply took over with his vast array of inside moves, scoring his team’s final seven points, in the process fouling out his opposing center Jamal Brown and carrying his team past the finish line.

The Dragons can hold their head up high with this spirited performance and giving the favourites everything they could handle. After an improbable late season run that carried them into the playoffs, their season has now come to an end.

As for the Patriots, they now head back to the Philippines and await the winner of the Slingers-Satria Muda series which is locked at 1-1 and will see a third and deciding game on Sunday, February 7th, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Quarter-by-Quarter Scores
Dragons v Patriots
1st Q: 22-13
2nd Q: 18-19
3rd Q: 15-18
4th Q: 10-20

KL Dragons Game Box Score

Philippine Patriots Game Box Score

Miller (in blue) had a torrid time in Singapore with some of the Slinger fans and walked straight off to the changing room at the final buzzer to cool off. (Photo 4 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)

In the first semi-final playoff game between the Singapore Slingers and the visiting Satria Muda BritAma, a fan’s court-side taunt has led to Satria Muda’s centre Nakiea Miller exploding online in frustration.

After drawing a foul, a fan sitting right at court side taunted Miller with words like “boo hoo” and “don’t cry”. Miller reacted, saying “I’m going to get you after the game,” which led to the reply, “Come find me at Geylang with all the chicks,” triggering laughter from some fans.

Parts of Geylang are known to Singapore locals as a red light area.

Miller eventually fouled out of the game and his team went down to a 68-87 defeat.

The American import then posted the following on the ABL facebook page on February 1st:

“There are some people that just come to the game and enjoy the game. Than there’s fans like what happen in Detriot and Indiana few years back. Some Slingers fans that i did nothin wrong too just yelling at me like the lost they mind, but i cant respond, that aint me. respect me and i respect u. You guys telling ur si…des making sound like im some bad person! It take 2 to argue and im (sic) on the court u pay to watch a show and thats what i do!!! Everyone can holla at me on twitter @kiablood43!!!” (sic)

Miller’s teammate, Alex Hartman, also weighed in on the page and wrote about Slinger fans:

“…your fans are great, load and very roudy group, thats great. They also are rude with the worst mouths in the league. No other fans yell profanities or attack players as you guys. Once again I dont mind… but an Indonesian crowd has never stouped that low. And we have the best fans.” (sic)

The Slingers are flying into Jakarta this afternoon and the stage is now set for what could be an explosive game on Wednesday night, February 3rd, in Game 2 of the semi-final playoffs.

Satria Muda need to win to take the series into the a third game. If they win, the final game will be back in Singapore on Sunday, February 7th.

Ynares Sports Arena, Manila, Sunday, January 31, 2010 – The top-seeded Philippine Patriots destroyed the KL Dragons 77-43 with some suffocating defense for their first win of the best-of-three semi-final playoff in the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).

The Dragons had beaten the Patriots earlier this month in Kuala Lumpur and if the Malaysian side had any thoughts of repeating that upset, such thoughts were very quickly erased as the Patriots stormed out of the gates and raced away to a double-digit lead within a few minutes of tip-off.

It was a stroll in the park for the Patriots and coach Louie Alas even had the luxury of resting American imports Jason Dixon and Gabriel Freeman for the majority of the fourth quarter.

The late addition of Freeman into their lineup for the last two games of the regular season has transformed the Patriots and he again stepped up with a third consecutive double-double, shooting 15 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

From the very outset, the Patriots controlled the tempo of the game and the only thing keeping the Dragons in the game was the poor 3-point shooting of the home team in the first half.

Exclusively utilizing a zone defence, the Dragons were content to allow their opponents to bomb away from outside and had the Patriots been more clinical from beyond the arc, their halftime lead would have been more impressive than the 30-16 scoreline suggested.

At the other end though, the Dragons simply had no answer for the tough defense being played by their hosts and their meager halftime output of 16 points was a statement of intent for the stifling man-to-man defense that has become a trademark of Alas’ teams in the Philippines.

There was no let-up for the Patriots in the second half as they came out firing on all cylinders with Dixon capitalizing on a bizarre decision by KL coach Goh Cheng Huat to rest both his imports for the entire second half.

Without Jamal Brown in the center, Dixon wreaked havoc on the feeble interior defense of the Dragons, scoring nine points in five minutes of play and increasing the lead to 23 points for his side.

Dixon would eventually finish with 13 points and 10 rebounds, joining his compatriot Freeman in the double-double category and by the time the bench was cleared for them, the match was well and truly dusted with thoughts now turning to game 2 of the series.

A measure of this Patriots side has always been their strength in depth and it was apparent again in this game as the Patriots received balanced scoring from their bench, headed by Val Acuna with 12 points while the Dragons received little support from theirs.

Both teams will have their adjustments to make but judging by the ease with which the Patriots were able to win, it is the Dragons that have their work cut out for them and coach Goh will have three days to figure out not only a way to stop the balanced Patriots attack but also where side’s offense will come from.

The Dragons got virtually nothing from their top trio of Chris Kuete, Jamal Brown and Rudy Lingganay. Lingganay did reach double digits with 10 points to top-score for his side but his points came very late on with the outcome of the match a mere formality at that point. For Kuete and Brown, it was a tough night as they scored four and seven points respectively, a tribute to the defense being played on them by the Patriots duo of Freeman and Dixon.

Game 2 will now be played in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday night with the Dragons hoping for home comfort while the Patriots will look to close the series out.

Philippine Patriots Game Box Score

KL Dragons Game Box Score