Bangkok, Sunday, November 7, 2010 — The Thailand Slammers survived a late 10-0 rally in the fourth quarter by the visiting KL Dragons to triumph 76-74 in Round 6 of the ASEAN Basketball League.

The victory also stopped their two-game losing skid and improved their win-loss record to 4-2, giving them sole possession of second place on the table.

For the Dragons, defeat saw their three-game winning streak come to an end in Bangkok and they are now 3-4.

It was a close game through the first two quarters with both teams tied 38-38 at the half-time break. The Slammers picked it up in the third quarter, going on an 8-0 run and eventually outscoring the Dragons 23-10 in the quarter to take a 61-48 lead into the final 10 minutes.

The Slammers led by as many as 15 points (68-53) in the fourth and with 3:27 to go, were still leading by 10 (74-64). But the Dragons came back with a 10-0 run with Guganeswaran contributing five of those points, including one three-pointer.

Guganeswaran tied it up at 74-74 with 55 seconds to go but the Slammers survived when Jason Dixon made both his free throws after drawing a foul.

New import Devon Sullivan had a game-high 28 points for the Slammers, including 11 rebounds while Nakiea Miller led the Dragons with a double-double of his own with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The Slammers will travel to Brunei to take on the Barracudas (2-4) on Saturday, November 13th, while the Dragons return home to entertain Satria Muda (2-5) on the same day.

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The victory is the third in a row for the Dragons and improved their win-loss record to 3-3. For Satria Muda, it is their fourth consecutive defeat and they remain anchored to the bottom of the table.

Satria Muda again saw good production from their imports, with Francis Adriano leading the Jakarta club with 22 points. Marcus Morrison registered a double-double, scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Satria Muda were again reliant on their starting five of Mario Wuysang (34:14), Antoine Broxsie (37:02), Celedon Camaso (32:36), Morrison (39:42) and Adriano (33:35) to carry the load.

The Dragons on the other hand saw strong contributions from their bench, with Yoong Jing Kwaan registering a surprise team-high 15 points. The dynamic duo of Nakiea Miller and Alex Hartman, who played in the colours of Satria Muda during the first ABL season, returned to their old stomping ground to do damage with 13 and 12 points respectively. Miller and Hartman also had 15 and 10 rebounds.

The Dragons started their season with three straight losses and that convinced their management to go out and hire the services of Miller and Hartman. Since their inclusion, the Dragons have been unbeaten in three games.

The Dragons continue their road trip with a game against the Thailand Slammers (3-2) on Sunday, November 7th. Satria Muda will entertain the Singapore Slingers (3-2) on Saturday, November 6th.

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Alex Hartman led the Dragons with a game-high 24 points and 7 rebounds. (Photo 1 courtesy of ABL)

Kuala Lumpur, Saturday, October 30, 2010 — The KL Dragons thrashed the Brunei Barracudas 87-48 in an ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) game that was called off early in the fourth quarter after the Barracudas were left with only one player on court.

Barracudas’ key imports Chris Commons and Chester Tolomia were not given the go-ahead to play in the game while head coach Bong Ramos was also not allowed to take his place court side.

The Barracudas flew into Kuala Lumpur on Thursday with seven players already suffering the contagious eye infection, according to the Brunei Times.

According to a source who spoke with the Brunei-based team, the Barracudas did the responsible thing and informed their opponents that their players were down with conjunctivitis. The Barracudas requested for a postponement but were turned down by the Dragons, added the source.

However, according to the Kuhan Foo, the chief executive officer of the ABL, “The case was brought up to us by the medical unit of the Dragons who saw the Barracudas players and coach in training wearing dark glasses.”

“I do not believe there was discussion on postponement with the Dragons,” added Kuhan in an email reply to Red Hoops. “The Barracudas had enough players to play (but) unfortunately they arrived in KL with a small squad of 9 players and their two imports were still infected which meant those two could not play. With a small team like Brunei that has no bench strength this is unfortunate.”

The Brunei Times however quoted Barracudas team manager Benny Ang as having put in a request for a postponement.

“We actually requested the ABL to postpone the game but they have their reasons not to. We respect that decision,” Ang was quoted as saying in the Brunei Times.

“We saw the doctor this morning (Saturday) and he said it was fine for them to play as it is not contagious. But ABL didn’t allow them into the stadium. They have their reasons and we respect that,” added Ang.

Kuhan also referred to a similar medical case involving the Singapore Slingers in the first season.

“Singapore Slingers last year also played the Patriots in Manila with an understrength team when some players were down with chicken pox and were quarantined. This is just part and parcel of sports. All teams must be fully prepared for any eventuality. We can’t postpone a game simply because a team turns up at a game with a small squad and has no contingency for reserves,” said Kuhan.

The decision to disallow the two Barracuda players and the head coach was made at a final medical checkup at 5pm on the day of the game, after an initial one at 1pm.

The game eventually went ahead with the Barracudas down to seven players. In the ABL, teams travel with only 10 players. The Barracudas were up against a full 12-man roster and got into foul trouble progressively with six players fouling out eventually.

The game was finally abandoned in the fourth quarter with 7:55 left when Lim Aik Hock fouled out, leaving his team with just one player. FIBA rules state that the game continues unless a team is down to only one remaining player.

This has led to some fans from both teams expressing dissatisfaction that the game was allowed to continue.

Allan Lee, a Dragons fan, said on the ABL Facebook page: “I am not happy about our (Dragons) win today against the Barracudas because they were not complete and them being victims of a bad decision of the ABL.”

Another ABL fan, Anthony Gabriel, felt this was not good for the league’s reputation.

“I’m not a dragons fan nor (sic) a barracudas fan, but the integrity of the entire league is at stake. No one likes this to happened. Even the NBA or PBA won’t allow this some sort of mockery. there must be a RE-PLAY,” he wrote on the ABL Facebook page.

For Kuhan Foo, safety concerns were his priority.

“The Brunei players were cleared to play as healthy individuals BUT some were still infected with conjunctivitis which could also infect other players on the court. This was based on a medical report from the doctor that examined the team. This doctor was picked by the Barracudas themselves. Efforts were made to assist the Brunei team including a check up with an eye specialist at the ABL’s cost which was declined by the Barracudas,” wrote Kuhan on the ABL Facebook page.

“These unfortunate incidences are part and parcel of sports and most definitely nothing to do with any conspiracy theories. I assume the high emotional state of the Brunei team did not allow them to digest the facts that was clearly presented to them. I do not think it would be wise for anyone in any scenario to put other individuals at risk to cause intentional infection,” added Kuhan.

The win allowed the Dragons to improve to a 2-3 win-loss record while the Barracudas drop to 1-4. The Dragons next play the Thailand Slammers (3-2) on Sunday, November 7th while the Barracudas will entertain the Philippine Patriots (5-0) at home on Saturday, November 6th.

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Alex Hartman (right) of the KL Dragons goes up against Ng Hanbin of the Slingers. Hartman finished with a game-high 27 points. (Photo 1 by Peter Lim, courtesy of ABL)

Kuala Lumpur, Saturday, October 23, 2010 — The KL Dragons beat the visiting Singapore Slingers 81-74 to finally notch their first win of the ASEAN Basketball League season after four games.

The two teams met the previous weekend in Singapore and the Slingers had prevailed 74-61 then.

The game was notable for the introduction of American import Nakiea Miller in the colours of the Dragons. Miller played for Satria Muda in the first ABL season together with Alex Hartman and the return of the duo proved the Slingers’ undoing.

Miller’s presence in the paint forced the Slingers to shoot more from the outside and his forceful style of play saw him exchange blows with Slingers’ Marcus Skinner below the basket early in the fourth quarter.

The Slingers struggled early with foul trouble. In the second quarter, they had 10 fouls to the Dragons’ two and captain Kyle Jeffers and Al Vergara saw limited minutes as a result.

Trailing by five at 67-72 with 6:09 left, the Slingers suffered a blow when Jeffers left the game with his fifth personal foul.

Skinner however gave the Slingers a glimmer of hope when his turnaround jumper brought his team to within three points at 74-77 with 2:47 left. However, the Dragons forced another Slingers turnover — one of their 21 in the game — and Miller drew a foul.

Miller converted the pair of free throws, making it a two-possession game. Slingers coach Neo Beng Siang called a timeout but when his team came back on, they found Miller in the way again with his sixth block of the night to ensure a first Dragons victory.

Hartman finished with a game-high 27 points while teammate Miller contributed a double-double, 17-point, 13-rebound performance.

Leonidez Avenido was the Slingers’ best scorer with 22 points while teammate Jeffers contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The KL Dragons are now 1-3 while the Slingers fall to a 2-2 win-loss record. The Slingers have lost both their away games so far, their first loss coming against the Philippine Patriots.

The Dragons will next play the Brunei Barracudas at home on Saturday, October 30th while the Slingers will return to their home court to entertain the Thailand Slammers on Sunday, October 31st.

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Singapore Indoor Stadium, Sunday, October 17, 2010 — The Singapore Slingers beat the visiting KL Dragons 74-61 in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) this afternoon at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The Slingers improved to a 2-1 win-loss record while the Dragons are still without a win three games into the second ABL season.

New Filipino import Leo Avenido was undoubtedly the hero as he repeated his 20-point scoring feat in the opening game against Satria Muda. Avenido had five three-pointers and eight rebounds in the game.

“Again, it’s just lucky that I make big shots! They (my teammates) assist me with those shots so I took it,” chuckled the 31-year-old when asked about his heroics.

However this was no luck according to Slingers coach Neo Beng Siang.

“I told him that if he’s open, he have to feel confident to take the shot because he’s one of our best shooters in the team. Rather than having him dwell on the ball, trying to draw fouls with three defenders on him, he just pushes himself through,” explained Neo.

Avenido was followed on the scoring charts by captain Kyle Jeffers’ 18 points and 12 rebounds. Al Vergara scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds and new American import Marcus Skinner chipped in with 15 points and nine rebounds.

For the locals, it was a game to forget as only Steven Khoo and Desmond Oh were able to chip in with two points each, with the former grabbing one rebound and the latter grabbing five.

Coach Neo was definitely not satisfied with that.

“Their performances are up and down and not consistent. I’m quite tough on that but I have to give them confidence as they are locals. We need to promote them to get better,” he said.

In a game where they never relinquished the lead, the Slingers were always in command as their lead often went beyond 10 points. However the Dragons, led by new import Alexander Hartman, kept reducing the deficit to raise a few eyebrows among the local fans when they closed to within four points at 51-55 early in the fourth quarter.

In the end the Slingers managed to withstand that pressure with a late scoring spree that included five three-pointers to sink their neighbours by a 13-point margin.

Coach Neo was a relieved man after the match.

“Basically starting off, we shared the ball around, but after the first two quarters when we led by 10 to 13 points, we were a bit selfish. (In the second half) We’re suppose to come out hard, but we were a bit sloppy. On turnovers, we were not strong enough and did not value the ball thus giving them a chance to get back. But our defence stopped them and we hung on to the game at least,” he elaborated.

The Dragons have a 2-1 record over the Slingers in last season’s head-to-head encounters but the Slingers were determined to put one in the win column when Leo Avinedo stole the ball from Jason Killeen and assisted Kyle Jeffers to score within 10 seconds of the start.

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Dragons’ Guga looks for a way past Mario Wuysang of Satria Muda. (Photo courtesy of ABL)

Kuala Lumpur, Sunday, October 10, 2010 — The KL Dragons fell to their second consecutive defeat when the visiting Satria Muda beat them 77-68. While the Dragons fall to an 0-2 win-loss record, Satria Muda are 1-1, their sole loss so far coming at the hands of the Singapore Slingers last weekend.

Angelus Santos Raymundo led the Dragons with a double-double, scoring 20 points and pulling down 21 rebounds and teammate Rudy Lingganay chipped in with 17. The Dragons shot 26/77 (34%) from field-goal range and pulled down 42 rebounds to Satria Muda’s 28.

However, they were up against a Satria Muda side with four players scoring in the double-digit range. Marcus Morrison led with 20 points with Francis Adriano (19), Jamal Holden (17) and Celedon Camaso (15) backing him up. Camaso in particular stood out with five three-pointers on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Satria Muda were 9/21 (48%) from three-point range on the night while the Dragons were a dismal 4/28 (14%).

Satria Muda’s Morrison, who showed he was willing to have verbal exchanges and taunts with spectators in the game against the Singapore Slingers last weekend, stayed true to character in Kuala Lumpur as he continued with that same behaviour at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile, the second loss in a row is worrying the Dragons coaching staff.

“We may also be looking to make some player changes if our losses keep mounting,” said Dragons head coach Goh Cheng Huat.

The Dragons make the short trip across the Causeway to Singapore to play the Slingers on Saturday, October 17th while Satria Muda return to Jakarta to entertain the Thailand Slammers on the same day.

Chris Kuete drives for two for the Slammers against the Dragons. Kuete was instrumental in driving the new franchise to a victory over his former team. (Photo 1 courtesy of ABL)

Bangkok, Saturday, October 2, 2010 — With the merry-go-round seen in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) off season, it was inevitable that an ex-player would come back to haunt a team. That first honour went to Chris Kuete on opening day when he powered his new team Thailand Slammers to a 79-74 win over his former team, the KL Dragons.

Kuete scored 31 points, including nine crucial points in overtime.

The Slammers went on an early 16–6 run before they went scoreless for almost four minutes in the face of a solid Dragons defense. The Dragons then went on a 10-2 run to ensure that they finished the first quarter trailing only by two (16-18).

Kuete came alive in the second quarter with eight consecutive points for the Slammers with the Dragons suffering from turnovers and poor offensive execution. Kuete scored 12 of 18 Slammers points for a 10-point (36-26) lead at the half.

Returning Dragons’ Filipino import Rudy Lingganay sparked his team with a four-point and one-assist effort to reduce the deficit to four (32-36) at the start of the third period. Rudy would go on to score eight points in the quarter and together with another eight by new Irish import Thomas Conor, they both combined for 16 of 22 points in the third.

Some controversial no-calls for the Dragons allowed the Slammers to enter the final quarter with a 56-48 lead.

Rudy kept the Dragons in the game, scoring consecutive points to tie the game at 65-65 with 2:30 left before it finished 67-all at the end of regulation time.

After getting shut down in the second half, Kuete came alive again in overtime, scoring all nine points for the Slammers, including one three-pointer. With just under one minute left, it was a two-possession game with the Slammers leading by 76–72. The Dragons failed to secure the crucial rebound and Jason Dixon sealed the game 79–74 for the Slammers with free throws.

Slammers’ American import Jason Dixon, who won the Best Import in his first season with the Philippine Patriots, scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and also blocked four shots.

Rudy stood out for the Dragons with 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting with Conor scoring 14 points and grabbing six rebounds.

Ed’s note: There are no box scores available for this game because the organisers had technical difficulties.

Monday, September 7, 2010 — Alex Hartman will not suit up for the KL Dragons for the upcoming ASEAN Basketball League season despite playing for the Malaysian team in their recent domestic season. Hartman turned out for Satria Muda BritAma of Indonesia in the first ABL season.

“It was my intention to come to Malaysia for the domestic NBL season for the sole purpose to show the Dragons that I could play in their teams system with their players and bring a championship,” Hartman told Red Hoops a few weeks ago.

“I told the coach right when I arrived that I would help KL bring a championship I would help his local players and I would give it my all every game and that’s what I did. And I was rewarded with MVP honors. I felt like if I did my job they would ask me back for the ABL season. It was my goal the whole time. I believe we have unfinished business and I hope the team would see that and bring me back. But they didn’t sign me back officially yet,” added Hartman.

As of last Friday, September 24th, Hartman was still not signed to a contract. Since then, the KL Dragons official website has since listed Irishman Thomas Grace Conor as their second international signing after Jason Killeen.

Hartman listed some of the positives of playing with the Dragons.

“Some of the attractions are playing with a team I just won a championship. I understand what the coaches and players want. We worked hard. The management was good. I mean, any player wants to return to a team where you were winners. I liked the city. I was very comfortable,” said Hartman.

As for Satria Muda, his former team, there was no chance of a happy return for a second season with the Jakarta-based club.

“Well, Satria Muda never asked me back. It was disappointing cause I had won a championship in Indonesia and finished second in the ABL season and led the league in points. I felt I did everything I could. But there are no hard feelings. I love Indonesia and will always have a place for Satria Muda and its fans in my heart,” said Hartman.

During the ABL off-season, Hartman played for the Vancouver Volcanoes in the International Basketball League from April to July. Hartman played 20 games, averaged 27.5 minutes and 12.6 points. As for the ABL, Hartman was positive about the experience.

“The first ABL season was good. I thought that it was professional, competitive, with a lot of good players, both domestic and imported, and I felt the fans grew with the season,” said Hartman.

Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday, September 7, 2010 — The KL Dragons have announced that Guganeswaran Batumalai and Loh Shee Fai will return for the second season of the ASEAN Basketball League, according to their Facebook page.

Guga, as he is known to fans, put together some impressive statistics from his first season. He was ranked third in the league for steals with 1.6 per game and came in fourth-highest for assists (3.1 per game).

Guga was also sixth-best in the league for free throws, going 0.833 from the charity stripe.

Shee Fai stood out with his 3-point shooting, going 0.429 (18-of-42) during the regular season, just behind leader Al Vergara (0.435) of the Singapore Slingers.

The Dragons recently won their domestic national championship in Malaysia. They amassed a 10-2 win-loss record on their way to the title.

With the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) finals days away, Red Hoops reader Jonathan Chuongco gives his review of those who have stood out for him during the regular ABL season.

Best Player of the Regular Season: Nakiea Miller

Brought in to replace the ineffective Theophilus Little, Satria Muda have chosen the right guy. Not only can Miller score, but he can crash the boards as well, averaging a monstrous 20.7 points a game and 16.4 boards. Where Miller goes, Satria Muda go as well.

Most surprising win of the Regular Season: Thailand Tigers at Singapore Slingers (Dec 7)

The win was surprising because the Slingers were leading the ABL standings at the time, while the Tigers were anchored at the bottom. The Slingers actually held the lead at the end of the first quarter but things turned around during the second and the Tigers never looked back, getting the most surprising win of the ABL season.

Best Comeback of the Regular Season: KL Dragons

Hats off to the KL Dragons for not giving up and winning three straight crucial games against the Philippine Patriots, Singapore Slingers and Satria Muda BritAma, the top three teams in the ABL. Because of that, lady luck rewarded the Dragons, and they took the final playoff spot at the expense of the Brunei Barracudas.

Best Defensive Team of the Regular Season: Philippine Patriots

The Patriots held their opponents to 68.2 PPG (points per game) and held opponents to 37.6% shooting and 28.7% 3-point shooting to rank 1st, 1st and 2nd respectively in the three categories. It is a no-brainer that the best defensive team award should be given to the Patriots for it is a big reason why they led the ABL in the regular season.

Best Offensive Team/s of the Regular Season: Singapore Slingers and Brunei Barracudas

These two teams are very efficient at scoring. The Brunei Barracudas led the league in terms of scoring production with 78.9 PPG compared to the 75.5 PPG of the Slingers, but the Slingers shot slightly better than the ‘Cudas with 43.5% to 42.4%.

Only these two teams shot better than 40% for the season, and since their offensive production are very similar, both teams deserve to be given the best offensive team awards.

Best Crowd Support: KL Dragons fans

They were rowdy, loud and proud and filled the MABA Stadium when the Dragons played. No questions asked, the Dragons fans are the best in the ABL right now in terms of supporting the home team.

Editor’s Note: Have an entirely different opinion? If you would also like to share your review with the other Red Hoops readers, send your story to jan@redhoops.com