We know what they have achieved in the latest NCBL season. It is a hard fought back to back championship titles for the U18 and Division 4 categories.
It was a tough fight. They are tired from the previous Semi-finals run as well. It was only a week away to the championships, physically battered but their resolved are unshaken.
This is a story about a new team going into the NCBL with only one objective in mind – to dominate. However, before getting the championship this is not a team without its up and downs. They lost to Go Strong Rookies in the Division 4 group stages and then to Bayang Gelap Mob as well.
In the U18 category, they fell to SAS as well. Like we said, it is not rainbow and butterflies for the boys in blue.
However, what’s next for PUBA? They will be gladly in taking the promotion to Division 3. And here is Double Champion, Head Coach of Putrajaya Basketball Association, Alex Kwan had to say:
SCOREPEON: Hello, Alex. Congratulations on your back to back win. It is no small feat trying to play games that are back to back. Is the team satisfied with their current positions as champions?
Alex: Thank you, for now, we are happy that we managed to secure two championships at one go. All of my players are dead tired but we manage to push it through.
We are satisfied with our current standings. But in the end of the day, we will try to benchmark ourselves on the U15 and U17 National Championships from MABA.
SCOREPEON: We all knew your team played 8 quarters. What is the most difficult thing to manage when it comes to an 8 quarters game?
Alex: Player rotation. When it comes to 8 quarter games, player’s condition is absolutely important. There are times we can blew the lead against Swisherz 3, our first opponent but we need to discipline ourselves in managing our tempo and stamina for the next game.
I try to keep the players as fresh as possible but there are some nail-biting moments. I would like to thank the players for believing in the practice we have gone through.
SCOREPEON: We all knew that SAS were not able to play due to the pandemic. Will it be any different if it’s SAS who were in the Playoffs?
Alex: The core concept and strategy of 8 Quarters will remain the same. However, the results can really be different, I won’t know much they have improved during the playoffs, and we have lost to them before so I would say maybe a 40-60, against our favor.
The aim here is to win all 8 quarters back to back. So, I still believe player rotation is the key.
SCOREPEON: Other than player rotation, what do you think is key in winning all these games?
Alex: My philosophy in basketball is all about the fundamentals and making the easy shot. I capitalize on mismatches and a simplify version of read and react offense. When it comes to defense, we prioritize in shutting down the shooters.
But in the finals and semi finals it’s all about player rotation and controlling the tempo of the game. Playing around the clock to let the players to recover and taking smart shots to waste the opponent’s time.
It was a good experience for the team.
SCOREPEON: One last thing, any messages for the fan?
Alex: Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for supporting Malaysian Basketball. Thank you NCBL for organizing this tournament despite the pandemic.