Desmond Heng of Fairfield wins 3-point shootout while Aaron Wong of Catholic High impresses

Story by Leslie Tan. Pictures by Leslie Tan and Lai Jun Wei.

The 7 who made it to the final of the 3-point shootout (from left to right): Benjamin Foo, Lim Chong Mou, Desmond Heng, Aaron Wong, Adrian Yeo, Larry Liauw, Chong Rui Kun, Lionel Kok. (Photo © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)

Catholic High School, Saturday, March 15, 2008 – Desmond Heng of Fairfield Methodist showed calmness under pressure when he won the 3-point shootout contest last Saturday against seven other finalists but it was Aaron Wong of Catholic High who was the neutrals’ favourite when he set the highest score of 14 points during the qualifying round.

Aaron, the first shooter of the day, stunned everyone when he started dropping 3-pointers with his unique style of shooting. What made everyone’s jaw drop was the fact that Aaron was the shortest shooter of all at no more than 1.43 metres and weighing in at only 36 kilogrammes.

With each shooter having 25 shots and every fifth shot worth two points, 13-year-old Aaron made 12 successful baskets to leave everyone else in the field of 35 stunned. After Aaron sat down, the closest anyone came to beating him was Larry Liauw of Hougang Secondary who scored 12 points while Desmond Heng and Lionel Kok (Pioneer JC) were tied at 11 points each.

Speaking to Aaron after his attempt yielded an astonishing fact – Aaron is shortsighted (270 degrees) and was shooting without spectacles.

“I play downstairs at my block everyday from 2 to 7 p.m. at the West CC,” said Aaron who lives in Toa Payoh. “The hardest shot for me is the first shot at the right baseline. My favourite is shooting from 45 degrees.”

In the shootout final that was staged during the half-time break of the game between the national Under-18 and the adidas Under-18 selection, Aaron could not match his 14-point performance in the qualifying round and finished with 10 points. while Desmond Heng hit 12 points in the claim the shootout title.

“Bandar taught me how to shoot,” said the modest Desmond before the final, referring to Bandar Tjetty of the National University of Singapore who is widely-acknowledged in Singapore as a 3-point king. “In Sec one and two I was very bad in shooting but Bandar taught me how to shoot when I was in Sec one. He taught me to practice two-points first.”

In a hilarious incident that left everyone laughing, Lim Chong Mou of Catholic High was so focused on shooting his allotment of 25 balls within one minute that he lost track of how much time he had left. His schoolmate Lim Fang Ching who was watching on the sidelines started shouting, “快点! 快点!”, causing Chong Mou to go even faster. With two balls left, he looked up and realised he had a good 15 seconds left, enough time for him to stop shooting, turn around and start scolding Fang Ching for stressing him out for nothing while everyone watching cracked up laughing.

For their efforts, the 3-point shootout finalists won themselves adidas Team Series basketball shoes while Desmond Heng received an extra pair for winning the title.

Aaron Wong of Catholic High showing his unique throwing style at the 3-point shootout final. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Aaron Wong hit 12 3-pointers out of 25 shots and had the highest points total on the day with 14. (Photo © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)

Desmond Heng, the winner of the 3-point shootout, learnt his shooting tips from Bandar Tjetty of NUS, who is one of Singapore’s hottest 3-point shooters. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Lim Chong Mou, 12, of Catholic High hit 10 points in the qualifying round to make the final. His 3-point shootout was marked with hilarity when a schoolmate made him think that he was running out of time even though that wasn’t the case. Chong Mou managed only seven points in the final. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Chong Rui Kun, 16, of Ahmad Ibrahim, qualified for the final when he scored 10 points in the qualifying round. He hit seven points in the final. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Adrian Yeo, 18, of Pioneer Junior College, scored 10 points in the qualifying round and hit the same score in the final. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Lionel Kok, 20, of Pioneer Junior College, hit 11 points in the qualifying round but scored only seven in the final. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Larry Liauw, 16, of Hougang, hit 12 points in the qualifying round. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)

Benjamin Foo, 15, of Yusof Ishak, scored 10 points in the qualifying round but managed only five points in the final. (Photo © Lai Jun Wei)