Contributed by reader Ian Chew.
Hwa Chong Institution may be the shoo-in favourites for the boys title with three national players in their squad, but HCI basketball teacher-in-charge Michael Wong insists otherwise.
“The ball is round and anything can happen on that day,” he told me in a telephone interview.
In their typical approach of meticulous preparation for each match, the team has already analysed the strengths and weaknesses of each of the teams they are facing in the A Division final at Toa Payoh Sports Hall. (For those who do not yet know – it is AJC for the boys and RJC for the girls.)
“Although the AJC boys team may not have a deep bench, their six main players are pretty good. Besides their captain Yan Ming (#6) who is an exceptional shooter, they have #9 who hustles very well and #14 who loves to penetrate and dish out the ball. In addition, their point guard #8 pushes the ball quite well and #12 is also a good shooter,” explained Mr Wong, who is himself also an old boy of HCI.
He also acknowledged that his team’s preparations are somewhat hampered by Shengyu and Calvin’s departure for the adidas camp.
“They will definitely be tired after training with the best players in Asia at the camp. However, they have been involved in the video analyses with the team and they are aware of the team’s strategies as well as the roles they have to play,” he continued.
The third time finalist team will be up against a determined Anderson Junior College team, who has also qualified for their second final in three years.
Lim Kwee Chai, coach of the AJC boys team, had attributed his team’s semi-final success against Temasek Junior College to an excellent defensive effort, a confident shooting performance and a good all-round team spirit.
But the final will be a different kettle of fish.
“Our mental preparation will be key. We will be looking to give our best performance for the final game and who knows what the outcome may be,” said Mr Lim.
He also dismissed the disruptions the HCI team’s preparations due to the absence of their two key players.
“The Hwa Chong team has got a deep bench and their players are all very skilful. In fact, we are most wary of their forward Ching Poh (#15) and will not allow him to create havoc in our post,” he continued.
As for the girls’ matchup between Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Junior College, fans can also expect a hard-fought final game.
“We will be looking to cut down on our turnovers. We expect a very aggressive defense from the RJC team, much like how they played against SAJC in the semi-finals.”
“The team that wants to win it more will prevail,” summed up Mr Wong, also one of three local members of the Singapore Slingers.
It has been a long time, longer than anyone can recall, since a junior college won both the boys and girls’ titles in the same year! So catch the finals at Toa Payoh Sports Hall this coming Thursday 22 May at 1.30pm for the exciting conclusion of this year’s A Division basketball championships!
hwa chong 12 is phua kaiyi
The bigger-sized RJC girls made their presence felt in the semi-final game. (Photo 1 © Ng Cheng Cong/Red Sports)
that RJC girl name is natasha goh
Expect a thrilling basketball final for the girls! RJC earlier suffocated the SAJC girls for a 4-point semi-final victory. (Photo 1 © Ng Cheng Cong/Red Sports)
that RJC girl name is si hui
vj no. 9 sibeh cute leh..hahas