Y@ppe IT will fight to the end

ESMOND TAN and co are definitely in the hunt for their third title of the year when the Sultan's Cup tips off today at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat.

Playing under the banner of Y@ppe IT Store this time around, they are considered to be one of the top contenders of the tournament boasting several former Barracudas players Tan, Presley Ho and Xavier Fong.

The team, playing as Plaza Sutera Biru (PSB), had lifted the BBA Open Challenge Trophy with only seven players after erasing a 25-point deficit to defeat the Ilonggo Stingers 83-77 in the final at the BBA court in April.

They claimed a double by winning the 2010 Yong Sok Cup by stealing a win from the same opponents in a 61-60 comeback victory at the Kampung Baru basketball court in Seria in May.

"This is going to be a tough tournament as we didn't get any training done but we'll definitely fight for a chance at the championship and not let anything go down easily," said Tan, during an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

The team has also undergone some changes as they will be missing the services of their starting playmaker in Lim Aik Hock, who will now be suiting up for Soon Lee-Easyway.

"We have added (Foo) Kian Ming into the lineup to fill up the slot and also Leslie (Chia) would have to step up in that position too," said Tan.

"In addition, we'll also have (Jong) Guo Zhang and Leslie back into the lineup unlike the previous tournament (GHK Trophy)," he added.

The Tutong native featured for Fontanaz in the recently concluded 2010 Goh Hock Kee Trophy but he only managed to lace up for their final group match against Propel Services which they won 94-52.

Despite the convincing win, it was not enough for them to qualify for the semi-finals.

The 25-year-old, however, revealed that he would be absent midway through the competition from August 14 onwards due to work commitments.

"It will become more difficult I guess especially (since) there might be someone missing to control the team," said Tan.

When asked on which teams he believes are the favourites of the competition, Tan replied: "Palm Cafe with (Don) Mordeno and (Majomar) Aying on the team and Sharks where (Geve) Leones and (Elvin) Requintin are playing for."

"The national team (Soon Lee-Easyway) will also be tough but we'll see how they match up against the other two teams." he added.

Organised by the BBA, a total of 14 teams have registered for the tournament. Joining Y@ppe IT Store in Group C are Estetika, Le Apple Bakery and Aewon.

Palm Cafe are competing in Group B together with MK Kids Salon, SKT, Young Gunz and Breadstop Teamz. Group A comprises of Soon Lee-Easyway, Sharks, Propel Services, Ifdhall Enterprise and Team Wayne.

The curtain-raiser will tip off at 6pm while the main game will be held at 8pm.The Brunei Times