The men behind Brunei's hoop kings

THE national basketball team is enjoying the most success they've had in recent years.

Some things may seem out of reach at first but the national squad have defied all odds to win the two trophies that have evaded them for years in the past month.

They made history by winning the 13th Borneo City Men's Basketball Invitational Tournament 2011 held from August 4-6 in Kota Kinabalu. It was a long 13-year wait to lift the challenge trophy.

They continued their fine form by winning the Aewon Cup 2011 Basketball Championship Tournament thanks to a last ditch layup by Choo Yung Jian defeating D'Babes/Sharks 71-69 on Saturday.

It was the first win for the national side in the tournament stretching back to more than a decade having seen the annual tourney, held in conjunction with His Majesty's Birthday celebrations, taken by a Filipino side in previous years.

Plenty of the credit has to be given to national basketball coach Kevin Reece since his arrival to take up the position at the helm at the end of 2009 and also to the players that have stuck around to give their full commitment to training.

However, there are also those behind the scenes that have given their full backing which is essential towards the team's success.

Easyway has been a regular sponsor for the team since the arrival of the American coach and without their backing; the team wouldn't have been able to see as much competition both outside and inside the country.

The owner of Easyway, Giap On, felt that supporting the team was a necessity as he would be doing it for the good of the country.

"I just want to see the country succeed. That's the reason why I've been supporting the team all this time," said On in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

"The results weren't pretty at first and a lot of people actually criticised the team. I continued believing and we finally did it," he said.

"I hope that the team will remain united and we can continue to reap more success," continued the 30-year-old.

On was also happy that all the best players in the Sultanate have come together to make the country proud.

"I'm glad that the coach has all the players that he wants unlike from before where some of them had other commitments," said On, who has been sponsoring various teams for several years for the sake of the sport's development.

"I believe that they can win more trophies. I'm not doing all this for myself but I want everyone in the local basketball scene to be happy and hopefully we can be consistent with it," he added.

Another important figure is the assistant coach of the team, Maxim Yap who has been in the basketball scene for over a decade, coaching various teams.

There is no one else more dedicated in his position since he's been around when Reece took over as the head coach.

"I've got passion for the sport and I hope to contribute in any way," said Yap.

"It took a long time but everyone (players, management and coach) all made sacrifices to put in the work," added the 31-year-old.

"I'm glad to see it pay off in such a great way and the players have put in the work juggling their time with work and personal commitments," he continued.

Wira Pori is like the one-man handy man of the team. He plays the role of the manager and keeps the players intact.

"It is my intense love for the game. I do all the stats, organise events, keep players in line and massaging egos should conflict arises," said Wira.

"Local basketball finally claimed the big two and we didn't do it for ourselves but it was all for the country," he added.

The Brunei Times