Barracudas continue to sharpen fangs

Jason Thomas

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Will play friendly against a PBA team in the Philippines

OZELL Wells is tired of being asked whether the Brunei Barracudas are prepared.

Leaving for the Philippines yesterday to start their campaign in the second season of the AirAsia Asean Basketball League (ABL), the team's head coach insisted that all the training in the world won't guarantee success.

"I keep getting asked is the team prepared enough. You can practice for a year and still lose your first 15 games - it doesn't mean you were not adequately prepared," said Wells at the Brunei International Airport in Berakas yesterday.

"Basketball is a game of mistakes.

"I had a friend that trained for a year to get into the NBA but a week before his trials he injured his ankle and he played like garbage — that doesn't mean he wasn't prepared," he added.

With just over two weeks to get ready, the Barracudas kick off their campaign against defending champions Philippine Patriots on Sunday at the Ynares Sports Arena in the Philippines — but play a friendly tomorrow against one of the teams from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

It will be their only pre-season game, a stark contrast to their five rivals.

Despite this fact and the lack of preparation, Wells is happy with the early signs.

"(This is a) great starting point and it's good that we're all on the same page," said the American of the team's chemistry.

"There have been runs on the beach and two to three hours practice sessions and there haven't been any complaints. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Brunei Barracudas rarin' to go

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, September 27, 2010

THE Brunei Barracudas are more than ready to hunt following their team launching yesterday at The Mall in Gadong.

Ozell Wells, the Barracudas head coach, has plenty on his hands and believes that the team will be fully prepared in time for their AirAsia Asean Basketball League (ABL) campaign in the sophomore season.

"The team has gelled as a unit in just a little over two weeks. Frankly, that is amazing. Some coaches need at least four to six months to get a team together but this bunch of players understands their roles well," said Wells, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"They are ready to deliver and they are listening to instructions very well. Everyone is working together which is helping us to achieve more. The import players are also helping out the local players by pointing out their mistakes and correcting them," added the Michigan native.

Under the guidance of Coach Bong Ramos in the previous season, he received plenty of criticism, saying most of the local players were not ready to play on the professional stage which resulted in them warming the bench much of the season. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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MayaSilk Emporium – New Arrivals and Discounts up to 50% on Basketball shoes

Mayasilk Emporium is slashing down prices up to 50% on their selected basketball shoes and sports apparels. With the arrival of new basketball gears, Sunil Ramchandani, Maya Silk Emporium Manager/Owner suggest hoops fans to drop by and visit any of the the nearest MayaSilk Emporium branch near you. New models and limited editions are available at a discounted price. click photo to enlarge.

Branches available at Yayasan, The Mall Gadong, Huaho Tutong Mall, Home Center Tanjung Bunot and Seri Komplex Emporium.

Original post can be found here.

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Swim with the Barracudas today

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, September 26, 2010

ARE you a fan or a supporter of the Brunei Barracudas?

If so, don't miss your chance to meet them up close and personal as Brunei's first professional basketball team will be holding the Team Launching and Press Conference for the second season of the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League today at 3pm at The Mall in Gadong.

American Ozell Wells has taken over at the helm as the head coach for the sophomore season while local Wong Yee Chai returns for the second straight year as the assistant coach.

The duo of American imports, Chris Commons and Kenny Boyd, and the trio of ASEAN imports, Kevin White, Chester Tolomia and Bryan Faundo, will be lacing up for the revamped Barracudas side.

The local cagers of Esmond Tan, Xavier Fong, Benjamin Lim, Presley Ho, Hj Md Badri Hj Suhaili, Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin and Soon Kian Leong complete the Barracudas roster.

"We're having some games and quizzes for the public and there will be interesting prices such as game tickets and Barracudas merchandise up for grabs," Barracudas owner Nadzaty Azma Azeez told The Brunei Times, yesterday.

The owner is also looking forward another great season in the league this year and is positive that they can do it.

"The Brunei Barracudas will represent the great national of Brunei with pride, dignity, honour and sportsmanship in the ABL," concluded Nadzaty.

The Barracudas management also used the opportunity to thank the Brunei Tourism Board, Department of Youth and Sports and Queenielin Enterprise, the official producers of Barracudas Apparel this season, for their continuous support for the team.

Source: The Brunei Times

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Easyway's 'A' game wins them the crown

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, September 26, 2010

SOON LEE-EASYWAY A left it till late to defeat Teamz 97-87 to emerge as the champions of the Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Soon Lee-Easyway A, represented by a cast of national scheme players, had Lim Liang Wei score a game-high of 33 points while 6ft 6in Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin and Soon Kian Leong added 17 and 14 points respectively.

Foo Gwen Tong poured in 30 points to lead Teamz while Hung Jiunn Nan and Wong Ha Siong scored 19 and 11 points to the losing effort.

Soon Lee-Easyway A got off to a quick start by employing a man-to-man pressure defence to deny their opponents any easy looks at the basket.

They were getting their points in the paint but gave away too many fouls in the process.

Teamz took advantage of this to score from the charity stripe to take a 25-21 lead heading into the second quarter.

Teamz had the quick hands to pick up steals to spark six unanswered points in the opening minute of the second period from fastbreaks. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Who's the best? Teamz or Easyway A

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 25, 2010

IT is now down to just two teams in the Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament.

Basketball fans in the Sultanate would want to feast their eyes on the mouth watering clash between Teamz and Soon Lee-Easyway A in the final at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat today at 8.30pm.

Teamz defeated Soon Lee-Easyway B 72-64 in the semi-finals on Thursday while the latter stunned Century Travel 71-64 to setup the final date.

Nonetheless, Teamz are undoubtedly the favourites heading into the final being the only team that has gone unbeaten so far in the tournament.

A previous meeting between the two finalists last Wednesday ended with a 73-65 defeat of Soon Lee-in the group stages.

"We'll have to play to our very best to defeat them again. It'll be another tough game and I believe that they will adjust for the final," said Danial Kelvin Ong, the coach of Teamz, during an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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ABL: Brunei Barracudas - Team Launching & Press Conference

Brunei Barracudas - Team Launching & Press Conference this Sunday 26th of September 3pm at 1st Floor, The Mall, Gadong.

Come and meet the new Barracudas!

Read more...

Teamz crush CHMS, sweep group

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

TEAMZ swept Group A of the Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament with a 66-54 triumph over Black Meteor yesterday night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Foo Gwen Tong led the charge for Teamz with 20 points while Herculanus Ong and Wong Ha Shiong contributed 15 and 13 points respectively in the victory.

Jackson Teo and Kelvin Teo each had team-highs of 15 points for Black Meteor and Nicholas Boey added another 10 in the losing effort.

The game was evenly contested in the early going but faced the problem of both teams wearing uniforms of similar colour which may have caused slight confusion amongst the players.

Nonetheless, it was Teamz that got ahead 14-13 midway through the opening half playing a 3-2 zone defence to cover the shooters of Black Meteor.

Teamz switched to a man-to-man defence to pressure their opponents which worked wonders as they went on the break with Herculanus doing most of the damage for Teamz, scoring all of his points by running the floor in the first half.

The game was fast paced and Teamz closed out the half with an 8-0 run that saw them open up a 38-26 advantage at halftime.

Teamz continued where they left off after the interval and were driving the lane which led to six unanswered points. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Coach Wells gets nods from local Barracudas

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

AMERICAN coach Ozell Wells (pic) must be pulling all the right strings for the Brunei Barracudas as most of the local players interviewed have expressed preference for his coaching style.

The Barracudas have been practising for the past week at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat in preparation for the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) which will start on Oct 2 in Thailand and things are looking up.

Esmond Tan, arguably Brunei's best cager, gave the 33-year-old mentor two thumbs up.

"Training has really been very good under the coach as we learn something new everyday. He gives us a good workout and I can see that my personal skills are showing improvement," said Tan, in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

"He's getting us ready to play and we need to be in shape but most importantly is to get to know each other and that is exactly what he (Wells) is trying to do," added the 26-year-old.

One of the most exciting things Coach Wells has incorporated into his training programme is taking the squad to the beach for a workout just before sunrise.

"Everyone on the team looks forward to it eventhough it means getting to the beach at 6am. It's a good workout and it benefits us in helping on our footwork which is all part of training," said Tan. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Easyway-Black Meteor clash keenly awaited

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, September 20, 2010

THE picture is now getting clearer with the remaining matches of the Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

The pundits are straight on in predicting the teams that will advance into the next round of the competition with Teamz, Century Travel and Soon Lee-Easyway B safely through.

However, the tournament saw a break yesterday and one more spot in the semi-finals is still left wide open.

Spectators will have their eyes fixed on the clash between Soon Lee-Easyway A and Black Meteor today with the winner advancing into the final four.

Soon Lee-Easyway A have one loss under their belt, losing 65-73 to Teamz last Wednesday, that allowed the former through from Group A.

Represented by a cast of national players, Soon Lee-Easyway A should have the upper hand in the encounter. Their strength is at the front court with Barracudas players, Soon Kian Leong and Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin together with Lim Liang Wei that can bring on the offence.  Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Teamz torment Shimmy Enterprise

Jason Thomas

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Teamz's coach believes last night's 127-50 blow-out win against Shimmy Enterprise marks them out as the team to beat in Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament's Group A.

Their fourth straight win in the competition at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat, Teamz were already guaranteed a slot in the semi-finals after beating the fancied Soon Lee-Easyway A 73-65 on Wednesday.

They didn't need to bring their 'A' game but that is exactly what they did, starting strongly with a 10-0 run and going on to rack up the most points and biggest margin of victory in the tournament so far.

"I can say that we're the favourites," agreed Danial Kelvin Ong after the match.

"There wasn't really much pressure on us since we already beat the other strong team in our group, but it will be harder in the semis. Soon Lee-Easyway B and Century Travel are the teams to watch out for in Group B.

"Though we were already through we needed to play at our best because we didn't have enough training coming into this tournament.

"I am happy with how we played — especially our full-court press — and I'm confident the players can beat Black Meteor in our last group game on Tuesday," added the coach.

For Shimmy, it was their fourth loss in as many games and they had nothing to play for but pride. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Queenielin Enterprise – Official Outfitter for The Brunei Barracudas

Queenielin Enterprise – The Makers of Quality Sports Uniforms supports

Brunei’s very own Asean Basketball League (ABL) team The Brunei Barracudas as the official team outfitter and producer for the teams apparel this season.

www.queenielinenterprise.com

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Barracudas start sharpening fangs

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 18, 2010

With well less than two weeks before their opener of the sophomore season of the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), the Barracudas held their first two training sessions under newly appointed head coach Ozell Wells yesterday.

American import, Chris Commons, and the trio of ASEAN imports, Kevin White, Chester Tolomia and Bryan Faundo, have all checked in for Brunei's first professional team.

Only the second American import, Kenny Boyd, has yet to arrive to complete the roster.

The imports will join Bruneian players of Esmond Tan, Xavier Fong, Benjamin Lim, Presley Ho, Hj Md Badri Hj Suhaili, Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin and Soon Kian Leong.

The 33-year-old Wells, who is no stranger when it comes to coaching around in Asia as he has had jobs in Qatar, Syria, China and Saudi Arabia, feels optimistic about the team.

"We're here to play exciting basketball. I will not accept less than one sold out game.

"I believe that this team assembled is better from A-Z compared to last season," said Wells, who started coaching at the age of 18 after having to give up playing the sport he loves due to problems with his central nervous system. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Imports eager to start hunting

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 18, 2010

The imports of the Brunei Barracudas are all hyped up towards their first game of sophomore season for the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).

American import, Chris Commons, and the trio of ASEAN imports, Kevin White, Chester Tolomia and Bryan Faundo, have all checked in for Brunei's first professional team while American Kenny Boyd will only arrive in the Sultanate in the next few days.

As imports, they are here on a mission to bolster the team at both ends of the court and they want to help the team perform well in the second season.

"I heard that this is a nice country with competitive basketball. I knew that coach Wells was coming and I'm used to it having played under him before," said Commons on why he came to the Sultanate. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Century Travel fly past Rebels

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, September 17, 2010

Century Travel picked up their third straight win in Group B of the Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament with an 108-60 demolition of Rebels last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Having established themselves as one of the teams to beat in the competition, Century Travel once again had a distributed offence with six players notching double figures.

Darren Wong and Suen Shew Chuen had matching team-highs of 16 points while Choo Yung Jian and Darren Chai each poured in 15 points.

Phang Seng Fu contributed 14 and Ho Boon Siong scored 10 in the victory.

Mharbin Louis had a game-high of 31 points for Rebels and Liew Kit Siong added 10 points to the losing cause.

Both teams were shorthanded at tip off as Rebels had only six players available while seven suited up for Century Travel.

Both teams were evenly matched in the opening few minutes of the match with neither establishing themselves at the offensive end.  Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Black Meteor blow by Shimmy

Jason Thomas

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, September 16, 2010

A meteor streaked across the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat last night - but it was no ordinary interplanetary object.

Black Meteor exploded past Shimmy Enterprise 105-45 in last night's Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament Group A action, lighting up the court with their dazzling passing and shining transition game.

Rapidly building on an early lead, Black Meteor became the first team in the competition to pick up three wins and rack up more than 100 points.

With victories against Selangan and Guardians under their belt, Black Meteor's captain felt last night's result would help motivate them as they prepare to face two of the toughest teams in their group.

"The result is something to give us confidence," said Nick Boey.

"We've now got three wins in a row and we're happy that we became the first team to break the century mark.

"It is a boost for us ahead of our next two deciding games," added Boey, whose team will face Soon Lee-Easyway A on Monday and Teamz on Tuesday.

Lacking creativity, control and coordination, Shimmy were hesitant on the ball and Black Meteor used that to their advantage.


The scores were tied at 4-4 after the first five minutes of the 20-minute half but Black Meteor soon edged ahead with some strong play from Kelvin Teo. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Kiko joins Satria Muda

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Brunei Barracudas may not have any of their former imports returning to don the blue jersey for the upcoming 2010/2011 Asean Basketball League (ABL) season but last season's captain, Francis 'Kiko' Adriano will once again feature in the league for the second straight year.

The 34-year-old has signed with Indonesia's Satria Muda BritAma and he's already looking forward to another good campaign.

"I am excited to play with Satria Muda and it's going to be a whole new experience with a new team," said Adriano, during an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

"I would also like send my regards and extend my thanks to all the Bruneians for their support and especially to Mr and Mrs Bernie Mariano for their family-like treatment while I was there," he added.

The Filipino player started in all 15 games for the Barracudas last season and averaged 14.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

He was also the leader in field goal percentage for Brunei's first professional team shooting 47 per cent from the field.

Reggie Larry has signed with Barcelona and will not return to don the blue jersey while Filipino import Leo Avenido will lace up for the Singapore Slingers in the sophomore season. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Exhausted Selangan give Soon Lee 'Easy' win

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Soon Lee/Easyway A notched up their second straight victory with a 78-51 thrashing of Selangan last night in Group A of the Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament.

Contested at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat, four players hit double figures for Soon Lee/Easyway A with national cager, Lim Liang Wei, topscoring for the team with 15 points while local Barracudas, Soon Kian Leong, poured in 14. Khoo Chin Kai and Han Ming Kwang chipped in 13 and 11 points respectively in the triumph.

On the other hand, Willie Jong scored a game-high of 24 points for Selangan in a losing effort.

The game was evenly matched in the early going with the scores tied at 7-7 after five minutes into the half. Soon Lee/Easyway A were playing the 2-3 zone defence that saw Selangan have difficulty penetrating to the hoop to score.

Selangan mishandled the ball on several possessions that allowed their opponents to go on an 8-0 spurt but back-to-back three pointers saw them trailed 13-15 midway through the period. Selangan were grabbing the offensive board but were not helped by their poor shooting percentage that saw Soon Lee/Easyway A stay ahead with a 32-25 advantage at halftime.

The story was the same after the break as both sides exchanged baskets. However, Soon Lee/Easyway A took advantage of the situation that Selangan only had two players as substitutes and ran the floor quickly that saw them open up a 41-31 lead with 15 minutes to play.

Selangan were clearly out of steam and were making turnovers leading to easy break points for their opponents. It became one way traffic midway through the stanza that saw Selangan fall to their third straight defeat in as many games. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Century Travel dominate CHMS, score one short of century mark

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

CENTURY TRAVEL showed that they are one of the contenders for the Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament with a 99-37 demolition of CHMS Bandar in Group B last night.

In what was their second straight victory, Century Travel had a balanced offensive effort with six players notching double figures in the match contested at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Four players Choo Yung Jian, Phang Seng Fu, Dominic Tang and Darren Wong all had matching game-highs of 14 points to pace Century Travel while Liew Ming Yang and Yeo Chun Kiat chipped in 13 and 11 points respectively in the victory.

Only Tony Bong was in double digits for CHMS Bandar with 11 points while Loo Zhi Hung poured in 9 points to a losing cause.

Century Travel stormed right out of the flood gates and were firing on all cylinders.

Most importantly, they were putting up a water tight man-to-man defence against their opponents for steals to go on fastbreaks.

CHMS Bandar were shaky and they were having trouble getting the ball up the mid court. They couldn't set up any of their offences as their bigger and faster opponents dominated in every department in the game to open up a 59-22 advantage at halftime.

Century Travel toned down in the second half and went with halfcourt set plays.

CHMS Bandar failed to cover the lanes in their zone defence, allowing their opponents to score at will. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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CHMS Alumni Association 1ST U-23 Basketball Tournament

The Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association is organizing a basketball tournament for the Under-23s. Categories for Men’s and Women’s. The tournament runs from September 9 until the 25th of this month and games are held at Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) indoor court in Batu Bersurat, Gadong. Participating teams are:

GROUP A	GROUP B	GROUP C (GIRLS)
TEAMZ	CENTURY TRAVEL	RA ROCKETTES
BLACK METEOR	CHMS,B.S.B	ISMAKOM
SHIMMY ENT.	THE REBELS	CHMS,B.S.B
SOON LEE/EASYWAY A	SOON LEE/EASYWAY B	JERUDONG INT’L SCHOOL (JIS)
SELANGAN	CAKE ‘R’US (CRU)
GUARDIANS

Organizing Committee

CHUA CHIEN JINN

,

GOH KIN TIAM

,

HO POH SAN

,

LIM KAH SOON

,

LOUIS WONG

,

CHERYL WONG,

PONG TECK SENG

Working Committee

LOUIS WONG

,

CHERYL WONG,

ELAINE WONG,

MASH ABDULLAH,

VANESSA PANG,

ANG TING AIK,

LIM KAH SOON,

PONG TECK SENG

Complete tournament schedule can be found here.

Read more...

Teamz just too good for Selangan

Jason Thomas

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, September 13, 2010

TEAMZ won their second straight Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) Alumni Association Under-23 Basketball Tournament match last night when they powered past Selangan 90-60.

Beating their opponents in every department of the game, Teamz built an early lead at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat and never looked back.

The first edition of the tournament, Teamz now sit atop Group A after beating Guardians in the opener on Saturday.

"It's a good improvement from our first game last night (Saturday) which we won by 30-40 points," said Teamz coach Danial Kelvin Ong after the match.

"Our defence was not as good when compared to Saturday night though.

"I hope we can be the champions but this team has only trained together for one or two weeks and that's not enough - they need more practice," Ong said.

Massacring their opponents on the fast break, Teamz's transition game was just too much for Selangan.

They led 40-20 after the end of the first half and added to their advantage with an effortless 8-0 run at the start of the second.

Games in the competition are divided into two 20-minute halves, and with both teams playing the night before, neither of them looked out of steam as the match progressed.

Teamz were more organised on both ends of the floor, and winning the battle of the boards, always looked poised to pick up their second win in as many nights.

Dominating the offensive rebounds category, Teamz also picked up more than their share of second-chance points as a result.

Their good shooting also contributed to the result, though they and their opponents failed to impress from downtown. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Adding the last piece of the puzzle

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 11, 2010

THE Brunei Barracudas have finally completed their roster for the 2010/2011 Asean Basketball League (ABL) season with the addition of Filipino Bryan Faundo occupying the final Asean import slot.

Faundo, who played for Barako Coffee in the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) last season, will be playing the small forward position. Standing at 6ft 6in, he'll provide more size to the team and be more of a presence at the defensive end as well.

The 26-year-old will be playing alongside the duo of American imports Chris Commons and Kenny Boyd at the frontcourt.

American Ozell Wells, who is the former national coach of Yemen, had been named as the head coach for the sophomore season while local Wong Yee Chai returns for the second straight year as the assistant coach.

The other Asean imports are Kevin White and Chester Tolomia who will bolster the team at the backcourt.

The local players that will be lacing up for the blue jersey include Esmond Tan, Presley Ho, Lim Aik Hock, Benjamin Lim, Xavier Fong, Hj Md Badri Hj Suhaili, Jamri Ramlee and Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin.

"The coach came highly recommended and he's been very enthusiastic so far. I believe that he's got good work ethics and he's already planned out for the team to undergo training at the beach to work on their stamina on alternate days," said Nadzaty Azma Azeez, the team owner of the Barracudas, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"Last year we had two scoring guards (Leo Avenido and Francis 'Kiko' Adriano) but White is more of a creator to get the big men going at the offensive end," she added.

"On the other hand, Commons will be the go-to-man and he'll be the one to rack up the points while Boyd is more of a prototypical centre.

"These two will be a good combination with their versatility," she continued.

Fans and supporters can rest assured that the team's preparations have been ongoing from early in the year and they will be looking for a competitive season once again.

"We have been thinking about this for a long time and careful planning had been done for the team since the end of last season for this pool of players," said the Barracudas team owner.

"We have been working hard behind the scene for the best players. All the other teams in the league are getting better and we're trying our best as well," said Nadzaty. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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New coach and players revealed

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, September 10, 2010

THE wait is finally over for Brunei Barracudas fans and supporters.

After weeks of anticipation, Brunei's first professional basketball team have finally unveiled their roster for the 2010/2011 Asean Basketball League (ABL) season.

It should be noted that there will be no return of any of their imports Reggie Larry, Don Camaso, Leo Avenido and Francis 'Kiko' Adriano from last season.

Larry has gone on to join the Regal FC Barcelona II team in Spain while Avenido has signed with the Singapore Slingers.

"We decided not to resign Don and Kiko because we were looking for some younger players. With the state that we're in, import players are required to play extended minutes resulting in us getting younger players," said Nadzaty Azma Azeez, the team owner of the Barracudas, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"However, these guys are talented and served the team well. We wish them all the best," she said.

American Ozell Wells will take over at the helm as the head coach for the sophomore season while local Wong Yee Chai returns for the second straight year as the assistant coach.

The 33-year-old Wells is no stranger when it comes to coaching around Asia as he has had jobs in Qatar, Syria, China and Saudi Arabia.

Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Pilgrim back in ABL

Yee Chun Leong

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 4, 2010

COULD Mike Pilgrim be making his way back to the Asean Basketball League (ABL)?

The Ohio native wrote on his facebook yesterday: "Well it looks like God has given me my new home ... Sept 15 ya boy is on his way back to Asia ... Let's get it family."

The 25-year-old American might very well be heading to Satria Muda BritAma since the Indonesian team's logo was among Pilgrim's profile pictures.

But nothing has been made official yet.

"Well, it's not official yet. I will be signing the contract next week ... but I am happy to be able to play in front of my Brunei fans once again and at the same time get to know the people in Jakarta," said Pilgrim, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"We will have a great team. It's a great opportunity to build on what the team had accomplished last year and to take it one step higher. I'm very excited to be able to play at the BritAma Arena because they have great fan support there," added the ex-Brunei Barracudas player.

"But I will always miss my fans in Brunei and I hope to be able to see you guys soon," continued Pilgrim.

The 6ft 9in American, who used to play for Brunei's first professional basketball team, averaged 16.5 points and eight rebounds per game in his 14-game stint with the Barracudas.

He scored his career-high of 20 points against the Philippine Patriots on Dec 13 and then proudly described the win as a "mother of all victories".

However, Pilgrim was axed by the Barracudas on Jan 21, the Brunei side citing disciplinary issues for his dismissal.

Nadzaty Azma Azeez, the owner of the Barracudas, also revealed on Thursday that the local players of the team had already started training under their assistant coach for the 2010/2011 ABL season.

But 'interesting' questions remain unanswered for the fans and supporters. Who will be the next head coach? (After Coach Bong Ramos of the Philippines said that he would not be back for a second year)

Who will the imports be? Will it be a completely revamped line up? Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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No rule changes to the court, says ABL

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 4, 2010

THE Asean Basketball League (ABL) will not see any rule changes to the court for its second season which is set to tip off on Oct 2.

The official Fiba (International Basketball Federation) basketball rule amendments will only come into effect on Oct 1 right after the ongoing 2010 Fiba World Championship in Turkey for all high level competitions/Level 1 (main Fiba official competitions).

For medium level competitions/Level 2 (all other Fiba official competitions and high level competitions of national federations), the amendments are coming into force from Oct 1, 2012 right after the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The ABL falls under the second category and, thus, doesn't have to adopt the changes until 2012.

"The rules of the court had been changed since 2008, but until now the local basketball associations have not made any changes yet," said Kuhan Foo, the CEO of ABL, in an interview, during a ceremony to announce AirAsia's title sponsorship of the ABL 2010/2011 season at the Maba Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

"We're still in discussion with Fiba and we're planning to do so (adopt the changes). But to do it now would be rushing the teams too much. They are all busy chasing sponsors and getting ready for the new season," he added.

"Not only that, but some of the stadiums that are being used (in the ABL) such as the ones in Brunei and Singapore are not owned by the teams. So we would just have to stick with the current rules for the new season," continued Foo.

On the format of changing players throughout the season, Foo said: "We'll maintain the same format of changing players from the previous season." Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Basketball bonanza from AirAsia

From Yee Chun Leong IN KUALA LUMPUR

Friday, September 3, 2010

Fancy catching your team on the road during the second season of the Asean Basketball League (ABL) at a more affordable price?

It may very well be a reality after AirAsia announced that the airline will be the new title sponsor for the ABL 2010/2011 season yesterday at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

The partnership is set to be a potent combination and hopefully generate further interest from fans of the sport across the region and beyond.

AirAsia Group CEO Dato' Sri Dr Tony Fernandes yesterday said that the partnership also hopes to aid in the development of the region's athletes.

"As an Asean airline, it is our obligation to help develop the standard and quality of sports in the region. The region has a lot of untapped young talents but limited opportunities are available for them to progress further in their respective fields," he said.

The CEO added that being the title sponsor will definitely allow further development of the sport in the region.

"When given the opportunity to be the title sponsor, we seized it immediately as we believe we can positively contribute to the development of the sport and provide the platform for Asean youths to shine," said Fernandes.

Kuhan Foo, the CEO of ABL, echoed similar sentiments.

Read more...