Catty victory for Wan Sing

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, April 29, 2011

WAN SING stretched their winning streak to three after escaping with a controversial 77-75 victory over the GILR Wildcats last night in Group C of the 4th Manjaro Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Danny Felicilda had the hot hands pouring in a game-high 25 points to lift Wan Sing to victory.

Marjomar Aying added 16 points and Allan Caringal contributed 15 points in the triumph.

Four players hit double figures for the Wildcats in the losing effort.

Ronnel Sugnan led the way with 18 points and Rommel Valmores added 11 points. Mike Agripa and Centino each had 10 points in the loss.

"I just tried my best despite not getting much practice. I just felt good shooting the ball," said Felicilda, during an interview with The Brunei Times, after the win.

The Wildcats were on the backfoot throughout much of the game and finally grabbed the lead from their opponents 55-54 courtesy of a three-pointer by Manalansan to open the fourth quarter.

The high octane match was very physical with players throwing their bodies, hustling for loose balls. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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BBA says no charge... for upcoming referee clinic

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, April 28, 2011

BASKETBALL enthusiasts are in for a treat and they will not get a better deal than this.

The Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) held a meeting yesterday and announced that the refereeing clinic to be conducted by three officials from Fiba (International Basketball Association) from May 6-8 will now be free of charge.

The initial entry fee priced at $40 per person and with students only having to pay $20 has now been waived.

Participants will still receive a t-shirt and a copy of the 2010 basketball rule book.

The clinic is open to all those interested to gain knowledge on the latest rules in basketball and is definitely a big plus for not only local referees but also players who wish to further improve on their game.

Through the clinic, BBA is hoping to groom qualified international referees from the Sultanate.

Entry forms can be obtained from the BBA court in Batu Bersurat and should be handed in no later than the closing date on May 4.

Interested parties can contact Chai Tze Yun at 8712822 or Lim Kah Soon at 8875593 from the BBA.  Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Esmond to drive into the lane for Chevrolet

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

ESMOND TAN is a name that has been absent on the national squad for the past months.

Work commitments has kept him away from suiting up for the national team but not the game he loves as he will don a Chevrolet jersey in the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) basketball tournament come May 14 at the BBA court in Batu Bersurat.

The tournament, organised to select cagers for July's Borneo City Cup in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, was initially slated for April 24 but had to be put off to allow the completion of the all-Filipino 4th Manjaro Cup.

The 26-year-old cager has seen little court time but is admittedly looking forward to once again be competing at the national level.

"I really don't know about my chances (for the Borneo City Cup selection) but I am sure that every team in this tournament will stand a chance of winning.

"I believe that all the teams will be balanced and it will be a fair challenge," said Tan during a recent interview with The Brunei Times.

Considering the amount of work that national basketball coach Kevin Reece has put in to select his "15-strong" players, Tan believes that those who have attended training regularly should get a shot at playing in KK, adding that the May tournament is a venue for those competing to shine and show their potential. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Ford cruise to easy victory

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

FORD cruised past Kayumanggi with a 73-53 victory in Group C of the 4th Manjaro Cup last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Three players hit double figures for Ford with Sonny Bautista leading the way with 15 points while Don Mordeno and Danial Ong poured in 11 and 10 points respectively in the win.

Rajan had a game-high of 16 points for Kayumanggi in the loss.

Ford came out of the gates with sloppy play, resulting in unforced turnovers which Kayumanggi capitalised on to lead the neck and neck battle 14-12 heading into the second quarter.

The match remained close but with the scoreboard reading 18-18 midway through the stanza, Ford switched gears to outrun and outgun their opponents to score on the break.

Ford were also stellar on defence to deny their opponents easy points in the paint.

Kayumanggi were forced to settle for perimeter shots which they failed to make.

In contrast to Kayumanggi's stagnant offence, Mordeno was having much success distributing the ball to the open man as Ford built up a 37-23 advantage at halftime.

With Mordeno on the bench after the break, Ford committed seven straight turnovers at the start of the third quarter. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Brunei Basketball Association calls timeout on tournament

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, April 24, 2011

CAGERS will just have to wait a little while longer after the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) announced that the BBA basketball tournament slated for this Sunday has been postponed to May 14.

The reason is to allow the ongoing all-Filipino 4th Manjaro Cup to be completed at the BBA court in Batu Bersurat.

Interested teams will therefore have ample time to register for the upcoming competition.

Two categories, the Men's Open and Women's Open, will be contested during the tournament.

The competition is only open to local cagers with a valid Brunei identity card.

It is also aimed at selecting players to compete for the upcoming Borneo City Cup in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, in July.

Entry fee is set at $300 for the Men's Open and $200 for the Women's Open.

Registration forms can be obtained from the court.

More information can be obtained by contacting the BBA head organiser, Soon Ching Long at 8770316 or Ang at 8897449.

The last open competition organised by the BBA was the 2010 Sultan's Cup whereby Sharks were crowned the champions with a hard fought 95-90 victory against Palm Cafe in the final back in August.

 

Source: The Brunei Times

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Dermalogica show true beauty in comeback win

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, April 21, 2011

DERMALINE Beauty Therapy (Dermalogica) secured their second straight win after a 105-94 comeback victory over Hua Ho Yayasan in Group A at the 4th Manjaro Cup on Tuesday night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Three players for Dermalogica hit past the 20-point mark with MV Dela Pena pouring in a game-high of 24 points. Nino Martinez added 23 and Arnold Patricio chipped in 22 points in the win.

On the other hand, Alex Caling led Hua Ho Yayasan with 23 points and JR Puno added 19 points in a losing effort.

Dermalogica started out with their bench and were made to pay the price as Hua Ho Yayasan were in cruise control with a high shooting percentage in the opening period taking a 31-16 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Playtime was over and Dermalogica would swap to their starting five in the second period. There was better ball movement and it would get to the open man to score and Dermalogica eventually cut the deficit to 48-40 at halftime. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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JIS/ISB Invitational Basketball League 2011

Jerudong International School (JIS) and International School of Brunei (ISB) organized the

JIS/ISB Boys and Girls Invitational Basketball League 2011 for the secondary schools in Brunei Darussalam.

Participating schools are: St. Andrews, St. George, Seri Mulia Sarjana (SMS) and International School of Brunei (ISB), M/S and Jerudong International School. Venue at Fitness Zone in Kiulap.

Complete tournament schedule can be found here.

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BYBC tourney to begin late this month

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

THE 3rd Under-16, Under-18 and Under-21 Brunei Youth Basketball Championship (BYBC) 2011 is scheduled to begin at the end of this month.

Organised by the BYBC in co-operation with the Belait District Basketball Association (BDBA), the competition will be played at the New Village Basketball court in Seria.

The Under-16 division will start on April 30 and the other two will follow right after.

The U-16 teams should comprise of those born in 1995 or later, the U-18 apply to those born in 1993 or later while the U-21 category is for those born in 1990 or later.

All players must have a valid Brunei identity card (yellow, purple and green), which should be brought to the first game for verification purposes.

Registration forms can be obtained from Lot 2748, Jalan Bunga Melor, Seria.

Entry fees are set at $100 for the U-16 and $200 for the U-18 and U-21.

Interested parties must submit their registration forms with entry fees by noon on April 28 for the U-16.

For more information, please contact Sunny Voon at 8782009, Jason Lee at 7184488 or Wong at 8770785. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Wildcats tear Kayumanggi to shreds

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

THE GILR Wildcats provided the largest winning margin of the 4th Manjaro Cup thus far with a 96-46 demolition of Kayumanggi in Group B action at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat on Sunday.

Ronnel Sugnan (pic) led all players with 18 points for the Wildcats and Anthony Bonavente added 14 points in the lopsided victory.

It wasn't a contest right from the start with the Wildcats piling on the pressure on defence forcing turnovers to score on the break.

"I was telling the boys that what we needed to do was play defence and they delivered it. Our opponents just failed to cope with the pressure and our offence was alright," Robert Rubillar, the playing coach of the Wildcats, told The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"We secured the lanes well and didn't allow our opponents to move the ball around," he added.

The squad is made up of 80 per cent of new faces from the last tournament, the 2nd Queenielin's Cup in July, and Rubillar was satisfied with their performance in Sunday's game. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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FBEBS crowned kings of UBD hoops

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

THE Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies (FBEPS) I of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) were crowned the champions of the UBD Inter-Faculty Basketball Tournament 2011 after they prevailed 66-64 over the Faculty of Business (FoB) of Institut Teknologi Brunei in overtime yesterday.

Contested at the Multipurpose Hall of the UBD Sports Complex in Tungku Link, Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin led FBEPS I with 23 points while Lim Chi Hong and Ng Lit How contributed 13 and 10 points respectively in the victory.

Choo Yung Jian put up a dominating performance with a game-high of 46 points for FoB in the losing effort.

The match went down to the wire with both teams tied at 41-41 heading into the final stanza.

Choo was carrying his entire team on his shoulders and scoring almost at will.

He wasn't shooting particularly well but compensated for that by weaving his way to the basket to score on layups. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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No star too bright for Suci

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Sunday, April 17, 2011

TOURNAMENT favourites Suci put up a strong defensive performance in the second half to comeback for a 78-66 victory over Jed Star in Group A of the 4th Manjaro Cup last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

In what was their second consecutive win, Aries Castro scored a game-high of 35 points for Suci while Elvin Requintin added 11 points in the triumph.

Mark Del Mundo poured in 19 points to lead Jed Star and Arjay Buenaventura chipped in 15 points in a losing effort.

Jed Star stepped on the pedal with three minutes before halftime to spark a 9-0 run.

They ran the floor well to score while poor execution led to turnovers for Suci.

Del Mundo was getting things done on the defensive end by shutting down the opposing team's scorers while making good use of his height advantage to score on the other end.

Jerold Pascua would, however, get off a layup before the buzzer to keep Suci within striking distance, 41-31, at halftime.

Suci stepped up their game by going back to the basics with man-to-man defence and it worked to perfection, forcing Jed Star to commit costly turnovers. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Leones's Suci look to put out Jed Star tonight

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, April 16, 2011

TOURNAMENT favourites Suci will be hoping to keep their fine form in arguably the toughest group and get that second win when they take on Jed Star tonight in Group A of the 4th Manjaro Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Despite playing without their star, Geve Leones (pic), Suci managed to overcome strong opposition from Urdan to emerge 79-70 victors in their opening match last Saturday.

Made up of players that competed for Sharks, who lifted the 2010 Sultan's Cup in August, they have been playing together for a number of tournaments resulting in less gelling problems.

However, Vic Lemitarez, the head coach of Suci, feels that there is still plenty of room for improvement.

"We're always confident to play because the team is strong but we'll need all players to put up a good performance as a team to win games," said Lemitarez, during an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"We started practicing three weeks before the tournament started and there are no problems on offence. But we will have to continue focusing on our defence which is key in match play," he added.

The team is probably the most balanced in the competition featuring Leones and Aries Castro to shoulder the load at the offensive end.

The former is an agile player that can draw the attention of multiple defenders while the latter is a veteran sharp-shooter that can rake up points quickly. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Manjaro-Alamat notch 2nd win

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, April 15, 2011

TOURNAMENT namesakes Manjaro-Alamat scored their second victory in Group B of the 4th Manjaro Cup by holding on for a 59-53 win over LDY Engineering last night at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Chris Zamora topscored for Manjaro-Alamat with 19 points and playing coach Bobby Boac added 11 points in the victory.

Eric Eranes had the game-high of 23 points for LDY Engineering.

Both teams got off to sloppy starts with neither finding any rhythm on offence.

LDY Engineering were slow getting back on defence and Manjaro-Alamat would capitalise by scoring on the break.

LDY Engineering were also making poor passes which were easily intercepted by Manjaro-Alamat, allowing them to open up a 14-8 lead heading into the second quarter.

Manjaro-Alamat were working on the boards which translated to second chance points, helping them to eventually extend their lead to 23-12 midway through the quarter.

Manjaro-Alamat, however, suddenly went ice-cold and LDY Engineering, in contrast, picked up the slack for a 7-0 run in the next four minutes to cut the deficit to 21-27 at halftime. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Barracudas on the curb

Thursday, April 14, 2011

TO migrate or not to migrate. That's the question for the Brunei Barracudas.

Brunei's first professional basketball team were told by the Asean Basketball League in March that they have until June to find sponsors or the Barracudas would have to find a new home most probably in Miri and change their name to Borneo Barracudas.

The ultimatum was issued after Nadzaty Azma Azeez, the Barracudas owner, had spoken of the "difficulties" faced by the team after two years in the league. One of her complaints was on the lack of support from the Brunei Basketball Association. Nadzaty said the BBA refused to let the team use its court in Batu Bersurat for practice at night. It is understood that the team even had to buy their own scoreboard.

This is simply disgraceful. As the governing body for the sport in the country, the BBA should lend a helping hand to the Barracudas. An ABL franchise they might be, but the Barracudas also help develop basketball in the country.

Having said that, the Barracudas should also make themselves more 'attractive' to sponsors and the BBA. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Wanted: National basketball players

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, April 14, 2011

CALLING all Brunei cagers here's your chance to show that you can compete at the highest level.

Kevin Reece the national basketball coach is inviting all interested players to compete at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) tournament later this month.

Players will stand a chance to be selected for the Borneo City Cup to be held in July in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The main objective of the BBA tournament is to select players for the Kota Kinabalu contest.

"The JBS (Department of Youth and Sports) Scheme team will not participate in the BBA tournament ... instead the national players are free to compete with any team they choose," said Reece, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"This is because some of them are busy with their studies or having their exams. Some of the players are also injured. My coaching staff and I will support the tryouts and we hope all those interested will come and participate," he added. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Wan Sing-ing after 2nd win

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

WAN Sing picked up their second straight victory with a 77-52 win over Kayumanggi last night in Group C of the 4th Manjaro Cup at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat.

Danny Felicilda topscored for Wan Sing with 16 points and Noel Grafil added 12 points in the win. On the other hand, no players hit double figures for Kayumanggi with Angeles leading the team with eight points and Anthony Canzon netting six points to a losing effort.

Wan Sing started off playing good interior defence not allowing Kayumanggi any easy shots. Wan Sing were stripping the ball off their opponents to go on the break to open up a 17-8 lead heading into the second quarter.

Wan Sing were enjoying ball possession but were making turnovers by poor passing but managed to extend their lead to double digits at 26-16 midway through the stanza. Kayumanggi were gaining confidence shooting the ball outside but were slow getting back on defence allowing Wan Sing to score on the break to stay ahead 35-26 at halftime.

There were problems with ball control for Wan Sing, who started with their bench, right after the break. Turnovers continued to pile up and Kayumanggi crawled their way to within 39-37 midway through the quarter. However, defensive adjustments by Wan Sing saw them score 10 straight unanswered points and held their opponents to only one field goal to stay in control 51-40 going into the final period. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Hook, line and sinker... Dermatology win

Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, April 11, 2011

Valdez's late heroics blow out Jed Star

JOEL Valdez's hook-shot at the buzzer secured a dramatic 60-59 win for Dermatology Beauty Therapy in their 4th Manjaro Cup match against Jed Star last night.

Though they trailed at the start of the game at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat, Dermatology soon laced their shooting shoes up and enjoyed a 15-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

They managed to hold on to advantage until the final two minutes, when Jed mounted a stirring late comeback to tie the game at 57-57.

Though Dermatology would edge ahead via a free-throw, Jed's Vincent Superio replied twice from the charity stripe to give his team a 59-58 lead in the last 21 seconds.

Dermatology's MV Dela Pena was fouled as he headed to the basket with six seconds left, and Valdez was the victim in their next play two seconds later.

But when the centre got the ball in the low-post on the resulting inbound play, none of Jed's three defenders in the paint could get a touch on Valdez's hook-shot that blew the roof off the court. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Leones king ready to roar again

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, April 8, 2011

THE 4th Manjaro Basketball tournament's Noor Mubarak Cup promises to bring plenty of thrills to the basketball scene when it begins tomorrow at the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) court in Batu Bersurat.

Organised by the Filipino Amateur Basketball (FAB), a total of 14 teams will vie for top honours and Suci have been labelled as the favourites of the competition.

Suci players are mostly from the Sharks team that captured the 37-year-old and below category of the last FAB tournament, the Syarikat MK Jazmar Cup, having defeated Hope 93-88 in the final in November last year.

Geve Leones will be the main offensive power for Suci with his agility and ability to draw multiple defenders.

He is once again partnered by hitman, Aries Castro, who is dubbed a scoring machine for his ability to produce the goods with his sharp shooting prowess.

Another familiar face to line up for Suci will be Apollo Bibat, who has a never-say-die attitude on the court and will be crucial in cleaning the boards.

Suci are thrown into Group A together with Urdan, Jed Star, Dermatology and Hua Ho Yayasan. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Reece: Referee clinic is a must

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, April 8, 2011

THE news that three officials from FIBA (International Basketball Association) are set to conduct a refereeing clinic from May 6-8 is received with open arms at least for national basketball coach Kevin Reece (pic).

The clinic is open to those who are interested to gain knowledge on the latest rules in basketball and it is definitely a big plus for not only local referees but also players who wish to further improve on their game.

"I'm supporting it 110 per cent. This is great for the BBA (Brunei Basketball Association) and also great for both the players and referees in the country," said Reece, during an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"I'm glad to see the BBA addressing the referee problem and we're going in the right direction. They finally realise how fragile the sport is in our community and they don't want to keep these existing problems anymore," added the American.

Reece also advised that all basketball referees in the country should make themselves free for the clinic to ensure that the level of basketball could be improved. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Brunei Barracudas: Future looks bleak

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

THEY may have finished last in the Asean Basketball League last season, but the Brunei Barracudas' fate is still talk of the town will they compete as a Brunei team in the third season of the ABL or will they go west and be known as the Borneo Barracudas?

As reported in The Brunei Times early last month, the Sultanate stands to lose its first professional basketball team to Malaysian neighbours most probably Miri should no form of support is received by the Barracudas within the next month or June.

Nadzaty Azma Azeez, the Barracudas owner, also complained about the lack of support from both the public and private sectors for the team.

Even recruiting local players was a problem since most of them have work commitments and can't play full time.

This means the players would only be available for practice at night, but there is a bigger problem the team don't even have a practice court.

So what are the chances that the Barracudas will continue playing at the Barracudas Reef or the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas when the new season starts in January next year?

The Barracudas have had their fair share of ups and downs over the past two years.

The team were almost there and just lost out on a playoff spot to the KL Dragons in the inaugural season. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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Barracudas must swim in Brunei waters

Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, April 2, 2011

ASK four different players from four different Asean Basketball League (ABL) teams and they will all say the same thing; the Brunei Barracudas must stay.

Though Brunei's only professional basketball team might find it hard to get the support they need to survive in the Sultanate, outside the country, the backing the Barracudas is getting is very much alive and jumping.

In March, Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ABL's title sponsor AirAsia Datuk Sri Tony Fernandes said that the lack of support from the government and private sector might force the Barracudas to 'migrate' to Malaysia.

Talk has been circulating that the team might move from Bandar Seri Begawan to Malaysian neighbours Miri or Kota Kinabalu, should no form of support be forthcoming in the next two months.

ABL chief executive Kuhan Foo has given the team until May or June to drum up the support needed to keep the Barracudas in Brunei, and Alex Crisano is one of the ABL players who hopes the side will get the help they require.

"There should be more people helping out the team to make basketball in Brunei as big as it is in other countries," said the Philippine Patriots centre/power-forward yesterday. Read More…

Source: The Brunei Times

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