SEA U-17 tourney key to Singapore’s lofty goals for 3x3 basketball
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The Singapore boys and girls' players at the South-east Asia U-17 3x3 basketball tournament at the Aperia Mall.
PHOTO: BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
Follow topic:
- Singapore aims for 2029 SEA Games gold and a 2032 Olympics berth in 3x3 basketball, prioritising youth development.
- BAS hosted the Seaba U-17 3x3 tournament to benchmark youth talent and identify strengths and weaknesses for improvement.
- Seaba emphasises youth development to level up South-east Asian basketball standards and compete beyond the regional level.
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SINGAPORE – Singapore has set its sights high in 3x3 basketball, with ambitions of winning gold at the 2029 SEA Games on home soil and securing a berth at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
To achieve these targets, the Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) is prioritising youth development, a focus that was evident at the inaugural South-east Asia Basketball Association (Seaba) Under-17 3x3 tournament from Sept 26 to 28.
While the Republic has staged events such as the Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup multiple times, this was the first time the BAS has hosted a regional 3x3 event.
Beyond commemorating Singapore’s 60th year of independence and promoting the format among local fans, the competition also served as an important test for developing future talent and a gauge of the teams’ standard.
BAS chief executive Leon Neo said: “These (the SEA Games and Olympic targets) are meaningful and achievable if we do it right.
“What’s most important now is to develop the youth because by 2029 and 2032, it’s really the youth development that makes a difference.
“We are happy that Seaba gave us this opportunity to organise this competition.
“It’s a good benchmark to see where our youth stands among the South-east Asian countries and we can go back and analyse what our strengths and weaknesses are, then we can work on them.”
Staged at Aperia Mall, the event featured boys and girls’ teams from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Laos and Vietnam.
In the girls’ competition, Indonesia were crowned champions after beating Thailand 17-15 in the final, with Singapore triumphing 17-11 over Laos in the third-place play-off.
The boys’ event was won by Vietnam, who beat Thailand 20-18 in overtime in the final.
Singapore were knocked out in the quarter-finals after a 19-14 loss to Thailand.
The 3x3 game is an area of focus for the BAS, said Neo, who stressed the importance of training players and helping them adapt to the differences between the two formats.
He said: “There are a lot of differences, (with 3x3) requiring more personal skills while 5x5 is more about teamwork plus individual skills.
“The players will need to adapt... through this kind of high-level competition they can adjust and compete and then know where they stand and improve.”
The Singapore girls finished third in the Seaba Under-17 3x3 basketball tournament at the Aperia Mall on Sept 28, behind champions Indonesia, who beat Thailand 17-15 in the girls final.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM NXL3X3/YOUTUBE
Beyond Singapore’s ambitions, Seaba secretary general Koh Koon Teck hopes the competition will spur youth development across the region, an area he feels is overlooked.
He noted that the participation rate is low among South-east Asian countries at continental events like the U-16 and U-18 Fiba Asia 3x3 qualifying events, with some nations citing cost as a factor.
The former BAS president said: “We’re trying to level up the South-east Asia basketball standard.
“Youth development is neglected and that’s what we hope to focus on.
“Youth development is important because if they miss this opportunity – and this is a regional competition – when they go to the senior (level), there’s really no match, so we’re trying to fill the gap.”
Koh believes 3x3 basketball offers a more even playing field for countries who may not be established in the traditional 5x5 format, but also acknowledged that there needs to be pathways and resources to help teams develop.
Ultimately, Koh hopes that South-east Asian teams will not just aim for success at the regional level, but also on the continental and world stages.
The Philippines are the only South-east Asian country to have made the top four of the Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup.
They achieved the feat in 2022, finishing behind Australia, New Zealand and China.
While there is some way to go, Koh believes it is an attainable goal if there are proper pathways and opportunities for teams to improve.
He said: “The goal is not to beat the countries within this region, the goal is to go beyond to the next level – Asia – and to the World Cup or world championships.
“But in order to aim so high, you need processes in place.
“This is a regional competition and I’m hoping after this the players will develop, become stronger, better, and they can perform in competitions like Fiba Asia or world championships, which I hope we have more representation from South-east Asia.”
