SINGAPORE: Despite not picking up a single win in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024 group stage matches, Singapore head coach Lazar Rasic believes that both the men’s and women’s team had given their best even though they were up against teams that were far more superior and had better playing experience in such competitions.
“We are a young team and we don’t have a lot of experience, so this is something that we need to work on in the future.
We played, we fought and we gave our best, especially in the second game we showed that we are able to commit to playing with the best team.
I’m proud of them, they were fighting especially in the second game and we’re going to keep working,” mentioned Singapore head coach Rasic who managed both the men’s and women’s team in the tournament.
The men’s team had no luck replicating last year’s feat of advancing to the quarter-final round, where they lost 21-14 to China.
However, the two teams would meet again this year in the group stage as they were both drawn in Pool A, alongside Iran who made it to the group from the qualifiers.
The Singapore men’s team took to the court on Saturday, March 30, and faced Iran, who overcame a passionate home crowd with a powerful performance to defeat Singapore 21-12.
Dalirzahan had a game-high 9 points, while Mohammadmahdi Rahimi dominated the paint with eight rebounds.
The host then returned to face China and, backed by the roars of the home spectators, succeeded momentarily in putting pressure on their higher-ranked opponents.
Although Singapore held the lead briefly, China eventually regrouped to close out a 21-15 victory.
“For these guys it’s their first time playing 3×3 and first time playing in this type of competition. So I think we were nervous, sometimes scared, and this is something that we need to go through.
All these other teams have a lot of experience and lots of competitions like this, so there’s the big advantage for them now.
We were kind of nervous in the opening game, and then we started to control the game until the end where we slowed down and they had momentum.
They (China) were experienced enough to take advantage of this momentum, but we played and fought till the end of the game so I’m proud,” explained Singapore head coach Rasic.
On the court, the Singapore men’s team was represented by Tay Ding Long, Kelvin Lim, Delvin Goh, and Xu Duangyang.
These players are no strangers to Singapore basketball fans, as several of them have represented the Singapore Slingers at the now-defunct ASEAN Basketball League and also played for the national basketball team in the 5v5 basketball format.
“Even though we didn’t win the game, all four of us gave our best and we all played our hearts out. Our fans and our team-mates who were not playing, as well as Coach Rasic were screaming and wanting us to do our best.
That’s one thing very positive – Coach Rasic can find our mistakes and that’s where we get better from our mistakes,” expressed Singapore player Tay after their team’s exit in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup competition.
“I don’t think we’ve reached our potential yet because we’ve only been preparing for six months, including a trip to Serbia and China.
The trip was good; without that, we wouldn’t have had such a (close) game with China. I hope the younger generation finds passion in basketball, whether it’s 3×3 or 5×5.
As they grow older, I hope they find what suits them the most and that they give their best towards their sport.”
The Singapore women’s team started the competition ahead of the men’s team on March 28. In their Pool A matches, they lost 20-12 to China (picture above) and 18-8 to Chinese Taipei.
Choo Jie Ying, Han Xing Yue, Sara Choong, and Choy Ting Tang represent the Singapore women’s team.
Reflecting on the Singapore women’s team performance, head coach Rasic commented, “This tournament was going to be a test for us. I saw good things, I also saw bad things, so this is something that we need to keep working on.
We need as many tournaments like this as possible so that we can enjoy them and not be scared or feel under pressure because we are at the beginning of building something.”
“I can say I’m proud of these girls because they fought. Maybe they didn’t do some things well, but they showed fighting spirit, they didn’t give up and they played till the last moment.
That’s something we want to keep for the future for sure and we want to upgrade our basketball skills, upgrade our hours of practising.
I hope and I believe that in the future, we will be at the level where we can beat all these teams and achieve our dreams of winning a medal,” added the Singapore head coach.
Main photo credit: FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024