The schedule for Girls' SUKMUM for this Wednesday has been changed as follows:
Wed 23/1/2008
- 09:00am 6th v 3rd
- 10:00am 12th v 4th
- 11:00am 7th v 8th
- 12:00pm 1st v 9th
Note that all games on Wednesday 23/1/2008 (previously scheduled to be played in the evening/night) will be played in the morning.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
SUKMUM
The Girls SUKMUM (Inter college) will be played at Gym 1 this week, Monday to Saturday. Grous and schedule as follows:-
Group A : 5th, 6th, 3rd Group B : 12th, 2nd, 4th Group C : 7th, 1st, 9th, 8th
Mon 21/1/2008
- 5:45p 5th v 6th
- 6:45p 12th v 2nd
- 7:45p 7th v 1st
- 8:45p 9th v 8th
Tue 22/1/2008
- 5:45p 5th v 3rd
- 6:45p 2nd v 4th
- 7:45p 7th v 9th
- 8:45p 1st v 8th
Wed 23/1/2008
(changed)
- 09:00am 6th v 3rd
- 10:00am 12th v 4th
- 11:00am 7th v 8th
- 12:00pm 1st v 9th
Thur 24/1/2008
- 5:45p C2 v B2
- 6:45p C1 v A2
Fri 25/1/2008
- 5:45p A1 v C2/B2
- 6:45p C1/A2 v B1
Sat 26/1/2008
- 9am 3rd/4th
- 11am 1st/2nd
Group A : 5th, 6th, 3rd Group B : 12th, 2nd, 4th Group C : 7th, 1st, 9th, 8th
Mon 21/1/2008
- 5:45p 5th v 6th
- 6:45p 12th v 2nd
- 7:45p 7th v 1st
- 8:45p 9th v 8th
Tue 22/1/2008
- 5:45p 5th v 3rd
- 6:45p 2nd v 4th
- 7:45p 7th v 9th
- 8:45p 1st v 8th
Wed 23/1/2008
(changed)
- 09:00am 6th v 3rd
- 10:00am 12th v 4th
- 11:00am 7th v 8th
- 12:00pm 1st v 9th
Thur 24/1/2008
- 5:45p C2 v B2
- 6:45p C1 v A2
Fri 25/1/2008
- 5:45p A1 v C2/B2
- 6:45p C1/A2 v B1
Sat 26/1/2008
- 9am 3rd/4th
- 11am 1st/2nd
Next Practice
Next practice is as follows:
Day : Sunday
Date : 27 January 2008
Time : 7:45am
Venue : 12th College
Special assignment:-
1) Please make sure you have viewed and thought about the basketball shooting DVD distributed on 20/1/2008; and
2) Do NOT be late so that we can start on time and end early, as it gets hot really fast.
3) Do NOT miss - this will be a session heavily focused on shooting
Day : Sunday
Date : 27 January 2008
Time : 7:45am
Venue : 12th College
Special assignment:-
1) Please make sure you have viewed and thought about the basketball shooting DVD distributed on 20/1/2008; and
2) Do NOT be late so that we can start on time and end early, as it gets hot really fast.
3) Do NOT miss - this will be a session heavily focused on shooting
Practice Review - Good
We had an average turnout during our last practice on Sunday morning 20/1/2008. Whilst we had 10 players, other than Chee Ching, we didn't have any front court players with us.
Nonetheless, we had a good session and managed to cover a few essential things - transition offense, boxing out, ball-handling + defense and some refreshers on our sets #1, #2 and #4.
We also introduced a new set named "special" as it is a "special-ist" type set where each position has specific, special assignments. Our Cs and PFs will have to get an idea of the set from the other players and ensure they do not miss the next practice (Sunday 7:45am, 27/1/2008).
Finally, the coaching staff distributed a DVD on better shooting. All players were required to view the DVD and be prepared to discuss and implement the points raised at the next practice.
Nonetheless, we had a good session and managed to cover a few essential things - transition offense, boxing out, ball-handling + defense and some refreshers on our sets #1, #2 and #4.
We also introduced a new set named "special" as it is a "special-ist" type set where each position has specific, special assignments. Our Cs and PFs will have to get an idea of the set from the other players and ensure they do not miss the next practice (Sunday 7:45am, 27/1/2008).
Finally, the coaching staff distributed a DVD on better shooting. All players were required to view the DVD and be prepared to discuss and implement the points raised at the next practice.
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Game Results
UM Game #4 Results
UM's 4th and final game in Round #1 was against CSK where we lost 78-84. Game stats done and can be downloaded here.
CSK was a fundamentally sound team, very good individual skills especially dribble penetration skills, reasonable outside shooting and with very tall centers. They played under control throughout and did not make unforced errors and hit many, crucial/big shots throughout the game to keep us at bay.
Asst captain Chang sat out this game as he suffered a sprain ankle from the previous game. Also, our top scorer, veteran Chin Chuan was sub-par as he was ill. Whilst Chuan still top scored (16 pts), he also had a team high 7 turnovers and was in foul trouble in the first half. Poh Guan stepped up admirably and ended up playing either PG or PF depending on what we needed on the court. Poh Guan ended with 2nd highest score at 15pts (but also 2nd highest turnovers at 5!).
With Chang out of the lineup, rookie Kok Way was given the opportunity to play with the 1st unit. The unfamiliarity of the lineup plus Chuan's sub-par health affected our 1st unit's effectiveness so that this game, the 2nd unit definitely out-played and out-performed the 1st unit. Consequently, the coaching staff allowed much more playing time to the 2nd unit than usual and had the 2nd unit finishing the game at the end (more on the last few second's drama later).
Rebounding (specifically boxing-out) has also been the coaching staff's concern over the last few games. We had been having rebounding advantage simply because of our superior size and not because of a dedication to boxing out fundamentals. This shortcoming finally showed itself and hurt us in this game as CSK having a few tall players as well, for the first game, we lost the rebounding battle (46-48) and gave up 21 offensive rebounds and 22 second chance points.
Seeing CSK's preference to dribble penetrate and our inability to stop CSK's disciplined half-court offense or stop CSK from getting 2nd chance points, the coaching staff made the decision to have the team play 3 quarter court zone press whenever the opportunity arose. During the 2nd quarter (both 1st and 2nd unit) and 1st half of the 3rd quarter (1st unit), our press execution (total of 12 attempts) was extremely poor. Insufficient pressure on the ball handler and poor coverage on long passes. As a result, whilst we managed to cause 2 turnovers (1 out of bounds and 1 steal) and 3 rushed-shots, we also gave up 6 wide open shots, allowing CSK to score 12 points against our press defense. Worst, of the 2 turnovers we caused, we failed to score ourselves.
However, CSK clearly showed themselves to be a team that is susceptible to the press as their instincts against the press is to dribble (allowing us to trap) and they tended to make rushed shots (some, not all) of the time. The press failed us not because CSK was too good but because our own execution was poor. More work and practice is clearly needed in this area.
Only by the 2nd half of the 3rd quarter onwards did our press defense execution (starting with the 2nd unit) improve. For the 2nd half of the 3rd quarter and the final quarter (10 attempts) we managed 3 steals, caused 3 (missed) rush shots and only gave up 1 lay up and 1 foul (where CSK only hit 1 of 2 free throws). Unfortunately, off the 3 steals, we only scored once and didn't manage to score off 2 of the 3 steals.
Had our press execution been better and our conversion rate (scores after steals) been higher, this game was definitely a win-able game.
Instead, with only 38 seconds left, we were still down 8 points (71-79) with the 2nd unit on the floor. However, our 2nd unit's performance during that last 38 seconds was VERY good. I used up all my time outs during that 38 second stretch and drew special plays on each and the 2nd unit was able to execute them to near perfection, hitting a 3 (Amirul) as per design and drawing a foul on another 3 pointer (Poh Guan) on the other. Unfortunately Poh Guan only made 2 of 3 free throws. Even on the possession after I ran out of time outs, the 2nd unit still executed their half court offense and still managed to score (score by Saik Poh off a beautiful, no-look pass from Amirul). The only reason CSK managed to hang on and win was due to their clutch free throw shooting (8/10) down the stretch.
Another good game and good experience for UM. A great opportunity for the 2nd unit to be exposed to end-game, pressure situation and they've shown the coaching staff that they definitely can handle the pressure. This gives the coaching staff a lot of options in games going forward.
Despite the loss, we definitely earned a lot of respect from both our opponent and the spectators, in the way we played throughout the game and especially in the way we finished the game. Well done again, UM.
UM's 4th and final game in Round #1 was against CSK where we lost 78-84. Game stats done and can be downloaded here.
CSK was a fundamentally sound team, very good individual skills especially dribble penetration skills, reasonable outside shooting and with very tall centers. They played under control throughout and did not make unforced errors and hit many, crucial/big shots throughout the game to keep us at bay.
Asst captain Chang sat out this game as he suffered a sprain ankle from the previous game. Also, our top scorer, veteran Chin Chuan was sub-par as he was ill. Whilst Chuan still top scored (16 pts), he also had a team high 7 turnovers and was in foul trouble in the first half. Poh Guan stepped up admirably and ended up playing either PG or PF depending on what we needed on the court. Poh Guan ended with 2nd highest score at 15pts (but also 2nd highest turnovers at 5!).
With Chang out of the lineup, rookie Kok Way was given the opportunity to play with the 1st unit. The unfamiliarity of the lineup plus Chuan's sub-par health affected our 1st unit's effectiveness so that this game, the 2nd unit definitely out-played and out-performed the 1st unit. Consequently, the coaching staff allowed much more playing time to the 2nd unit than usual and had the 2nd unit finishing the game at the end (more on the last few second's drama later).
Rebounding (specifically boxing-out) has also been the coaching staff's concern over the last few games. We had been having rebounding advantage simply because of our superior size and not because of a dedication to boxing out fundamentals. This shortcoming finally showed itself and hurt us in this game as CSK having a few tall players as well, for the first game, we lost the rebounding battle (46-48) and gave up 21 offensive rebounds and 22 second chance points.
Seeing CSK's preference to dribble penetrate and our inability to stop CSK's disciplined half-court offense or stop CSK from getting 2nd chance points, the coaching staff made the decision to have the team play 3 quarter court zone press whenever the opportunity arose. During the 2nd quarter (both 1st and 2nd unit) and 1st half of the 3rd quarter (1st unit), our press execution (total of 12 attempts) was extremely poor. Insufficient pressure on the ball handler and poor coverage on long passes. As a result, whilst we managed to cause 2 turnovers (1 out of bounds and 1 steal) and 3 rushed-shots, we also gave up 6 wide open shots, allowing CSK to score 12 points against our press defense. Worst, of the 2 turnovers we caused, we failed to score ourselves.
However, CSK clearly showed themselves to be a team that is susceptible to the press as their instincts against the press is to dribble (allowing us to trap) and they tended to make rushed shots (some, not all) of the time. The press failed us not because CSK was too good but because our own execution was poor. More work and practice is clearly needed in this area.
Only by the 2nd half of the 3rd quarter onwards did our press defense execution (starting with the 2nd unit) improve. For the 2nd half of the 3rd quarter and the final quarter (10 attempts) we managed 3 steals, caused 3 (missed) rush shots and only gave up 1 lay up and 1 foul (where CSK only hit 1 of 2 free throws). Unfortunately, off the 3 steals, we only scored once and didn't manage to score off 2 of the 3 steals.
Had our press execution been better and our conversion rate (scores after steals) been higher, this game was definitely a win-able game.
Instead, with only 38 seconds left, we were still down 8 points (71-79) with the 2nd unit on the floor. However, our 2nd unit's performance during that last 38 seconds was VERY good. I used up all my time outs during that 38 second stretch and drew special plays on each and the 2nd unit was able to execute them to near perfection, hitting a 3 (Amirul) as per design and drawing a foul on another 3 pointer (Poh Guan) on the other. Unfortunately Poh Guan only made 2 of 3 free throws. Even on the possession after I ran out of time outs, the 2nd unit still executed their half court offense and still managed to score (score by Saik Poh off a beautiful, no-look pass from Amirul). The only reason CSK managed to hang on and win was due to their clutch free throw shooting (8/10) down the stretch.
Another good game and good experience for UM. A great opportunity for the 2nd unit to be exposed to end-game, pressure situation and they've shown the coaching staff that they definitely can handle the pressure. This gives the coaching staff a lot of options in games going forward.
Despite the loss, we definitely earned a lot of respect from both our opponent and the spectators, in the way we played throughout the game and especially in the way we finished the game. Well done again, UM.
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Game Results
UM Game #3 Results
UM's 3rd game was against TABC on 10/1/2008. We won 72-58 but the final score is misleading and doesn't reflect how close a game it was. Game stats have been done and can be downloaded here.
TABC was an above average team, with good basic fundamentals but we were clearly the superior team, both in terms of player and team talent. However, after getting a 6 point lead at the end of the 1st quarter, we were unable to break away and TABC stayed close throughout until the last 4 minutes. At times they came as close as 2 points and at most, our largest lead was 6 or 7 points .
The reason they were able to stay close was because we kept fouling their players ... almost on every other possession. In the first 3 quarters, we committed 4, 7 and 8 fouls each quarter! And TABC made a decent 60% of their free throws (15/25) for 15 points just on free throws through 3 quarters. Seeing as they only scored 44 points through 3 quarters, this is very significant cos it means they scored more than 1/3 of their points from the free throw line.
This point was not missed during the game and the coaching staff kept exhorting the players to stop fouling.
Only when the players finally stopped committing fouls in the final quarter, did we finally, steadily pull away. We committed only 2 non-shooting fouls and TABC did not attempt a single free throw in the final quarter. TABC lost their mental focus for just 2 or 3 minutes of the 4th quarter and with just a few steals and fast breaks, we had opened up a double digit lead and pulled away.
This was a very good game and good experience for our players as it was the first "close" game for us (the 1st two games being easy blowouts) and our players responded well by maintaining their mental focus throughout the 40 minutes of the game and were able to make conscious adjustment (by stop fouling). The game also illustrated the importance of mental focus as TABC only lost their focus towards the end for 2 or 3 minutes but those 2 or 3 minutes essentially allowed us to put the game out of their reach.
With this victory, we were assured of being through to the 2nd Round, regardless of whether we won or lost our last game with CSK. Well done, UM.
UM's 3rd game was against TABC on 10/1/2008. We won 72-58 but the final score is misleading and doesn't reflect how close a game it was. Game stats have been done and can be downloaded here.
TABC was an above average team, with good basic fundamentals but we were clearly the superior team, both in terms of player and team talent. However, after getting a 6 point lead at the end of the 1st quarter, we were unable to break away and TABC stayed close throughout until the last 4 minutes. At times they came as close as 2 points and at most, our largest lead was 6 or 7 points .
The reason they were able to stay close was because we kept fouling their players ... almost on every other possession. In the first 3 quarters, we committed 4, 7 and 8 fouls each quarter! And TABC made a decent 60% of their free throws (15/25) for 15 points just on free throws through 3 quarters. Seeing as they only scored 44 points through 3 quarters, this is very significant cos it means they scored more than 1/3 of their points from the free throw line.
This point was not missed during the game and the coaching staff kept exhorting the players to stop fouling.
Only when the players finally stopped committing fouls in the final quarter, did we finally, steadily pull away. We committed only 2 non-shooting fouls and TABC did not attempt a single free throw in the final quarter. TABC lost their mental focus for just 2 or 3 minutes of the 4th quarter and with just a few steals and fast breaks, we had opened up a double digit lead and pulled away.
This was a very good game and good experience for our players as it was the first "close" game for us (the 1st two games being easy blowouts) and our players responded well by maintaining their mental focus throughout the 40 minutes of the game and were able to make conscious adjustment (by stop fouling). The game also illustrated the importance of mental focus as TABC only lost their focus towards the end for 2 or 3 minutes but those 2 or 3 minutes essentially allowed us to put the game out of their reach.
With this victory, we were assured of being through to the 2nd Round, regardless of whether we won or lost our last game with CSK. Well done, UM.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Schedule
Ex-UM's schedule
(Round #1)
- remaining schedule remain unchanged, as follows:
16/1/2008 Wednesday 7:45pm Ex-UM vs Tham Training
17/1/2008 Thursday 9:15pm Ex-UM vs Liparis
This means Ex-UM is to wear the GREY jersey for both remaining games.
UM's schedule
(Round #2)
- UM is through to the 2nd round as Group C runner-up (C2) with a 3-1 record, schedule as follows:
(postponed - will be informed later)
This means UM will be wearing the BLUE jersey for every game in the 2nd round.
(Round #1)
- remaining schedule remain unchanged, as follows:
16/1/2008 Wednesday 7:45pm Ex-UM vs Tham Training
17/1/2008 Thursday 9:15pm Ex-UM vs Liparis
This means Ex-UM is to wear the GREY jersey for both remaining games.
UM's schedule
(Round #2)
- UM is through to the 2nd round as Group C runner-up (C2) with a 3-1 record, schedule as follows:
(postponed - will be informed later)
This means UM will be wearing the BLUE jersey for every game in the 2nd round.
Friendly with ISKL
Game Results (played on Saturday, 12 Jan, 2pm) - loss
Will try to post more details on the game in the next 2 days.
Will try to post more details on the game in the next 2 days.
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Game Results
Sorry for the late posting. Been really busy.
Just a quick update today:
UM's Game #3 vs. TABC (played on Thursday, 10 Jan, 5pm) - win
UM's Game #4 vs. CSK (played on Sunday, 13 Jan, 5pm) - loss
Will post more details on the games by tomorrow.
Just a quick update today:
UM's Game #3 vs. TABC (played on Thursday, 10 Jan, 5pm) - win
UM's Game #4 vs. CSK (played on Sunday, 13 Jan, 5pm) - loss
Will post more details on the games by tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Game Results
Ex-UM Game #2 Results
Ex-UM played its 2nd game yesterday against Puchong BA, losing 42-64
Unfortunately for us, Puchong BA was clearly the better team. Individually, the Puchong BA players were merely slightly above average but as a team, they were a young team, fit, fast, well organized and well coached.
They started out playing a zone and we scored easily the first few possessions. Immediately and throughout the game after that, they went to an excellent 1-2-2 half court zone press which reverts to a half court, pressure "face-guard" type man-to-man defense. Their forwards (they didn't really have true centers) were long and athletic. They caused numerous turnovers and totally took Ex-UM out of its usual half court offense.
Although Ex-UM managed to stay competitive for most of the 1st quarter, Puchong BA was clearly in control of the game, scoring easily off turnovers and fast breaks.
Chee Ching however had an excellent game for us - much, MUCH improved from his first game. The detailed stats have not been compiled yet but it was clear that he surely has a double-double (score & rebounds). He got many rebounds, defensive and offensive and played excellent post offense especially in the first quarter.
However, Puchong BA adjusted their defense by pressuring the ball handlers further out and fronting the low post effectively taking away any low post opportunities. We struggled trying to find a strategy that worked on offense and finally went to trying to set a high, ball screen ala European style basketball, in the first half. However as the remaining 3 Ex-UM players failed to spread the floor and continually crowded/moved near the ball handler, the high pick-&-roll had little success as Puchong BA could easily double team or help on any dribble penetration attempts.
It was only by the 2nd half that we finally managed to get Ex-UM players to better understand spreading the floor and creating space. We also went to having both Ex-UM centers going out to set a double screen for the ball handler. Finally, we were able to play a reasonable half court offense and began to score in the 3rd quarter. However, by then we were already down by 18 points (22-40) and trying to play "catch up".
On top of that, Puchong BA continued to substitute players on 5-in-5-out basis on 5 minute rotations and continued to play their 1-2-2 zone press with fresh players.
Although we started to execute better offense, stamina and fitness (especially having to continuously deal with their pressure defense) started to take its toll and we were not able to make much headway into the deficit.
Nonetheless, despite the big margin loss, it was a very good game and good experience for our Ex-UM players and the 3 "guest" UM players playing with us. Our Ex-UM players definitely have to (gradually?) improve our fitness and stamina and all players should now have a better understanding of creating and maintaining spacing on the court. Players also need to improve their passing and dribbling skills (especially dribbling with their heads/eyes up and passing off the dribble).
Ex-UM played its 2nd game yesterday against Puchong BA, losing 42-64
Unfortunately for us, Puchong BA was clearly the better team. Individually, the Puchong BA players were merely slightly above average but as a team, they were a young team, fit, fast, well organized and well coached.
They started out playing a zone and we scored easily the first few possessions. Immediately and throughout the game after that, they went to an excellent 1-2-2 half court zone press which reverts to a half court, pressure "face-guard" type man-to-man defense. Their forwards (they didn't really have true centers) were long and athletic. They caused numerous turnovers and totally took Ex-UM out of its usual half court offense.
Although Ex-UM managed to stay competitive for most of the 1st quarter, Puchong BA was clearly in control of the game, scoring easily off turnovers and fast breaks.
Chee Ching however had an excellent game for us - much, MUCH improved from his first game. The detailed stats have not been compiled yet but it was clear that he surely has a double-double (score & rebounds). He got many rebounds, defensive and offensive and played excellent post offense especially in the first quarter.
However, Puchong BA adjusted their defense by pressuring the ball handlers further out and fronting the low post effectively taking away any low post opportunities. We struggled trying to find a strategy that worked on offense and finally went to trying to set a high, ball screen ala European style basketball, in the first half. However as the remaining 3 Ex-UM players failed to spread the floor and continually crowded/moved near the ball handler, the high pick-&-roll had little success as Puchong BA could easily double team or help on any dribble penetration attempts.
It was only by the 2nd half that we finally managed to get Ex-UM players to better understand spreading the floor and creating space. We also went to having both Ex-UM centers going out to set a double screen for the ball handler. Finally, we were able to play a reasonable half court offense and began to score in the 3rd quarter. However, by then we were already down by 18 points (22-40) and trying to play "catch up".
On top of that, Puchong BA continued to substitute players on 5-in-5-out basis on 5 minute rotations and continued to play their 1-2-2 zone press with fresh players.
Although we started to execute better offense, stamina and fitness (especially having to continuously deal with their pressure defense) started to take its toll and we were not able to make much headway into the deficit.
Nonetheless, despite the big margin loss, it was a very good game and good experience for our Ex-UM players and the 3 "guest" UM players playing with us. Our Ex-UM players definitely have to (gradually?) improve our fitness and stamina and all players should now have a better understanding of creating and maintaining spacing on the court. Players also need to improve their passing and dribbling skills (especially dribbling with their heads/eyes up and passing off the dribble).
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Game Results
UM Game #2 Results
UM played TDRA yesterday. TDRA is the team from Taman Desa whom UM played in their first game last season (2006-2007) at Sultan's Cup (2006) ... a game which UM lost by 2 points and in which TDRA committed many, hard fouls against our players.
However, UM's team today is much improved from 2006/7 Day #1 and TDRA was never really able to challenge UM yesterday. UM won 72-44.
As usual, we started out playing pressure man-to-man defense and TDRA ended up playing very disorganized. However, the style seemed to suit TDRA as their players seemed used to playing individual, one-on-one dribble penetration style. Although we were scoring easily on offense and TDRA were having a hard/tough time scoring, TDRA was still scoring or drawing a lot of fouls on our players. Our man-to-man "help" defense clearly needs upgrading and improvement.
As a result, whilst we were clearly "in control" of the game, at the end of 2 Quarters, we were only leading by 11 points.
To counter, the coaching staff decided to have our players play an extended zone defense, with the "point" defender instructed to harass their ball handler and "encourage" him to dribble penetrate and other zone defenders waiting at the back to step in and trap or stop dribble penetration. We had "mixed" success with the strategy. Whilst it was clearly the correct strategy to employ (TDRA was even more disorganized and poor outside shooters), our players' execution (not being used to playing any zones at all) were quite poor, especially on help/recover and rotations ~ often leaving TDRA players wide open for uncontested shots (which they mostly missed).
Nonetheless, the strategy allowed us to break the game open and we outscored TDRA 22-7 in the 3rd Quarter to take commanding 26 point lead entering the 4th.Quarter.
The 4th Quarter saw both teams losing mental focus and playing sloppily. Little defense but low scoring as well. We won the last quarter by a mere 2 points (15-13). Our team has to do a much better job of finishing off teams and must maintain their mental focus on both offense and defense for the full 40 minutes of the game. Had the opponent been a strong team, they could very well have made a serious come-back challenge.
The very purpose of this competition for UM is for the learning experience and for UM to regain (and exceed) our standard of play last year. We therefore hope that the players will learn from the games and begin to improve their mental focus stamina. The coaching staff will continue to remind the players and will begin to expect much better mental focus from players going forward.
Individually, several players have continued to play well and a few are continuing to surprise us. Below is a list of brief comments and reminders for our players:-
No. 4 - Jensen - playing and scoring well - continue to just play the game and the let game come to you - do not shy away from opportunities to dribble penetrate and create opportunities or score
No. 5 - Poh Guan - continue to put pressure on opponent defense especially in open court, fast break situation - continue to provide good on-court leadership - try to get more defensive rebounds - continue to improve shooting percentage
No. 6 - Kok Way - need to play better "help" defense - positional defense is wrong (too near to opponent even though 2 or 3 passes away from the ball) - shoots the 3-ball very well and therefore needs to look for his shot on offense more
No. 7 - Phang - reliable veteran - continue to lead by example on defense - much improved 3 point shot this year - pick your spots/time to be really aggressive on offense (shot or drive)
No. 8 - Chang - one of the surprises - playing PG well - good decision making - good natural instincts - trust them (your instincts) - continue to be focused on passes and avoid lazy passes or unforced turnovers - stay aggressive on offense - shooting touch returning - keep working on finding range from 3 point
No. 9 - Chuan - reliable veteran - continue to shoot the FT well - excellent penetration move going to the right (usually on secondary break) - need to add ability to make the same cut as effectively going to the left - making good passes into the interior (usually to Chen Wee) or to baseline (usually to Jensen) but perimeter passing (point to 45 degrees) a bit lazy - don't just settle for trying to pass over opponent especially when opponent is guarding closely - create space and improve angle before passing
No. 10 - Saik Poh - another surprise - playing extremely well - very athletic and quick - impressive jumping abilities - continue to play good defense and stay active and aggressive on offense - get more offensive rebounds and put back scores - shooting 2 Pt well - need to improve 3 Pt shot and dribble penetration skills
No. 11 - Fai - hand injury - get well soon - in the meantime, improve stamina (jogging, treadmill etc.)
No. 12 - Amirul - excellent court vision and good no-look passes - needs to eliminate "small" bad habits on defense that tend to get referee's picking on you - need to avoid picking up "silly" fouls (e.g. fouls on players way beyond scoring area) - focus on your strengths - playing excellent help defense and providing on-court leadership - need to improve and regain 3 Pt shot - need to get a reliable pull-up 2 Pt shot
No. 13 - Wei Cheng - excellent help defense to block shots - good rebounding - need to improve physical stamina and strength - need to improve shooting percentage from beyond 5 feet to 15 feet
No. 14 - (Amare) Yuen - another surprise - playing well - always a size and strength advantage - need to learn to use those advantages even more effectively - continue to stay active and aggressive on offense and defense - need to "assess" surrounding before beginning post-moves - needs to slow down just before releasing shots (do this by "hanging" in the air a few milliseconds) to improve shooting percentage
No. 15 - Chen Wee - reliable veteran on defense and team offense - need to regain focus on shot release and increase shooting percentage for heavily contested shots in close - not just "release" the ball early/simply but stay with the shot and finish/make the score - do not shy away from contact
UM played TDRA yesterday. TDRA is the team from Taman Desa whom UM played in their first game last season (2006-2007) at Sultan's Cup (2006) ... a game which UM lost by 2 points and in which TDRA committed many, hard fouls against our players.
However, UM's team today is much improved from 2006/7 Day #1 and TDRA was never really able to challenge UM yesterday. UM won 72-44.
As usual, we started out playing pressure man-to-man defense and TDRA ended up playing very disorganized. However, the style seemed to suit TDRA as their players seemed used to playing individual, one-on-one dribble penetration style. Although we were scoring easily on offense and TDRA were having a hard/tough time scoring, TDRA was still scoring or drawing a lot of fouls on our players. Our man-to-man "help" defense clearly needs upgrading and improvement.
As a result, whilst we were clearly "in control" of the game, at the end of 2 Quarters, we were only leading by 11 points.
To counter, the coaching staff decided to have our players play an extended zone defense, with the "point" defender instructed to harass their ball handler and "encourage" him to dribble penetrate and other zone defenders waiting at the back to step in and trap or stop dribble penetration. We had "mixed" success with the strategy. Whilst it was clearly the correct strategy to employ (TDRA was even more disorganized and poor outside shooters), our players' execution (not being used to playing any zones at all) were quite poor, especially on help/recover and rotations ~ often leaving TDRA players wide open for uncontested shots (which they mostly missed).
Nonetheless, the strategy allowed us to break the game open and we outscored TDRA 22-7 in the 3rd Quarter to take commanding 26 point lead entering the 4th.Quarter.
The 4th Quarter saw both teams losing mental focus and playing sloppily. Little defense but low scoring as well. We won the last quarter by a mere 2 points (15-13). Our team has to do a much better job of finishing off teams and must maintain their mental focus on both offense and defense for the full 40 minutes of the game. Had the opponent been a strong team, they could very well have made a serious come-back challenge.
The very purpose of this competition for UM is for the learning experience and for UM to regain (and exceed) our standard of play last year. We therefore hope that the players will learn from the games and begin to improve their mental focus stamina. The coaching staff will continue to remind the players and will begin to expect much better mental focus from players going forward.
Individually, several players have continued to play well and a few are continuing to surprise us. Below is a list of brief comments and reminders for our players:-
No. 4 - Jensen - playing and scoring well - continue to just play the game and the let game come to you - do not shy away from opportunities to dribble penetrate and create opportunities or score
No. 5 - Poh Guan - continue to put pressure on opponent defense especially in open court, fast break situation - continue to provide good on-court leadership - try to get more defensive rebounds - continue to improve shooting percentage
No. 6 - Kok Way - need to play better "help" defense - positional defense is wrong (too near to opponent even though 2 or 3 passes away from the ball) - shoots the 3-ball very well and therefore needs to look for his shot on offense more
No. 7 - Phang - reliable veteran - continue to lead by example on defense - much improved 3 point shot this year - pick your spots/time to be really aggressive on offense (shot or drive)
No. 8 - Chang - one of the surprises - playing PG well - good decision making - good natural instincts - trust them (your instincts) - continue to be focused on passes and avoid lazy passes or unforced turnovers - stay aggressive on offense - shooting touch returning - keep working on finding range from 3 point
No. 9 - Chuan - reliable veteran - continue to shoot the FT well - excellent penetration move going to the right (usually on secondary break) - need to add ability to make the same cut as effectively going to the left - making good passes into the interior (usually to Chen Wee) or to baseline (usually to Jensen) but perimeter passing (point to 45 degrees) a bit lazy - don't just settle for trying to pass over opponent especially when opponent is guarding closely - create space and improve angle before passing
No. 10 - Saik Poh - another surprise - playing extremely well - very athletic and quick - impressive jumping abilities - continue to play good defense and stay active and aggressive on offense - get more offensive rebounds and put back scores - shooting 2 Pt well - need to improve 3 Pt shot and dribble penetration skills
No. 11 - Fai - hand injury - get well soon - in the meantime, improve stamina (jogging, treadmill etc.)
No. 12 - Amirul - excellent court vision and good no-look passes - needs to eliminate "small" bad habits on defense that tend to get referee's picking on you - need to avoid picking up "silly" fouls (e.g. fouls on players way beyond scoring area) - focus on your strengths - playing excellent help defense and providing on-court leadership - need to improve and regain 3 Pt shot - need to get a reliable pull-up 2 Pt shot
No. 13 - Wei Cheng - excellent help defense to block shots - good rebounding - need to improve physical stamina and strength - need to improve shooting percentage from beyond 5 feet to 15 feet
No. 14 - (Amare) Yuen - another surprise - playing well - always a size and strength advantage - need to learn to use those advantages even more effectively - continue to stay active and aggressive on offense and defense - need to "assess" surrounding before beginning post-moves - needs to slow down just before releasing shots (do this by "hanging" in the air a few milliseconds) to improve shooting percentage
No. 15 - Chen Wee - reliable veteran on defense and team offense - need to regain focus on shot release and increase shooting percentage for heavily contested shots in close - not just "release" the ball early/simply but stay with the shot and finish/make the score - do not shy away from contact
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Schedule
The team grouping and full schedule (in pdf format) has been uploaded.
Click here to download the full schedule.
Click here to download the full schedule.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Schedule
UM's schedule
Game 1 vs Lian Yew (B) - 5/1/08 Saturday 6pm
Game 2 vs TDRA - 7/1/08 Monday 7:45pm
Game 3 vs TABC - 10/1/08 Thursday 5pm
Game 4 vs CSK - 13/1/08 Sunday 5pm
Ex-UM's schedule
Game 1 vs Lian Yew (A) - 5/1/08 Saturday 9pm
Game 2 vs Puchong BA - 8/1/08 Tuesday 9:15pm
Game 3 vs Team Training - 16/1/08 Wednesday 7:45pm
Game 4 vs Liparis - 17/1/08 Thursday 9:15pm
Game 1 vs Lian Yew (B) - 5/1/08 Saturday 6pm
Game 2 vs TDRA - 7/1/08 Monday 7:45pm
Game 3 vs TABC - 10/1/08 Thursday 5pm
Game 4 vs CSK - 13/1/08 Sunday 5pm
Ex-UM's schedule
Game 1 vs Lian Yew (A) - 5/1/08 Saturday 9pm
Game 2 vs Puchong BA - 8/1/08 Tuesday 9:15pm
Game 3 vs Team Training - 16/1/08 Wednesday 7:45pm
Game 4 vs Liparis - 17/1/08 Thursday 9:15pm
Next Practice
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Schedule
Next Game
UM's next game is tonight, 7:45pm vs. TDRA.
UM players are to gather at PJ Gate, at 5:20pm. Do NOT be late as today is a workday and traffic into USJ/Subang is always congested on workdays, especially during rush hours.
Other game's schedule (both UM and Ex-UM) are still being changed around. I will sms and post here as and when they are confirmed.
UM's next game is tonight, 7:45pm vs. TDRA.
UM players are to gather at PJ Gate, at 5:20pm. Do NOT be late as today is a workday and traffic into USJ/Subang is always congested on workdays, especially during rush hours.
Other game's schedule (both UM and Ex-UM) are still being changed around. I will sms and post here as and when they are confirmed.
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Game Results
UM & Ex-UM Game #1 Results
Both UM and Ex-UM played their 1st games on 5 Jan 2008 (Saturday).
UM played first (6pm) vs. LIan Yew (B), winning 76-37. UM played well especially considering this is the 1st competition game after more than 6 months and the limited practice time we have had so far. A very well balanced game - all 12 players played at least 10 minutes each and all 12 players scored at least 2 points. Two 1st year players (a PG and a SG) selected for this competition also both played well. UM led all the way and the game turned into a blow out from the 2nd quarter onwards.
Our strengths clearly remain (1) our defense (2) our 2nd unit and (3) our size. Our pressure, half-court man-to-man continue to give us our greatest success - making it tough for the opponent on every possession and creating turnovers and poor shots (Opp FG 22%). Also, it is not that our 1st unit is not strong but the "strength/value" is our team's ability to field (on 5-in-5-out basis) a 2nd unit that does not result in any drop-off in defensive pressure or offensive effectiveness. This allows us to play "fresh" all the time with continuous constant defensive and offensive pressure. And our size enable us to continue to have huge advantages on the boards (67-47 rebound advantage).
However, our lack of practice time together was also clearly evident as we committed 25 "unforced" turnovers (opponent did not play any press, trap or pressure defense) and us shooting only 19% from 3-point line (opponent only played zone defense) and 61% from the Free Throw line. Also, team focus especially on defense and offensive execution tended to waver/deteriorate after 8 minutes or so (especially 2nd unit). Our players need to maintain focus for much longer than a mere 8 minute stretch.
By comparison, with formal and long term practices, UM's performance is expected to be and should exceed that of Ex-UM. Yet, Ex-UM only had 24 turnovers and also made 61% of its FTs. UM's stats on these 2 points definitely needs to be much better (target : <15>80% FT)
Furthermore, Lian Yew (B) is considered an average/weak team. UM must continue to improve and prepare themselves to meet the challenge that stronger teams (like CSK) will present.
Ex-UM played later (9pm) vs Lian Yew (A), winning 43-37. Although Ex-UM led almost the entire game, we struggled the whole game especially on offense (27% 2Pt, 7% 3Pt!) and the game stayed close throughout. Ball and player movement was poor resulting in most shots being either heavily contested or rushed due to expiring shot clock.
The weekly practices in December last year paid off well as we were able to go to our set offense in the 4th quarter when the opponent switched to a match-up zone and later man-to-man defense. The set offense allowed us to continue to execute our offense.
Fortunately, Lian Yew's offensive performance was equally poor (28% 2Pt, 6% 3Pt). In the end, the difference that enable Ex-UM to pull out the win was staying aggressive on rebounds (58-41 advantage) and getting to the free throw line (mostly after getting offensive rebounds) more often (Ex-UM shot 10 more FTs than Lian Yew, making 6 more than Lian Yew ~ essentially accounting for the win margin). For a team without regular practice, Ex-UM made a reasonably high percentage of the FTs too (61%)
3 UM 1st year players not selected to play on UM team for this competition, were invited to play for Ex-UM to gain experience and exposure. These players clearly needs the exposure and will benefit from it. The UM 1st year players clearly showed their inexperience and must learn quickly to expect and anticipate the high level of tough/hard contact in competition games (unlike usual social games).
Full game stats for both games may be downloaded here
Both UM and Ex-UM played their 1st games on 5 Jan 2008 (Saturday).
UM played first (6pm) vs. LIan Yew (B), winning 76-37. UM played well especially considering this is the 1st competition game after more than 6 months and the limited practice time we have had so far. A very well balanced game - all 12 players played at least 10 minutes each and all 12 players scored at least 2 points. Two 1st year players (a PG and a SG) selected for this competition also both played well. UM led all the way and the game turned into a blow out from the 2nd quarter onwards.
Our strengths clearly remain (1) our defense (2) our 2nd unit and (3) our size. Our pressure, half-court man-to-man continue to give us our greatest success - making it tough for the opponent on every possession and creating turnovers and poor shots (Opp FG 22%). Also, it is not that our 1st unit is not strong but the "strength/value" is our team's ability to field (on 5-in-5-out basis) a 2nd unit that does not result in any drop-off in defensive pressure or offensive effectiveness. This allows us to play "fresh" all the time with continuous constant defensive and offensive pressure. And our size enable us to continue to have huge advantages on the boards (67-47 rebound advantage).
However, our lack of practice time together was also clearly evident as we committed 25 "unforced" turnovers (opponent did not play any press, trap or pressure defense) and us shooting only 19% from 3-point line (opponent only played zone defense) and 61% from the Free Throw line. Also, team focus especially on defense and offensive execution tended to waver/deteriorate after 8 minutes or so (especially 2nd unit). Our players need to maintain focus for much longer than a mere 8 minute stretch.
By comparison, with formal and long term practices, UM's performance is expected to be and should exceed that of Ex-UM. Yet, Ex-UM only had 24 turnovers and also made 61% of its FTs. UM's stats on these 2 points definitely needs to be much better (target : <15>80% FT)
Furthermore, Lian Yew (B) is considered an average/weak team. UM must continue to improve and prepare themselves to meet the challenge that stronger teams (like CSK) will present.
Ex-UM played later (9pm) vs Lian Yew (A), winning 43-37. Although Ex-UM led almost the entire game, we struggled the whole game especially on offense (27% 2Pt, 7% 3Pt!) and the game stayed close throughout. Ball and player movement was poor resulting in most shots being either heavily contested or rushed due to expiring shot clock.
The weekly practices in December last year paid off well as we were able to go to our set offense in the 4th quarter when the opponent switched to a match-up zone and later man-to-man defense. The set offense allowed us to continue to execute our offense.
Fortunately, Lian Yew's offensive performance was equally poor (28% 2Pt, 6% 3Pt). In the end, the difference that enable Ex-UM to pull out the win was staying aggressive on rebounds (58-41 advantage) and getting to the free throw line (mostly after getting offensive rebounds) more often (Ex-UM shot 10 more FTs than Lian Yew, making 6 more than Lian Yew ~ essentially accounting for the win margin). For a team without regular practice, Ex-UM made a reasonably high percentage of the FTs too (61%)
3 UM 1st year players not selected to play on UM team for this competition, were invited to play for Ex-UM to gain experience and exposure. These players clearly needs the exposure and will benefit from it. The UM 1st year players clearly showed their inexperience and must learn quickly to expect and anticipate the high level of tough/hard contact in competition games (unlike usual social games).
Full game stats for both games may be downloaded here
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Schedule
IMPORTANT NOTICE :
Ex-UM's game today (vs. Lian Yew) has been changed to 9pm.
UM's game remain unchanged at 6pm.
Ex-UM's game today (vs. Lian Yew) has been changed to 9pm.
UM's game remain unchanged at 6pm.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Logistics
UM players are to gather at UM PJ Gate by 4pm on Saturday, 5 January 2008.
Ex-UM players who would like to go together may gather at the same time and place. However, transportation has only been arranged for UM players.
Ex-UM players are expected to have or to arrange their own transportation.
click here for location map to games venue (Goodyear Court 9, USJ 14)
Ex-UM players who would like to go together may gather at the same time and place. However, transportation has only been arranged for UM players.
Ex-UM players are expected to have or to arrange their own transportation.
click here for location map to games venue (Goodyear Court 9, USJ 14)
Next Practice
Next practice is as follows:
Day : Friday
Date : 4 January 2008
Time : 7:45pm
Venue : 5th college
This session will be a light, walk-through session, mainly on team offensive sets.
Day : Friday
Date : 4 January 2008
Time : 7:45pm
Venue : 5th college
This session will be a light, walk-through session, mainly on team offensive sets.
Practice Review - Good
We had a good turnout yesterday ~ 8 veterans and 5 first years + 1 ex-UM.
We have a total of 10 returning veterans this year. The 2 veterans that missed practice - one was working part time, the other had academic classes.
As Carlsberg is around the corner, we tried to cover those things our players would need to know going into a competition, including important fundamentals (in-and-out moves, power lay-up/up fake, free throws), team defense (help defense, defense positions) and team offense (1st unit - Sets 1, 2 & 4; 2nd unit - Sets 2, 3 & 4).
Due to obvious time constraints, we could only cover the above briefly. Veterans will have to think back to last year's training and remember and remind themselves of the offensive sets.
Players themselves asked for another practice session this Friday. Provided it doesn't rain, we will need to cover Post entry pass (& cut to corner) & Re-post fundamentals as well as further reinforce the offensive sets.
Since Friday will be a day before the actual competition, Friday's session will be a light, "walk-through" session.
We have a total of 10 returning veterans this year. The 2 veterans that missed practice - one was working part time, the other had academic classes.
As Carlsberg is around the corner, we tried to cover those things our players would need to know going into a competition, including important fundamentals (in-and-out moves, power lay-up/up fake, free throws), team defense (help defense, defense positions) and team offense (1st unit - Sets 1, 2 & 4; 2nd unit - Sets 2, 3 & 4).
Due to obvious time constraints, we could only cover the above briefly. Veterans will have to think back to last year's training and remember and remind themselves of the offensive sets.
Players themselves asked for another practice session this Friday. Provided it doesn't rain, we will need to cover Post entry pass (& cut to corner) & Re-post fundamentals as well as further reinforce the offensive sets.
Since Friday will be a day before the actual competition, Friday's session will be a light, "walk-through" session.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Carlsberg Open 2008 - Schedule
Game #1 is this Saturday 5th January, 2008.
Particulars are as follows:-
Date : 5th January 2008
Time:
UM vs CSK @6pm
Ex-UM vs Lian Yew @7:30pm
Venue: Goodyear Court 9, USJ 14
Click here for location map to venue
Particulars are as follows:-
Date : 5th January 2008
Time:
UM vs CSK @6pm
Ex-UM vs Lian Yew @7:30pm
Venue: Goodyear Court 9, USJ 14
Click here for location map to venue
Next Practice
Next practice is tonight, 7:45pm.
We do not have Gym 2 this month. Confirmed : tonight's practice will be at 5th college.
ALL UM players - please attend as Carlsberg Open's game #1 is this Saturday.
Ex-UM players are always welcomed to join in UM practices but they will be formal, drills-type practices.
We do not have Gym 2 this month. Confirmed : tonight's practice will be at 5th college.
ALL UM players - please attend as Carlsberg Open's game #1 is this Saturday.
Ex-UM players are always welcomed to join in UM practices but they will be formal, drills-type practices.
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