UM has completed the Sultan Cup competition, finishing with a 1-2 win-loss record.
As expected, the team's performance showed how "not-ready" the team is for competitive basketball, especially on the defensive end.
Whilst the team played adequate / average defense, it was nothing like the tough, pressure man-to-man defense or trapping zone defenses that UM is famous for. There were repeated defensive breakdowns, missed assignments, "lost" assignments, failure to help and "illegal" defense (allowing opponent to pass the ball past halfline).
On offense, the Read and React offense showed great promise and potential. The coaching staff are confident that once the "Dribble Penetration - Circle Move" (Layer 1) is "habitualized" and other Layers are added on and similarly habitualized, the offense will allow our players to maximise their offensive skills and will be near impossible to "scout" or counter.
Some 1st year / junior players also showed great promise and potential, showing that they can play under pressure situations and perform reasonably well. Other 1st year / junior players clearly have a long way to go before they are ready to compete.
However, the competition also showed that our players clearly need to spend a LOT of personal time practising their shooting and following the competition, twice-weekly personal shooting sessions have been implemented.
Despite the rush (to register) and the "non-readiness" of the team, the competition was well worth our participation as it allowed us the opportunity to get a better understanding of our players, the team, the suitable rotations and a preview to this year's team's identity.
The team certainly has not "found its identity" yet and we will need much more practices, friendly matches and competitions for us to achieve that.
Coach Loke Yew
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