Carlsberg Cup / Subang Cup - Game 1 Preliminary Report

Although we lost the game 73-87, I was very happy with our boys' performance and very excited at the potential and future of this new team.

Click "read more" for more detailed report.
Suggest to leave comments (if any) on Facebook UMBT post as well as it seems easier to comment there.




Our boys played well yesterday. If you take into consideration the fact that the team has yet to have opportunity to train together for an extended period and have only had virtually 2 full practices (and even then, working only on "game schemes" as opposed to the more important "skills and fundamentals" development), I thought our boys played GREAT!

I started the game with one 1st year player (Teh Soon Kiat aka Teh) along with 4 veterans (Amirul, Heng, Jack and Raymond). We were not very effective at the beginning. On offense, JK5 knew and focused on denying Heng any open shots whilst Teh SK was hesitant and did not look to be aggressive. This led to too few shot attempts and too many turnovers. On defense, we had trouble with JK5's superior size and their repeated post ups, leading to a "red-flag" situation way too early and Jack having to sit due to 3 quick fouls. I subbed Max in for Jack and called an "11" defense instead of our usual "21" and we started to settle down on defense. Offensively, with encouragement, the team started to score, with Raymond and Max leading the way from the 3 point line. We ended the 1st quarter down 14-29 (with Raymond scoring the 1st 3 points on a 3-pointer, Max scoring 6 points on 2 3-pointers, Amirul with a 3-pointer and Heng with 2 points).

In the 2nd Quarter and with continued encouragement from me and from other players, Teh started to get aggressive (and effective!) on offense, continued to remain dominant on defensive rebounds and was the quickest / fastest player on the court, getting several fast break scores. Trdy also played well, with good natural instincts, active and quick to rebounds and even hitting a 3 pointer (even though he complained earlier he couldn't see the ring!). Kai also played well, aggressive on offense, dribble penetrating and not settling for outside shots and staying active on defense. However, we (as a team) continued to make "inexperienced / rookie" type turnovers, allowing JK5 to continue to outscore us on our mistakes. Whenever we did not make any mistake, our defense was actually able to match up against and hold JK5. We lost the 2nd Quarter as well 13-19 (with Teh getting 8 points, Trdy 3 points and Kai 2 points). Half time score : 27-48.

In the 3rd Quarter, I wanted to play more players to see / gauge their performance and started putting the other players who had not yet got a chance to play. To my surprise and excitement, these players too showed they could play just as well as the other players who had played thus far. Loo, particularly, was so fast and quick on his dribble, some veterans commented he's faster than Jenson! Again, JK5 outscored us on our rookie-type mistakes and we lost the 3rd Quarter 12-21 (with Heng finally getting open and hitting 2 3-pointers for 6 points, Teh with 4 points and Max with 2 points). After 3 quarters the score was 39-69 ... a 30 point deficit.

Despite the 30 point deficit, I was happy and excited. Most teams, a Coach would be happy to be able to play 8 players whilst a Coach would feel lucky if he could play as many as 9 players and blessed if he could play 10 players (meaning we can go 5-in-5-out). But to be able to play 12 players as I am now able to, that is truly rare! Alex was injured (from SUKMUM) and could not play. But displaying great leadership and team commitment, Alex was also present on the bench. I know Alex's play and ability and I know I can play him in competition games. Save for Alex, I played all 11 players yesterday and all 11 players played well. That is truly rare!

In the 4th Quarter, our team finally came together and showed their potential / promise. Leaving Jack, Amirul, Teh and Max on the bench, I started a unit comprising Loo, Heng, Kai, Trdy and Raymond. This unit was able to play effectively and started getting more stops (though JK5's scoring ability continued to enable them to score) but we started to score more and more as well. With about 5 minutes left, I did a 5-in-5-out substitution, putting Joe, Amirul, Jack, Max and Teh in (that meant I had to leave Jerry on the bench even though Jerry was equally capable of going in at that time! A good problem for a Coach to have). With 5 fresh players going in, we took off with defensive stop after defensive stop and fast break scores after fast break scores. We won the final quarter in commanding fashion : 34-18. Final score, a loss of 73-87.

Well done, UM! If these players continue to attend team practices and commit themselves to practicing both in team practices as well as individually on their own, we could be looking at a very unique team where not only can I do a 5-in-5-out substitution pattern, I could do a 5-in-5-out without any fixed 1st / 2nd units as different combinations of 5 players are able to play effectively together! That is truly rare!!

I am truly excited! Provided the players dedicate themselves to continuous improvement, we could be looking at another UM team that can be a Championship contender for years to come!!

Well done indeed, UM! However, don't get over confident or complacent. We still have a lot of improvement to do and we must continue to stay focused on getting better and better, even in this Subang Cup.

I will put the Game Stats as soon as I can.

Cheers,
Coach LY

/ ps - Special and many thanks to Kelvin who helped provide transport for some of our players as well as helping with our video camera. Thanks also to our loyal supporters for attending and supporting our team.