READY TO FLY

When you are on a quest to break a barrier, like what Singapore’s male cagers were doing at the 2013 Myanmar Southeast Asian Games when they were eyeing a medal in basketball after a 34-year dry spell, the draw can be a big help. Or a big setback.

What our boys got was the latter, with the stronger teams Thailand and the Philippines as their opening opponents as the battle began at the Zayyathiri Indoor Stadium.

If a strong start gives a team some psychological edge and sets them on the right path, the Singapore boys knew they would have none of that in Naypyidaw. Against Thailand, they fought valiantly but went down 59–69. Then came the match against regional kingpins Philippines. Singapore played well but still lost 75–88.

With these two losses, the next match against Malaysia would be do-or-die. Yet history wasn’t on the side of the Singapore team. They may badly need a morale booster at this crucial stage of the competition but they had not beaten their Causeway rivals since 1979. Recalling the team’s psyche at that low point, Ng Hanbin says, “We knew it was now or never. Whatever the statistics, the task ahead was clear — beat Malaysia.”

With a remarkable single-mindedness worthy of emulation beyond the court, the Singapore boys did just that, winning 71–67. Captain Desmond Oh puts it well when he describes this match as “the turning point”.

And what a definitive turn around it was. Having broken a major psychological barrier, the boys simply soared. They already believed they could fly. So they next beat their opponents Indonesia, Cambodia and Myanmar with consummate ease.With these results, they earned their well-deserved bronze, assuring Singapore its first SEA Games medal in men’s basketball since a bronze at the 1979 SEA Games in Jakarta.

Coach Neo Beng Siang attributes his players’ success to trust among them, a vital ingredient in team sport. So even when the chips were down after the first two losess, there was no blame game. Instead, the players, says Desmond, bonded well and continued to believe that everyone still could contribute to success.

Now that they have ended a long medal drought at the SEA Games, they are hungry for more. The signs are encouraging. Building on their good showing in Myanmar, they won the Southeast Asia Basketball Association (Seaba) Stankovic Cup for the first time in 2014. In the process, they beat strong teams like hosts Indonesia (72–62) and Malaysia (69–61).

With the 2015 SEA Games held in Singapore, the hope is that they will take things further and perhaps even win gold. For players like Hanbin, Desmond, Lim Sheng Yu, Jabez Su, Khaw Yeong Wooi, Hong Weijian, Goh Kok Chiang and Lim Sheng Yu, however, what matters most won’t be the results on the court.

Sure, a gold will be nice, even historic. But they know that, years later, when they look back on their days of glory, what will bring them most joy is something more enduring. It will be the wealth of memories about team bonding amidst the sweat and toil.