In Ball Today

Greetings fellow Ballaholics. We are now in our essence with action in the NBL, NBA, WNBL and the ASEAN leagues in full throttle.

In the NBL, Wollongong and Perth top the table with the other eight teams neck and neck heading towards the mid point of the season. There are still a number of top notch players out due to injuries so the power base could shift as they return. Most recently, the Gold Coast Breakers pulled off a huge upset of the New Zealand Breakers last night in NZ.

Meanwhile in the WNBL, Bulleen and Townsville remain undefeated at the top of the ladder. On the bottom rungs sit the AIS and Perth both of whom are hungry for a win. Defending champs Canberra continue to have an up and down ride at this stage of the season but never count them out.

Remember the Singapore Slingers?? Well guess who sits atop the ASEAN Basketball League ladder?? So far the Slingers are undefeated after four matches in the newly formed competition. Have a look through the rosters of the teams on the league website and you will see a few former SEABL players along with a few others who have played here in Australia.

And finally, in the last week, we have gotten our NBA fixes!! Early on, the Denver Nuggets have to be the team of note with Carmelo Anthony lighting up the score sheets. The Orlando Magic are also looking ominous. Defending champion LA Lakers have a few injured players but are winning close games through the scoring of Kobe Bryant. San Antonio rookie DeJuan Blair has proved to be a future double/double machine with his ferocious efforts off the glass.

Oh, don't forget, for us true fans, the NCAA kicks off its season in the next week or two...go Heels!!

Inaugural ASEAN Basketball League kicks off

Satria Muda BritAma 67 – 75 Philippine Patriots

Saturday, 10 October 2009, Jakarta – Today saw the inaugural match of the ASEAN Basketball League take place at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta as Satria Muda BritAma went up against Philippine Patriots in a very close match.

In a hard fought game that went down the wire the visiting Patriots edged Satria Muda 75 to 67. American Brandon Powell top scored for the Patriots with 18 points while Faisal Achmad Julius led the Satria Muda assault with 16 points.

The exciting game was shown regionally over ESPN and was played in front of a crowd of about 3,000 raucous fans.

Dato Sri Tony Fernandes, Chairman of the ABL as well as Group Chief Executive Officer of regional airline Air Asia was looking forward to today – “Today is a great day for basketball in the ASEAN region as we see the ASEAN Basketball League come to life with two basketball giants going up against each other.”

“It was a great exciting game that also delivered on the entertainment front. It has been a great journey here and after a year of preparation this a fantastic start to our fledgling league that we hope will grow into the future of sports and entertainment in the region.

Malaysia's first team in ASEAN Comp launched

My blog would like to introduce the ASEAN with this initial press release from the KL Dragons.

The Dragons Take Flight

Kuala Lumpur Dragons Emerge As First Malaysian Professional Basketball Club In Asean Basketball League

This October sees the first ever appearance of KL Dragons, Malaysia’s first professional basketball team at the inaugural ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). The stellar cast of basketball players, led by Mr. Goh Cheng Huat is also the first and only team to represent Malaysia in the ABL – an event fully endorsed by the South East Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) and International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia.

KL Dragons is the brainchild of three of Malaysia’s very own young successful entrepreneurs: Mr. Ruben Emir Gnanalingam, Dato’ Wira Dani Daim and Dato’ Robin Tan Yeong Ching, who all share a passion for sports and the expansion of basketball in Malaysia. Dato' Robin Tan, on forming KL Dragons said, “Basketball has and continues to be a passion of mine. I have been playing the game since my teenage years and am still actively playing whenever I get the time. When this opportunity to participate in the ABL and the Dragons was presented to me I jumped at the chance as I felt that such an endeavor would expose the sport that I love to many more people in the country and the region. Hopefully the ABL will see this sport gaining the exposure it deserves.”

The KL Dragons aims to create regional platforms of high performance sports and will also be building facilities, infrastructure and developing players’ skills. “We hope to create an alternative avenue for kids to participate in a healthy lifestyle and fuel their passion in striving to be the best by giving them opportunities to become professional players,” Dato’ Wira Dani Daim says, who envisions a future where youths chooses basketball as a profession.

For a start, KL Dragons would be organizing an Under-14 and Under-17 league with the objective of nurturing the youth in basketball, developing them into professional players. With teams from five other different countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines, KL Dragons sees this as a good opportunity to bring international experience in developing the youth of Kuala Lumpur and also Malaysia.

.
The performance of the KL Dragons team would also be watched by millions of others, as the ABL league games will be televised on regional channels such as ESPN and terrestrial televisions in Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia. This would provide a chance for not only Malaysian basketball to further gain exposure on the international level but also our country Malaysia itself. “The ABL through the KL Dragons provide a great opportunity to promote KL, Malaysia, and Malaysian brands. We hope to bring all 600 million people of ASEAN together by showcasing the spirit of the teamwork and sports to overcome any barriers. As a result, we also hope to see an increase in tourists visiting KL and the rest of Malaysia as well,” Mr. Ruben Emir Gnanalingam says.

As the sole team participating from Malaysia, the team has vowed to perform their best and do their nation proud. The public is more than welcome to lend their support by watching KL Dragons play at the ABL; lucky participants may even win amazing prizes during half-times.

ABL’s first season will run from this October until February 2010, starting from the 11^th October ‘09, and KL Dragon's first game would be held at the MABA Stadium, KL on the 14^th of October ‘09 at 7pm till 10pm. Tickets are available via ticket hotline outlets and on their website www.tickethotline.com.my. Alternatively tickets also can be bought through their call centre at 03-77251177 or 03-77251166. Ticket price at RM25 for adult and RM20 for student (below 22years old).

ASEAN Legue launches soon

An exciting new basketball venture will be kicking off in the Asian region with the launch of the ASEAN Basketball League, the following press release is from: http://www.aseanbasketballleague.com

ASEAN League Launch

(left to right) Mr Tony Fernandes (ABL Chairman), Dr Mikee Romero & Mr Tony Cojuangco (Philippine Patriots Team Owners), Ms Nadzaty Azma Azeez (The Barracudas Team Owner), Mr Suthep Benjabhoki (President, Thailand Basketball Association), Mr Erick Thohir (SEABA President), Mr Wira Daim (KL Dragons Team Owner), Mr Wim Reijnen (Thailand Tigers Team Owner), Mr Bobby Barreiro.

1st SEPTEMBER 2009 MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The launch of the teams of the ASEAN Basketball League was held today at Renaissance Hotel, Manila. The league, which kicks off in October 2009, will see the participation of 6 teams from around the ASEAN region.

The Barracudas (Brunei), Kuala Lumpur Dragons (Malaysia), Philippine Patriots, Satria Muda BritAma (Indonesia), Singapore Slingers and Thailand Tigers made their debut appearance in front of ABL Chairman Dato’ Tony Fernandes - entrepreneur and founder of Air Asia, the largest no-frills, budget airline in the region – Mr. Kuhan Foo, Chief Executive Officer of the ASEAN Basketball League and guests of honour Mr. Tony Cojuangco, President of ABC 5 and Mr. Lee Chung Han, Chief Finance Officer of Tune Group.

The event was also graced by team owners, Ms. Nadzaty Azma Azeez (The Barracudas), En. Wira Daim (Kuala Lumpur Dragons), Mr. Wim Reijnen (Thailand Tigers), Mr. Erick Thohir (Satria Muda BritAma), Dr. Mikee Romero & Mr. Bobby Barreiro (Philippine Patriots).

Each team is allowed 5 import players – 2 international and 3 ASEAN with a total squad of 12 players and a travelling squad of 10 players. Teams will compete in a home and away league format culminating in playoffs for the top 4 teams. The tentative league period is October to February every year.

The league aims at cementing the relationship between ASEAN countries through basketball, creating the first pan-ASEAN entertainment and sports property and developing local basketball talents, in an area that covers a population of 600 million people.


For more information, please contact Mr Kuhan Foo, Chief Executive Officer of the ASEAN Basketball League at +6012 331 1398 or email kuhan@aseanbasketballleague.com, or Samantha Surin, Marketing Executive at +6016 219 8847 or email samantha@aseanbasketballleague.com.

Philippine Patriots (left to right) Coach Louie Alas, Mr Tony Conjuangco, Dr Mikee Romero, Player		The Barracudas (left to right) Player, Ms Nadzaty Azma Azeez, Ms Norizah Harun-Taylor, Player		Satria Muda BritAma (left to right) Player, Mr Hasani Abdulgani, Coach Fictor Gideon Roring, Mr Erick Thohir, Player
KL Dragons (left to right) Player, Assistant Coach Soo Eng Heng, Mr Wira Daim, Player		Singapore Slingers (left to right) Player, Mr Michael Johnson, Player		Thailand Tigers Player, Coach Soonthornpong Mawinthorn, Mr Wim Reijnen, Player
ABL Team Owners, VIPs and Players