KUALA LUMPUR (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018 SEABA Qualifiers) - With a few national players and top-performing foreign players, Red Baron Malaysia are all set to take off and soar to new heights.

That will be easier said than done, of course, given how Red Baron will have to do really well at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018 SEABA Qualifier in Nonthaburi from 8-10 May against other impressive club teams in Southeast Asia. Joining Red Baron Malaysia in the competition are Indonesia's Pelita Jaya, Singapore's Xin Hua SC and Thailand's Mono Vampire.

What's good about Red Baron is that they have several players with experience playing for Malaysia's national team. Foremost among them are Gan Hong Hoong and Wong Wee Seng, both of whom last saw action at the FIBA Asia Cup 2013 in Manila. In that joust, Gan averaged 7.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42.3% from the field, while Wong put up 1.5 points and 1.2 boards per contest.

A trio of former Malaysia youth players will also see action for Red Baron. Tan Wei Jie and Chang Zi Fueng were both part of the Malaysia U16 2013 national team that played in Tehran, Iran. Tan was the squad's second leading scorer with 10.3 points per game, while Chang followed him with 8.6 points per contest. Chang returned to action in the FIBA U18 Asia Championship 2014, where he averaged 3.6 points for a Malaysian team that finished seventh overall. Another promising young talent is point guard Lim Jian Yu, who last saw action for Malaysia's U16 national squad in 2015, averaging around 3 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

Serving as Red Baron's primary scoring option, though, will be foreign player Daniel Eves. The 6ft 7in (2.00m) native of Canada led the team in their conquest of Malaysia's StatsSports League Season 7 last year. The 34-year-old Eves led the team, scoring 31.2 points per game as Red Baron won the title. Joining him at the frontline will be 6ft 11in (2.10m) Joey Luis Dela Rosa. The New York City native last played for San Carlos in the Domincan Republic, putting up 2.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest, but he is expected to tally bigger numbers here at the SEABA Champions Cup 2018.

Red Baron Malaysia have their sights set at a top two finish in Nonthaburi. Achieving that will advance them to the "Road to Final 8 (East Asia)" round of the tournament, with teams from Chinese Taipei and India already waiting. The top team of that round will be grouped with teams from Australia, Japan and the Philippines in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018 Final 8.

FIBA