JAKARTA (SEABA Championship 2017) - Indonesia are not considered the ultimate powerhouse in Southeast Asian basketball, but that won't stop Arki Wisnu from dreaming of bringing home the gold.

Though Indonesia have historically been a highly competitive ASEAN team, they have never brought home the bacon, so to speak. In 2005 and 2007, Indonesia placed second overall in the SEABA Championship, and in 2009 and 2011 they managed to make it all the way to the Final before falling to perennial SEABA kings the Philippines. They have faltered a bit in the last two editions, falling to fourth place in both the 2013 and 2015 editions.

Wisnu believes that this time around their luck may just change

"We have a lot of potential," Wisnu said in a recent interview. "With the proper preparation, I think our team will be a strong contender."

Of course, he is aware of how strong the Philippines remain to be in the region. Additionally, having the SEABA Championship 2017 held in Manila compounds the chances of Gilas Pilipinas to win their eighth overall SEABA crown. Despite this, Wisnu is convinced that the Filipinos are beatable.

"I heard it has been a long time since any country have defeated the Philippines in SEABA basketball," he admitted. "But I do believe it's possible to defeat them."

How exactly can this be done? The 29-year-old New York-born Indon swingman feels it's all about having great preparation, good chemistry, and an efficient system.

"I think if the National Team players met each other more through the training camps, we would have a better opportunity to perfect our system and chemistry."Arki WisnuArki Wisnu

The 1.87m forward is noticeably upbeat because of how he has seen Indonesian basketball make giant strides these past few years.

"Indonesian basketball has evolved at a good pace with players taller, more athletic, and competition has improved" he explained. "Overall, I believe Indonesia has a lot of potential in reaching the next level."

He credits this to the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL), which has provided a constant avenue for the game to be exposed and appreciated by the public. Of course, it has also given Indon players a great opportunity to be part of highly competitive play and learn from much tougher opposition.

"This year the local league allowed two import players per team to participate," he said. "I believe this decision helped improve the level of competition drastically and also allowed local players to gain experience playing against imports."

In spite of the promising state of Indonesian hoops and his own confidence in the national team's capabilities, Wisnu knows it will be an uphill climb to upset the Filipinos and qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup 2017. Indonesia still have a ways to go, but the star for Satria Muda Pertamina believes they are on the right track.

"There are so many improvements necessary for Indonesia if they want to continue moving forward in basketball," he confessed. "However, in terms of the National Team, I would hope in the future that Indonesia will take stronger steps needed to better prepare their national players for whatever future competitions come."

Wisnu has actually never played in any SEABA Championship tournament. The only time he played for the national team was during the SEA Games 2015, where Indonesia gave the Philippines a scare in the gold medal game before falling short, 72-64. Wisnu believes that though the Philippines have not dropped an assignment in SEABA for more than 20 years, they are not invincible. For this year, in fact, should Wisnu be named part of Indonesia's final roster, he has sights set on nothing less than the loftiest target.

"Why not go for gold? I'm not the type to settle for less," he declared. "I'm here to win, and that's what my target will be for this team."

FIBA