NONTHABURI (FIBA Asia 2021 SEABA Pre-Qualifier) - Even though most of the focus of the basketball world will be focusing on the third window FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, that does not mean that the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 SEABA Pre-Qualifier will be just an afterthought. There will be plenty to watch and look forward to in the five-day tournament at Stadium 29, Nonthaburi.

We’ve shortlisted four interesting things for fans to focus on here, but you can be sure that there’ll be more to see! 

1. Return of Brunei and Cambodia

It’s been a while since either Brunei or Cambodia played in a FIBA event (save for a SEABA Championship appearance by Brunei in 2015). Now both nations are back to jumpstart basketball in their respective countries, albeit with slightly different approaches.

Cambodia will be fielding what they hope will be the next generation. They have the youngest roster in the playing field at an average of 21 years old and 4 players that still haven’t hit their 20s.

Brunei, on the other hand, are looking to use more experienced players to strengthen their fanbase with familiarity. Some of the players are veterans on previous National Team squads and are more well-known players on the bigger clubs in the country. Brunei hopes to use the familiarity and participation on the international scene to gain popularity of the sport among the nation’s younger generation.

Whatever the approach, it’s going to be fun to see these two nations back into action.

2. First Look at Lamb

Host nation Thailand are not holding back at all. For the first time in FIBA event, Thailand will be parading Thai-American Tyler Lamb. He had already starred for Thailand in the SEA Games,  leading them to a Bronze medal and he’s back for more here.

The 27-year-old sharpshooter has starred in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) and the Thailand Basketball League (TBL) for the past 3 years and its finally time for him to add more to his resume. 

3. Budding Rivalries

The prospect of winning can always get a team fired up, but sometimes it feels even better to beat a specific opponent. In the recent years, Thailand and Indonesia have made significant strides forward in an attempt to claim the spot as No.2 in the region. Both teams are loaded with stars so when they play each other at full power, it always turns into an intense affair. Their matchups in the SEABA Championship and SEA Games in 2017 were decided by a combined 6 points, both in back and forth fashion. Thailand will surely have a chip on their shoulder to claim a win and nothing would be more pleasing for Indonesia to take it to their rivals on their home court.

Singapore and Malaysia also have their own issues to settle as well. The two nations are already friendly rivals being neighboring nations and their recent performances will have them fired up to play against one another. Malaysia (4^th) edged out Singapore (5^th) ever so slightly, 45-41, in the SEABA Championship 2017, but Singapore were able to finish 4^th in the SEA Games 2017… just one spot over host nation Malaysia. The players have plenty of familiarity going at each other in ABL competition as well, and that only adds more to the fun.

4. Youth Movement

There are a lot of young guns that will be getting their chance to make a name for themselves in this tournament. Two 17-year-olds, Lavin Raj (SIN) and Toby Tai Sathitsampun (THA), will get tested in their positions to give us a glimpse at what might be the future. Singapore does not have a deep front court, so we might get to see Raj play quality minutes to see how much he has improved since his last limited stint in the SEABA Championship. Sathitsampun will also get his chances as Thailand look to experiment at the point guard position. This will be the shifty shooter’s first time to play basketball in front of a Thailand crowd after playing most of his youth in Portland, so he’ll surely make his chances count.
Let’s not forget Chun Hong Ting (22, MAS), Abraham Grahita (22, INA), Chanathip Jakrawan (21, THA), and Leon Kwek (21, SIN) who are all relatively young but expected to play huge roles on their respective national teams as well.

5. Making Statements

Aside from Thailand looking to win the championship on their home soil, Indonesia will be on the hunt to make a good impression as well. This will be Indonesia’s first time participating in a FIBA event since they were awarding the hosting rights of the FIBA World Cup 2023 along with Japan and the Philippines.

With that to look forward to preparing for in the horizon, Indonesia will surely be looking to give it their all in every tournament from here on out to prove that they will indeed be ready when the time comes.

FIBA