MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - When the Southeast Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) Championship 2017 kicks on in May later this year, we will be in for perhaps the most competitive basketball this sub-zone has ever seen.

Sure, the Philippines, which will be bannered by bona fide pros from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), will still be the odds-on favorites, especially since the tournament will be held on their home floor, but teams from Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore cannot be counted out as easily as before. This is a reflection of how the level of basketball has generally become more competitive across the major Southeast Asian nations, what with the advent of the ASEAN Basketball League several years ago and local leagues becoming more robust.

Take Thailand, for example. Having the Thailand Basketball Super League (TBSL) has been a significant step in raising the level of play and elevating the game’s status in the country. Yes, it’s nowhere near the stature of the PBA yet, but if it’s handled well, the TBSL can perhaps be a viable hub of SEABA talent. Take note that the TBSL has a few foreign teams (not just foreign players!) in their fold: the Hanoi Buffaloes from Vietnam, Adroit from Singapore and Kabayan from the Philippines. These three joined seven other clubs for the inaugural TBSL season, and the competition has been pretty fierce. Top Thai players like Chitchai Ananti, Nakorn Jaisanuk, Nattakarn Muangboon and Patiphan Klahan ply their trade in the TBSL, constantly pitting their skills and wits against seasoned American and Filipino imports. It’s a good way for the Thai locals to get better exposure to a higher level of play, and nobody should be surprised if we see their national team reap the rewards sooner rather than later.

The same can be said for Indonesia, which has had a pretty strong local league the past several years. The Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) has quietly built a strong following in the archipelago, and it has really helped perpetuate a very competitive and healthy atmosphere where basketball continues to grow. National team standouts like Mario Wuysang, Kelly Purwanto, Dodo Sitepu and Arki Wisnu all compete in the IBL, and they have all been training hard in the national team preparation games and training camps of late. For the Southeast Asian Games 2017, the Indonesians are aiming for no less than the gold. Of course, they certainly would not scoff at the opportunity to unseat the Philippines in the SEABA Championship as well.

Singapore, too, have made strides upon strides the past few years. One may argue that they have been the chief beneficiary of the ASEAN Basketball League's raising the competitiveness int he region. Many of Singapore's national players play in their ABL club, the Singapore Slingers, and they have shown steady improvement every single year. They have given the Filipinos some rough patches in recent times, and they have their sights set for a possible upset in May.

Another factor that has really turned some heads this year is how a Thailand and Indonesia are set to parade marquee naturalized players practically for the first time in history. Indonesia already has Filipino-Indonesian Biboy Enguio in their fold, but they have also incorporated IBL imports Jamarr Johnson and Anthony Hargrove (who used to play for a Philippine university) into the national pool. Either one will surely give Indonesia a significant boost when the SEABA Championship kicks off.

Not to be outdone, the Thais are looking at having one of their vaunted Thai-Americans play at the international level. Moses Morgan already carried their colors in the Super Kung Sheung Cup 2016, and a pair of talented ABL heritage imports — Tyler Lamb and Freddie Goldstein — trace their roots to Thailand. Any of those players can make the much-improved Thai quintet a legitimate threat to the Philippines.

All these developments point to Southeast Asian hoops continuing to rise, and it is safe to expect that the competition for the lone SEABA slot to the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 will be hotly contested.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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