SINGAPORE (FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017) - After a six-year hiatus, the anticipation is building for Singapore who will make their return to the senior international arena when they hit the hardwood at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017 in Bengaluru.

Last featuring back during 2011 in Omura and Nagasaki, it seems a long time since their Japanese adventure which returned a solitary win against Sri Lanka as part of a 1-4 record at the event.

Consequently head coach Kirk Murad is remaining cautious about his team’s promotion prospects from the second tier, although the play-caller was quick to confirm the delight at being able to participate once again after drawing Lebanon, Kazakhstan and Fiji.

He said: "I'm very happy that Singapore was able to be included in this competition, and I was very excited to see the draw. While it would be great for Singapore to make a giant leap into Division A, we are not thinking that far ahead. We will compete to the best of our ability in pool play and then concentrate on the Quarter-Final matchup.

"Each game will bring with it a new challenge and a new opportunity to better ourselves as a team. I think both groups are equally balanced and there should be many opportunities to see and play very competitive matches. We look forward to competing against teams from different countries with different styles of play.

"All three countries should provide challenges for us, but we feel up to the task. Kazakhstan should be the favorites in our group as the highest FIBA-ranked team and I've heard good things about the Lebanon team too. I hope to learn more about all three teams in the weeks leading up to the competition."

The opportunity to test themselves against Oceania opposition for the first time is also an alluring prospect for Coach Murad who added: "I think it is a great idea to have the Oceania teams join the Asia region, and I'm glad we will be able to compete with at least one of the teams, Fiji, in pool play. We look forward to joining in the spirit of international competition with our new friends from Oceania.​"

FIBA