JAKARTA (Indonesia) - FIBA Asia Cup 2021 might not be the first time Indonesia is playing in the competition or even the first time the country has hosted the event. However, it could turn out to be a historic run for the host country.

Let’s take a quick moment to meet the Asia Cup 2021 hosts, Indonesia, in this "Meet the Teams" series!

Stay tuned to all FIBA Asia Cup channels for the "Road to Asia Cup" series for each team as well!

World Rank according to FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike: 88

Indonesia has been trending upwards in the rankings over the past few years, most recently moving up one spot in the ranking in the latest update. They’ll get even more chances to climb the ladder in the Asia Cup as they will be going up against the best of Asia & Oceania.

It will be an uphill battle for Indonesia, considering their relative ranking to the other teams that have already qualified, but fans can be sure that they won’t back down to anyone.

Asia Cup Debut: 1960

Indonesia has been with the Asia Cup from the start as one of the seven teams to have played in the inaugural edition of the competition. They were able to claim a 98-76 win over Malaysia in that tournament, their only win that year.

Asia Cup Appearances (including 2021): 17

It’s been a while since Indonesia has played at the Asia Cup. Historically, however, Indonesia has been continuously present in the competition.

They’ve played in more than half of all Asia Cups and are hoping to keep adding to that total in the future as they aggressively put their efforts to improve the national team program. The first step to that is to make some noise in Asia Cup 2021.

Most Recent Appearance: 2011

As mentioned above: it’s been a while. Indonesia last played in the Asia Cup a full decade ago back in Wuhan, China.

It was a promising era for Indonesia basketball as it was their fourth straight trip to the Asia Cup, led by Indonesia legends Mario Wuysang and Christian Sitepu. Indonesia was able to come away with two wins over Bahrain and India to finish at 13^th place in the final standings.

Best Position in Final Standings: 4^th place (1967)

Indonesia basketball was close to making their first-ever Olympics appearance back in 1967. They lost to both Chinese Taipei and Japan by single digits and if the results of both games were reversed, fans might be looking at Indonesia in a different light right now.

Whatever the case, Indonesia hasn’t been able to replicate that level of success in the Asia Cup since. That will be their mission for Asia Cup 2021 and it will not be only for pride and glory. While the Asia Cup 2021 hosts are also co-hosts of World Cup 2023, Indonesia has to achieve the target of reaching the Quarter-Finals of the Asia Cup to claim direct qualification to the World Cup as well.

Notable Player(s): Mario Wuysang

Mario Wuysang is arguably one of the best to have ever played for Indonesia in the Asia Cup. The smooth operating point guard immediately made an impact in his Asia Cup debut and was always among the top contributors on the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists in all of his three Asia Cup appearances.

2011 was a high point in Wuysang's Asia Cup career as he dished out the tournament-high in assists with 11 against Bahrain and ended up as the competition's assist leader with 6.4 assists per game.

The current squad Indonesia has is filled with promising talent, but Wuysang has set a high bar of expectations for the upcoming stars of Indonesia basketball.

Current Outlook: Positivity in the Air

There’s a lot of optimism for Indonesia basketball heading into Asia Cup 2021 which will be played right in their backyard in the city of Jakarta. It won’t be the first time Jakarta has hosted the premier competition of the region - that was almost 20 years ago in 1993 - but fans will be hyped for the games nonetheless.

The team has consistently improved ever since the Asia Cup Pre-Qualifiers through to the end of the Qualifiers. Whether it’s appointing Rajko Toroman as head coach, adding Lester Prosper and Brandon Jawato to the talent pool, or the improved play of Andakara Prastawa, there is plenty to look forward to seeing from Indonesia in Asia Cup 2021.

FIBA