NONTHABURI (FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Eastern Pre-Qualifiers) – The last time the Malaysia national team played in Stadium29, Thailand, they didn’t leave with in the best mood. Losing close games to Indonesia and Thailand obviously stung, but the last straw was a 29-point drubbing against long time rivals Singapore.

Malaysia eventually qualified to the Eastern Regions Pre-Qualifiers, but those three losses hurt.

5 months later, Malaysia are back to playing at Stadium29 and the table have turned.

After the first three days of competition, Malaysia are one of the only two undefeated teams with a big time 70-61 win over Indonesia in the very first game. The tournament now moves on to the second round where Malaysia will now face Guam, Thailand, and Singapore.

“I think we are second youngest team in this tournament and we have a long way to go,” admits Malaysia’s star, Ting Chun Hong. “We’ll keep going for the last three games. In the first game, in the first quarter, against Indonesia we were down by 10 points. We tried to get our rhythm back and fight for a comeback in the second quarter. After we beat Indonesia, our team morale was great. And that’s why we are 2-0.”

Coming back down from a sloppy start to claim an important win has certainly boosted the morale of the team, giving them an opportunity to realize how good they really are. Ting is the leading scorer of the team with 16.0 PPG in two games. The 6’3” wing continues to display a soft shooting touch to go with swift nimble movement to get to the hoop. He broke out as featured player at the SEABA Championship 2017 and has not looked back since.

At only 22 years old, the future is very bright for Ting and he has the Malaysia basketball nation hoping they can see that future being realized at the biggest stage of Asian basketball: the FIBA Asia Cup.

“The FIBA Asia cup is the next level of basketball tournaments,” Ting says. “If we can qualify, I think we can improve a lot and it also helps the future of Malaysia basketball. It’s will be a great honor for Malaysia.”

The last time Malaysia made it to the FIBA Asia Cup was in 2015 when Ting was still a relatively unknown power forward prospect. He’s known developed into one of the better wings of the entire South East Asia region with his better years ahead of him. For Malaysia, it’s not only Ting but also Wong Yi Hou (22 years old), Chang Zi Feung (21 years old), Teo Kok Hou (24 years old), and Ivan Yeo (25 years old) that are leading the charge for Malaysia next great generation of basketball.

With plenty of talent and experience among those core players over the years, it’s very possible that they can be something “special” down the road. Maybe even at the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 should they qualify.

“I think we can make some history for Malaysian basketball,” Ting says sheepishly. “Maybe.”

FIBA