Crushbone teams eye top prize

Crushbone teams eye top prize

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Eight teams from around the country will compete in the grand final of the Star Mild Crushbone Basketball National Championship 2005 on Saturday in West Plaza Senayan for the winner's haul of Rp 100 million (US$10,300).

The hopefuls are Bromo 1 of Medan, Blue Andromeda of Padang, Ballers 3 of Jakarta, Si Komo of Bandung, Low Profile and Matsuka of Malang, East Java, Sahabat B of Makassar and Ordinary Player of Bali.

"They will play each other to determine rankings starting from 3:30 p.m." Bentoel Prima brand manager Alfons Sindupranata said on Friday.

"Then they will play in knockout rounds from the quarterfinals to the finals."

In the crushbone basketball championship grand final on Saturday, ticket will be sold at Rp 30,000.

Alfons said the grand final would also present a number of shows, including a performance by Street Basketball Association (SBA) players and coaching clinics with local crushbone players.

The Crushbone basketball championship opened on March 5 and has been held in 15 cities, with more than 1,000 teams participating in the tournament.

Participants must be at least 17 years old.

Crushbone basketball, a three-on-three basketball played in the street ball style, is becoming increasingly popular.

It also modifies basketball rules with a court size of 8 meters by 8 meters, which is surrounded by a wire fence to prevent the ball from going outside.

The timeout is not applied in the crushbone basketball.