Indonesian cagers short on stamina

Indonesian cagers short on stamina

JAKARTA (JP): The poor physical and mental state of local
basketball players is holding back Indonesia in its quest to find
international success in basketball, an Indonesian Basketball
Association official said over the weekend.

"Because the physical and mental conditions of the players are
weak, we are forced to develop basketball players from a very
young age," said Ary Sudarsono, head of the association's youth
development program in Semarang on Saturday.

During a basketball clinic Ary said that the players do not
have much motivation or self discipline, Antara reported.

"They don't even stand up to respect the national anthem
Indonesian Raya," Ary said, adding that players abroad
immediately stand at attention when they hear their anthems.

Ary said that an athlete's psychological condition is
important to a team's success, but that the mentality must be
developed from early on, at the elementary and high school
levels.

He said basketball clinics for students are supposed to
instill discipline so athletes can prepare to become national
players.

According to Ary, the clinics are the first step towards an
NCAA-like students league, which the association is planning for
next year.

The clinics will take place from April until June in Bogor,
West Java; Central Java's Semarang, Surakarta and Yogyakarta;
East Java's Surabaya; West Java's Bandung; Ujungpandang in South
Sulawesi; and Medan, North Sumatra. (05)