Mahaka SM vows to fight in ABC Cup
Mahaka SM vows to fight in ABC Cup
JAKARTA (JP): Champion of the 1999 national basketball league
Mahaka Satria Muda (SM) left for Lebanon on Thursday to fight in
the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Champions Cup, with a
strong hope that it will not end up in the bottom position.
The ambition is more than a distant hope given the club's
result in the Southeast Asia zone qualifying round in Johor
Bahru, Malaysia, last month. SM managed to take second place
behind the Philippine strongmen. Both countries qualified for the
Cup, which is attended by the 10 top Asian basketball clubs.
Malaysian Petronas club qualified earlier for the Cup due to
its third ranking in last year's championships. Host team Sagesse
club won the Cup and Liaoning club of China was second last year.
SM manager, Erick Thohir said on Thursday that the tough
rivals are not only coming from neighboring Malaysia and the
Philippines, but also from China, host team Sagesse and Gulf
region qualifier Al-Rayan.
He said that China was likely to field its 22-year-old Wang
Zhi-zhi of Ba-yi Rockets club, a former member of the Chinese
Olympic team in 1996 who was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in
second round of the 1999 NBA professional draft.
Erick said Lebanon might field its veteran 35-year-old player
Rony Seikaly, the former Miami Heat all-time leading rebounder
with 4,544 and all time block leader with 610 from 1988/1989
through 1993/1994 seasons. Beirut-born Seikaly now is playing
with the New Jersey Nets.
He also said that Qatar had Yaseen Mahmood, a young hopeful
who is currently on a tryout with NBA's Indiana Pacers.
"We set a realistic target: we want to avoid the bottom
position. On paper, it's difficult for us to win. But firstly we
won't let Malaysia defeat us. We have a great chance against
Bahrain and Qatar, although Qatar might field Mahmood," he said.
Erick said that his club would field one short player and four
tall players to equalize with the players from other countries
who were taller than the average Indonesian. The team includes 10
core SM players plus Rommy Chandra (Indonesia Muda Texmaco) and I
Made Sudiadnyana (Bhinneka Sritex).
Indonesia is in Group A with host Lebanon, China, Japan and
Uzbekistan and another West Asian qualifier. Group B comprises
Malaysia's Petronas, Al-Ittihad Jedda of Saudi Arabia, Qatar's Al
Rayan, Bahrain's Manama. Metrostars of the Philippines is
expected to join this group.
The ABC Champions Cup has earned increasing fame and status in
the past few years as the winner was given the right to compete
against the reigning NBA and European League champions in the
biennial McDonald's Championships.
Web site www.asianbasketball.com reports that Sagesse was
allowed to take part in the 1999 McDonald's Championship won by
Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in Milan, Italy. (ivy)