National basketball team cannot play in Kobatama

JAKARTA (JP): Basketballers being groomed for the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games will not be allowed to compete in the national basketball league competition -- Kobatama -- which starts in Surabaya next week.

The Indonesian Basketball Association's Deputy, Sutiyoso, said yesterday "the national players are to concentrate only on the upcoming SEA Games".

"It's our commitment to win the basketball gold at the Games. We will use our best players for the event.

"There's a possibility that if they compete in the Kobatama, which will shift their concentration, the national team will loose at the Games."

Fifteen men's basketballers have been groomed for the biennial SEA Games which will be held from Oct. 11 to Oct. 19.

Sutiyoso said the decision would motivate second string players to perform in the league.

"Those who used to sit on bench can start to show their skills at Kobatama," he said.

Ten clubs - defending champion Aspac, Siliwangi, BS Nikko Steel, Pelita Bakrie, Ades Satria Muda, Pacific Bank Swadesi, Cahaya Lestari Surabaya, IM Texmaco, Bhinneka and Panasia Indosyntec - will compete in the four-leg competition in Surabaya from June 8 to June 14, in Malang, East Java, from June 30 to July 6, in Jakarta from Aug. 4 to Aug. 11, and in Bogor, West Java, from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7.

The semifinals and finals will be at Senayan, Jakarta, from Oct. 26 and Oct. 28.

To stop player fights like the three that occurred last year, a disciplinary committee - comprising association chairman Sondang Meliala, Setia Dharma Majid, Agus Salim, Sam Lantang and Lutfi Sukri.

The teams can still employ foreign players.

Aspac's manager, Irawan Haryono, said his team had been preparing since beating the Philippines in the SEABA match last year.

"If we can win the SEABA, Aspac can also win the Kobatama," he said.

Ades Satria Muda's manager, Doedie Gambiro, said although many of his team's players had gone to other clubs it would not be easily beaten.

"We cruised to last year's semifinals. Now, with younger players, we expect to reach the semifinals again. I'm not pessimistic about a lack of experienced players because we have groomed our athletes for five months," he said.

IM Texmaco's assistant manager, Lexy Rohi, said the only target the team had set was to improve on last year.

Meanwhile, Sutiyoso, who is also the Jakarta Military Command chief, said about 8,000 soldiers would secure all venues during the SEA Games.

But he did not say what the soldiers would wear but plans for them to have a new uniform.

"If I tell you now, it won't be a surprise anymore," he said. (yan)