Perbasi to undergo selection of 60 players for SEA Games

Perbasi to undergo selection of 60 players for SEA Games

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi)
has called 30 male and 30 female players to undergo the first
selection process to join the 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games
national squad.

Sixteen players will be selected for the men's and women's
core team. The men's team selection will take place from Jan. 15
to Jan. 18 while the women's selection is scheduled from Jan. 30
to Feb. 3. The centralized training program for the men's team
will be held in Jakarta. Perbasi will later decide on the
training location for the women's team.

The date for second phase of the selection, in which the team
will be reduced to 12 members, will be decided later by men's
national team coach Tjetjep Firmansyah and women's coach
Wellyanto Pribadi.

Tjetjep said on Tuesday that he would use senior players to be
the key members of the team.

"Seventy-five percent of the 16 players will be seniors who
had participated in the 1999 SEA Games. We have a very short
training period so I need seniors to support the team. We don't
have much time for trial and error," he told The Jakarta Post in
a telephone interview.

Perbasi hopes the men's team can raise its ranking in
Southeast Asia. In the 1999 Games in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia
clinched the bronze. It was the second medal for the Indonesian
men's team since 1993, equaling the feat of their women
compatriots who finished third in 1991 and 1997. Women's
basketball was not featured in 1999.

The 1999 Games' players invited for the selection are Ali
Budimansyah (Bali Jeff CSP), Antonius Joko Endratmo (Panasia
Indosyntec), Cokorda Raka Satria Wibawa (Aspac), I Gede Agus
Wahyudi (Panasia Indosyntec), I Made Sudiadnyana (Bhinneka
Sritex), Johanis Winar (Panasia Indosyntec), Riko Hantono
(Aspac), Rommy Chandra (IM Texmaco), Saut Lambok Jonson (Aspac)
and Tri Adnyana Adiloka (Aspac).

The other candidates are A.F. Rinaldo, Andi Poejakusuma and
Suko Daryono of Aspac, Andre Tiara and Yanto Sudiarto of Panasia
Indosyntec, Amran A. Sinta, Dwi Eriano, Fictor Roring, Ponco
Wibowo and Wahyu Hidayat of Mahaka Satria Muda, Charles Bronson
and Agus Sumantri of IM Texmaco, Pek King Dhay (Pacific Caesar),
Dian Heryadi (Bali Jeff CSP), Hidayat of Dwidasa, Andre Ekayana
(Bima Sakti Nikko Steel), Agung Sunarko and Hari Suharsono of
CLS, Donny and Jaya Adinegara of Halim club.

Tjetjep, who coached the 1999 Games team, said the team would
compete in two overseas tournaments to sharpen its skills.

"The first tournament will be the Southeast Asian Basketball
Association (SEABA) international men's championships qualifying
round in the Philippines in February."

"If we qualify, we can compete in the next round but if we
fail, I plan to arrange a friendly match with an Asian basketball
team, probably from China," he said.

Tjetjep also said that he planned to invite top teams to test
the national team.

As for the women's team, the candidates are Vera Natalia, Vivi
Puspasari, Dwi Nofiriani, Miniarti, Dwi Ratna Herawati, Maria
Yohana, Shery Humardani and Sri Hartati (CLS), Caecilia, Theresa
Ninon, Puspa Indah, Yuni, Yanti, Afita Setyaningtias, Wulan and
M. Gina (Mahaputri), Joan Suryana, Ciaulina, Jane Johan, Yenni
and Tasia Albertina (Rajawali), Lindawati and Linda of Sahabat,
Jeanne Yuliana, Nova Bella Yunita (Merah Putih Medco), Monica
(Rajawali Sakti), Linda Wijaya and Triyani Dewi of Bhinneka
Sritex and Fitri Agustini (Mataram Utama). (ivy)