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)