For the last two conferences, Malaysia has always fielded a team in the 2017 PBA D-League called the Blustar Detergent Dragons. And for a country where basketball is not their primary sport, the goal of the team was to introduce them to how the Philippines run their basketball program.
During their D-League stints, the Dragons tallied a 2-21 slate, including a 0-9 record during the 2017 Aspirants Cup.
As 11 of their 12 players have already experienced the physical nature of Philippine basketball, they had already known ahead of their match that they needed to be tough on both ends — to even call for unsportsmanlike fouls during the game.
“We knew that coming in, Malaysia is a very physical team, they are very tough,” said Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes.
“This is the team that played in the D-League, and that’s where they learned how to get tough. That’s where they learned to be tough, to be physical.”
Though Gilas was able to take a 55-point win, their 106-point output is their lowest in the tournament so far, while Malaysia’s 51-point outing was the most they have given up.
“We had to be patient because we knew they would hold on to the ball,” the 53-year-old tactician added.
“That’s what they did throughout the ball game, they held on to the ball to keep the score low and attacked at the ten or eight second mark of the shot clock.”
And though Malaysia is currently just 0-3 in the regional meet, it is just a start to their 10-year plan, says Phoenix head coach and Malaysia basketball consultant Ariel Vanguardia.
“Although it’s a junior team, I’ve seen that team grow, they’re trying to develop this young squad that will be the squad for the next six years, yung national team na yan,” said Vanguardia, who steered the Westport Malaysia Dragons to the 2016 ABL championship.
“They’re looking at it long term.”
With the way things are going, Malaysia will continue to pattern its program based on the Philippines — the region’s benchmark in basketball.
