It was another eventful Men’s Basketball tournament in SEA Games 2017 that pitted some of the best basketball players in the region against each other. The Philippines came out with Gold once again beating out silver medalists Indonesia in the final showdown while Thailand edged out Singapore for the bronze. The tournament was filled with talents from the ABL both on the court and on the sidelines. Let’s check out how the ABL in SEA Games 2017 performed!
ABL IN SEA GAMES 2017: COACHES
New Alab Pilipinas Head Coach, Jimmy Alapag, was part of the Coaching staff of the Philippines National Team. The champions won all games by an average of 36.2 points.
It was not long ago that Piyapong Piroon, Thailand’s New Head Coach, was still dropping clutch threes for Hitech Bangkok City in the ABL. In his first gig as a Head Coach, he was able to lead Thailand to a Bronze medal.
Malaysia’s coaches switched roles from their Westports Malaysia Dragon days. Dragons’ Head Coach, Christopher Thomas, was the assistant coach in the National Team setting while Dragons’ Assistant Coach, Goh Cheng Huat, took on the lead Head Coach role. Malaysia didn’t go down without a fight but couldn’t make it to the medal rounds before securing 5th place.
The Vietnamese also had a coaching change putting former ABL Champion, Todd Purves, at the helm. Purves squad were highly competitive in their group, but dropped out of the medal rounds and lost to Malaysia in the 5th Placement game.
ABL IN SEA GAMES 2017: PLAYERS
Alab Pilipinas’ Kiefer Ravena was able to bag his 4th SEA Games Gold Medal after averaging 21.4 minutes, 7.8 points, 1.4 steals, and 1.8 assists for the Philippines. ABL 2016-2017 Local MVP Bobby Ray Parks Jr. gets his 3rd Gold Medal in his all-around role that produced 5.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.0 steals in 21.3 minutes. Kaohsiung Truth’s Heritage Import, Raymar Jose, also had his moments for the Philippines National Team as he averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds.
Indonesia ran a balance roster all the way to the finals which were loaded with ABL talents as well.
Arki Wisnu (Indonesia Warriors), came up huge in the clutch of the important semi-finals game against Thailand ending up with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. He averaged 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists throughout the campaign.
2010-2011 Local MVP Mario Wuysang (Satria Muda/Indonesia Warriors) calmly did his thing with 6.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds. He also went 8/16 from downtown the entire week.
Youngsters Haridanus Lakudu (5.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists) and Kevin Yonas Sitorus (6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists) who both played for the Indonesia Warriors were also crucial parts of Indonesia’s silver medal run. ABL veteran Christian Sitepu had 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds.
The bronze medalists were shoulders by the contributions of the 2016-2017 Heritage MVP from the Eastern Long Lions, Tyler Lamb. The Thai-American starred in his first ever National Team stint averaging a second best 19.2 points per game. He also shot 40.5% from beyond the three point line, grabbed 5.8 rebounds, and snatched 2.4 steals. Lamb also set the tournament-high scoring record with 36 points in a crucial game for Thailand against Malaysia.
Ratdech Kruatiwa was one of the top local sharpshooters in the ABL for the various Thai teams and he continued to show his accuracy in SEA Games 2017 He went on to nail 40.7% of his long-range shots to average 6.8 points per game. Kannut Samerjai (SportsRev Thailand Slammers/Mono Vampires) also had his moments here in SEA Games 2017, averaging 8.2 points per game on 36.4% three-point shooting.
The Singapore National Team were led by their twin tower combination, Delvin Goh and Russel Low. Goh has continued his steady growth and nearly averaged a double-double of 13.3 points and 9.8 rebounds. Low, who shined for the Singapore Slingers 3 seasons ago, led the team in scoring (13.8 points) while also grabbing 6.7 rebounds.
Leon Kwek (9.8 Points) and Larry Liew (9.7 Points) led the charge from the perimeter to assist their inside giants while veterans Wong Wei Long (7.7 points), Ng Han Bin (6.0 points), and Mitchell Folkoff ( 5.0 points and 6.2 rebounds) also chipped in.
The hosts, Malaysia, also relied heavily on their ABL players with 3 of them averaging double digits.
Kuek Tian Yuan didn’t surprise anyone with his average of 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds. It was the young combination of Ting Chun Hong (12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) and Wong Yi Hou (11.7 points per game) that should spark hope for Malaysian and Wesports Malaysia Dragons fans.
Westports Malaysia Dragons franchise leading scorer, Loh Shee Fai, continued his sharpshooting ways with 8.8 points on 35.7% three-point shooting.
Teo Kok Hou did a decent job running the point for Malaysia, finishing second in assists with 4.0 per game and also scored 5.5 points as well. Ivan Yeo (6.7 points) and Ma Chee Kheun (5.3 points) also contributed in limited playing time.
ABL veteran Chee Li Wei also turned back the clock to average 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in what is believed to be his National Team retirement tour.
Stefan Nguyen headlined the Vietnamese National Team in his first cap. He averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 assists in the tournament, an experience which he calls a dream come true.
Some Saigon Heat players from earlier seasons like Nguyen Tien Duong (7.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 38.5 3P%), Trieu Han Minh (4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds), and To Quang Trung(4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds) were also a part of the roster.
Nguyen Van Hung continues to defy the laws of age, averaging a double-double with 12.6 points and 10.0 rebounds at the age of 37.
Former Saigon Heat Heritage Import, Sophoeun Oeun, was second on his team in scoring with 13.2 points and also collected 5.4 rebounds for the Cambodia National Team.
