SCS + ABL = One heck of a basketball season

With the Singapore Challenge Series starting on 18 September followed by the long awaited and inaugural ASEAN Basketball League on 11 October, basketball fever is about to set the region ablaze with cunning plays, dazzling dunks and ankle breaking moves. The Singapore Slingers will return this season populating the team with a majority of Singapore players and given an option of drafting two international and three ASEAN players. Skeptics and haters who have long complained of the Slingers of not drafting local talents can finally have a team to call their own.

Although the Slingers have yet to announce their entire squad and remained somewhat tight lipped during the 2009 Slingers Captain’s Rally last week, all we know is that they have today announced the signing of 6′ 7″ centre, Pathman Matialakan, the longest serving player in the club’s three year history. While anxiously waiting for the rest of the players to be announced, I’m guessing that the Slingers have their eye on Philippine sensation Al Vegara, three-point threat Darren ‘The Doctor’ Ng and if all goes in our favour, bad boy and mad dunker, Eric Sandrin. Of course as courtship goes, it takes two hands to clap and I’m hoping to get an unanimous applause from both sides. As for local talents, I believe it is safe to say that the other fiver players will include Hong Wei Jian, Desmond Oh, Lim Wei Sian, Wong Wei Long and Steven Khoo. I mean it is a no brainer given that they all appeared in the 2009 Slingers Captain’s Rally. But then again, I could be wrong…

The Singapore Slingers will begin their new journey with four pre-season games against a strong lineup of teams from the Philippine Basketball Association beginning mid September to early October. After a good warm up, they will start their ASEAN Basketball League games the following week against teams hailing from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei and Philippines. So check the below schedule, book your tickets and brace yourself as the region’s finest basketball teams will clash on head to head in twelve exciting matches in Singapore. Tickets start from $8 and will be available at Sistic soon. Gooooooo Slingers!!