by Razifohnas
1. NBA Nostalgia vs Modern Strategy
We are now on my fourth year working as an NBA Analyst at Astro Arena, Channel 801.
We watch NBA games every day and it pains for me to say that I prefer the 90s basketball style. Though I have come at peace with modern basketball that puts emphasis on speed over quality possession and enjoy them a bit differently – it is now more of a complex chess match between coaches, and the brilliance of each superstar’s decision making.
2. Speed Without Structure
Here in Malaysia, having to watch domestic basketball almost every weekend, especially major national tournaments, I noticed our young players are always playing with an emphasis on speed and rushed decision making.
While I have been observing this over 30 years, while there is an introduction to innovative offense and defensive schemes, we lack coaches who are fundamentally sound and able to apply these schemes effectively. In short, we severely lack high level coaches.
3. Glimmers of Hope at the U17 Tournament
In a recent U17 MABA-Matrix National Tournament, while switching on and off over teams and reflecting upon the schedule (which is crazy packed), what I saw was partly glimmer of hope and also a few concerning points to ponder.
i. The birth of two most dominant talent of the tournament, between Benedict Ong (Kuala Lumpur) and Tan Yu Xiang (Selangor) – showcasing elite defensive and scoring prowess at an advanced level beyond their age.
ii. Biggest surprise is Kelantan, beating Selangor 2 in their first game, also capturing 5th placing of the entire tournament.
iii. The viewership of the Finals is the 2nd highest for U17 National tournament (Top 6 on MABA Youtube page), gaining over 22,000 views – signalling its popularity and interest amongst youth and basketball fans in Malaysia.
iv. The increasing number of NC players (19 players for Boys) in this tournament is also a very encouraging – however, a statistic on school origin is very much welcomed.
v. Lastly, moving forward, a press conference type of interview is also very much welcomed, just to train our young players on how to communicate to media like a professional player.
4. Too Many Tournaments, Too Little Structure
They are more tournaments taking place not limited only in Klang Valley. From Non-Chinese focused tournaments such as LSBK, SBP, NCBL or CBL, to Open tournaments such as invitational via clubs, associations / district, MSSD, MSSM, Agong Cup, or even MBL / MBLD.
The big question is can we coordinate a standard or level of tournament so we can reward coaches, players and participants within the larger ecosystem. Encourage a more cohesive value chain for the sport and its fans. Also, in terms of sourcing and scouting for talent pool, it will be far more systematic and easier to track on players’ progress.
5. Think Global, Compete Local
While we try to compete for local pride, let’s not forget the bigger picture is compete internationally, and the recent surge of international invitational like Li Ning’s recent tournament and Tan See Seng Cup Men‘s International Invitational is very much welcomed.
We’ve seen what exposure international quality competition brings to our players and coaches; we seriously need more international games to further drive the competition level domestically.
Muhamad Razif Nasruddin is an ‘NBA on Astro Arena’ analyst,
a former Petronas Cup Champion 2002,
Nike Freestyle Winner 2003 and represented Malaysia,
also was the Head Coach for team REVER,
Malaysia Women Basketball League (MWBL) in 2018.
He is also a New York Knicks fan.
Find him for his latest musings on Malaysian Basketball
on X, IG & Tiktok @razifohnas
