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Blustar’s PBA D-League debut was memorable for all the wrong reasons as the Dragons were manhandled by Tanduay, 94-71, on Monday.
Dragons head coach Goh Cheng Huat did expect his Malaysian team to get blown out, but he is hopeful that things would go upwards from there.
“This is the first time our locals are playing in this league and they started jittery. They didn’t know what to do and that’s why we’re not moving. Hopefully, the next game, they understand the culture and the way the game is played,” he said.
“We know our level,” said Goh, whose squad trailed by as much as 36, 85-49. “To be frank, our target is just to get them do our best. If we’ll be able to get used to playing in this league, our target is just to make it to the playoffs. Of course, if we make it to the playoffs, it’s just a bonus. We will try our best. What we want is to improve our locals, giving them more higher level of game knowledge.”
Goh noted that more than anything, this stint in the PBA D-League will be beneficial for the players and the Malaysian basketball program as a whole.
“One of our objectives here is to get them exposed to the Philippine way of how basketball is played. We know that the Philippines is good in basketball and it’s a national sport, and we’d like to copy and be thankful for the opportunity to play here in the PBA D-League,” he said.
Despite the team’s success in the Asean Basketball League, Goh said that this time, the focus will solely be on the development of the locals.
“To me, ABL is a game for imports. We got four imports and if you pick the best imports, you’ll win the championship. Now that the owners realized that we need to improve the locals, it’s time that they allowed us to participate here in the PBA D-League, exposing them to more high level basketball,” the Malaysian national team coach said.
“We wish that we Malaysian players can step up to their level. Hopefully, the players can pick up as much knowledge and information, expose them against better players and improve from there.”
But there’s a source of hope for the Dragons, as Goh is optimistic that his injured players Loh Shee Fai and 6-foot-7 big man Kwang Yoong Jing will be able to suit up for Blustar soon.
“Hopefully, we’ll get them here to play. I’m just resting them for this few weeks to get them in shape. If they can recover in time, I will let them play here,” he said.