Malaysia coach Goh Cheng Huat. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Putting a premium on its players’ development for the past year, coach Goh Cheng Huat said he’s elated with how Malaysia performed against Gilas Pilipinas on Sunday in the 2017 Seaba Championship.
“I just explained to my players that it’s an honor to play against the dream team of the Philippines. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to come out and play with these PBA players,” he said after the Philippines’ 106-51 win.
“I’m quite happy with how they performed. It really helped all my players. Just very happy to be able to come here with a young team and compete against world class players.”
Coming in as heavy underdogs against the host nation, Goh could take solace seeing the way his players applied their learnings from the two conferences they played in the PBA D-League.
Save for big man Chan Kek Thai, all players included in Malaysia’s roster suited up for the Blustar Detergent Dragons, who went 2-19 overall in their D-League stint.
“We’re learning from them. Hopefully one day, we will catch up,” he said. “We should follow the steps of the Philippines having a college league, the PBA D-League, and the PBA.”
Malaysia’s chances of winning the tournament are bleak with a 0-3 record, Goh said the team will now use its final three games to see points of improvement for his players.
The veteran mentor admitted his team still has a long way to go before catching up with the region’s powerhouse teams especially with the Philippines.
He also said his players should feel challenged to improve themselves more after the tournament.
“Our aim is no more exposure. I think it’s time to make decisions. No more spoon feeding,” he said. “They should learn how to improve themselves, what they’re weak in this tournament. They should go back and improve on that and hopefully, if everything goes well, maybe Malaysia will send a team in the D-League, but again, there’s no guarantee to that.”
Malaysia plays Singapore on Monday.