SLINGERS RETURN TO WINNING WAYS WITH VICTORY OVER BEIJING AOSHEN
12 October, 2008, 7:42 pm
12 October 2008 – The Singapore Slingers returned to winning ways with a determined 86-81 victory over the visiting Beijing Aoshen in the fifth game of the Singapore Challenge Series at the Singapore Indoor Stadium today.
The home team got off to a strong start as they outshone a sleepy Beijing team with their fluid offensive motion, incisive passing and sharp shooting, going on a 10-0 rampage in the first three minutes of the game. Chris Daniel was on fire, netting two triples for the Slingers, on a perfect 2-for-2 from field in the first quarter. The Slingers scorched their opponents from downtown, as they made 5 out of 7 of their shot from beyond the arc to gain a 28-19 lead by the end of the quarter.
The uninspired Beijing team continued their sluggish form in the second quarter, with some wild passing and turnovers on offence. Running several effective pick and roll plays with big man Blagoj Janev, sharp shooting Slinger Darren Ng made two triples in this quarter, pouring in 11 points for the home team by halftime. Led by the quick moves of forward Huo Nan and American import Jamel Staten who both combined for 22 points, the frustrated Beijing team started pulling their act together towards the end of the quarter, closing the gap to 40-46 by halftime.
The visitors came out roaring after the break, erupting on a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the game at 47-46. Both teams engaged in some breathless coast-to-coast action with several quick fast breaks in what was a close battle as the lead changed hands more than 10 times throughout the quarter. Huo Nan was the go-to guy for Beijing, as he banked in 9 points in the quarter to lead his team’s comeback. Darren Ng responded for the home team, with a long shot from five feet beyond the arc to give the Slingers a 56-54 lead, but a triple by Jamel Staten at the end of the quarter ensured that the visitors went into the final break on a high with a 65-64 lead.
The Slingers found leadership in bench player John Fitzgerald in the final quarter, as he converted some timely triples and made two crucial steals which the Slingers converted into quick fast break baskets. Scoring 19 points in the second half, Fitzgerald impressed the fans with his energy and composure, top scoring for the Slingers in this quarter with 10 points. The stifling team defence of the Slingers kept Beijing’s forward Huo Nan scoreless for the entire quarter and much to the delight of the vocal crowd, the home team eventually came away with a well-deserved 86-81 victory. Darren Ng and Huo Nan emerged as the top scorers for their teams, with 21 points apiece.
“It’s all about the team effort for us, and we worked extremely hard throughout the game to hang on for the victory. We got some steals that led to easy breakaway layups, and the fans were fantastic with their energy,” said Frank Arsego.
Commending John Fitzgerald’s effort, Frank added: “John had a serious injury pre-season and he worked very hard to get back in shape. I’m very proud of him, and I’m also very excited about my first win for Singapore.”
The Slingers next face Malaysia All-Stars on Wednesday, 5 November at 740pm at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Story by Cheryl Ng
Fitzy continues to impress - definitely most improved player from the 2007-08 squad. Nice to finally see some offence from Harris but he still needs more fire in his belly. Wonderful energy from Al with the half court steal to light the crowd’s fuse at the end. Finally, great job Arsego with timely and effective subs tonight. A thoroughly enjoyable win. Will make Monday morning a bit brighter.
Bob - How about inviting the other ABA teams from the USA to play against our Slingers, when they come out here to paly the Aoshen?? If these teams some all the way out here to play Aoshen, it would surely warrant staying an extra day or two to pay Slingers and try for the $10K prize. I watched Aoshen play agst these ABA teams last season at the Tao Payoh sports complex. And Aoshen was one of the better teams in that league. I think I would add exciting variety to your game schedule.
great game! the last quarter was amazing and so were the fans! go slingers!
It was good to see Kirkland back in the lineup.
Congrats to the Slingers! Too bad I wasn’t able to attend yesterday’s game to cheer for the home team.
btw, how’s the size of the crowd.. Was it as much or even more compared to when you play teams from Manila?
Yea, agree with ProudSlingerfan. We would really love to see the ABA teams play Slingers. It was really an entertaining game on Sunday with lots of dunks and block shots that kept the crowd cheering all the way to the final buzzer. We need some hype during the games!!!
We need more players like Sandrin who really knows how to ignite the crowd!!!
Darren Ng Singapore Slingers highlight mix:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xulbdTH9XUs
So many people! I want to watch them play more American teams. Dont have to be ABA, you guys can invite NCAA teams over too.
Hi i would like to make a suggestion. Why don’t slingers invite nba teams down like the lakers,suns. I am sure it will be a fullhouse. If slingers win those teams, we can join nba. This will inprove the level of basketball in asia
Wow! I just realised from the stats that Sandrin is averaging a double-double. Please come back soon! We miss your presence on the court!
Can’t we just have a Singapore Professional League. Wherein there will be teams form Tampines, Jurong East, etc.
This will enocurage the youth to participate more in basketball (ok, this might wreck other sports wherein Singapore can win Olympinc gold medals) knowing that they have a league to aspire for.
I think singaporeans won’t have enough interest in the Slingers if all the players being given adequate exposure are foreigners.
For good bball knowledge/competitiveness, teams can have maximum of 2 non-Asians each.
I thikn this is the approach that the Slinger organisation should take.
Amen Mart
Singaporeans re not ‘zun’, or accurate. Not very tall either. ( i am a singaporean )
the scores will only be like 40 or 50+? not fun to watch if you ask me..
mart: ur plan u propose is too costly.. furthermore,it’s something which the gov shld look into and not the slingers.. -.-
Singapore did had a semi-pro basketball League with 5 or 6 teams few years back, but it survived for 1 and a half seaon, with money the bigest issue to keep the league alive. That is the biggest problem SPORTS in Singapore are facing, no big players are coming in with hard cold cash ready to inject into the sport scene, and SSC are not working fair in terms of money distribution on various sport. Back to reality, SPORTS in modern world requires more than just pure passion, MONEY plays a bigger part!
A SAD STORY OF SPORTS IN SINGAPORE
The problem with Singapore’s basketball is poor fundamentals straight from secondary school. I was a product of that and I’m struggling now with them. We need good coaches. The current school coaches do not teach good fundamentals.
A Singapore pro league would be impossible to draw crowds. A certain standard of skills is needed to attract people to watch. When the Singapore Cagers organised the recent tournament, they was little interest and many people walked out of the game.
Talking about a local pro league, maybe some experience from the football’s S-League can be considered in the financial area
The budget for an average S-League club should be around S$2m, with half that accounting for the salary. The rest covers things like stadium rental, non-playing staff salary, miscellanous etc. Hence it is not surprising that the local league is dominated by the 2 uniform teams (SAF and Home) who have good financial backing, and Tampines Rovers (who have a sugar-daddy called Teo Hock Seng, the distributor of Hyundai car locally and is involve in the F1 race here).
So if we were to have a local league, the teams will need strong financial backing first. SAF and Home could be two teams, the others, perhaps they can align themselves with some local companies. Maybe a shopping centre and play in the open plaza of the mall! That would be rrevolutionary!
Well said gabriel.
Well said Gabriel, at least you are admitting that Singapore cant win against Philippines if only local players play.
Who? The local players? Their skill level in basketball is way below that of the Filipino basketball players.
Do they broadcast Slingers game on TV or cable TV? if yes, is it on a primetime slot?
Also, schedule the games when the NBA season is very far away.
Yes you need skills, but you need some hype. you need some fierce rivalry.
Do you know that in the Philippines, the most expensive ticket is any game (preliminary , championhip, semi-final) between 2 collegiate teams. Interet onthose games exceed those of the PBA. ANd they are just a bunch of amateurs.
I’ve been playing pickup games against locals. THey do have good shooting fundamentals. Also, lots of locals are playing games against and alongside Filipinos and they get to know some styles and dirty tricks from them. = )