Wong’s leap from athletics to basketball brings new spark of life

Catching the eye: John was selected to join the Cambodia SEA Games squad following his superb performance in the Agong Cup last December and Asean Basketball League in January.

PETALING JAYA: National cager John Wong has made quite a leap from track and field to the basketball court.

The 26-year-old, who stands 1.87m (6’1’’) started his sports journey in athletics before he was introduced to basketball at the age of nine.

His primary school teacher in his home state in Johor selected him to participate in a basketball training camp.

John said it was the moment that turned his life around.

“I was active in most of the events in athletics – 100m, 200m, 400m, long jump and high jump. But my interest in basketball was sparked when I joined the training camp,” said John, who was a student at SJK(C) Seg Hwa.

“I still competed in athletics events in primary school but I focused more on basketball in secondary because I enjoy shooting and running on the court.

“Watching my shots go through the hoop was unique and indescribable.”

John joined the national youth squad when he was 17 in 2013 but the intense training routine proved too tough for him at one point where he considered leaving the team.

He was glad that he did not give up.

“We were preparing for the Fiba (Basketball International Federation) Under-18 Championships and the training routine was very intense.

“I was the captain and the only one with a handphone, so I was the first one to wake up at 4am every day before waking up my teammates.

“Some of them were sound asleep and it would take me a while to wake them up.

“We need to tie sandbag weights and hold a weight plate while running five rounds before using defensive slides to climb the mountain.

“I was physically and mentally exhausted but it was all worthwhile because our efforts paid off handsomely when we finished seventh in the championship.”

John’s sports career was not a smooth-sailing one as he took a long lay-off from major competiitons in 2016, three years after donning national colours.

He then made a remarkable comeback in 2018 when he was one of the members of the winning team in the MPL D-League.

John believes that he made the right decision by joining the PRG Warriors because he regained his competitive drive throughout the local tournament.

“I was working as an office staff in my hometown Segamat until my senior invited me to join them to participate in the D-League.

“I accepted the invitation after getting permission from my employer.

“Back then, we just went around looking for players to join our team but we managed to win the title.

“That was when I made the decision to get back in shape and pursue a career as a full-time professional basketball player.”

John was selected to join the Cambodia SEA Games squad following his superb performance in the Agong Cup last December and Asean Basketball League (ABL) in January.

This is his first appearance in the biennial games and he is looking forward to it.

However, John and the team got off to a rocky start in their preparations due to the resignation of coach Jeff Viernes last month and they are now training under Yong Kian Ann.

“We’re currently training under a new coach and he has a different game plan.

“He wants us to play fast because we’re relatively smaller in size compared to players from other teams.

“Everyone will have the chance to play on court, so he wants us to give our 100% and pressure our opponents.

“It is a new challenge for me but I believe that it will definitely be a good experience.”

Despite being a debutant, John is bold when it comes to setting goals as he believes that having a target will motivate the entire team to strive harder.

“I personally want to win a medal of any colour. I know that the chances are very low but at least everyone on the team shares the same goal, so we will go all out and fight for it.”

At the 2021 Hanoi SEA Games, the national basketball team delivered one bronze through the women’s 5x5 event.