Team for future: The Under-16 national team posing after the flag handing ceremony.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s rising basketball talents will have a golden chance to impress selectors for a place in the Thailand SEA Games squad when they take the court at the Fiba Under-16 Women’s Asia Cup, to be held at the Karisma Arena in Seremban from Sept 13-28.
Drawn in Group B of Division Two, Malaysia will face Indonesia, Hong Kong and Tonga.
The tournament offers the perfect stage for the cagers to prove themselves while aiming to lift Malaysia’s standing in the region.
The women’s team last shone at the SEA Games in 2017, but have since only managed bronze, making the hunt for fresh impact all the more pressing.
At the national flag presentation on Thursday (Aug 21), Malaysian Basketball Association (Maba) deputy president Datuk Wong Kun Yew urged the players to rise to the occasion.
“I hope you will achieve excellent results and bring pride to Malaysia and Maba,” said Kun Yew.
Maba deputy secretary Shen Sieng Hsing highlighted the tournament’s importance beyond SEA Games selection.
“This tournament is held once every two years. If Malaysia win the Division B title, they will be promoted to Division A in the Under-18 category in 2028,” he said.
Also present at the ceremony were Maba deputy president Datuk Lee Yin Fong, secretary-general Chan Ki Sian, team manager Lau Chin Chuan and representatives from sponsors Milo, showing strong backing for the young cagers.
Division One
Group A: Australia, Taiwan, South Kora, The Philippines
Group B: Japan, New Zealand, China, Syria
Division Two
Group A: Samoa, India, Iran, Uzbekistan.
Group B: Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Tonga.
