BANGKOK: National cager Jayson Lee came to the SEA Games as a newcomer, only to find himself thrust into the spotlight as the team’s sole point guard.
Originally selected as the team’s third point guard and usually a shooting guard, Jayson was suddenly the only playmaker left after Heng Yee Tong suffered injury in the first game and Ong Wei Yong in the semi-finals.
Point guard is one of the toughest positions on the court as it requires player to orchestrate the team’s offence, direct plays, make split-second decisions and set the team’s tempo.
For a debutant, the role presented both physical and mental challenges, but Jayson embraced the heavy responsibility.
“Being selected shows that the coaches trust me and believe I can do the job, and even though I made mistakes and have areas to improve, there’s no reason to be afraid – I just compete,” said the 26-year-old.
“I treated it as an opportunity and told myself to go out there and do my job.”
Yesterday, Jayson and his teammates went down fighting 68-80 to Indonesia in the men’s bronze medal match at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.
Despite missing out on a medal, the team’s effort deserved recognition, especially considering the injuries and the fact that Malaysia had a representative in the men’s category for the first time in 12 years.
Malaysia last reached semi-finals at the 2013 Myanmar edition.
On his game, Jayson said: “Defensively, I was targeted, and offensively, my decision-making wasn’t good enough at times.
“There were also moments when I didn’t fully execute what the coach wanted. There were some positives, but overall, it wasn’t a performance I’m fully satisfied with.”
Meanwhile, the women’s team could not defend their bronze medal after falling 55-62 to Indonesia in the bronze medal match.
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