PETALING JAYA: Competition breeds champions – that is the motto for the Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) as they have introduced two new international youth leagues this year.
The leagues, officially named the Under-21 and Under-23 Nations League Petaling Jaya, will be held at Hextar World Empire City and is expected to beef up the national team's preparation for the Asian Games from Sept 19 to Oct 4 in Japan.
MABA president Datuk Seri Lee Tian Hock is hopeful the league will help the players better their last 3x3 event performance at the Asiad in China in 2022, where the men were placed 16th while the women finished 10th.
"We want to reach the semi-finals and the leagues will help expose our players to more formidable opponents," said Tian Hock.
As the leagues are part of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3x3 Youth Nations League 2026, participating players will have the opportunity to boost their FIBA rankings, which in turn will raise the nation from its current rank of world No. 44.
The team hope to get into the top 20 as that will secure them immediate qualification for the Games from Sept 19-Oct 4 in Aichi-Nagoya.
The foreign entries for the Under-21 league are Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Philippines, and Belarus, while the Under-23 slots will be occupied by Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Taiwan.
Men's team coach Ee Kee Lip is wary of the threats from powerhouses Japan and New Zealand as they possess unique skill sets.
"Japan have speed, while New Zealand stand tall in size. We need to be extra careful when playing them," said Kee Lip.
Meanwhile, newly-appointed women's team coach Goran Vojkic from Serbia was more optimistic of his team's chances.
"We can use this challenge to test out our tactics. My girls have adapted well and could even spring up a few surprise results," he said.
The event also saw Tian Hock unveiling a new team set to be coached by former national player B. Guganeswaran, named the KL Titans.
They will use the Empire City as their home ground, where the next edition of the Agong Cup is also set to be held.
Defending champions Negri Sembilan will be hoping for a ninth consecutive men's title at the Cup later this year.
