This appears in the Monday, June 6, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.
Coaching Malaysia
story and photos by rick olivares
Welcome to “the Gods Must Be Crazy” – Malaysia-style.
When you hear of the southeast Asian country, what comes to mind are the Petronas Towers, a multi-racial country, white sand beaches and dive spots, and football. Make no mistake, Malaysia is home to the current Southeast Asian Games and AFF Suzuki Cup champions. As evidence, they have the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur that seats more than 87,000 screaming, cheering, stomping, and flare-lighting fans.
“I asked myself that when I first arrived here,” said Ariel Vanguardia of being a basketball coach in a footballing nation. Here he was, a former college (Jose Rizal University) and pro basketball coach (as an assistant with Red Bull Barako), in a football mad country to at, first as a scout, and then as a team consultant, then finally as head coach of the Westsports Kuala Lumpur Dragons.
Enter Yakub Hussaini, who before he got the job as Dragons’ manager, used to manage a Malaysian football club. “I didn’t know anything about basketball,” he laughed. If you think that’s a disjointed career path, then know that he was a commercial airline pilot who used to fly to England before that. “Let me make it clear,” he said as if he were to impart some big secret. “I root for Liverpool. But basketball… it’s just a crazy idea in Malaysia that just might work.”
Work was what Vanguardia was looking for after leaving the PBA owing to financial concerns with his former team. Unsure of what he to do, he found the KL Dragons on Facebook where inquired about a possible head coaching position. It’s a sheepish grin Vanguardia flashed. “Facebook,” he chuckled. “What possibilities!”
Soon after his arrival, the management of the team found themselves impressed with his work. Head coach Cheng Huat Go was elevated to the national team while Vanguardia took his place on the Dragons’ sidelines.
There were hopes that if the Dragons won the second Asean Basketball League, they’d be their country’s version of the Philippine Azkals. Except it was for basketball.
The country’s devotion to football is so great that basketball is but an afterthought. The country is essentially a mixture of Malays, Indians, and Chinese. Of the three groups, it is the Chinese community that normally plays basketball. When they do, it is more of recreation rather than professional.
After all, how can one earn a living playing pro hoops when the Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) lasts for only a month? The MABA Stadium seats only 2,500 people.
“After Chinese players reach the age of 25,” explained Hussaini, “they must make the decision on whether to continue playing or not. Most opt to get a real job.”
In fact, several current players on the Dragons’ squad competing in the FIBA Asia Champions Challenge Cup in Manila have desk jobs – guards Ban Sin Ooi and Satyaseelan Kuppusamy.
Luckily for Vanguardia, it has been relatively easy to communicate with his new wards for English is widely spoken in Malaysia. “But the first Malay words I learned to speak were ‘Nasi Lemak’ (fatty rice) because we ate out,” said the new coach.
The Dragons were only a last minute replacement squad for the Thailand Slammers who were suspended recently by FIBA. By the time the team was called into action, forwards Shee Fai Loh was on vacation in Taiwan while Yoong Jing Kwaan just got married. The Dragons’ 6’9” center Chee Li Wei was out with a MCL injury. The team’s Filipino players – Patrick Cabahug, Rudy Lingganay, and Angelo Raymundo were not included because they were considered as “imports”. And for teams to successfully do battle in the Champions Cup, they need some ceiling. With regular import and former Satria Muda player Nakeia Miller down with a foot injury, the team signed up former Loyola Marymount Lion Chris Ayer and former Satria Muda reinforcement Marcus Morrison, he of the volatile nature.
“Ariel’s got very good ideas,” said Hussaini. “He knows the game. It’s a matter of having a very young team believing.”
The modicum success of the Dragons in Malaysia has stirred some interest in the sport. “I’d like to tell you that basketball is a fast growing sport,” said Vanguardia. “But it’s not. The interest has gone up that’s for sure. It’s like taking baby steps.”
After taking it on the chin in their first two matches of the Champions Cup, Vanguardia likened the team’s fortunes to a mother-to-be. “The first trimester is the most crucial. That is where great care must be taken for the baby inside. That’s what we have here. This team is our baby. We must believe in what we are doing.”
The Dragons were competitive for the first halves of their matches against Saudi Arabia and Smart Gilas Pilipinas. But turnovers, poor shot selection, and no ball movement in the middle of the third quarters have turned the games from close ones into debilitating routs. “In the first game, our imports carried us. In the second, it was our locals,” noted Vanguardia to his team. “Hopefully, in our third game, both can come together.”
Neither occurred. Against ASU Jordan and Sam Daghles, the San Diego, CA lad turned international basketball player, showed why he is one of the best point guards in Asia. Daghles finished with a near triple double of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists in only 30 minutes of play. The result was a galling 101-77 loss.
In their final match against Al Ittihad Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Malaysians fell apart in only the second quarter. The Dragons, in their maiden voyage against the best teams in all of Asia, have been throttled by an average of 21.8 points per match (they scored 67.2 yet gave up 89.0 ppg.).
“It’s all part of the learning experience,” summarized Vanguardia. “We came here to gain experience. We, of course, tried to win every game. It’s not easy because these are some famous and elite clubs with very good imports. Now the team knows first-hand what FIBA Asia is all about. This is an even better story – building something out of nothing.”
The Dragons during a briefing before a match. Below, Chris Ayer waits for a pass from Ban Sin Ooi. Ayer will go back home to the United States where he will take some time off and go fishing before heading back to Southeast Asia to rejoin the Dragons.
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