Nobody from Myanmar’s squad knows the Philippine men’s basketball team more than head coach Ten Kok Heng.
Ten was a member of the Malaysian team that defeated the Philippine squad then coached by Derrick Pumaren in a massive upset in the 1989 Southeast Asian Games.
“I used to play for the Malaysian team and I coached the Malaysian team. They requested me to help the (Myanmar) team,” Ten said.
There were no upsets on Friday night though, as Ten’s inexperienced Myanmar squad received a 107-point beating from Gilas Pilipinas in the SEABA Championship.
But for the Malaysian mentor, the experience of playing against Gilas Pilipinas and in a tournament such as this will only help his squad’s buildup for the SEA Games in August.
“We only started a month ago. Most of them don’t have experience. Some of them are students, some are working. Very young team. But I’m very sure, when the SEA Games come, we’ll play better,” Ten said.
Myanmar has four teenaged players in its lineup whose members are not older than 23 years old. So it was only expected for them to surrender to the more seasoned Filipinos.
“The level of the Philippines is too high, but my boys never gave up,” added Ten. “We totally lost to them in size, physical aspect and skills. It’s sure we’re going to lose in this game.”
While football remains the favorite sport in Myanmar, Ten has high hopes for Burmese basketball.
“It’s still a long way to go,” Ten said. “Maybe five or six years of training. My goal is to make Myanmar on top. I cannot be second.”
