Dragons coach identifies problem behind team’s slide

PETALING JAYA: Westports Malaysia Dragons head coach Chris Thomas will put more emphasis on transitional defence in order to stop his team’s slide in the Asean Basketball League (ABL).

The Dragons, despite being bolstered by new recruits Filipino-American Joshua Munzon and American Allen Jeffrey ‘ AJ’ West, still slumped to their third straight loss – a 79-90 defeat to Tanduay Alab Pilipinas on Wednesday.

Transitional defence was the biggest problem for the Dragons as they were picked apart by Alab, especially in the fourth quarter.

Thomas admitted that their leaky defence and a lack of focus in the later stages of a match have cost them dearly.

“Our downfall is not about losing the lead. It’s about not executing what we set out to do,” said Thomas.

“Our transitional defence has been a failing grade. That’s what we need to keep working on now.

“Right now I have a group of guys who tire easily, which makes them lose focus and they forget the basics.

“The reality is that we started the season with a lot of roster movement and I have imports in the team who haven’t played for months prior to joining up. They need time to find their legs.

“On the other hand, my locals have been playing non-stop especially with the Agong Cup National Championships so they are a little worn down. Conditioning is something we need to work on too.

“However, despite our crazy start, I have a group of very resilient guys and I’m happy with the outlook of the team.

“The players are determined to weather the storm and I believe we’ll only get better from here on. We’re going to be a much healthier, welltuned and much improved side by our next match,” added Thomas.

The Dragons, seventh in the nineteam league with a 1-3 win-loss record, travel to Bangkok to face the Mono Vampire Basketball Club on Jan 12.

The high-flying Vampire, who are third with a 4-3 record, also made some roster changes with the 2.29m Samuel Deguara of Malta replacing American Reggie Johnson.