Ong keeps cagers going
THE UCSI University Basketball Club were formed more than 10 years ago with the aim of gathering like-minded lovers of the game and spreading this passion to other students.
The club spawned a team of talented players who went on to compete in tournaments and even became the sparring partners of the Westports Malaysia Dragons which took part in the AirAsia Asean Basketball League.
Leading both the club and team is Kelvin Ong Swee Yuan, in his capacity as president and captain respectively. He was voted to the president’s post by the 30-odd club members in January this year, with coach Foong Ming Joe appointing him as team captain a few months later.
Ong, a second year student in food science with nutrition, has been playing basketball for three years now even though his interest was piqued at the age of eight, thanks to Yao Ming, the first player from China to play in the United States’ National Basketball League, where he was with the Houston Rockets from 2002 to 2011.
“I used to play badminton but opted for basketball as I was more into team sports. And Yao Ming also was a big determining factor,” said the 21-year-old Ong, who also represented his secondary school, SMK Seksyen 4, Puchong, in Selangor in basketball.
Standing at 1.75m, Ong claimed to be the shortest player in the team, where he is a forward. His stint as club president ended on Oct 31 this year.
After leading the basketball team to the Gatorade University League crown earlier this year, Ong hopes to win another title before he leaves the squad.
In June, UCSI played against Universiti Teknoloji Mara, and on July 24, they beat Nilai University 67-63. Both matches were held at UCSI University’s main campus in Taman Connaught, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
The club’s recruitment drives are during UCSI University’s three new intakes in January, May and September.
Training sessions are held at the main campus’ multi-purpose hall on Friday evenings. For more information, like the UCSI University Basketball Club Facebook page. Ricky Yap