Dragons must toughen up mentally
THE Malaysia Dragons saw their early-season bubble burst by Chong Son Kung Fu in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) on Wednesday but coach Chris Thomas saw enough to remain hopeful for the future.
After a double-overtime win over Mono Vampire last weekend, the Dragons went down 96-81 to Chong Son at the Maba Stadium for their first defeat as Curtis Washington marked his debut for the home team with 29 points and nine rebounds.
The Dragons failed to build on a promising second quarter when they outscored Chong Son 27-13 and let the game slip away in the second half.
Thomas said the Dragons needed to toughen up mentally after a performance he described as “disjointed.”
“We had stretches where we were exactly the team we wanted to be and stretches where we lost our minds a bit,” said Thomas.
“Our mental make-up was not anywhere near as good as it was last Saturday. The margin for error in this league is so thin, you have to be there mentally and not just physically.”
But with Washington arriving just two days before the game, Thomas said the Dragons can only get better.
“We are going to keep building and go back to the drawing board a bit and preach and teach the proper technique,” he said.
“Curtis joined two days ago and we are still trying to adjust. We are going to get there and I have faith in our process and what we are trying to do and I look forward to getting back to work.”
While Marcus Marshall did not reach the heights of Saturday when he set a new ABL scoring record of 60 points, Thomas felt the young American did well with a contribution of 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
“I think Marcus showed tonight he is a very willing passer,” said Thomas. “He was all over the floor but we have to find ways how to spring other guys free and create space.
“We will continue to use Marcus in creative ways and be the true force that he is offensively and defensively.”
Dragons return to action tomorrow when they host Mono at the Maba Stadium. Devinder Singh