New MABA president vows to help restore glory within six years

KUALA LUMPUR: Newly appointed Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) president Datuk Lee Tian Hock has vowed to restore glory to the national squad within six years from now.

Lee, who replaced Datuk Tan Kang Yong after the latter stepped down, said this includes bringing home gold in the men’s 5x5 event at the SEA Games, which was last won during the 1989 edition.

“My mid-term plan is six years and believe me, we will get a medal and (perform) better than the last SEA Games,” he told a press conference after the association’s extraordinary general meeting here yesterday.

The national men’s 5x5 team last won a medal in the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand after they clinched the bronze while the women’s squad took home the gold at the 2017 SEA Games here, but failed to win any medal in the 2019 edition.

On the upcoming SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, Lee felt that the women’s 3x3 event stands a much better chance for a medal as compared to other categories.

The women’s squad won the bronze, which was the country’s only medal in basketball at the last SEA Games in Manila, Philippines.

Apart from winning medals in SEA Games, Lee had also laid out the other four projects namely modernising MABA’s building here, in-depth training for the national squad, a naturalised player programme and the launch of a professional basketball league.

Lee also informed that MABA will hold a exco meeting on Jan 22 to discuss future strategic directions including this year’s plans for the national squad.

As such, he also hoped the other MABA affiliates would work together to ensure all plans would work out well for the betterment of Malaysia’s basketball scene.

Meanwhile, Lee also contributed RM1 million to the MABA coffers apart from naming Tan Kee Hian to replace Tong See Koou as the association’s new secretary general. — Bernama