Basketballers banking on home support
HÀ NỘI Vietnamese men's and women's 3x3 basketball teams are about to tip-off in their games at the SEA Games 31, and both want to finish with medals.
Today and tomorrow, both teams will compete in a round-robin tournament against Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Tomorrow afternoon, the top four teams will play a semi-final match between the 1st place team vs 4th place team, and the 2nd place team vs 3rd place team.
The two semi-final winners will face off in the final for the title. The other two teams from the semis will compete for the bronze medal.
Matt Valt Pelt, who had an impressive season leading Saigon Heat at the recent VBA tournament, will be the coach of the men's 3x3 team.
Eric Weissling, head coach of Hà Nội Buffaloes, will lead the women's team.
The lineup for the men's team will be familiar names to Vietnamese basketball fans like Đinh Thanh Tâm, Trần Đăng Khoa, Justin Young, and Chris Dienker. This is the same squad that won bronze at the SEA Games 30.
However, the women's team will line-up with mostly new faces like Trương Thảo My, Trương Thảo Vy, Trần Thị Anh Đào, and captain Huỳnh Thị Ngoan.
Among the new names on the team, twins Thảo My and Thảo Vy are expected to help lead the team to win the first medal for Vietnamese women's basketball.
Both are currently playing for the University of Gonzaga in the NCAA Women Division 1, the highest league for college students.
Last season, Thảo Vy had an impressive performance with an average of 11.2 points,
3.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. Meanwhile, Thảo My had 10.4 points, 3.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Both teams have prepared well before this tournament. The men's team won the VBA 3x3 tournament last week after defeating Thăng Long Warriors in the final.
The women's team also won, beating Louvre Indonesia to win the gold medal at the ABL 3x3 International Champions Cup 2022 in Bali, Indonesia last month.
At the ABL 3x3 International Champions Cup 2022, the women's team had the opportunity to compete against strong regional teams ahead of the SEA Games 31.
“This year, other teams in the region are stronger than they were in 2019, so the challenge will be much bigger for us," Tâm said about the team's competitiveness.
"But if the team has the support of the home crowd, anything is possible. There
fore, everyone please come to the court and support us,” he said.
Basketball lovers will be able to watch all SEA Games 31 basketball events at Thanh Trì Gymnasium, Hà Nội, which has a capacity of 1,500 seats.
This year, other teams in the region are stronger than they were in 2019, so the challenge will be much bigger for us. But if the team has the support of the home crowd, anything is possible. Therefore, everyone please come to the court and support us.”
Đinh Thanh Tâm