By NG WEI LOONTHERE will be plenty of chances for the young participants to shine at the third leg of the AND1 Streetball Challenge at AEON Bandar Bukit Tinggi in Klang tomorrow.
This time, the organisers are creating another platform to give them a push to discover their hidden potential and move up to another level.
Besides the eight courts for the three-on-three basketball tournament, they will be setting up the centre court with the gravity-defying slam dunk stand at each end.
Four notable names, along with an invited player, will be representing the AND1 side and they will be fending off the challenge from potential contenders in the five-a-side open run at the main arena.
Ready for potential opponents: Former In Search of Freestylists winners (from left) Ismadi, Anirudh and Nabil will be representing the AND1 side in a five-a-side open run at the main arena at AEON Bandar Bukit Tinggi in Klang tomorrow. The 15-minute sneak preview will include Ogheneme and foreign student Tope Ahmed.
Lanky former Nigerian junior cager Micheal Ogheneme, who stands at 1.98m, will be joining three previous In Search of Freestylists winners – Nabil Ra’uf Harun, Anirudh Aravind and Mohd Ismadi Hamidi – to stand up against their potential opponents.
The other member in the team is the unknown foreign student Tope Ahmed.
In the 15-minute sneak preview before the matches in the actual tournament commence in the morning, they will be thrilling the participants and spectators by combining slick freestyle moves in their bid to sink the baskets.
And, local rapper Dareyno from Rough Sound Entertainment, who is the mediator in the In Search of Talent event comprising MC and beatbox competitions, will be flaunting his flair for the genre in delivering the running commentary and stirring up interest for the brief entertaining encounter.
Talent on show: Dareyno (right) demonstrating the technique of Beat Box to a participant at a previous AND1 event
Ossia World of Golf executive director Saw Swee Leong said they would be gauging the response and intensity of the open run to inject additional excitement.
“We have lined up another two sessions for the open run in the afternoon. It will be an opportunity for the young participants to test their skills against the stiffer and more competent players in the AND1 line-up,” he added.
Other side events, including the Milo In Search of Freestylists and In Search of Talent, will also be hosted on the centre court.
A total of 300 teams are expected to be in the fray in the six categories – boys’ Under-13, boys’ Under-15, boys’ Under-18, boys’ Under-21, girls’ Under-15 and girls’ Under-18.
AND1 STREETBALL CHALLENGE – THIRD LEG
Venue: AEON Bandar Bukit Tinggi, Klang
Date: June 28
Categories (six): Boys’ Under-13, Boys’ Under-15, Boys’ Under-18, Boys’ Under-21, Girls’ Under-15 and Girls’ Under-18
Prizes: Basketball shoes and goodies for the top three teams in each category.
Programme
7.30am: Registration
8.45am: Open Run
9.00am: Briefing
9.15am: Matches begin
10.30am: Free Throw Competition
11.00am: AND1 Streetball Video Game Zone
12.00noon: In Search of Talent MC and Beatbox Competitions
12.45pm: Open Run
1.00pm: In Search of Freestylists and Dareyno’s performance
2.00pm: Matches resume
3.00pm: AND1 Streetball Video Game Zone
3.30pm: Open Run
4.00pm: Shooting competition
5.00pm: Finals
6.00pm: Prize presentation
Partners
- Official beverage: Milo
- Official media: StarMetro
- Official radio: Fly Fm
- Sanctioned by: Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA)
Enquiries: 012-239 2171 (Ong), 012-977 9147 (Loh)
Website: http://www.and1malaysia.blogspot.com/
Remaining legs: Esplanade, Penang (Aug 9); Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur (Oct 25)
