Scorching streetball

Scorching streetball

Tuesday August 11, 2009 By TAN SIN CHOW and WINNIE YEOH

THE Esplanade seafront in George Town formed an impressive backdrop for some 650 streetballers who slogged it out under the scorching sun during the fourth leg of the AND1 3-on-3 Streetball Challenge on Sunday.
The blaring beat of funky music further pumped the adrenaline of each participant who dazzled the crowd with their excellent skills during the one-day event.

Even before the start of the competition, the crowd was already cheering as five top freestylists in the country displayed superb basketball handling skills with a fresh style of choreography and fancy moves.
They took on five participants for an exhibition match during the carnival-like event. Parents and friends also turned up to show support for the streetballers who wowed the crowd throughout the day.

A player from team 123 (in red vest) sandwiched by Scorpion players in the Under-18 final. Team 123 won 2-1.

Competition organiser Ossia World of Golf executive director Saw Swee Leong said the response was overwhelming this year with the registration of 215 teams.
“We targeted only 200 teams. Last year, 163 teams took part in the competition,” he said.
Saw said the seafront also provided a magnificent backdrop to the site.

Top basketball freestylist Mike Ovoke executing a slam dunk before the state of the 'in serach of freestyle competition'.

“The view of the sea was breathtaking and offered a different feel to the players. The competition was previously held in Komtar for three years,” he said.
The streetball challenge, which was held for the fourth consecutive year in Penang, was open to teams of three in five categories – Boys’ Under-13, Boys’ Under-15, Boys’ Under-18, Men’s Under-23 and Girls’ Under-18.
Among the highlights was the Men’s Under-23 final. It was nerve-racking to watch the match between Washi(Noob)Ka and Kosova which the former won 7-5.
Washi(Noob)Ka initially started as the losing side but the team picked up steam in the final minute.
TSY and 3K finished third and fourth respectively in the category.
The Girls’ Under-18 final match left onlookers squeezing their fingers in anxiety as 123 edged out Scorpion 3-2 in the tight match.
SLX and Explorer finished third and fourth in the category.
The Boys’ Under-18 final match was one-sided as Baby Team outplayed Simple 1 with a score of 9-4.

A player taking a long-range shot while his opponent jumps high to block it during the 3-on3 Streetball Challenge.

ENE Sports Marketing came out third with Baby Team 1 in the fourth place.
Prizes were awarded up to fourth placing for each category. First-place winners walked away with AND1 basketball shoes worth RM399, second-place winners AND1 shoes worth RM289 and third-place winners AND1 shoes worth RM239.
The top three winners also received other sponsor goodies while the fourth place winners walked away with AND1 products.
Another focus of the event was the search for the StarMetro Most Promising Player.
Sim Zi Xuan, 13, from SMJK Chung Hwa Confucion said he did not expect to win the title.
The Form One student, whose team CJ7 also won first place in the Under-13 category, said he only started playing basketball two years ago after watching his friends on the court.
“I can play table tennis better. I only took part in the competition with friends to have some fun.

A player reaching out for the ball as his opponent team moves into attack.

“From now on, I will focus more on basketball as the title has given me a confidence boost,” he said.
Sim will have the opportunity to join a training stint at the Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA) academy.
Several events on the sidelines also kept the crowd occupied throughout the challenge, among them were the in search of free-stylist competition, in search of EMCEE competition, Beat Box competition, free throw competition and shooting competition.
In the Beat Box competition, participants were required to produce beats through the microphone using only their voices, with no accompanying music.
State Youth, Sports, Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Lydia Ong Kok Fooi also turned up show her support for the event.

CHAMPS: The champion teams from all categories showing off their prizes.

The Milo booth also saw a flurry of activities with participants taking turn to try out the motion-sensing Nintendo Wii video games.
There was also a lucky draw offering AND1 Limited Edition NBA & Mixtape Signature shoes.
Prior to the competition, each team received an AND1 basketball along with a free AND1 jersey for each player. AND1 basketball shoes and other goodies were also be given away to the winners of each cate-gory.

Winner of the insearch of freestylist in penang leg,sponcor by milo ( a part of mile site evnt)

The Penang leg was the fourth after earlier legs held in Subang, Johor Baru and Klang. The final leg will be held at the Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 4.
The challenge is organised by Ossia World of Golf, the distributors of AND1 brand in Malaysia and supported by Milo as the official beverage.
StarMetro is the official media for the event, Fly FM the official radio station and WCT the official venue sponsor.