 |
Champions: Winners of the In Search of Streetball competition together
with The Star Publication Johor bureau chief Nelson Benjamin
(standing, middle).
|
The team of 18-year-olds were all smiles when their team was announced champion for the Boys’ Under-18 category, which qualified them to participate in the grand finals at Kuala Lumpur next week.
“We are really overwhelmed and excited over the win, as we did not expect to even pass through the quarter finals,” said team member Jasper Tan Jun Jie when met at the competition held at Sutera Mall here recently.
Jasper and his team members Tan Jie Xin and Tee Jie Chean had been practising as a team for over the past three years.
“We love playing basketball and meet up at least once a week to have fun and practice our skills,” he had adding that they usually practised at the Bukit Indah basketball court.
However, the team had to decline to participate in the grand finals as Tee, who is a Senior 3 in Foon Yew High School, had to sit for his final examinations, which clashes with the dates of the grand finals.
Meanwhile, two team members from the Chong Chi Jiang Hu team, clinched the StarMetro Best Slam-dunk award.
College students Chan Shi Hong and Steve Teng Seng Fu, both 20, wowed other participants as they showed off their skills.
“One of the best basketball player and slam-dunker Kobe Bryant from the LA Lakers team has been our inspiration since we were playing the sport in high school.
“Although we have no intention of playing the sport professionally, it will always be our best hobby,” said Chan.
Despite the scorching heat in the morning and the brief downpour in the afternoon, some 194 teams battled it out to grab the winning spots.
The challenge is sanctioned by the Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA) while the sponsors are Milo (official beverage); StarMetro (official media), One FM (official radio) and Spalding (official ball).
