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Vietnamese basketball team hopes to enter SEA Games semi-finals

Xinhua, June 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Vietnam men's basketball team is striving to secure a birth to the semi-finals at the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore, local newspaper Vietnam News reported Thursday.

Out of 16 members of Vietnam men's basketball team, 10 are from Sai Gon Heat, which is the first professional basketball squad in the country and plays in the ASEAN Basketball League. The team is trained by the first ever foreign coach, Anthony Garbelotto from the UK, who also coaches Sai Gon Heat.

Garbelotto said the team will try to beat Myanmar and Cambodia, and then defeat Thailand or Singapore to earn a berth to the semi-finals. "The whole team will make every effort. It is the first step to bring Vietnamese basketball to international tournaments in the near future and improve its rankings in the International Basketball Federation," he said.

The coach added: "Vietnamese players have talent. Three of them compete in professional events in the Philippines. Their weak points are that they are small and have only experienced domestic tournaments, so it creates several bad habits that need to change."

Vietnam did not compete at basketball event at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar. At the 28th edition, Vietnam targets 60 to 70 golds at 18 sport events, with the biggest hope pinned on athletics and swimming. Endi