MABA organises Malaysia D-League to unearth rising cagers

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 (Beranama) -- Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA) in collaboration with Major League Sdn Bhd today launched a basketball tournament called Malaysia D-League to unearth new talents at the MABA Indoor Stadium here, from July 30 to Aug 21.

Malaysia D-League commissioner Frank Ch’ng Eng Hing said the inaugural tournament is also open to other young players from South East Asian countries, namely Indonesia and Brunei.

“This competition is for those under 23, eventually we are going to end up those who are 21 years old and below, because last few years after the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of players have not been given the chance to prove themselves in basketball, that is why we are bringing a level playing field this year,” he told a press conference here today.

Eng Hing said a total of 15 teams in men’s category will be divided into two groups, while only four teams have signed up for the women’s category.

Meanwhile, MABA secretary-general Tan Kee Hian said the tournament with hastag ‘Take a Lead Young player to national team’ is aimed at unearthing new talents for the national squad and to strengthen the backup squad for the national team.

“This tournament is crucial because it produces national players and MABA actually needs new talents and we believe this is the only way they can actually make it to the national team.

“One of the situations that MABA had this year after the pandemic, was when we called up for selection and realised that we don’t have a big pool of player to select,” he said.

The men’s category champions will take home a prize money of  RM15,000, while the runner-up will pocket RM10,000 followed by RM5,000 for the third-placed team.

The women’s champion set to gain RM10,000, while the first and second runners-up receive RM5,000 and RM2,500 respectively. 

-- BERNAMA