"I will be back!"

The Slingerblogger: Hi Mr Canta, it’s great to have you on the team. Let’s start with your Singapore experience. How has Singapore been for you so far? How different is it from where you came from? And what are some of the adjustments you have to make coming down here?  

VC: Singapore has been very nice so far. The country itself is very beautiful and the cleanliness of singapore is the best ive seen since being back in california. Its been a complete switchup coming here from the PI. Coming from a loud and hectic place then arriving here has been quite relaxing. Its really quiet here and sometimes thats needed. As far as adjustments that i have to make, the biggest one is being part of this team. Its a little difficult joining a team within 1 week of their season opener and expected to play 20-25 min right of the bat.

The Slingerblogger: Okay. Now, let’s talk about the Slingers team. What were your first impressions of this team? 

VC: When i first played with these guys i actually felt more comfortable. First of all, as a team, English is spoken more than the last team i came from and im playin’ with other guys that are also from back in the states which always makes u feel like at home. 

The Slingerblogger: Yea. That’s wonderful. This team has made the semi-finals for 2 consecutive years. How far do you think this team can go this year? And what is your personal goal for the team? 

VC: I think we can go as far as WE wanna go. Its all up to us. My goal personally for this team is to first pick everything up in the defensive side of our play. It has always been one of my strengths especially when it comes to communicating on the court.

The Slingerblogger: Could you describe your game? What are some of the contributions you look to make for this team?  

VC: Same thing for the last question. Ive always been a “defense-first” kinda player, like they say “defense wins championships”. My offense will pick up. Its been awhile since I’ve really been given an opportunity to be able to play more openly.

The Slingerblogger: Well, some say you were having an off-night in the previous two games. But how would you rate your individual performance so far? Was it up to expectations? What are some the things from the previous 2 games that would be change as the season proceeds?  

VC: Well first of all i can agree with those guys. If i was watching in the stands with them, I would also be saying that #33 has been really off. But like I said, it will come back to me. Its been a real up and down experience with me in the Philippines and haven’t really been playing in too many games for almost 2 years now because of injuries and lack of exposure. But one thing i can promise is that u won’t catch me taking it easy on the defensive side of my game. Yes, I may have the occasional slip up but I strive to make those errors back up. I’ve always been considered a shooter growing up and for me its just finding that touch back. I’ve been putting up many shots lately to get that back. From the last 2 games after watching some of the film and thinking about the game, I’ve realized that I’ve forced some shots as well. Im working on that in practice while scrimmaging. All I gotta do is slow my game down a little bit and let the offense come to me and not go to it. I’m more effective on the offensive side when running through our plays and motions. So, in a nutshell, my shot selection will be better.

The Slingerblogger:Great! I really hope to see you bounce back! And I know you will. Well, are there any nicknames you’ve gotten as a basketball player?

VC: Lol…I’ve not really been given any nicknames except for my first game in the PBA when I was with San Miguel. The called me the “the kid Canta” im guessing cuz I was 23 yrs old back then and one of the youngest in the league.

The Slingerblogger: Is there any basketball player you draw inspiration from?

VC: I’d have to say Ray Allen. There’s many times where I’ve considered myself to be in a slump at times, just like when he had many times, where he had been on slumps with the Celtics. When they asked him what was wrong, he simply said nothing was wrong. He just explained that there will be times where shots just won’t fall. He still keeps the same routines and still does the same shooting drills he’s been doing for years. As long as he keeps doing that then the shots will eventually fall. And thats coming from a guy whom I think is the greatest shooter of all time. He is only human. He can get on shooting slumps too. Much respect for him. He is very humble about everything he does and works very hard. Thats how i want to be seen as, as well.

The Slingerblogger: Okay. Which local player has impressed you so far?  

VC: I’d have to say after last game, Desmond. That guy has a lot of energy on the court. He really showed that he could play on both sides of the court offensively and especially on the defensive side. He can be a real pest to opponents when he gets in that passing lane.

The Slingerblogger: One last question. Which team do you look forward to play against in the ABL?  

VC: Well since im coming from the philippines and im a former, i’d have to say im looking forward to the San Miguel game. The game against the patriots is much anticipated for me as well.

The Slingerblogger: Thanks so much, VC. Best of luck for the next game! And I hope you guys return with a W!!!

Beermen no more

This is certainly not new, and neither is it surprising. Last season, the Philippines Patriots alone had 3 import changes. First, they did away Donald Little for Steven Thomas. Then, they replaced Anthony Johnson with Rashiem Wright. Then, they replaced Rashiem Wright with Gabe Freemen. And all of it took place within 15 games. They were not the only team. KL Dragons and Satria Muda did the same. For the Dragons, Jason Connor was replaced with Alex Hartman. Then, Alex Hartman was replaced with Justin Leigh. And Jason Killeen was replaced with Nakiea Miller….it goes on and on and on.

This makes me wonder if this is a flaw in the league that should be corrected: Teams replacing  their imports like nobody’s business.

I have been getting a ton of b***s*** from Slingers haters saying that the Slingers are over-reliant on their imports and other teams are reliant on their local players.

Is that so?

Well, then, stick with the imports signed at the beginning of the season if the locals are the players you rely on? Stop complaining about the Slingers having no local pride. Because if your team is dishing away imports, you should jolly well keep quiet about yours.

Here’s local and team pride for the rest of the league: The Slingers are the only team thus far that stick to their original imports throughout the season for the two whole seasons.

This season, we played 2 games with an under-performing Donald Little and Vaughn Canta. Yet we won one, with our locals. Yes, I do feel upset that our imports are “underperforming” (if they can actually play better). Yes I’m upset because imports are paid higher than the locals, so I do expect a little more contribution from them. Little, for instance, has only 10 points and 7 rebounds in not 1, but 2 games. And Canta averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds. Yet, they are still with the team today despite their poor showing.

Time to get rid of them ? Nope.

What I do hope for our under-performing imports is for them step up their game, but not for them to be thrown away like some discardable/ dispensible object!  There’s always another chance for them to better their performances the next game!

Our GM Michael Johnson says it well:

We do feel, however, that players are not commodities to be cut and traded at will. They are people trying their best and if they do train hard and play hard we will always try and stick with them.

Nice one, MJ! That’s our team’s professionalism and ethic for the rest of the league.

Here’s why Slingers didn’t win the championship last season. It’s not that we couldn’t. In the 1st season and the next, our team wasn’t far off from the champions, but it was the import upgrades that killed us and made us the underdogs (not that I’m whining about this). It feels greater being the underdog, because we are the underdogs with pride. We know we are playing with the same imports whom some other teams have bettered. Well, it doesn’t matter, because pulling that upset win at the end feels so much sweeter than an import upgrade mid-way through the season.

One reason why I respect last season’s Chang Thailand Slammer team so much is because their original team carried them all the way to the championship. Even through the games Chris Kuete was injured, the import that replaced him didn’t permanently take his place. After he recovered, Kuete got back into the line-up. That is commendable.

But, throwing away your import that helped win the “To Be Number One” Championship just after (close) one  game? It shows where the team’s goal lie. It shows where the blame goes as well.

Yes, San Miguel is hungry for the championship. So are the Slingers. But, to me, the means to the end matters.

That being said, I don’t think that my little article here will change the situation. We’ll see many more import changes coming.

Doug Thomas is the new big man for the Beermen. But will he still continue to be as the season unfold?

We’ll see…..

"Wonderkid" Delvin Goh and the local star of the night - Desmond "D-Glove" Oh!!!!

The Slingers were off to a slow start like in the 1st game. For the first 5 minutes, the Slingers looked lost on offense and gave nothing for the fans to cheer. The stadium was quiet as a museum. It seems as though history was going to repeat itself, as they opened the game with a 0-7 deficit. Even when Vaughn Canta was sent to the charity strike, he missed 2 free-throws! Nothing was clicking. It was Desmond Oh,the name that we would hear for the rest of the night, who broke the silence by scoring the team’s 1st three-points with 5 minutes and 20 seconds to go.

For the entire first quarter, the Slingers imports, except for Louis Graham, struggled with their shooting. Donald Little couldn’t find a shot past Slammers’ big man, DeAndre Thomas, who looked like an ABL version of Glen Davis. Little couldn’t stop Thomas from scoring either. However, the Slingers as a team were consistent on defense as they held the visitors to 11 points. Graham also provided some scoring spark with 11 first quarter points, including a breakaway jam off the fast break to take the lead 8-7.

The second quarter was no better as the Slingers brought in Pathman and Lim Sheng Yu, and rested Desmond Oh and Vaughn Canta. The Slingers went scoreless for stretches, as they saw their defense slip and the Slammers scoring easy baskets throughout the quarter. It didn’t take long before the Slingers lost their 5 point lead. It was a disaster of a quarter. Little missed a dunk and remained scoreless for the half. The Slingers also couldn’t connect from long distance. By halftime, Slammers led 36-25.

Mid-way through the 2nd quarter, we spotted Kyle Jeffers in a Slingers organisation polo-T at the courtside. He was mingling with some of the fans. But at that point, we certainly hoped that he was in the game. The fans were surely frustrated by the non-performances by Little, Dulay and Canta. While Canta had 5 points, it was noticeable that he clearly struggled to score. In fact, while he was in the game, the Slingers offense remained stagnant. Dulay had only 3 points, and struggled to score as well.

The third quarter started off slowly as well. It took 6 minutes for Little for score his first 2 points on a jumpshot over DeAndre Thomas. But that certainly sparked off a Slingers run. Dulay hit a jumpshot, while Graham converted 2 free-throws. Then, Wong Wei Long hit a three off a secondary break to tie the game at 44. The Slingers didn’t stop there. Louis Graham started to heat up as he nailed a few jumpers off his sweat spot. The Slingers started to make defensive stops and converted them into fast-break points which gave them a 52-47 lead at the end of the third.

The Slingers’ run continued through the fourth quarter as Donald Little’s exploded with a soon-becoming-signature hammer that gave the Slingers’ a 57-47 lead. That was some nasty dunk! And it sure got the crowd on their feet! With that, a renewed energy was injected into the team which would very much carry on through the rest of the quarter.

There was no stopping the Slingers. Desmond “D-Glove” Oh proved that he could play more than solid defense as he drained 2 back-to-back three-pointers, with the 2nd late before the shot clock expired, that prevented a Slammers’ fourth potential come-back with 4.11 to go.

But the Slammers crawled back within 4 points as Kenneth Walker responded with 2 big jams of his own from 2 key offensive rebounds off missed free-throws. The score was 67-63 with slightly less than 2 minutes to go.

Then, it was Desmond Oh again, who responded with the dagger. He drove into the lane ala Jose Juan Barea and launched a high-arching floater past the Slammers’ big men that kissed off the glass. 69-63! That pretty much sealed the deal. The Slammers never got closer till the final buzzer sounded.

With 24 seconds left to go, Wong Wei Long drilled a trey from the corner to cap the score 74-63 and record his 8th point for the game. He was another local stand-out today! And the Slingers would come away with the W!

The game's local hero

After the game, we spoke to the local standout, Desmond “D-Glove” Oh how the team managed to come back in the 2nd half. He responded “We did not communicate in the 1st half, especially the 2nd Q, and we suffered. Coach told us to communicate more”.

Although we came away with the win, the lack of scoring contribution from the imports seemed to be one of the problems. Little, at many instances, seemed to be a cause of concern, with him recording only 10 points in the game. However, Slingers’ point guard Don Dulay assured us that (they) “weren’t worried when Little did not score. Lou G was the man we look for points”.

Slammers game-high man was DeAndre Thomas who scored 27 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Although he possessed a bulky frame, that didn’t hinder his ability to shoot fadeaways from the free-throw line as well as pound the ball inside. The other Slammers’ import Kenneth Walker had 15 points and 16 rebounds.

In another ex-player spotting, sharp-shooting forward Piyapong Piroon was also spotted on the Slammers’ bench and dressed in coaching attire.

Slingers’ ASEAN heritage import Vaughn Canta had a slightly better game with 5 points and 4 rebounds, but it wasn’t yet impressive enough to match the likes of Al Vergara and Leo Avenido in previous seasons. In fact, the Slingers offensive stretches came during the times Canta was on the bench. And the Slingers’ offense went pretty much stagnant with Canta in the game. Clearly, he hasn’t yet familiarised himself with the Slingers strategy, so I suggest the Slingers bench him for a few more games till he breaks out from being an offensive liability for the team.

- Photos from facebook and Sharon Chia -

Who are the Slingers now? They are a team virtually unknown to the local population here. On Sunday, a small handful of locals turned up clueless of who to watch and what to expect. Here’s what we think: Unless the fans get to know the team, there’s no way the Slingers are going to get their home crowd going. The fan-base will decline and the organisation will suffer.

And here’s what we are trying desperately to prevent here, out of goodwill (though largely unappreciated thus far). We continue our very own Singaporeslingersblog player-by-player season preview, just so you will know who to watch and what to expect for those who are planning to catch the Slingers in action this Wednesday as they play the defending champions, Chang Thailand Slammers.

In this 2nd part, we review the forwards on the team:

1) Louis Graham

Lou G

Nickname: Lou G
Jersey no: 27
Height: 6’7′/ 200 cm
Weight: 199lbs/ 90.4 kg
Skill sets: Inside and outside scoring, Defensive Rebounding and Lockdown defense
Plays like: Kevin Durant
ABL Experience: none
Hometown: USA

Louis Graham was one of the bright sparks in the opening game. He went for an stellar 23-23 night. If there’s anything to be said, Lou can really play. In fact, the ex-NBDL (National Basketball Developmental League) player would be counted on to carry the bulk of the scoring load with his middle-range games and deceptive drives all through the season. Lou is really effective in an isolation situation and can really shoot a jumper in the face of a defender. We saw him launching his “Kobe Bryant-looking” fadeaway jumpers a couple of time. It’s really fun to watch, and we trust it would be a staple for this season. He is also looking good when driving to the hole. He does so not with a great deal of explosiveness, but with great footwork and body control that enables him to lay the ball over his defender easily into the basket. Judging from Lou’s game, we daresay, he is one of the best, if not, the best import that the Slingers organisation has had – ever.

His downside, however, judging from Sunday’s game is his excessive overshooting from three-point range. It wasn’t a pleasant sight to see him go down 0-for-9 for the night. A rather different Lou, as opposed to the preseason games showed up last night. If he would stick to his mid-range game and take high-percentage shots, the Slingers would see a much needed boost to their offensive production.

Player Grade: A+

2) Christopher Vaughn Canta

"VC"

Nickname: The Kid
Jersey no: 33
Height: 6’3′/ 190 cm
Weight: 185lbs/ 84.2 kg
Skill sets: Running the floor, Athleticism and Defense
Plays like: Shane Battier
ABL Experience: none
Hometown: Philippines

The most recent signing was a eyesore to watch on Sunday night. Just as Louis Graham might possibly be the best import we’ve ever gotten, Canta, from his performance last night, might easily pull off as the worst. In 25 minutes of play, Canta went 0-for-7 from the field, 0-for-5 from 3-point range, and managed only 1 point and 2 rebounds. Those were almost the numbers Steven Khoo acquired in 3 minutes of play. True enough, Canta was outshined by the locals, and disappointed us all big-time!

Who is Vaughn Canta? Not much is known about him except that he is a Filipino-American player who came out undrafted in 2010 PBA Draft. He went on to play for the San Miguel Beermen. Here’s what GM Michael Johnson has regarding his skill, in a recent facebook interview, “Vaughn is a very athletic and explosive player, his strength is definitely on the defensive side of the ball but he is explosive and runs the floor well so you can expect some exciting plays involving Vaughn this season”.

This, however, wasn’t what we saw on Sunday night. Canta came onto the court not ready to play at all. Of course, he has just arrived in the city, making adjustments and is still finding his basketball “rhythm” here in Sunny Singapore. I don’t want to be too quick to judge. As posted on his facebook, he’s getting up early in the mornings to shoot 300+ shots. That’s promising. We will wait and see. But till then (based on Sunday’s performance)……

Player Grade: D

3) Lim Sheng Yu

Sheng Yu for the layup

Nickname: Sheng
Jersey no: 12
Height: 6’3′/ 190 cm
Weight: 185lbs/ 84.2 kg
Skill sets: Quick release mid-range jumpshots, running the floor and defensive quickness
Plays like: Evan Turner
ABL Experience: 1 year
Hometown: Singapore

Lim Sheng Yu, the former Hwa Chong Institution stand-out, is the sophomore to watch this season. Coming off a 14-point average in the SEA games, Sheng has buffed up his body, extended his range and polished his offensive moves for this season. Although he is not going to be a star, Sheng is full of potential to fill the role of a efficient run-and-gun player that can collect points-off-turnovers. He will look to come off the bench as a substitute for Canta. His drives to the basket in the SEA games will be significantly reduced, however, due to the presence of import big men in the paint.

In the first game, Sheng was a non-factor in the game. For the Slingers to win, Sheng has got to be more active and put some points on the scoreboard.

Player Grade: B-

4) Steven Khoo

The "Yakuza" signing autographs

Nickname: Yakuza
Jersey no: 13
Height: 6’3′/ 190 cm
Weight: 201lbs/ 91.3 kg
Skill sets: Offensive and Defensive Rebounding, Hustle, Intangibles, Oncourt leadership
Plays like: Ron Artest
ABL Experience: 3 years
Hometown: Singapore

Steven “Yakuza” Khoo was the most improved local player last season, and he is back for another wild ride. And he is now stronger and more explosive than before! He put on 6 kg of muscle mass during the offseason and has recently reverted back to his old power forward position. The “Yakuza” is certainly a guy who can contribute to the team in whatever ways he can. He plays his heart out and often is the voice of the locals.

The problem this season is, will he get significant minutes with Canta, Sheng Yu, Graham and even Desmond all vying for the Small Forward spot? As a Power Forward, Steven is also severely undersized and will see his productivity dwindling should he continue to play that position. We know he can certainly rebound past opponents beyond his height, but still, his talents wouldn’t be maximised at the Power Forward Position. Consistency has also been an issue, as Steven continues to struggle in finding his shooting touch and regain his scoring ability from last season. For the Slingers to win, Yakuza ought to be ultilised more than just to sign autographs for the team.

Player grade: B

5) Delvin Goh

Nickname: The “Wonderkid”
Jersey no: 23
Height: 6’7′/ 200 cm
Weight: 203lbs/ 92 kg
Skill sets: Quick Feet, Speed, Length, Shot blocking
Plays like: Pau Gasol
ABL Experience: none
Hometown: Singapore

At a tender age of 16, the Unity Secondary School “Wonderkid” Delvin Goh is a very raw player, but full of untapped potential. With his quick feet and good hands, he possesses the physical attributes to be a good player in the years to come. Depending on the rate of his development, we expect him only to get some minutes in garbage time. Of Delvin Goh, GM Michael Johnson said “It is important to remember that Delvin is only 16 years old and even though he is mature for his age, and of course very big for 16, we need to bring him in along slowly. He has already shown he can mix it with the big boys in training and a few pre season games but, we will look to bring him along slowly and try not to put to much pressure on him at such a young age.”

Delvin is able to run the floor well and play at a level of confidence beyond his age, with the amount of international exposure he is given. However, these alone are not sufficient to carry him far enough this season to make a impact for the team. We say this to our own discretion. Thus far, he is not strong enough to score past or guard any big men his season, although he might still be able to contribute with his unique ability to block shots. Given his potential, if he should develop a decent outside game, it would carry him far in the league in future seasons.

Player Grade: C

2012 Slingers player-by-player Season Preview Part 1: Centres

On an afternoon where the ABL saw the youngest ever player feature for any team in its 3-years history, the Singapore Slingers suffered their first defeat in an opening game in the ABL. The Indonesia Warriors were never in danger of losing the game and enjoyed a healthy double digit lead throughout the game.

The Singapore Slingers started this match as slight favourites, boasting a complete overhaul of their 4 imports. Donald Little, Louis Graham, Vaughn Canta and Don Dulay were touted as the players to look out for, but their overall performance would had fans wondering if they were watching a pre-season friendly. The Indonesia Warriors meanwhile, feature Mario Wuysang, Rony Gunawan and new imports, Jonathan Smith and ex-Patriots, Steven Thomas.

Despite winning the tip-off, the Slingers were wasteful in their attempts and very soon, found themselves 13-3 down to the Warriors. The Slingers were restricted to 3-point shots and Th0mas bossed the paint area with authority. Moreover, the Slingers could not seem to gather any momentum from the game and after enjoying a brief spell, would return the “20 points” buffer to the Warriors. As though indicating a lost cause, Coach Neo played with an ‘all-local’ roster in the final minutes, introducing Delvin Goh into the fray, and at the same time, breaking an ABL record of fielding the youngest ever player in the League’s 3 year history.

Slingers went on to lose the game 79-59. Louis Graham and Mario Wuysang top-scored the game with 23 points each, with Donald Little (14 points) and Pathman (7 points) following way behind.

Post game, we spoke to Donald Little on his performance and he evaded the question by replying: I think the Indonesians had a great game. Whatever they threw, it counts. Whatever we threw, it rebounded out. When reminded about the slam dunk missed, Little told us that was ‘what I (he) meant’. When asked about the difference playing for Patriots and Slingers, the Centre gave a politically correct answer by saying that “I am here to play basketball, does not matter which team I play for”.

Don Dulay, in his first game for Slingers, admitted that the Slingers played poorly in the 1st half but showed more aggression in the 2nd half. When asked if the Sta Cruz incident (see below) was the catalyst behind the Indonesian’s strong showing, Dulay replied: I personally know him (Sta Cruz) and he would not make a difference whether he played a not. I guess, the defence was gone in the 1st half that caused us the loss. Dulay also revealed Coach Neo had asked the players to ‘attack’ as they were down by 20 points and had nothing to lose.

We certainly that the Slingers would pick up after this devastating loss and come back strongly against the Thailand Slammers on Wednesday. Anything more than a loss, could see the Slingers consider the position of some players, particularly the imports, who had were overshadowed by some local players this afternoon.

Despite the best efforts of the local cagers, the Slingers fell 79-59 to the Indonesia Warriors on the opening day of ABL.

The “Sta Cruz Incident

With over 3 minutes to play in the 1st half, Indonesia Warriors did a substitute with Sta Cruz entering the fray in a No.12 jersey. However, the team sheet had indicated very clearly that Sta Cruz was wearing No.13 jersey and was denied entrance by the 3 Umpires. A brief fracas between Umpire and the Warriors’ bench ensued. Sta Cruz was then not allowed to play unless he wears a No.13 jersey.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: Thank you for joining us today and taking some time off from your busy schedule. How is the team preparing for the upcoming season, specially the Opening Day Game VS the Indonesia Warriors?

Michael Johnson: My pleasure. The team has been in training now for the past 6 weeks and we are fairly happy with our progress. We have played 4 Pre Season matches in Thailand & Singapore, and we feel we will be very competitive.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: For those of our Singapore Slingers followers that don’t know you that well, can you please tell us how you became the General Manager of the Singapore Slingers?

Michael Johnson: I was recruited by the Australia franchise that transfered the licence from Newcastle in Australia to Singapore in 2006. I was hired as the Operations Manager to help set up the program here in Singapore. I originally only planned to be in Singapore for 2 months but have ended up staying for 6 years.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: In your tenure with the Singapore Slingers in the past 6 years, what is the most memorable to you?

Michael Johnson: Probably the first game the Slingers played in the ABL. The ABL allowed our local Singaporean players to play week to week in an international stage and I believe it has lifted the standards and presence of Basketball in Singapore.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: The Singapore Slingers have now played in the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League in the past 2 years. How do you think the team will fare in this season compared to the 2 previous ones?

Michael Johnson: Season 3 will be the toughest yet with the addition of 3 new teams and with the 5 teams from the the first 2 seasons continuing to get better. I think we have put together a strong roster and our expectations are to make the Playoffs and challenge for the Title.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: From your point of view, which local Singaporean player should we watch out to have a breakout year this season?

Michael Johnson: Desmond Oh has been one of the standouts to date in Pre Season. Pathman has also trained fairly well to date. The key for us is to get the local players to perform during ABL games and to also become more consistent. Wei Long is also coming along well.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: The signing of Unity Sec Student Delvin Goh seems to have created a buzz around the league. What should we expect from Delvin?

Michael Johnson: Yes, the signing of Delvin has created a lot of interest. It is important to remember that Delvin is only 16 years old and even though he is mature for his age, and of course very big for 16, we need to bring him in along slowly. He has already shown he can mix it with the big boys in training and a few pre season games but, we will look to bring him along slowly and try not to put to much pressure on him at such a young age.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: In Season 1 and Season 2 of the ABL, you didn’t tinker much with your imports. In Season 3, you’re bringing in 4 new imports. Can you please tell us why?

Michael Johnson: Our two Filipino imports tried their luck back in Manila and will play with the Philippine Patriots & San Miguel. With our American Imports, we decided we need more of a defensive presence on the inside and more size to compete for a championship.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: We have a question off Facebook from a loyal Singapore Slingers fan, Gordon Loh. He asked: What’s the scouting process for both local and import players before the start of a new season?

Michael Johnson: Most of our local players have come through the local Basketball Association and we work with them to source our local players. The US & Filipino imports are sourced through overseas agents and contacts we have. We look at film on potential imports and once we have a short list we interview the players by phone and email to make sure they have the qualities not only as a player but also as a person we are looking for.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: How are the new imports settling in with the team? What are their different qualities that they look to bring in to the team?

Michael Johnson: They have settled in well. Singapore is a great place to live and play, and our imports usually love Singapore from Day 1. Our imports this season bring different strengths to the team. Donald Little is a defensive presence inside the paint while Louis Graham is also dangerous on defense due to his huge arm span and his speed. We expect both players to be standout performers in the ABL this season.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: From Gabriel Chia off Facebook, what is the team’s latest signing Vaughn Canta going to contribute to the team?

Michael Johnson: Vaughn is a very athletic and explosive player, his strength is definitely on the defensive side of the ball but he is explosive and runs the floor well so you can expect some exciting plays involving Vaughn this season.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: Facebook Follower Go Gmr asks: What is the best part about being a basketball GM?

Michael Johnson: I have been involved in Basketball since the age of 17 as a player, so the game is in my blood. The fact that I get to stay around the game I love and work with the players is something I have a passion for.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: @Zigzaggy on Twitter asks: What is a typical day at the office like for the Slingers General Manager?

Michael Johnson: Not sure all GMs do the same thing as I also help Coach. 8.30am start at the office working on company business;, 10am – 11.15am individuals with the players if I am free. Back into the office working until 6pm. Then we have team training from 7pm – 10pm. Then back in the office to mop up anything else for the day.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: Another question from Facebook from Joel Kong: The Singapore Slingers have a history of sticking with their imports for the whole season, unlike some ABL teams who would change their imports mid-way through the season. The changes, in most instances, reaps benefits for the team as the changed player would often be the ‘missing’ jigsaw. This season, if any of the 4 imports do…es not perform, or are deemed to have underperformed, would the Slingers change their team policy and replace the underperforming import?

Michael Johnson: We have no team policy on replacing or not replacing imports. We do feel, however, that players are not commodities to be cut and traded at will. They are people trying their best and if they do train hard and play hard we will always try and stick with them. If the need does arise and we think we have a better option to improve the season, we would look to make the change if needed. However, history would show that making a change may have short term success but may hurt down the road.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: We’ve talked about most of your imports, how do you find Don Dulay and what do you expect from him? How is he different from Al Vergara?

Michael Johnson: Don has been great so far. He is a very aggressive defender and a smart player. He also fits in well with the players off the court and has been a pleasure to coach.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: Kris Santiago sent a question via email: When will be jerseys, shirts and other fan apparel be available in stores around Singapore? Any plans for that? Looked for it recently but could not find any. Similar question from @TygerTerror on Twitter: How are we going to get Slingers Replica Jerseys and are the Slingers selling it so we can buy and help to boost up the franchise?

Michael Johnson: We have tried to establish a relationship with local stores to carry some of our merchandise but that hasn’t worked. We are working with NTUC this season to try and put some of our team gear at their Nebo clubs. Merchandise is also available at the Slingers home games (at the Singapore Indoor Stadium) and from our office. We are also working to establish an online store down the road.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: It seems that most of the imports you have this year are defensive-minded players, was that what you were looking to improve on from last season’s performance?

Michael Johnson: Yes, defense has been a major focus for us this past off season. We have been able to score points over the last few seasons, but we have also struggled at times, especially against bigger teams. Our goal this year is to stop teams with our efforts defensively.

SingaporeSlingers.Com: Who are the teams that you are excited to play against this season and why?

Michael Johnson: The AirAsia Philippine Patriots have been great rivals of ours since Day 1. They are a quality organization and alway put strong teams on the floor. We played a Triple Overtime Thriller against them last year that I believe is one of the greatest ABL games to date.

The following is a list of HOME fixtures for the Singapore Slingers for Season 2012 in the ABL Regular Season.

Come on You Slingers!

Then, the team was carried on the shoulders of Kyle Jeffers, Marcus Skinner, Leo Avenido and Al Vergara. But since, a lot has changed. The Slingers has dropped all 4 all last season imports, including point guard Al Vergara who was a long-time player for the Slingers. Al is now playing with the Patriots while Kyle Jeffers moved to the front office and wouldn’t be getting playing time this season.

The Slingers brought in 3 new imports, which entirely changed the face of the team. Former Philippines Patriots Donald Little, aka “The Little Big Man” is now the man in the middle for the Slingers. Marcus Skinners is replaced with former NBDL player Louis Graham, a skillful and quick forward who has stints playing in Portugal, Israel and Austria. And finally, Don Dulay, the Filipino-American point guard who formerly plays for Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA.

4 for 3, upgrade huh? Yet, it’s an upgrade.

After watching following the Slingers through the “To be Number 1″ Pre-season Tournament in Thailand and catching a glimpse of them playing the Dragons in a Pre-season opener, we did an comparison with last year’s squad and we must say the team this year has much to offer. Not only do we have import upgrades, but the local players have improved tremendously as well. Spotting up for numerous tournaments such as the Broome Beach Invitational, the China-Asean Invitational and of course the SEA Games during the off-season, the locals have played more games than in all their previous off-seasons combined. They have been stretched, made to compete and now possess valuable experience of playing with the rest of the players in Southeast Asia. They have been conditioned and primed – all ready to kick off the season campaign like never before!

With the excitement of the new season around the corner, and a whole new Slingers team, we bring you a three-part season preview of every single player on the team this season. We’ll do the analysis, feel the floor and give them player grades so you know what to expect this 2012 for the Slingers.

Let’s first take a look at our big men.

1) Donald Little

The Little Big Man with Nakiea Miller

Nickname: The Little Big Man
Jersey no: 14
Height: 6’11′/ 211 cm
Weight: 233lbs/ 106 kg
Skill sets: Defense, Rebounding and Shot Blocking
Plays like: Tyson Chandler/ Dwight Howard on defense
ABL Experience: 2 years
Hometown: USA

The “Little Big Man” was dropped by the Patriots midway through the season for Steven Thomas last year. But before that happened, he was among the league-leaders in block-shots with 2.3 per game and rebounds with 11.6 per game. Although he wasn’t a factor on the offensive end, his low-post presence created massive problems for the opposing team and he was one of the reasons why the Patriots was the best defensive team last year.

In that aspect, Donald Little is ready to make a key contribution to the Slingers this season. He is not only stronger and more athletic than Kyle Jeffers, but he is also more aggressive and explosive on both ends. Be ready to watch him throw down a few monster dunks this season!

Little. however, is no big-game insider scorer like Jason Dixon or Nakiea Miller. He has some pretty decent post-moves, but it’s hard to conceive him going for 20 points per night (as he was averaging only 12.3 with the Patriots last season. He will be filling up the stats sheet in terms of points, but will certainly not be our ”go-to-guy”.

Besides, Little has also the tendency to get into foul trouble. During the stint that he has with the Patriots, Little averaged 3.2 fouls per game. With his explosiveness and tenacity on defense, as we have seen in the pre-season game, Little picks up quick fouls. It is a good thing that he plays aggressively, but he’s got to play smart too, because the Slingers would need him on the floor in order to win games!

Player Grade: A-

2) Pathman Matialakan

Pathman during the SEA games

Nickname: The (Singapore) 17-foot assassin
Jersey no: 15
Height: 6’8′/ 202 cm
Weight: 233lbs/ 106 kg
Skill sets: Mid-range jumpshots and Post-Presence
Plays like: David West
ABL Experience: 3 years
Hometown: Singapore

Pathman, the island’s most veteran player, is in great shape to start the season. Not only is he slimmer, leaner and more conditioned this season, but he is running the floor with a greater foot speed. We also saw him adding a brilliant quick release to his signature 17-foot jumpshots, which has established him as a respectable scoring threat. With his leaner body, he is likely to pull down more rebounds than before. And so, we predict his rebound numbers would definitely be up.

Although he is probably not going to start the game, Pathman is going to come off the Slingers bench as a sixth man and carry some of the team’s scoring load. Fans can look to see him maintaining his high field goal percentage as he would hit plenty of those signature jumpers off the catch-and-shoot. If Pathman were going to play at the high level as he did through the “To be Number 1″ Challenge and the Preseason game, the Slingers would have a reliable threat in their veteran big man that would pose plenty of problems for opposing teams.

Having said that, however, Pathman is still a defensive liability when it comes to defending opposing team’s import big men. It was clear from the pre-season game against the Dragons that Pathman came no where near to slowly down Brian Williams. If Slingers is going to become a defensive team in his league, Pathman has got improve his man-to-man defense and get some stops instead of allowing whoever to bulldozer through him without much resistance.

Player Grade: A-

Kyle Jeffers was spotted, but as the Slingers adminstration clarified, he would be working in the front office. It’s great to see KJ back in Singapore, and especially his devotion to the team! I really hope to see him back as a player - and like what I originally thought was true – a local player. Singapore welcomes you!

For a moment, everyone thought the game would be cancelled as the Dragons were nowhere in sight, even at 7.10 pm. Then, a Malaysian bus arrived and the visiting team turned up to cap off what was the start of an electrifying night for the fans.

The Dragons had 2 monstrous American imports in Brian Williams and Tiras Wade. Williams was a lumbering fellow with a loud mouth that kept the crowd entertained with his whining antics throughout the night. Wade or T-wade, they call him, looked like a heck of a bad boy with his dreadlocks and attitude. The Dragons also came with a couple of new faces like the 2.02 m Kwek, and veteran player Seelan, whom I called smoking just outside the complex before the game.

The Dragons’ demeanour were almost the complete opposite from the Slingers’, who were mostly quiet, calmed and reserved- apart from towering Donald Little, who looked pretty hyped up before the game.

The Slingers’ starting line-up was a surprise. They went really small, starting 3 guards – Don Dulay, Desmond Oh and Wong Wei Long together with imports – Donald Little and Louis Graham. It looked like David and Goliath, as the Dragons brought in their tall players with 1.98 Nic Belasco at the Small Forward and the 1.92m Loh Shee Fai at the shooting guard position.

But to my surprise, the Slingers ran their offensive and defensive sets really well to start off the game. They were chasing down every lose ball and pushing the floor, not to mention, playing excellent defense. One memorable play in the first quarter was Wong Wei Long racing down the court and beating Guganeswaran for the fastbreak and the easy layup. With 3 guards in the game, the Slingers looked like a 2010 Dallas Mavericks team with JJ Barea, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry all on the floor at the same time.

Donald Little and Louis Graham were freaky players. Little was a beast on the block and Graham, a crazy scoring machine from any where inside the 3 point line. Little also had a couple of block shots on the Dragons’ big man, Brian Williams and Graham pretty much shut down T-wade in the first quarter. True enough the Slingers built a big lead and ended the quarter 28-16.

The run continued in the 2nd quarter. Pathman Matialakan checked into the game! The veteran big man was signed by the team after all! And he was slimmer and faster and in great shape! He immediately made his presence felt by grabbing a few rebounds and hitting a pullup jumper. But what we Slinger fans have missed for a LONG time is Pathman’s mid-range jumpshot! And he seems to have refined it a great deal in the offseason. Not only has he extended his range, but he’s shooting the ball now with a better stroke and quick release, which is great, because it only means that THE “17-FOOT ASSASSIN” is BACK!!!!

The Slingers in action!

Well, the Slingers lost their big lead in the third quarter, but that wasn’t a concern, because the Slingers played 5 locals against the Dragons 4 imports. Our Wonderkid, Delvin Goh, checked into the game! There was simply no way he was going to defend Brian Williams at centre, but he tried his best. With Brian Williams dominating Delvin, the Slingers allowed their lead to slip away. What was really disappointing was the non-contributions from Steven “Yakuza” Khoo and sophomore prospect Lim Sheng Yu. Those 2 guys were supposed to contribute more, but they had relative quiet nights. The Yakuza even had an embarrassing mid-range air-ball in the third quarter. And I was like, come on man! You kidding me? Pathman at centre is shooting the ball wayyyyyy better!

The Slingers dug a big hole for themselves. At some point, they were down by 12, but what was really encouraging was the effort by the locals and Louis Graham. Donald Little had to sit out really early because of foul trouble (which I really hope wouldn’t be a problem during the season). Pathman and Graham held the helm, but were still not capable of guarding Williams.

Graham had a sweet breakaway dunk in the face of T-wade which brought the crowd to cheers. On another possession, Graham drew a foul on Patrick Cabahug and got into a scruffle with…not Cabahug…but T-wade. It really got heated up as the refs had to pull the players apart, with T-wade choking Graham on one instance. I think that play alone drew a technical and flagrant foul.

The Slingers crawled back into the game. They were down 74 to 71 with less than 2 minutes left in the game and we literally saw Pathman soar in for a put-back to make it 74-73. Then, the Dragons converted and Slingers made a costly turnover. With this, the Slingers had to commit an international foul. With 17 seconds left, they put Chris Pacana at the line. The Dragons’ Filipino guard was given an opportunity to close the game, but he missed 2 freethrows!

That was when the Slingers captured their next opportunity. Wong Wei Long dribbled the ball up court and nailed a big-game trey to tie the game at 76-76. The crowd went absolutely crazy at that play! First, it tied the game! Second, it came from a local, which was nearly unexpected.

Game tied at 76 with 9 secs to go!

With the 9 seconds left, the game was down to the wire. T-wade took possession and isolated Ng Han Bin at the top of the key. Then, with a couple of crossovers, he broke through and dropped a floater at the elbow that went right in when the buzzer sounded.

Although the Slingers lost the game, there are couple of promising signs that this season is certainly going to be better than the last. We saw better imports and increased local contribution. The overall execution of the team has also improved.

I’m not too sure about the stats, but Louis Graham certainly has more than 20 points while Pathman had 12 and Wei Long had 11, along with 3 threes. Donald Little had less than 10 points, but was a monster on defense. Shall I call him our Dwight Howard on the defensive end?

In the next article, we’ll do a player-by-player analysis of the Slingers so you would know who and what to look out for this upcoming season.

Stay tune!

But what to me is even more crazy news is hinted on the photo of Delvin published by the Straits Times sports section.

Let’s take a good hard look at it:

Delvin Goh....and who have we got in the background?

Well, there are a couple of leaks we gathered from this photo alone. First, we see Delvin in the front ground and guarded by a new local face. His name is Ow Yu Jie, whom we suspect would be filling one of the two remaining local spots. Considering Delvin is 2.03 metres tall, and judging from the photo, the likely rookie Yu Jie is at least 1.95-2.00 metres tall as well.

And then, we have, obviously, new Slinger import – Louis Graham – running the break/ getting back on defense in the foreground.

But what is really amusing is the background of the photo.

We have two shady figures, which don’t look like locals. The guy on the left is our new import centre, Donald Little. And the guy on the right seems strangely familiar, doesn’t he?

We know that Donald Little is 6’11 and the guy beside him isn’t exactly much shorter.

When I came to terms with what I saw, I went “KJ!”

KYLE JEFFERS……..He’s back!

Having watched the ABL for the past two years, I can recognise that silhouette almost instanteously.

Wait a minute? Didn’t the Slingers sign Donald Little and Louis Graham as their two international imports?

What then is KJ doing here in a Slinger practice uniform?

Intriguing.

Nothing is official, but here’s my guess.

In the last 2 years, Singapore has been absorbing loads of international expats. And could it be that Kyle Jeffers is one of them…meaning KJ is now a Singaporean? And he’s playing for the Slingers, no longer as an import, but as a local player?

Which means, we have Donald Little and Kyle Jeffers at the bigs and Louis Graham at the small forward, forming literally the best ever front court in the ABL?

That’s absolutely crazy news for Slinger fans. This would be the best news for the organisation…ever!

We can only wait and see.

-photo from the Straits Times (ST Photo: NURIA LING) -