Culture - Sports

Vietnamese basketball team aims for first medal at SEA Games

Vietnam’s national male basketball team and its core of naturalised overseas Vietnamese players are expected to bring home a medal at the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines.
Vietnamese basketball team aims for first medal at SEA Games ảnh 1Vietnam's national male basketball players (Photo thethao247.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s national male basketball team and its core ofnaturalised overseas Vietnamese players are expected to bring home a medal atthe upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines.

The naturalisedplayers alongside eight native Vietnamese players are Dinh Thanh Tam, Dinh ThanhSang, Tran Dang Khoa, Justin Young and Chris Dierker. All of them showed theirtalent in the Vietnam Basketball Association (VBA) League which concluded inSeptember.

Leading the male teamis American coach Kevin Yurkus of Saigon Heat. He was head coach and generalmanager of Cantho Catfish in the VBA. Yurkus is a two-time Coach of the Year inthe VBA.

He led theCatfish to back-to-back finals appearances and a 2018 VBA championship beforehe was tapped by the Bangkok Storm to serve as their head coach and generalmanager. 

According to Jurkus,because the hosts Philippines are very strong, Vietnam will fight for thesecond or third place with Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Jurkus said as manyplayers in the Vietnam team played together in the VBA they have good chemistryalready.

In the 30th SEA Games in thePhilippines, Vietnam will compete in four categories including men’s andwomen’s basketball team of 5x5 and 3x3.

Basketball will beplayed in Manila from December 1-10./.
VNA
#Vietnam’s national male basketball team #naturalised overseas Vietnamese players #Southeast Asian (SEA) Games #Vietnam Basketball Association (VBA) League #30th SEA Games #Vietnamplus #Vietnam News Agency
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