| James Kon |
BRUNEI national basketball team are urged to represent the country with pride and to play with the aim to create a legacy for the basketball scene in Brunei.
This was the last motivational advice for the team by visiting NBA G-League assistant coach Damian Cotter.
“It is a great honour to represent your country, and to establish your legacy. Winning is good but in sports, there is no higher honour than to be able to represent your country,” he said.
Damian Cotter will leave the country today after spending three weeks of coaching clinic to help the team train in preparation for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualification in Nontahburi, Thailand. The tournament will be held on June 26-30.
The Australian coach highlighted that he is impressed with the national team’s progress in such a short time.
“I am really impressed with the team’s attitude and commitment towards succeeding Brunei’s basketball to be successful. In my opinion, there is success in competition and there is success in progression. I felt that the players and Brunei Basketball Association have done a tremendous job in establishing some positive traits which will work well for the future and beyond this tournament, which is more important.”
Addressing on the concern of ageing players in the team, he said, “I don’t get caught out on age factor. Are you in good shape, are you fit and are you committed is more important on than age. Brunei team has a young mindset and attitude.
“For the past three weeks, I was able to work with some young players who may feature in the national team beyond the tournament,” he said.
Cotter also stressed the importance of grassroots basketball development and the Brunei Basketball Association’s (BBA) role to help the course.
“I think there are good people (here) who are knowledgeable and committed to do what is right for Brunei basketball, to work together as a team for the progression of basketball.
“There are always work that can be done to develop grassroots. I think grassroots development is the lifeblood in everywhere including Brunei. Nourishing and constantly improving grassroots will only bring positive impacts to the sport.
“The association should be commended on this. They contacted FIBA Singapore and that’s why I came. I didn’t realise it has been three and a half weeks. It was a wonderful surprise. That is a reflection of leadership and good mindset,” the coach said.
Asked on his stay in Brunei, he said, “What basketball has given to me is that I travel around the world and meet many people. I am grateful of it. I have been very grateful to the host especially Lim Fung and Lim Boon Teck. This is a very wonderful place. I hope to stay in touch and help as much as I can.”
Meanwhile, Secretary General of BBA Lim Fung said, “We really appreciate Damian’s input and assistance in the past weeks. His contributions are not limited to the training of our national team but his input will help shape how we approach the future of basketball development in Brunei.”