UrbanWire

First there was Wang Zhizhi of the Miami Heat, the 1st Chinese player ever to play in an NBA regular season game. Then there was Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6, Shanghai-born Houston Rockets centre who's made quite a splash since his entrance into the world's most celebrated basketball league. Will the next big export from this part of the world come in the form of Tay Guan Hua or Yang Guan Ju?

Though yet to be household names, these young basketball players were among the 4 winners of the adidas/Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) Star Player Hunt 2004. The competition was organised by adidas to scout for talented players from all over the country to represent adidas Singapore at the adidas Asian Streetball Finals 2004 in Seoul, South Korea, come August.

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Star Gazing
Held on 13 March, the finals of the Star Player Hunt saw 30 aspiring basketball players - 15 in each of the Under-19 and Under-15 categories - gather at the Co-Curricular Activities Branch (CCAB) Indoor Court for a round of selections.

These players were among 640 youths who participated in the adidas Streetball team tournament held a week before at Ngee Ann City. There, adidas representatives were on hand to pick the 30 who stood out with their superior skills and teamwork to vie for the 4 coveted places.

The selection process included a skills round coupled with an interview. And after all was said and done, Tay Guan Hua and Yang Guan Ju emerged as the Under-19 winners, while Twa Wei Qi and Leung Wai Ming triumphed in the Under-15 category.

adidas Singapore's marketing manager, Mr James Tan, said picking the best players wasn't easy: "Some of their scores were really quite close." Players were tested on their passing and shooting skills; and when it really came down to the wire, the panel of judges "test[ed] them on their team spirit". Contestants then had to step onto the court for a 5-on-5 against each other; and at the end, it really "boiled down to their personalities".

"We incorporated the interview segment [because] we wanted to find out more about their characters. By good character, we mean being a good team player," offered Mr Tan. "Basketball is not an individual sport [and] having skills is not everything; so the player cannot be selfish or strive to own the ball [for] himself."

Tay Guan Hua, 18, one of 2 winners in the Under-19 category, surely was elated to win the competition. And besides the opportunity to represent adidas Singapore in Seoul, he also won a $2,500-adidas voucher, which he said he would "share with… teammates".

The trip to Seoul for the Asian Streetball Finals and prize winnings aside, Guan Hua and the 3 other winners can also look forward to heading to Beijing in May to represent Singapore in the ABC Champ, a basketball clinic conducted for Asian youths.

According to Mr Tan: "MVP players [from the NBA] will be at the clinic to share their experiences with the boys." And he is certain this experience will give them the much-needed exposure to playing basketball at the regional level - something they can take with them into the finals in Seoul.

"I believe the exposure in Beijing will definitely improve my game," said Guan Hua. "And when I come back, I'll be sure to share the tips I'd learnt [from the NBA players] with my friends."