Basketball Beyond Basketball..

it happened yesterday..at the east wing basketball court..
while we were having our usual training session in the evening..a perdana executive came by and stopped near the court. a man dressed in a light red checkers casual shirt came out of the car..he didn't introduced himself at first, but we knew who he is..he is Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah, the Dep. Minister of Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development..he was indeed a nice gentleman..he talked with Mr. Liew to discuss about things regarding the team for about half an hour while watching us perform our practice..

at the end of the session, Mr. Liew introduced him to us..from that..we knew that he was the head prefect of MCKK and was the best speaker for the PPM during his years of debating..he was of Mohd Shah House and also ran the MCKK Editorial Board when he was in kolet (1976-1980)..he was so kind to personally sponsor our PHT shoes for the first 15 players..

Basketball Beyond Basketball

that was his philosophy..and I personally think that it's true..basketball is more than just dribbling the ball and putting it into the basket..especially if you are a Cager, then you can get many things from basketball..you'll have to learn to manage your team..how to handle the fights between your teammates..how to listen and follow to instructions..and there's more..discipline..brotherhood..bond between the coach and players..how to cope with pressure, inside and outside the court. it is a great philosophy that we all should follow..hopefully, our team can be more than just a team, a family I mean..we will..and I'm sure of it..

PHT North Zone 2009 Tournament

On 9th of March 2009, MCKK sent the Cagers to defend their PHT North Zone Championship which was held at SMS Tun Syed Sheh Shahabudin, Bukit Mertajam. The team went along with a team of Malay debaters and a team English debaters. The basketball team comprises of 3 form 5s, 6 form 4s and 3 form 3s. Ajim was supposed to play in the tournament but due to the sudden fever attack that he had the morning we were going to play, he was replaced by Hijazi.

First Match

Our first match was against SBPI Gopeng. We were fired up with the game and so we beat our opponent 48-13.

Second Match

Our second match was at 12.30 pm although we were supposed to play at 11.45 am due to 2 overtimes made by the previous match. Our opponent was SMS Muhammad Jiwa and we beat them 33-8.

Third Match

It was our last match of the day and we were up against SMS Sultan Abdul Halim. It was..for me..our worst game of the tournament..though, we did trashed them 32-14.

Fourth Match

That morning..Mr. Liew change his strategy from critics, critics and critics..to praises, motivations and confidence. " Today..there'll be no negative comments on y'all..only positive comments will be said ", he said. And on that match, we played well, in fact it was our best game for the tournament. We trashed SBPI Gopeng 49-9.

Fifth Match

We had our match with our traditional rival that evening, STAR. We won..40-12.

Semi Final

SMS Tuanku Syed Putra was our next opponent in the semi-final game the next morning..
We beat them, 46-14.

Final

The PHT North Zone Championship 2009 witnessed the battle between Cagers and STAR, again..in the Final. Of course, as predicted, the Cagers won but with less score than usual, 27-10.
And so, the championship is back in the hands of Cagers.

We won the championshipand will be heading to SSP, Cyberjaya to play in the National PHT Tournament. It is scheduled to be held in the end of May and early of June.

I think the man bahind all this really deserves the credit, our coach, Mr. Liew for guiding us to victory. Abg Ise and Aunty Ana for giving up their whole week to prepare the Cagers for their Championship. They sacrificed their time, money and energy just to see the trophy back in MCKK. Abg Azran, his wife, and their two children, Hafiz and Irfan for their supports and 100 Plus for the Cagers. Supporters namely Izzat, Farid and Zaki for their cheer for the team.

Thank you all see ya in Cyberjaya!