Image: NBA Rising Star InvitationalImage: NBA Rising Star InvitationalNBA Rising Star Invitational TimesofIndia.com IN SINGAPORE: By the time the boys’ final kicked off on Sunday night, there was hardly an empty seat left at the OCBC Arena.Spectators sang and cheered with every basket in the stands, while next to the court, NBA champions Jeremy Lin and Mitch Richmond, along with WNBA legend Lauren Jackson, watched the two best school teams in Asia fight for the title. Six days earlier, Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura opened the tournament by talking about inspiring more players from Asia to dream of making it to the NBA.By the end of the week, that next generation had taken center stage.The second edition of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational ended on Sunday with Japan’s Seika Girls’ High School and South Korea’s Kyungbock High School being crowned champions in a competition that featured 24 boys and girls teams from across the Asia-Pacific region.
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Seika recovered from a sluggish opening quarter to beat Yangming High School of Chinese Taipei 106-56 in the girls’ final, while Kyungbock produced another clinical display to beat Japan’s Tottori Johoku High School 82-72 to lift the boys’ title after overturning an early deficit.The medals may have gone to Japan and South Korea, but the tournament’s top individual accolades reflect the breadth of talent on display across the region.Seika’s Buba Aisha Ezzine capped off a memorable week by being named the girls’ Finals MVP after also winning the Defensive Player of the Tournament award, while Kyungbock guard Yoon Jiwon walked away with the boys’ Finals MVP honor.The all-tournament teams also emphasized the diversity of the tournament.Australian Boris Rosner (Berwick College), Japanese Philemon Talmon (Tottori Johoku High School), Chinese Wang Junzheng (Tsinghua University High School) and South Koreans Yoon Jihoon and Yoon Jiwon (Kyungbock High School) appeared in the boys’ first team.The girls’ selection included Ezzine and teammate Goto Honoka, alongside Hsu Yu-Shan (Yangming High School), Tiedore Puoch (Rowville Secondary College) and Yuan Zixi (Yali High School).The tournament offered a rare glimpse into the present – and perhaps the future – of basketball across Asia.From Australia’s physicality and Japan’s discipline to South Korea’s relentless pressure game and China’s structured team play, each game became a lesson in the different basketball cultures that have emerged across the region.For India’s sole representatives, Velammal International School, the week ended without a win, but with something probably more valuable: perspective.Former NBA Academy India player Kushal Singh perhaps captured it best. “We know other countries are better at basketball, so we have better competition to play against,” he told TimesofIndia.com earlier in the tournament.That willingness to learn seemed to define the week as much as the competition itself.Jeremy Lin, one of the biggest attractions on the day of the finals, believes that these moments are much more important than photos or autographs.“I think a big part of it is inspiration,” Lin told TimesofIndia.com.“Growing up, I didn’t have an Asian player to look up to until Yao Ming came along. But Yao was very different from me; he was a center, while I was usually the shortest guy on the court.
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“So I hope I can inspire them, show them I’m here, appreciate what they can do, watch them play and come back to basketball. As they get older, I hope they continue to do the same for the next generation.”Along with the tournament were coaching clinics, referee development programs, community basketball activities and the Her Time To Play initiative, where Lauren Jackson spent time encouraging more girls to continue playing sports after graduation.Earlier this week, Jackson spoke about one of the biggest challenges facing women’s sports: not getting girls to start playing, but making sure they keep playing long enough to become players, coaches and future leaders.The success of the tournament, however, was as much about what happened on the wood as it was in the stands, where attendance grew steadily throughout the week before culminating in a packed hall for the final.
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“It was particularly encouraging to see a full house for the final, reflecting the strong and growing interest in basketball,” a Sport Singapore spokesperson said after the event.“We hope the performances during the tournament have inspired the next generation of athletes to take up the sport and achieve their potential.”Lin saw this enthusiasm as the region’s greatest strength.“When you think about basketball in the Asia-Pacific region, what gives you the most optimism?” he was asked.“Always, for me, it’s a passion,” he replied.“When I see the incredible passion, I believe people will find a way to bring in the best coaches. They will find a way to build youth basketball from the grassroots level. I believe players, parents and governments will continue to invest in the sport.
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“When there’s passion, I think everything else can follow. And that’s definitely what I feel when I’m here,” Lin added.
