FOR the past two years, Commonwealth Secondary School student Lewis Lin has endured the frustration of playing a mere handful of competitive basketball games before bowing out at the first hurdle of the Schools West Zone basketball championship.

Despite being promoted to the B Division this year, it has been the same old story for him, as the team failed to make it past the preliminary rounds.

The glamour of qualifying for the Schools National championship is a distant dream for minnows like Commonwealth, who formed a basketball team only four years ago.

Said Lewis, 15: 'I get to play three or four games at most. This can be very disappointing as we train so hard but our season is over after just one month.'

But the Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) is keen to change all that. This year, it initiated an Under-17 second-tier league with one aim in mind - to provide more competitive games for schools which get knocked out of their respective zonal competitions early.

Such is the success of the inaugural edition - 20 boys' and six girls' teams signed up - that BAS general manager Jee Yoke Choon intends to expand the competition to include primary schools next year.

Said Jee: 'There were more schools that wanted to join, but they realised too late and missed the registration date.

'It is quite discouraging for the newer schools to keep losing their games in the zonal competition. This new league gives them the opportunity to pit their skills against schools from other zones.'

The ultra-competitive West Zone features traditional powerhouses such as Dunearn Secondary and Hwa Chong Institution, and has 32 competing schools - the largest number across the four zones.

Lewis' teammate, Joseph Lee, 14, agreed, saying: 'In this new league, most of the schools are on a par with each other and the games are closer.'

The BAS hosts all games at its headquarters in Geylang East and also provides referees, as well as trophies and medals for the top three teams. Operating costs, estimated at $18,000, are funded by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC).

While the BAS' plan was a step into the unknown, Netball Singapore has been running a similar competition with much success since 2006.

Backed by the NSA's title sponsor, M1, the Schools Challenge League caters to both the B and C divisions.

For Anderson Secondary, their experience in the past two years has been a positive one. Despite making the national championships this year, the school opted to send a 'B' team to the challenge league in a bid to give their fringe members more competitive exposure.

Said team captain Phang Yu Kei, 16, who was not selected for the main team taking part in the national championships: 'I was devastated initially, but the thought of playing with the alternate team cheered me up.'

The flexibility of organising the first- round games to suit their own schedules is also a big plus, said Sengkang Secondary's Janice Chai, 15. 'We are still motivated to win because there is something at stake,' she added. Sengkang's C Division team made it to the national championships only last year.

Said Netball Singapore's executive director Cyrus Medora: 'This year, a total of 183 teams took part in the B and C divisions - most won't get to play beyond the zonal competitions, and I'm sure it is the case for other sports as well.'

Indeed, the SSC is keen for more associations to follow suit, said senior director of sports pathways development Bervyn Lee. Such competitions will give students more chances to take part 'at a developmental level' and sustain and nurture their interest even further, he said. 

 

1 April 2011, Friday

By Lee Min Kok, The Straits Times