Image: NBA Rising Star InvitationalImage: NBA Rising Star InvitationalNBA Rising Star Invitational TimesofIndia.com In SINGAPORE: By the time the boys’ final tipped off on Sunday evening, there were barely any empty seats left inside the OCBC Arena.Spectators sang and cheered with every basket on the stands, while courtside, NBA champions Jeremy Lin and Mitch Richmond, alongside WNBA legend Lauren Jackson, watched two of Asia’s finest school teams battle for the title. Six days earlier, Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura had opened the tournament by speaking about inspiring more players from Asia to dream of reaching the NBA.By the end of the week, that next generation had taken centre stage.The second edition of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational concluded on Sunday with Japan’s Seika Girls’ High School and South Korea’s Kyungbock High School crowned champions in a competition involving 24 boys’ and girls’ teams from across the Asia-Pacific region.
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Seika recovered from a slow opening quarter to overpower Chinese Taipei’s Yangming High School 106-56 in the girls’ final, while Kyungbock produced another clinical display to beat Japan’s Tottori Johoku High School 82-72 and lift the boys’ title after overturning an early deficit.The medals may have gone to Japan and South Korea, but the tournament’s biggest individual honours reflected the breadth of talent on display across the region.Seika’s Buba Aisha Ezzine completed a memorable week by being named Girls Finals MVP after also claiming the Defensive Player of the Tournament award, while Kyungbock guard Yoon Jiwon walked away with the Boys Finals MVP honour.The All-Tournament Teams also underlined the tournament’s diversity.Australia’s Boris Rosner (Berwick College), Japan’s Philemon Talmon (Tottori Johoku High School), China’s Wang Junzheng (Tsinghua University High School) and South Korea’s Yoon Jihoon and Yoon Jiwon (Kyungbock High School) featured 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, every game became a lesson in the different basketball cultures emerging across the region.For India’s lone representatives, The Velammal International School, the week ended without a victory, but with something arguably more valuable: perspective.Former NBA Academy India player Kushal Singh perhaps captured that best. “We know that the other countries are better in basketball, so we get better competition to play against,” he had told TimesofIndia.com earlier in the tournament.That willingness to learn appeared to define the week as much as the competition itself.Jeremy Lin, one of the biggest attractions on finals day, believes those moments matter far more than photographs or autographs.“I think a big part of it is inspiration,” Lin told TimesofIndia.com.“Growing up, I didn’t have an Asian player I could really 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 that I’m here, appreciate what they can do, watch their game, and give back to the sport of basketball. As they get older, hopefully they’ll continue doing the same for the next generation.”Alongside the tournament were coaching clinics, referee development programmes, community basketball activities and the Her Time To Play initiative, where Lauren Jackson spent time encouraging more girls to remain involved in the sport beyond their school years.Earlier in the week, Jackson had spoken about one of the biggest challenges facing women’s sport: not getting girls to start playing, but ensuring they continue long enough to become players, coaches and future leaders.The tournament’s success, however, was as much centred on what happened on the hardwood as it was in the stands, where attendance steadily built through the week before culminating in a packed house for the finals.
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“It was especially 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 throughout the tournament have inspired the next generation of athletes to pursue the sport and realise their potential.”Lin saw that 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 the passion,” he replied.“When I see incredible passion, I believe people will find a way to bring in the best coaches. They’ll find a way to build youth basketball from the grassroots level. I believe the players, the parents, and the governments will continue investing 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.
