Tommy Huynh’s failed season
Nha Trang Dolphins put their trust in 19-year-old Tommy Huynh to hold his own as one of their starting Vietnamese players.
But despite his best efforts, Tommy Huynh failed to live up to expectations.
Many believe the 1.75-meter-tall player’s shortcomings are due to his lack of both height and experience.
Nha Trang Dolphins now plans to spend the off season looking forward to the return of Khoa Tran, an established playmaker who was called up to the Vietnamese national basketball team for the 2021 VBA season.
If Khoa Tran chooses not to return to Nha Trang Dolphins next season, the team will be in a real scramble to find a veteran Vietnamese player to fill his shoes.
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| Nha Trang Dolphins’ Huynh Vinh Quang breaks through a Danang Dragons player at the 2021 VBA. Photo: VBA |
Inexperienced players
One of Nha Trang Dolphins’ biggest weaknesses during the 2021 VBA was the lack of experience on its roster.
Six players on the Dolphins – Tommy Huynh, Melvin Phung, Phan Cao Tien, Dang Minh Hieu, Nguyen Tuan Anh, and To Ngoc Khanh – are under the age of 22.
The 2021 season was also the maiden edition for eight players on the 14-man squad.
The team’s management will need to re-evaluate how it scouts young players during the off season.
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| Nha Trang Dolphins’ Thanh Dat hits a two-pointer against Danang Dragons at the 2021 VBA. Photo: VBA |
A disappointing season for Phu Hoang
Hoping to balance at the inexperience of its rookies, Nha Trang Dolphins traded Hong Gia Lan and a protected player slot in the 2022 VBA season for stars Phu Hoang and Thanh Dat.
While Thanh Dat had his best VBA season ever and many believe he was the top Vietnamese player in the league this season, Phu Hoang was inexplicably absent for the majority of the season and only took the court in two games, during which he scored zero points.
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| Nha Trang Dolphins’ Phu Hoang feels devastated by his team’s performance during the 2021 VBA season. Photo: VBA |
Coach wanted
Robert Newson took over for Ryan Marchand as coach of Nha Trang Dolphins after the latter resigned on the eve of the 2021 VBA season.
Marchand had built the team from the ground up, and taking over using players Marchand had filled the roster with proved to be too big a role for Newson, who finished the season with zero wins.
The results of the 2021 season are pretty clear: Nha Trang Dolphins has no choice but to rebuild from scratch in 2022.
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| Nha Trang Dolphins’ coach Robert Newson during the 2021 VBA season. Photo: VBA |
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