The ASL 2022 was held at Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok from September 3 to 12 in order to provide experience for eight basketball teams representing Southeast Asian countries.
Thai champions Thung Khru Hi-Tech and runners-up Bangkok Tigers represented the hosts while the six other teams included Mekong United from Vietnam, Adroit from Singapore, Luang Prabang from Laos, NS Matrix from Malaysia, BBM CLS Knights from Indonesia, and Pegasus Brunei from Brunei.
Mekong United left its mark on the tournament thanks to phenomenal showing from three young players – William Tran, Nguyen Viet My, and Nguyen Quang Binh.
William Tran, 1.93 meters tall, was the first pick of the 2021 VBA Draft while Viet My, 1.97m, and Quang Binh, 1.82m, helped carry the Saigon Heat during the 2021 VBA season.
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| A poster of the ASEAN Super League 2022 (ASL 2022) in Thailand. Photo: VBA |
The Mekong United squad also included experienced shooters Nguyen Toan Anh (Michael Soy), Austin Ly, and Kevin Dason.
Ly is a former member of the Danang Dragons and Dason is a Thai national who played in the VBA in 2021.
Philip McCargo, the Mekong United coach, was also a familiar face to Vietnamese basketball fans thanks to his role as assistant coach of Hanoi Buffaloes during the 2022 VBA season.
Brachon Griffon, a foreign national who suited up for Mekong United, was named MVP of the finals for the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL).
In the group stage of the ASL 2022, eight teams competed in a round-robin format. The top four teams advanced to the finals.
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| This photo collage shows two VBA players Nguyen Toan Anh (L) and Austin Ly. Photo: VBA |
A team that combined youth and experience, Mekong United earned three wins against BBM CLS Knights, Pegasus Brunei, and Adroit in seven games.
Although the performance fell short of securing a ticket for Mekong United to the semifinals, the promising young Vietnamese players accumulated important experience during the tournament.
“As a young coach, I feel very honored to lead a team representing Vietnam at an international tournament,” McCargo said.
“The team members were extremely impressive, and I can’t wait to see their bright futures.”
Thung Khru Hi-Tech defeated Luang Prabang in the final to be crowned the ASL 2022 champion, winning a reward of one million baht (US$26,315).
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| This photo collage shows Hanoi Buffaloes’ former assistant coach Philip McCargo. Photo: VBA |
Aside from ASL 2022, the Hanoi Basketball Championship 2022 (HBC 2022) is taking place at Thanh Tri Stadium in the Vietnamese capital city and features the participation of many other VBA young talents.
Nine men’s teams and four women’s teams have been competing since September 21.
The tourney is poised to end on October 2 and is a good chance for outstanding players such as Hanoi’s Nguyen Duong Quang Anh and To Ngoc Khanh, Scorpius Club’s Tran Phi Hoang Long and Pham Thanh Nam, and Air Defense – Air Force’s Phung Quoc Hung to challenge themselves against the capital city’s top stars and VBA seniors such as Tam Dinh, To Quang Trung, Phu Hoang, Dominique Grant, and DeAngelo Hamilton.
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