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CLS Knights celebrate ASEAN victory, discuss future
King of the court: The CLS Knights celebrate after winning the 2018/2019 ASEAN Basketball League in Singapore on May 15
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ing of the court: The CLS Knights celebrate after winning the 2018/2019 ASEAN Basketball League in Singapore on May 15.(Courtesy of CLS Knights)
As the newly crowned champions of the 2018/2019 ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), Indonesia’s CLS Knights say solid teamwork between the players and coach has been the fuel of their success.
Brian Rowsom, the coach of the Surabaya, East Java team, said he believed communication was the foundation of the team’s strength. He said he had always tried to develop the chemistry between players and himself since accepting the job in September last year.
“We work together, both on and off the court. Those guys spend a lot of time together after practice is over. They go to the movies together. They go to dinner together. And all of this helps with communication,” said Rowsom on Monday, crediting his protégé who had trusted him, which made his job easier.
CLS spent nine months preparing for the ABL for the second time. Rowsom, a former NBA Charlotte Hornets player, took the helm from Koko Heru Setyo Nugroho, who led the club finishing at seventh in the 2017/2018 season.
In the recently ended season, CLS dramatically ensured the title after winning the final leg against the Singapore Slingers 84-81 at the OCBC Arena, Singapore, on May 15. The win gave CLS an advantage with an overall score of 3-2 in the best-of-five finals.
Many have called CLS’ journey in the league that of a Cinderella story, as no one expected the team to reach of the finals.
Question now linger about the team’s future in the league as CLS’ contract to play in the ABL has ended.
Team manager Christopher Tanuwidjaja, however, has yet to disclose much about their future, saying they “want to enjoy the victory at the moment.”
“Maybe in a few weeks we will know whether we will play in the ABL again or not,” he added.
Christoper went on to say that he had received offers from several countries to play in their domestic league, among them Thailand.
CLS has been criticized for using their foreign players as starters.
Christopher dismissed the criticism, saying that local and foreign players received fair treatment on and off the court. “The local players have an advantage playing with the foreign players. It benefits the team as it improves their skills.”
CLS guard Arif Hidayat said Rowsom was fair to local players when it came to playing time as long as they could contribute to the team.
After a successful run in the club, Arif is focusing on making it onto the national team ahead of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines later this year.
In the meantime, Rowsom is also in talks with the Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi), which is interested in hiring him to coach the national team for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The cup will be cohosted by Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
In response to the interest, Rowsom, who has finished his contract with CLS, said he would be happy to receive the offer and help the Indonesian team at the World Cup.
“I’m getting all the offers now from the other teams, so I have to consider what’s best for me. But even if I don’t stay with the CLS Knights, I still want to work with the national team,” he concluded.
