Dian Samuel Hasudungan, a dentist, recalled his glorious days as a basketball player during his time at Petra 4 high school as one of the finest moments of his life, particularly when the school basketball team participated in the Development Basketball League (DBL) tournament.

“One of my biggest achievements was when I was selected to join the DBL All Stars team in 2008. We trained and played in Australia. Definitely one of the top moments of my life,” he told The Jakarta Post recently.

He acknowledged, however, that the road to the All Stars was not easy. He trained very hard, digesting and practicing many strategies, implementing an athlete lifestyle that required full self-discipline, while at the same time trying to get good academic results as a student.

Dian recalled the tensions and mental challenges along the way. He managed to stay afloat, striking a careful balance between his activities as a player and as a student, until the defining day came and knocked at Dian’s door.

“Despite all my achievements as a basketball player, I realize that I won’t be playing basketball forever. I need to make other plans for my future,” he explained when asked why he did not choose to continue his life as a profesional player.

Dian struggled his way to Airlangga University’s School of Dentistry and succeeded. His started playing less and less basketball after that point. He made study his priority. Now, he is practicing at the university’s general hospital.

Despite parting ways with the basketball world, Dian acknowledged that he had taken one or two things with him from his life as a player. And those things, he said, had got him to where he is right now.

“Self-discipline and determination, I developed these characteristics during my life in the DBL. Turns out they have really come in handy,” he said.

Established in 2004 as a humble basketball league in Surabaya by Azrul Ananda, a basketball aficionado and the son of former state-owned enterprisees minister Dahlan Iskan, DBL Indonesia has now become a youth development company that stretches its influence across 22 provinces and 30 cities nationwide.

The DBL appreciates both physical and intellectual abilities, which is why the players are expected to focus on both.

While Dian picked a new career, Jovita Elizabeth continued her basketball career during her university life. Jovita, aka Jojo, recalled that seeing people play basketball at the DBL arena during her senior year at the junior high had motivated her to play.

She said basketball was in her blood as her parents and three siblings had played the same sport. In fact, her father, who is now a lawyer, used to play in local tournaments.

“It all started a little bit late for me. I started to crave basketball when I was at senior high school,” she recalled.

Highly motivated, Jojo made the cut and was selected from among 200 players to join the DBL All Stars team and departed to the United States to gain more experience. After completing senior high school, Jojo was granted a scholarship at Surabaya University thanks to her achievements at DBL tournaments, and later she was also granted a spot on the Surabaya Fever team and started her life as a professional player.

Jojo’s achievements as a pro started to attract invitations to play on a bigger stage. She was summoned to play for the national team a couple of times.

“When I was playing for the national team, I had to refuse a scholarship to Canada and the opportunity to play basketball there simply because I had already received the scholarship in Surabaya,” she said.

That is why Jojo was now hoping to pursue a master’s degree scholarship, hopefully in the US, so she would be able to compete at basketball tournaments there, she said.

“I have this dream, to fy higher as a professional player. Playing on US soil is one of them,” she added.

However, she also realized that this crazy basketball journey had to stop somewhere and like Dian, she would need to pick another road. She said she would continue playing until she reached 25 and after that she would focus on crafting her skills and knowledge as a notary, which had been her main goal since law school.

“I have learned how to develop a good character through this sport. Now i know that having the right attitude will help me to navigate in my future career and life,” said Jojo, who shared her experiences at the launch of the AZ6 “Independence Day” limited edition basketball shoes in Surabaya on Aug. 12.

The DBL joined forces with local shoemaker Ardiless to produce a limited edition of their latest AZ6 shoes in red and white and with a map of Indonesia on the toe-box. Only 1945 pairs are available, referring to the year 1945 when the founding fathers proclaimed Indonesia’s independence from the Netherlands. The shoes were sold at the DBL store located in an upmarket shopping mall in Surabaya.

DBL Indonesia general manager Yondang Tubangkit confirmed that the values adopted by both Jojo and Dian were among those that had been taught since the early days of the DBL. He said the DBL had prepared and implemented a set of rigorous requirements and training programs for those who wanted to join the club.

He said the DBL meant business when it came to preparing its members with the necessary skills and mentality. He then cited that aside from the already running Junior DBL and DBL tournaments that were tailored for those in junior and senior high school, there was also the DBL academy, which taught basketball to children.

The DBL academy has also mandated its pupils to master a set of skills and basic manner as basic requirements. He added that during their early days in the academy, they had been trained to do two-hand dribbling manuvers and basic teamwork strategies.

“At the same time, we also monitor their determination level. Some of them might quit but many have decided to continue,” he said.

Yondang said that through basketball, they offered two things, technical skills and good character.

“We expect DBL alumni to be a living display for both skills and good character in their respective lives, both on and off the court,” he said.

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