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Indonesian national basketball team faces tall order at World Cup qualifiers
The 2021 FIBA Asia Cup is a qualifier for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which Indonesia will cohost along with Japan and the Philippines.
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Players of South Korea's national basketball squad train in Jakarta on Wednesday ahead of their match against Indonesia at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers on Thursday. (Antara/M. Risyal Hidayat)
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acing tough teams South Korea and the Philippines in the first round of 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers this week, the Indonesian basketball national team is committed to going at full speed in front of the home crowd, despite missing key players Brandon Jawato and Lester Prosper.
The 2021 FIBA Asia Cup is a qualifier for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which Indonesia will cohost along with Japan and the Philippines.
To qualify for the World Cup, the national squad must advance to the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup and finish in at least the top 10 of the event.
The two players, who are finishing up their naturalization process, will not make the roster for matches against South Korea on Thursday and the Philippines on Sunday, both of which will be held at the Mahaka Arena in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.
Jawato is United States-born, while Prosper is a British Virgin Islands national.
Read also: 'We must make the best of it': Jokowi upbeat on Indonesia cohosting World Cup basketball
In a press conference ahead of the qualifiers on Wednesday, Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi) chairman Danny Kosasih said President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed a recommendation letter on Tuesday morning and that both players were waiting to be summoned by the House of Representatives to continue the process.
“The process is quite long. [During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday] we explained why we have to use naturalized players.
“[We need to deploy naturalized players in our national squad] because we have a height problem with our local players, and it is impossible for us to compete against other countries in the World Cup,” Denny said.
Read also: Indonesia to build fancy venues for 2023 World Cup basketball: Sports minister
Indonesia is in Group A alongside the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand at the Asia Cup qualifiers.
The red-and-white men are set to treat the South Korea and the Philippines games as do-or-die, eyeing to claim third place by end of the group stage.
“We need to give our best in every match, but we must win against Thailand,” said national team manager Maulana Fareza Tamrela.
A total of 24 countries, grouped into six groups, will take part in the qualifiers.
Read also: Indonesia marches on with FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers amid COVID-19 scare
According to FIBA, the top two teams of each group will secure places at the 2021 Asia Cup. Meanwhile, the third-placed team in each group will battle over the four remaining slots in the tournament.
The qualifiers will run until February next year, as teams play both home and away matches – giving local supporters the opportunity to cheer on their national squad directly.
The second round of qualifiers will be held in November, while the last is scheduled for February 2021.
