ASIA-BASKET - Singapore Basketball, Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings, Pro Basketball

The Singapore Slingers register win over Purefoods

Darren Ng

by Eurobasket News - Oct 2, 2008

The Singapore Slingers head to Taiwan

Darren Ng

by Eurobasket News - Sep 28, 2008

Singapore Slingers defeat Air 21 twice

Eric Sandrin

by Eurobasket News - Sep 25, 2008

Slingers to form Asian Pro League

by Hector Santos - Jul 30, 2008

Former PBL hotshot Jason Castro will remain a member of the Singapore Slinger and will receive the full benefits of his contract despite the teams withdrawal from Australias National Basketball League.

Castro was signed by the Slingers to an eight-month contract last June but his much-anticipated debut as the countrys first player to play for a foreign professional basketball team apparently will not happen, not in the near future anyway.

But the Slingers will remain intact as a team as the Singaporeans try to muster enough members to launch an Asian Pro League.

Singapores withdrawal from the Australian-based NBL was reportedly due to the high cost of travel and team finances could not keep pace with the requirements.

This was, however, denied by Paul Monozca, a Filipino investment banker who is based in Singapore, who said the Slingers are sound financially.

'The true and the main reason behind their decision to withdraw from the NBL is a commercial one,' said Monozca, a long-time buddy of Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero. 'They want to have a better access from the media. They want to have TV coverage so they want to organize and run a league where they can maximize their resources.'

Monozca was personally invited by team owner Bob Turner during a meeting last Saturday with majority of the shareholders where they discussed the plan to form the Asian Pro-League.

He also said that Castro, who helped Harbour Center win three of its five straight championships, will remain with the Slingers until the end of his 8-month contract.

'There are no changes in the contract of Jason,' said Monozca.

'They have been talking about it the past two years,' said Monozca. 'This would open up the Slingers for better sponsorships and player recruitment opportunities moving forward.'

Monoza said Castro is excited about the plan of the management to form a pro league.

'Castro sees the new direction as a wider challenge and a more exciting one considering they will play more countries in Asia than just in Australia,' said Monozca.

The Slingers, according to Monozca, plan to have at least 8 to 10 teams to be involved the Asian Pro-League, and that includes teams from China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines. At least two teams from the NBL will also take part in the event.

The Slingers will hold a Challenge Series starting on Sept. 17 to cushion the impact of their withdrawal from the NBL. The Asian Pro-League is tentatively set in March next year. MB

Top Filipino amateur set to play for Singapore Slingers

Jason Castro

by Hector Santos - Apr 13, 2008

Jason Castro (173-G-86), one of the top amateur basketball player in the Philippines and many time national team player, is reportedly in the final phase of negotiations that will make him the Filipino import of a Singapore team competing in the Australian National Basketball League.

Serious negotiations are now in the works between the 5-foot-8 Batang Pier playmaker and the Singapore Slingers for Castro to become the first Filipino to play in the Australian National Basketball League.

Castro was offered a seven-month salary of about Php1.2 million. But Castro and his handler are negotiating for a bigger pay, reportedly about Php2.4 million.

Ben Knight, team captain of the Slingers, the first Asian-based club in the NBL, said the ballclub is determined to get the services of the former Philippine Christian University stalwart whom the Slingers saw when they played the Harbour Centre-backed RP team in a series of exhibition games last year in Singapore as part of the Nationals' preparation for the 24th Southeast Asian Games.

Knight had become even more impressed with Castro when he played against his team in the recent South East Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Champions Cup in Jakarta, where the Slinger team captain played as the import for the Malaysian national team.

'He's improved a lot the first time I played against him. Shooting, dribbling skills, everything,' said Knight.

Likewise, he added the presence of Castro, former back-to-back PBL Most Valuable Player (MVP), would help draw the crowd in during Slingers' games at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, considering the huge number of Filipinos currently based as overseas workers there.

'I say Jason could probably attract 2,000 Filipinos to come in and watch him and the Singapore Slingers play,' Knight added.

Playing overseas meant skipping this year's Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Draft for Castro, where he is already eligible to apply.

But Danny Espiritu, Castro's agent, said they are really seriously considering the Slingers' offer since it is a once-in-a- lifetime deal. At the most, they are looking to sign a two-year contract before Castro, 22, plies his trade to the PBA.

Harbour Centre team owner Mikee Romero wished Castro the best.

'I am not one who will hinder the growth and development of my player. It's a good opportunity for Jason and I really do wish him the best. Hopefully, he can help us win a championship again before he leaves Harbour Centre,' said the basketball patron.

Winner of two PBL championships with the Batang Pier and two more cage titles with the national squad, Castro again showed his value for Harbour Centre when he scattered 15 of his game-high 25 points in the third period of the team's 103-64 rout of the Nokia RP Youth squad Saturday to emerge as the PBL Player of the Week.

His heroics had Harbour Centre coasting to a franchise best 9-0 record and a win away from clinching the first outright semis berth in the PBL Lipovitan Amino Sports Cup.

No Sling Shot in Final Game

by Eurobasket - Feb 14, 2008

Two different scenarios for the Slingers and the Adelaide 36ers at the Singapore Indoor Stadium mid-week, 13/2/2008. The Slingers had their contracts up for negotiations. The visitors knew before tip-off their playoff hopes had evaporated. What was left was just playground bragging rights. The Singapore Sports School filled out the lower tier of the south end to add vocal support to the home team. Both teams started out tentatively, trading 3 pointers - Rod Grizzard putting the Slingers on board and Darren Ng replied for the visitors. Mike Helms traded 3 pointers with Jordan Dodman,with the scores tied 6-6. Then, the script changed. With comedic element provided by a court side spectator playing coach, the Slingers went into self destruction mode. Misplaced passes, running ahead of play and no signs of clear focus among the players. The Slingers coach thought as much, giving local player, Koh Meng Koon, some playing time. The only cheers mustered by the home crowd was a pull up pump fake by Grizzard at 8:52 to make the score 8-12. To add to the theatrical nature of the game, the officiating crew of Houghton, Geirsch and Sim decided to contribute their share. Questionable calls came screaming from the coaching staff of both benches. Case in point - with his team leading 15-27 at 3:57, the 36ers Julius Hodge had a free dunk following a broken play by the Slingers. Nothing unusual except that Hodge chose to hang onto the rim, very close to rimming , an offense punishable under NBA rule section 5, sub-section(a). A non-unsportsmanlike penalty resulting in a technical foul. Given the slide in the gold standard of NBA refereeing, it seems that more than the effects of the meltdown in housing mortgage financing from the USA had reached Singapore shores. An awful quarter had both teams trying for long range shots, an incredible 19 being attempted by both sides. The Slingers were 5/11 and 36ers 4/8. Only a Helms 3 pointer and a Grizzard pulled up jump shot at the foul line were the highlights of a forgettable quarter, Slingers trailing 28-35.
The Slingers picked up at the start of the second quarter where they left off in the first. A Helms lay up from a Grizzard assist and a successful Shane MacDonald 3 pointer reduced the deficit to 33-38. Even Koh got extended playing time. However, the 36ers used their physical size advantage by setting up screens, forcing the Slingers into perimeter shooting. Helms continuously drove the lane and a successful 3 pointer at 3:57 leveled the scores at 55-55. The visitors had a deeper bench to call upon and their aggressive play forced the Slingers into numerous defensive errors. At the end of the half, the 36ers had restored their lead, 58-65, their bench outscoring the Slingers 25-3 and picked off 16 points from turnovers. Helms was easily the Slingers leading scorer, with 23. Grizzard had 14 and Hodge paced the 36ers with 16.
The officiating crew returned to center stage with more questionable calls, turning the game into a scrappy affair. Another Hodge rimming act went unnoticed. Suddenly, official Giersch issued a game warning to Blagoj Janev of the Slingers and David Cooper of the 36ers, both for extra curricular activity off the ball. This, after a highly disputed goal tending call at 5:05, giving the Slingers two free throws. Then official Giersch decided to issue an in game caution to Hodge for fan taunting after his dunk at 2:26 to pull the visitors ahead 74-88. The verbal abuse was mostly directed at Sim. Truth be told, Sim did not look like an official confident with his play calling. To add to the fanfare of a game losing its plot, another local Slinger, Michael Wong, got playing time. The third quarter ended mercifully, Slingers trailing 77-90. Helms only scored 2 points and Grizzard held scoreless.
Sticking with a successful game plan, the 36ers boxed out the Slingers in the final quarter to protect its lead. This forced the S

Slingers edge Dragons

by Eurobasket - Jan 31, 2008

Two of NBL's lowest ranked teams, Singapore Slingers and South Dragons played Wednesday, 30/1/2008 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. With not much difference between both teams, it was very much a practice squad game. Hence, both coaches were looking for fundamentals: scoring, defense and turnovers. There was no surprise in the respective team's starting line-up. Slingers paired Chris Cameron and Ben Knight up against the Dragon's Bakari Hendrix and Jacob Holmes. The smaller sized Shane McDonald matched up Luke Martin of the Dragons. The first quarter drifted to a 15-15 tie at 6:36 with momentary highlights provided by an alley loop dunk by Martin from a Joe Ingles pass at 7:32. Slingers provided their own first quarter highlight at 5:05 with Mike Helms driving to the basket and selling a head fake under the hoop before a shovel pass to Knight for the score. Slight comic relief was provided at 1:40 with Ingles contriving to lose the ball under the basket to McDonald with no other player in sight.
Rod Grizzard got the second quarter off to a rousing start with a similar alley loop dunk at 11:40 to put the Slingers ahead 28-31. Then Cameron put the finishing touches to a shot off the back board to pull the Slingers further at 6:33. Knight placed a reverse shovel pass in the paint for McDonald to score at 3:04 and a Helms single palm dunk in the paint took the score to 47-43 for the Slingers. There was more comic relief to come. A straight out of bounds pass from the Slingers gave the Dragons a second attempt at the shot clock with 0,6 seconds to play in the half. Matthew Shanahan's three pointer cut the deficit for the Dragons to 50-53. At the end of the half, all the front court players of both teams were in double figures: Grizzard had 13 pts, Helms and Knight both scored 11 pts. Cortez Groves led the Dragons in scoring with 13 pts while Ingles and Hendrix each had 12.
The entertainment factor continued in the third quarter with Ingles losing the ball out of bounds with no opposing player in sight. The resulting inbound play was costly as the Slingers scored to put them ahead 54-53. The South Dragons went through a series of broken plays, resulting in hurried shots before the expiring shot clock as they attempt to contain the Slingers. Grizzard scored on his steal from an inbound pass to put the Slingers further ahead 67-58 at 3:57.Dragons compounded their problems with Hendrix unable to find his field goal range, scoring only 1/6. A Grizzard finger roll on a fast break at 1:10 put the score 75-58. Ingles made up on his error prone ways with a score at 0:53 to make the score 75-60 and then repeated the trick on a 3 point play at 0:06, his team trailing the Slingers 75-63 at the end of the quarter..
After having outscored the Dragons 25-10 in the third quarter, the Slingers started the fourth quarter with 3 successful baskets from beyond the arc, making the score 84-65. Even after a Dragons time-out at 9:40, the Slingers scored from another long range shot, 87-65. A 3 point play by Helms at 8:15 continued this trend before Groves scored at 8:10 to make the score 90-72. The interruption was temporary as the Slingers put in another long range basket on the next play at 7:45, putting distance between the teams, 93-72. Meantime, John Fitzgerald came off the Slingers bench to score on a passing lane shot, making the score 95-77 at 5:58. The South Dragons then went into a full court press, trying to make the score more respectable. They came close at 1:51 after Nathan Herbert contributed a 3 point play to reduce the deficient 98-91. With an empty back court, the Dragons were vulnerable to a Slingers fast break. Grizzard even put in a 3 pointer at the buzzer to make the final score, 108-93. The most glaring post game statistic was in the respective team's top scorer. Grizzard had 25 points but he also pulled in 14 rebounds. For the D

Singapore Slingers vs Cairns Taipans - 20 Jan 2008

by Eurobasket - Jan 22, 2008

Touted NBA prospect Nathan Jawai and his Cairns Taipans took on the Singapore Slingers Sunday 20/1/2008 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. What Jawai and his team got was a developmental squad scrimmage. The Slingers rotated two big men, Chris Cameron and Blagoj Janev, on Jawai. Tiring Jawai on defense meant a drop in productivity in his offense. After an initial exchange of baskets, the Slingers ran plays through Mike Helms, quickly establishing an 11-6 lead. It was quickly apparent Jawai was tiring and the Taipans were missing assignments leading to players bickering among themselves on court. A time-out was quickly called at 8:04 to disrupt the Slingers rhythm. The closest the Taipans got was a 20-17 deficit with 3:04 left to play on a 3 point play. Superior Slingers field goal shooting (13/22, 59,1%) easily enabled them to open up a 30-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Taipans shot only 8/22 (36.4%) from the field and were 0/4 from beyond the arc. More shockingly, the Slingers out rebounded the Taipans, offensively (44,4% to 20,0%) and defensively (80,0% to 55,6%).
The Taipans placed an emphasis on defense in the second quarter to prevent the game from getting away. This allowed Jared Newson to dictate the half court play, giving Jawai time to find his scoring groove. However, soft perimeter defense meant the Slingers managed to maintain a double digit lead, 37-25, at 7:44 of the second quarter. Better performance from the Cairns bench got the team within 37-33 with 4:06 to play in the half. An improved field goal shooting (18/40, 45,0%) from the Taipans, coupled with poor shot selection by the Slingers (13 pts in the 2nd quarter) ended the half 43-39.
The pockets of Cairns fans were not disappointed when their team continued their resurgence after the break. A temporary lead, 43-44, was established at 10:57. However, the Slingers quickly regained the momentum, scoring on their next possession and two subsequent free throws had them ahead 51-50 at 6:04. Both teams employed suffocating defense to neutralize strong performances from their respective benches (each bench contributing 17 pts). Ominously, when the Jumbotron suffered a temporary glitch at 2:26, the Taipans also lost half a step in their transition play from defense to offense. When the scoreboard resumed transmission at 0:56, the Taipans found themselves behind 69-62.
A sequence of events in the fourth quarter turned the game in Cairns's favor. Two successive 3 pointers cut the lead to 76-63 at 8:20. Two free throws reduced it to 76-75 at 8:00. Another score from beyond the arc at 7:30 put them ahead 76-78. Another shot from downtown at 6:30 had the Taipans pulling ahead 76-81. And when Jawai threw down a thunderous tomahawk at 4:34, he had his bench up on their feet. The Slingers were now clearly struggling with the field goals not finding their aim. Trailing 82-91 at 2:09, Grizzard resorted to 3 point shot selection, leaving a gap in the offensive boards. With no pressure in the lane, the Cairns bench outshot the Slingers 39-21. The Slingers caught a lucky break with a technical foul call on the Taipans and a successful 3 pointer reduced the deficit to 87-93 with 1:06 left to play. Roared on by the home crowd, the Slingers could not make their long range attempts count, shooting miserably 5/18 (27,8%). The Taipans outscored the Slingers 37-18 in the final quarter, with 9 points from long range. Cairns played out time with the lead safe, final score 87-99.