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SCMP Reporter

Two under-19 basketball teams are ready to fly the Hong Kong flag at the adidas Asian Streetball Finals in the Philippines.

The regional tournament, which will be held on September 3 and 4 in Manila, will feature  teams from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Chinese Taipei and the host country.

SAR teams Modern Youth Alliance Association (MYAA) and The Incredibles will compete in the men's and women's pool, respectively. They were crowned champions at the Hong Kong finals in May.

The three-on-three game was first introduced in Berlin in 1992  and soon spread to other European cities.

The inaugural world championships was held in 1995 in Barcelona, Spain.

Four years later, the Asian finals was launched in Taipei, where Hong Kong snatched the men's title. The SAR went on to win the 2000 and 2001 men's competitions.

Boasting top players at national youth and school levels, MYAA are confident of doing better than last year.

'We came third in the Asian finals last year, behind Korea and the Philippines. But we have experience this time and we are looking forward to winning the title,' said captain and point guard, Lo Yi-ting, a fifth former at Diocesan Boys' School.

His teammates include centre Szeto Wai-kit of CMA Secondary School, guard Tse Man-chun of YCH Tung Chi Ying Memorial School and forward So Yi-chun of Jockey Club Ti-I College.

'Most of us have been playing on the same team for three or four years. There's a strong cohesion among us,' said Yi-chun, 19.

Wai-kit, who attended  the adidas Superstar Camp in Shanghai in May, said he had improved a lot and is communicating better with his teammates.

MYAA  will be accompanied by their coach, Cheng Wai-ming, who missed the trip last year.

'It will definitely be better for us. We will be able to concentrate on the games and our coach can call time-outs at the right moments,' Man-chun said.

The Incredibles, comprising point guard Wong Tsz-ching, forwards Fung Shuk-shan and  Carmen Chan Ka-man and centre Wong Sze-kei - all from Heep Yunn School - are aiming for a third-place finish.

Having played together for three years, the girls are optimistic about their chances.

'It will be the first time we are in the Asian finals but we are not nervous,' said captain Tsz-ching.

'We don't know much about the other teams. We only know the mainland Chinese players are tall, 1.9 metres on average,' said Sze-kei. At 1.75m, she is the tallest member of her team.

'Not being tall enough doesn't bother us too much. We can make use of better strategies and try our best in every game,' she said.

Meanwhile, the hosts  will be represented by San Beda College and Holy Angel University in the Asian finals.



Final challenge