Cambodian basketball eyes ‘better’ performance on int’l stage

The Cambodia Basketball Federation (CBF) is gunning for better performances abroad, with a particular focus on the 2023 Southeast Asian Games and other regional competitions. 

This renewed focus on international competitions comes after ‘disastrous’ showings in the past three SEA Games. 

Secretary-General Austin Koledoye, President Sean Borath and other CBF officials have put forward a new Strategic Action Plan, which they believe will help Cambodia move past the failures of the previous years. 

“We need to select the best players who will play for our 5×5 and 3×3 teams,” Borath told the local media. 

But many challenges remain, including the lack of funds, facilities and players, among others.

The Covid-19 pandemic, meanwhile, caused for the suspension of most tournaments and training programmes of the CBF.  Also, the infusion of Cambodian-American ballers and other foreign-born players lately has been of little help at best. 

In the last few years, the CBF received support from Yuetai Group and other companies. But according to sports officials, Cambodia still needs more support from the government and private sector in order to grow to a level comparable to the Philippines and other regional powerhouses in the sport. 

Dismal international record

Cambodia only has a trio of wins to show in three SEA Games (2017, 2019 and 2021). Two of these wins were against Myanmar (99-61) and Laos (93-58) in the 2017 Games in Malaysia and another win against the Burmese team (110-92) three years ago in the Philippines. 

In those three SEA Games, Cambodia lost all of its games (often by wide margins) against Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.

In the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam, the Cambodian men’s 5×5 team lost all six games versus Vietnam (87-55), the Philippines (100-32), Malaysia (62-41), Indonesia (94-44), Thailand (105-37) and Singapore (81-62). The women’s 3×3 team, which employed Cambodian-American players, was likewise ‘ineffective’ in the face of strong opposition. 

It was learned that Cambodia’s best performance in the SEA Games was a fifth-place finish in 2007. 

In the past, Cambodian basketball players also took part in the FIBA Asia Cup, SEABA Championship and Asian Games. But Cambodia’s performance in those tournaments was negligible at best, expect for a seventh-place finish in the Asian Games in 1954, 1958 and 1962. 

The Cambodian men’s basketball team is currently ranked 159^th in the world, a slight improvement from two years ago, where the same team was in the 163^rd rank globally. 

A work in progress

The CBF said the work continues in spite of the challenges and the ‘dismal’ record they have accumulated through the years. 

Two weeks ago, the CBF organised a tryout for female players from the different provinces and schools, who are expected to form the core of the women’s team going forward.

“We need to build the women’s team from the grassroots level,” a top official of the CBF said during one of the training sessions at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. 

The organisation also plans to re-start soon the Cambodian Basketball League, High School basketball and other regular tournaments that were suspended due to the pandemic.