Image: NBA Rising Star InvitationalImage: NBA Rising Star InvitationalNBA Rising Star Invitational TimesofIndia.com In SINGAPORE: By the time the boys’ final approached on Sunday night, there were almost no seats left at the OCBC Arena.Spectators chanted and cheered with every basket in the stands as NBA champions Jeremy Lin and Mitch Richmond, alongside WNBA legend Lauren Jackson, watched two of Asia’s best high school teams battle it out for the title. Six days earlier, Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura had opened the tournament by talking about inspiring more players from Asia to dream of reaching the NBA.By the end of the week, the next generation had taken center stage.The second edition of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational concluded on Sunday with Japan’s Seika Girls’ High School and South Korea’s Kyungbock High School crowned champions in a competition involving 24 boys and girls teams from across the Asia-Pacific region.
Image: NBA Rising Star Invitational
Seika recovered from a sluggish opening quarter to top Chinese Taipei Yangming High School 106-56 in the girls’ final, while Kyungbock produced another clinical display to beat Japan’s Tottori Johoku High School 82-72 and lift the boys’ title after overturning an early deficit.The medals may have gone to Japan and South Korea, but the biggest individual honors of the tournament reflected the breadth of talent on display across the region.Seika’s Buba Aisha Ezzine completed a memorable week by being named Girls’ Finals MVP after also claiming the Defensive Player of the Tournament award, while Kyungbock keeper Yoon Jiwon walked away with the Boys’ Finals MVP honor.The All-Tournament teams also underscored the diversity of the tournament.Australia’s Boris Rosner (Berwick College), Japan’s Philemon Talmon (Tottori Johoku High School), China’s Wang Junzheng (Tsinghua University High School) and South Korea’s Yoon Jihoon and Yoon Jiwon (Kyungbock High School) featured in the Boys’ First Team.The girls’ selection included Ezzine and her partner Goto Honoka, alongside Hsu Yu-Shan (Yangming High School), Tiedore Puoch (Rowville Secondary College) and Yuan Zixi (Yali High School).The tournament offers a rare glimpse into the present – and perhaps the future – of basketball across Asia.From Australia’s physicality and Japan’s discipline to South Korea’s relentless pressure game and China’s structured team play, each game became a lesson in the different basketball cultures emerging in the region.For the lone representatives of India, Velammal International School, the week ended without a victory, but with something more valuable: perspective.Former NBA India Academy player Kushal Singh perhaps captured it best. “We know other countries are better at basketball, so we have better competition to play against,” he had told TimesofIndia.com ahead of the tournament.This willingness to learn seemed to define the week as much as the competition itself.Jeremy Lin, one of the biggest attractions of the day of the finals, believes that these moments matter much more than photographs or autographs.“I think a big part of it is inspiration,” Lin told TimesofIndia.com.“Growing up, I didn’t have an Asian player that I could really look up to until Yao Ming came along. But Yao was very different from me; he was a center, while I was usually the shortest guy on the court.
Image: NBA Rising Star Invitational
“So I hope I can inspire them, show them that they are there, appreciate what they can do, watch their game, and give back to the sport of basketball. When they get older, I hope they will continue to do the same for the next generation.”Alongside the tournament were coaching clinics, referee development programs, community basketball activities and the Her Time To Play initiative, where Lauren Jackson spent time encouraging more girls to stay involved in sports beyond their school years.Earlier in the week, Jackson spoke about one of the biggest challenges facing women’s sports: not getting girls to start playing, but making sure they stay long enough to become players, coaches and future leaders.The success of the tournament, however, was as much centered on what happened on the hardwood as it was in the stands, where attendance grew steadily throughout the week before culminating in a full house for the final.
Image: NBA Rising Star Invitational
“It was especially encouraging to see a full house for the final, reflecting the strong and growing interest in basketball,” said a Sport Singapore spokesperson after the event.“We hope the performances throughout the tournament have inspired the next generation of athletes to pursue the sport and realize their potential.”Lin saw that enthusiasm as the region’s greatest strength.“When you think about basketball in the Asia-Pacific region, what gives you the most optimism?” was asked.“Always, for me, it’s the passion,” he replied.“When I see incredible passion, I believe that people will find a way to bring the best coaches. They will find a way to build youth basketball from the grassroots level. I believe that players, parents and governments will continue to invest in the sport.
Image: NBA Rising Star Invitational
“When there’s passion, I think everything else can follow. And that’s definitely what I feel when I’m here,” added Lin.
