Grieving Malaysians lose by 90 to Iranians

MANILA, Philippines - With heavy hearts, the Malaysian trooped to the Mall of Asia Arena yesterday for their opening game in the 27th FIBA-Asia Chaampionship.

Just days ago, they learned about the sudden death of one of their key players, 25-year-old Jacky Ng Kiat Kee due to an apparent heart failure.

The death of the talented player was too much to bear for the young Malaysian team. It didn’t help that they were pitted against Iran in their debut match.

And it showed inside the court as Iran, FIBA-Asia champion in 2007 and 2009, blew Malaysia off the court, racing to an early 42-3 en route to a 115-25 victory.

The 90-point winning margin signified Iran’s intention to regain the title they lost last year following a stunning loss to eventual runner-up Jordan in the quarterfinals.

Malaysia was never in the game and perhaps because of the tragic incident its players were never in their element to even put up a fight.

The Malaysians hit only 9-of-47 field goal attempts and had 34 turnovers. They were awarded only two free throws and were totally outrebounded, 47-22.

By the end of the third quarter, the Malaysians trailed, 91-15. It was 40 minutes of grief and agony for the Malaysians.

Jacky Ng collapsed while seated on the bench during an invitational tournament in Malaysia.

The team manager of the Malaysian team, who happens to be a Filipino, is hoping that his players could leave the incident behind at least when they’re inside the court.

“I would say that he (Jacky) is a nice boy who is just in his tender age. Then, all of a sudden, he was taken from us,” said Paul Daniel Advincula.

“I just told the boys to just play your hearts out and show that you know how to play basketball,” he added. 

Yet, he is still hoping for the best. 

During the post-game interview, the Iranian coach, Mehmed Becirovic, couldn’t even find the reason to celebrate.

He only had kind words for the Malaysians.

“Thank you to the team of Malaysia. I know the tragedy that happened to the team and still play at this level. They played fair game,” said the Iranian coach.

That was the best thing to say.