Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
DEFENDING champions YTE and their predecessor FZ-Juramas will battle it out for Group A supremacy in the YOU.C1000 Cup tonight at 9pm at the BBA court in Batu Bersurat.
Both sides enter the game with identical 3-0 win-loss records and defeat will result in a meeting against four-time winners Easyway in the semi-finals on Monday night.
YTE coach Federico Samson knows the importance of the matchup and felt that his charges are ready for the battle.
“The team is ready and excited for tomorrow’s (Saturday's) game. For sure FZ are ready to play toe-to-toe against our team,” said Samson in an interview with BruSports News yesterday.
“We are ready for the physicality of the inside game as well as the challenge of their shooters and experienced veteran players,” he added.
“Every game is important for our team. It’s about the consistency of playing hard and as a whole with a purpose and objective.
“We are not thinking about which team we are going to face in the semis. We must be ready and take it one game at a time," continued the Filipino.
When asked on what to watch out for against their opponents, Samson replied: “Their three-point shooting and presence inside the paint as well as their team cohesiveness of playing together.
“Esmond (Tan) and Alvin (Goh) and most of all Francis Barcellano who is so tough and strong and experienced inside the paint are the key players,” added the former Thailand U-19 women’s team coach.
On the other hand, FZ-Juramas captain Esmond expects a tough outing against the reigning champs
“It is going to be tough and we will have to bring our A game,” said Esmond.
“Every game is important to us as we are still trying to find the balance in our team. Regardless of the team we are facing in the next round, it will still be tough,” he added.
Esmond also believes that they got nothing to lose compared to their opponents.
“With the depth in their squad and a professional coach, pressure will be on them to defend the title,” said Esmond.
“We will make sure that we make it difficult for them,” he added.
The 35-year-old also felt that there it will be no easy task to stop their opponents.
“They have a blend of different types of players and it would be hard to concentrate on just key players,” he said.
“It will take every one on our team to be at their best at the defensive end,” concluded Esmond.
