National cager Ahmad Termizi Hj Noordeen is the only Bruneian to have played professionally for two different teams and is still going strong after 20 years playing the game. BruSports News had the chance to speak to him on how it all started for him.
Q: Let’s begin by introducing yourself.
A: Other than being a basketball player, my day job is an engineer for an oil and gas company. I have been involved in sports since the age of five.
My first sport is swimming, where my mother enrolled me in the KKBS Scheme.
I'm happily married, and the second youngest in a family of seven. Other than basketball, I enjoy weight training in the gym and playing FPS (first person shooter) video games on PC during my free time.
Q: How long have you been playing basketball? How did it all begin for you?
A: I first started playing basketball in year 2000, and then started to take the sport seriously in 2003. So that makes it about 20 years.
It all started when my school, Maktab Sains, just built a basketball court in late 2000, and commemorating this with a 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
A friend asked if I would like to join his team for the tournament, and I agreed. From then on, the rest is history.
Q: How difficult was it in the beginning for you considering how basketball was considered a Chinese or Filipino dominated sport back then?
A: Like in any other similar scenario in this world, things hardly go in your favour when you are the minority. This is a great life lesson for me, understanding the difficulties faced by minorities, which I will never experience being a Malay in my country.
Brunei basketball is blessed with the inclusion culture. It was easy to drop by any court and just join a pickup game. I believe this is rare for any other team sports in Brunei.
In the beginning, it was quite hard catching the different languages/terms used on the court. Slowly I learned to grasp the lingo, from looking at their actions on the court and also with the help of my Chinese and Filipino friends.
During local competitions, I do feel foreign at times being the only Malay on the team. Ultimately my love for the game trumps these feelings, and I barely pay attention to the fact that I’m the only Malay or any other outcomes that come with it.
Q: You are the only to have played for two pro teams in Brunei with Barracudas and Pegasus as well as semi-pro side Beruang Blazers, what is the best thing you can take out playing professionally?
A: As a competitor, I truly enjoy facing great players. Being able to experience competing with the best of players in the region definitely tops the list of being able to play professionally.
One of the biggest lessons I take out from these competitions, is that ‘unity’ is one of the most, if not most important thing for a team, on or off the court especially at the highest level, when everybody is talented. Unity is what sets you apart.
This is why you hear NBA players preaching about locker room presence. Good chemistry is how champions are built, and it is also what keeps teams from falling apart.
Q: Which team do you support and why?
A: Currently, I like watching Miami Heat. They play hard-nosed defence and on offence they move the ball well. I’m also excited about their up and coming players (Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro).
Q: Which player has the biggest influence on your game?
A: The biggest influence would be Allen Iverson, which explains why I just love to handle the ball. He is pound for pound the best basketball player in my opinion.
The things that he accomplished in the NBA at his size amazes me. Compared to other players at their best, I find the most joy watching him in action on the court.
Q: You have good handles. How did you you get up to that level?
A: Just watch A.I compilations. Hours and hours of practice/dribbling. One of the best things about training your handles is that you only need a ball and tiny bit of space. I have dribbled everywhere, on the grass (backyard), wet pavement, even on the deck of an offshore workboat.
I believe its just determination and passion. I just really enjoy dribbling the ball, and I work hard to make sure my left hand can do the drills that my dominant right hand are able to. After all that, is to have the confidence to try and use the moves on the court.
Q: What do you think is your biggest shot thus far?
A: Less than 30 seconds left, home team KK was leading by one point in the 2015 Borneo Cup tournament. Up to that point, I haven’t taken a shot in about 5-8 previous possessions.
I told myself, I must get a chance to attempt a shot, or else I will not forgive myself if we lose. Coach Nomar called a timeout, and I told coach that I will take the next shot.
Once I got the ball, I isolated my defender on the wing, made my move and pulled up for a midranger.. SWISH! After that, the team still needed to make a stop, and I iced the game from the free throw line in the next possession.
Q: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
A: With this much passion for the game, I see myself being involved with training/coaching Brunei local players and help coaching for a team in one of many local tournaments.
Q: How do you think basketball can move forward in our country?
A: We have to start introducing this sport to younger players and get them to compete. It is great that we have regular U-18 and U-15 3x3 tournaments but I would like to see more for lower age groups. Even if they play with a lowered ring.
Q: What do you think makes a good basketball player?
A: Perseverance and discipline. Once you have these two ingredients, with the passion for basketball, you will be a good basketball player.
Skill wise, for me having the basic skills of shooting, passing and dribbling, with the ability to play good defense makes a good basketball player.
Q: Where is the best court that you have played?
A: The Mono Vampire Stadium in Bangkok that I played in, when representing Brunei for the SEABA qualifiers is the basketball venue I have ever played in.
Q: Do you have any superstitions before playing any game?
A: I used to have a chocolate bar before matches during my teenage years. Come to think of it, I wonder why I stopped this. Probably lost it when I went to study abroad. I should bring it back once we get to play competitive basketball again.
Q: What’s the best tip you can give for anyone looking to start playing basketball?
A: Find joy in the sport. Be it shooting, dribbling, passing, or any other aspects of the game. Once you start having fun with it, everything else will come. Although I have to warn them, once you start getting competitive, your love for the game will be tested.
