Yee Chun Leong
TUTONG
PREMIER Runs Overtime (PRO) is operational and looking to launch Brunei basketball to new heights.
PRO, which is the brainchild of Wira Pori, Giap On and national coach Ben Sim, brings together the top players in the Sultanate for high intensity games.
Players are drafted into teams to level the playing field and to contest in 10-minute running time matches with 14-second shot clock.
The first PRO session was conducted on Sunday at the Tutong Chung Hwa Basketball court with 27 players in attendance.
Wira felt that this was necessary as the sport had taken a step back post-covid.
"We want to spark interest among the youth to get better and be selected to play against the best based in Brunei, whether local or non-local," said Wira to BruSports News.
"As it stands, the basketball scene has stagnate post-covid and we're just trying to help by injecting creative ideas to restart the fire.
"If there is an incentive to improve, there might be a bigger talent pool of locals that eventually can help at the national level," he added.
On also chimed in that foreign talent from the region will help take games up a notch.
"We can have as many games with our current pool but to improve we will need to invite outside players," said On.
"We will look to have some of the players from around the region to come play together in the near future," he added.
The current field consists of youth as well as veteran players and it was much needed according to Sim.
"We need a mixture and these veterans bring in experience," he concluded.
Currently PRO is on an invitation basis and sessions will be held once every few weeks.
