Satria Muda’s Theo Little, right, will provide some much-needed muscle for the Indonesian club during the inaugural ABL season. (JG Photo)

Satria Muda Is Flying Blind As It Welcomes the Patriots

There is nothing worse for a team than going into a game not knowing much about its opponent.

Satria Muda Britama takes on the Philippine Patriots in the Indonesian club’s first game in the inaugural Asean Basketball League in Jakarta on Saturday.

But the reigning four-time Indonesian Basketball Association champion might as well be playing blind at the Britama Arena, with its coaching staff saying it has seen nothing in the way of scouting reports on its opponents.

“The Patriots are a virtual mystery to us because it is a newly formed club,” coach Fictor Roring said on Friday.

The Philippines has built a reputation as the region’s basketball powerhouse, a fact that is certainly not lost on the rest of the six-team league, which considers the Filipinos the hot favorites to win the title.

“We know the Philippines has a lot of excellent players and it always plays an attractive attacking game,” said Fictor, who is sure to count on Satria Muda’s new Filipino recruit, playmaker Rensy Bajar, for some insider information going into Saturday’s match.

The Patriots will also arrive with two Americans, Philippine professional league veteran Jason Dixon and former US NCAA Division One player Brandon Powell.

Among the Filipino players, Fictor said his team would have to pay special attention to a couple of offensive-minded swingmen — long-distance threat Khazim Mirza and longtime professional Rob Wainwright.

In reports from Manila, Patriots coach Louie Alas played down his team’s favorite tag, saying his players still hadn’t jelled as a squad.

“The presence of imports gives everybody an equal chance of winning in this tournament,” Alas said. “[My team] is also still in the getting-to-know each other stage.”

In addition to guard Bajar, Satria Muda also boasts a pair of American big men in Alex Hartman and Theo Little.

With a combination of height and speed, Fictor, whose local players have had extensive international exposure, hopes to offset his team’s relative lack of chemistry by playing hard-nosed defense.

“We’ll need to play tough on the defensive end to contain the Patriots,” Fictor said.

“If we can do that, I believe we can beat them.”

His club’s lone preseason match was on Tuesday against Pelita Jaya, which Satria Muda thumped 92-66, a result that pleased Fictor.

“It’s only a matter of time before the imports fully adapt to their local teammates and to our style of play,” he said. “Eventually, we’ll grow stronger.”

“A winning start is very important to us because it will boost our confidence going into our next games,” he added.

Hartman, who suited up for Satria Muda in a 2008 regional tournament that also featured the Philippines, offered his two cents’ worth.

“We need to get back in transition after we turn the ball over,” Hartman said. “Overall, the players are definitely better now than they were the last time I was here.”

The ABL, which tips off on Saturday in Jakarta and runs through February, will feature six clubs — Satria Muda, the Patriots, the Brunei Barracudas, the Kuala Lumpur Dragons, the Singapore Slingers and the Thailand Tigers.

After playing the Patriots in Jakarta, Satria Muda will fly to Bangkok for a game against the Thailand Tigers on Oct. 18, before returning home to face the Kuala Lumpur Dragons on Oct. 25.

Antara, JG

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