Slingers target top four at Merlion Cup

SINGAPORE — The Singapore Slingers will face some of their toughest opponents on home soil when the Merlion Cup kicks off on Sept 21, but coach Neo Beng Siang insisted that his team will not be intimidated by their rivals on the OCBC Arena basketball court.

The tournament — which makes a return to Singapore after a 20-year hiatus — will feature regional powerhouses such as China’s Shanghai Sharks, two-time Korean Basketball League winners Seoul Samsung Thunders, reigning Asean Basketball League (ABL) champions Westports Malaysia Dragons, Filipino outfit Mighty Sports, and Taiwan’s Kinmeng Kaoliang Liquor.

Hit by the loss of former centre Delvin Goh — the 2.02m tall cager is now part of Brunei’s Beruang Blazers — the Slingers will also be missing the services of Larry Liew and Wu Qingde due to National Service commitments.

Despite the challenges, Neo has set a semi-final target for his team.

He said in a media session yesterday: “It’s a bit sad as we wanted to use the Merlion Cup to trial some players for the ABL which will start on Oct 24.

“But we are boosted by the return of our American imports and last season’s ABL stars, Xavier (Alexandar) and Justin (Howard). We also have Jeff Viernes here, who has done well in this time at the Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League.

“We are looking at reaching the semis ... Over the years, we have gained a lot of international exposure and confidence after the two consecutive SEA Games bronze medals (2013, 2015) and the historic final at last season’s ABL.”

The Singapore Slingers will kick off their Merlion Cup campaign against Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor at the OCBC Arena on Sept 21.

The competition will see the six teams divided into two groups, with the top two from the round-robin stage progressing to the semi-finals. ADELENE WONG