NYSI Junior College 3x3 Basketball Series
Tampines Meridian Junior College swept the medal positions in the boys' category in the NYSI JC 3x3 Basketball Series.
The National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI) Junior College (JC) 3x3 Basketball Series tipped off on 2 March 2019 with 20 teams at Eunoia Junior College (EJC).
The 3x3 Basketball format sees three a side playing with one hoop to allow for a faster and more intense game. The 3x3 Basketball format was introduced at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and will make its debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Junior college teams, who begin their National A Division Basketball campaign in April, saw the NYSI 3x3 series as an opportunity to prepare.
“I think the series has helped us to prepare both mentally and physically,” said Aaron Tan of Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC). “The unique tournament format means having a lot of intense games in a short period of time. This definitely helps us develop consistency and fighting spirit.”
In the boys’ category, TMJC dominated the 13-team round-robin format by completing a clean sweep of the medals. They beat out teams from Anderson Serangoon Junior College (ASRJC), Oldham, Hwa Chong International School (HCIS), Catholic Junior College (CJC), and EJC.
In the girls’ category, ASRJC Team 1 emerged champions after beating TMJC 10-6 in an exciting final . Oldham secured the bronze after beating ASRJC Team 2 7-4 in their 3rd/4th playoff. A total of seven teams from ASRJC, TMJC, Oldham, HCIS, and EJC participated.
“I feel really good about winning the series, we lost several games at the start but we fought back to emerge champions,” said Teo Wan Yu of ASRJC.
"The series has given us a competition to prepare and train for. This will help in our A Division tournament next month.”
Hwa Chong International School coach, Zhou Zhen Jie, echoed similar sentiments.
He said, “The competitive spirit the players exhibited here allows the players to get into the right state of mind for their national games. The 3x3 format forces them to think quickly and play at a very fast pace.”
“I hope NYSI can organize more 3x3 tournaments because the value of playing against other schools cannot be overstated. My players gained valuable experience from the series and they are looking forward to the next one."
Boys’ category
1st: Tampines Meridian Junior College Team 1
2nd: Tampines Meridian Junior College Team 2
3rd: Tampines Meridian Junior College Team 3
Girls’ category
1st: Anderson Serangoon Junior College Team 1
2nd: Tampines Meridian Junior College
3rd: Oldham
The medalists of the girls' category: Anderson Serangoon Junior College clinched gold, Tampines Meridian Junior College took the silver while Oldham secured bronze.
Tampines Meridian Junior College Team 2 in action against Oldham.