2002 苦等卅年的冠军

Perhaps many people have forgotten what happened in 2002, but for the Kota Kinabalu Basketball Association, it was a year everyone had waited more than thirty years for—Kota Kinabalu finally had the chance to claim the state title in the Under-18 Boys category. What a long wait it had been…

The then team manager of the Kota Kinabalu boys’ team, Teo Lip Ching, recalled:“After 1999, I happened to be planning a return to Tawau in April, just as the 33rd State Under-18 Basketball Championship was scheduled to be held in Tawau from April 21 to 28. Once again, Su Su Kiong took charge as head coach, with Lim Suat Hong as assistant coach, and we set off in full force for Tawau.”

Similarly, we had not expected to achieve any outstanding results—we were simply there to participate. After all, for more than thirty years since the 1960s, the Kota Kinabalu boys’ youth team had never won a championship. How could we dare to hope for one?

The Kota Kinabalu boys’ lineup at the time included:
(4) Lee Xi Shi, (5) Fu Ren Kang, (6) Xu Sheng Jie, (7) Jiang Wen Bin, (8) Lee Zhong Qing, (9) Xing Kai Long, (10) Edwin Haidir, (11) Liu Jin Yi, (12) Lee Zhen Wei, (13) Zhang Rui Qi, (14) M. Jamaluddin, and (15) Lai Wen Xiong.

This was the first edition of the state tournament after a two-year hiatus, and none of the teams in 2002 had a clear understanding of their opponents. Kota Kinabalu was grouped with Tawau, Keningau, and Semporna. The team performed with ease, defeating Semporna 98–25, Keningau 53–32, and Tawau 76–30, winning all three matches to top the group and advance to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Kota Kinabalu faced Sandakan, the Group A runner-up. The team started slowly and struggled to find rhythm, but improved significantly in the second half and eventually secured a 79–54 victory.

In the final, Kota Kinabalu faced Kinabatangan, who were also unbeaten. Kinabatangan had outstanding players such as Hong Fang Zheng (who later won the Most Valuable Player award), but their bench depth was limited. Kota Kinabalu adopted a fast-paced attacking strategy from the start, while Kinabatangan relied on a more defensive, counter-attacking approach. As some of Kinabatangan’s players began to tire, Kota Kinabalu’s tactical adjustments in the third quarter proved effective, and they ultimately triumphed 75–59. It was a hard-fought victory.

This championship was priceless for the Kota Kinabalu Basketball Association. It was an honor that had seemed unattainable for 33 years, and we were privileged to share this victory with an outstanding group of players. It also reinforced the belief that with continued effort, success would eventually come.

From that point on, championships began to follow one after another. In the past, the basketball community often joked that Kota Kinabalu was fated never to win titles, but that unfortunate history is now long gone. It all began with the teams of 1999 and 2002…