SEA Games 2017 Preview: Myanmar

Wang Aung is back and that’s really all you should care about… but maybe there’s more to be excited about.

Overview

[อ่านภาษาไทย คลิกที่นี่เลยครับ]

Myanmar returns 10 players from their SEABA Championship 2017! Not to say that they had a successful run to continue with, but continuity is important in development nonetheless.

Here’s something to also consider. They’re the youngest team in the tournament! With only one player over 23, it would seem like Myanmar are either focused on igniting their own golden generation or no one else older than that is really interested in basketball.

This will be Myanmar’s 3rd straight SEA Games but it seems like this will be another reboot with only 2 players retained from SEA Games 2015. With some relatively promising young guys like Wana Aung and Thein Han, it will be fun to see if Myanmar can start to gain some momentum.

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Players

First Name	Surname	DOB	Team
La	Ja	24/01/1987	N/A
Sett Mon	Min	02/07/1991	N/A
Aung	Zaya	17/06/1999	N/A
Aung Myat	Phyo	04/06/1995	N/A
Wai	Zin	10/09/1996	N/A
Thein Tun	Oo	12/10/1997	N/A
Sei Thu Tun	Tun	05/04/1994	N/A
Thein	Han	20/03/1998	N/A
Sai Phyo	Kyaw	12/06/1998	N/A
Kaung Myat	Aye	20/11/1995	N/A
Wana	Aung	05/03/1995	N/A
Aung Phyo	Wai	29/07/1994	N/A

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Schedule (According to Malaysia Time GMT +8)

20/8 17:00 PM vs. Malaysia
22/8 18:00 PM vs. Philippines
24/8 13:30 PM vs. Thailand

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Player(s) to Watch

Player	Notable Stats	Competition	Team
Wana Aung	24.3 MPG, 16.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG	SEABA Championship 2017	Myanmar
Thein Han	31.3 MPG, 8.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG	SEABA Championship 2017	Myanmar

Wana Aung (22) garnered all the spotlight in the SEABA Championship for his exciting scoring, but keep an eye on Thien Han as well. The 19-year-old didn’t dazzle like Aung did, but he was the most consistent contributor for the woeful Myanmar National Team with 8.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game.

Myanmar doesn’t have many options (or bodies) that can stick with the competition down low, so there will be a lot for Han to shoulder in this tournament.

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What to Expect

This is a really, really, really, young team (average 21.8 years old) that isn’t fundamentally sound, so it’s hard to see them suddenly get locked in on defence after what we saw in the SEABA Championship.

On the other side, Myanmar’s going to be fun to watch on offence. Not necessarily because of how well they run their offensive sets, but more because of how much energy they have. And Wana Aung is always going to be worth watching on offence.

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3 Key Points

1. Lock it Down
   If Myanmar are seriously looking at pulling off an upset against Malaysia, Thailand, or the Philippines, they really have to focus on staying focused and concentrated on defence.
   Eventually, they might be able to luck out on an outburst of scoring from Aung, but it’ll be pointless if they can’t stop the other team from scoring.
2. Run Like the Wind
   For a team to be so young, I would expect them to take advantage of their youth and just try to run the other teams out of the gym.
   It might not exactly work out well going up against the teams in their group, but if there’s something that might work… this is probably it.
3. Let Wana Aung Loose
   Pretty self-explanatory. Dude can be wild, but he can shoulder an offensive load.

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Bottom Line

It’s a shame that Myanmar had to group with Malaysia, Thailand, and Philippines. To be honest, it would have been more fun to see them go for a win over Cambodia/Laos.
Myanmar will need a miracle to pull off the expected minimum two wins to make it to the semifinals, so enjoy the Wana Aung (and Thein Han) show while it lasts.

More Previews

Philippines
Indonesia
Singapore
Thailand
Malaysia
Cambodia
Vietnam
Myanmar
Laos

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