Pelita Jaya Jakarta Troops At IBL 2024, Want To Stop Curses In The Last Three Seasons

JAKARTA - Pelita Jaya Jakarta must accept the harsh reality because it always fails to win the title even though it has entered the final in the last three seasons.

Looking at the squad in the last three seasons, Pelita Jaya is not an arbitrary team. The line-up of top players always fills the booster every season.

The proof is that they can always be finalists in the last three editions. However, the curse of runners-up still reaches the team from the capital city.

When they entered the 2024 Indonesian Basketball League (IBL), they made a reshuffle to remove the curse of runner-up specialists.

The managerial side did not escape change. Adhi Pratama Prasetyo Putra returned to the team. However, this time the league MVP and champions occupy the manager position.

Head coach for IBL 2024 is filled with Beveridge Robert Williams from Australia. He will be assisted by assistant coach Johannis Winar who was sent home.

Johannis Winar has been the assistant coach of the Indonesian Basketball National Team in recent years.

Then, Pelita Jaya's line-up did not change much, especially from the team framework. The old names labeled stars who successfully led the team to become finalists were maintained.

Pelita Jaya is still defended by Saudale, Muhammad Arighi, Andakara Prastawa Dhyaksa, Agas Yeshe Goantara, Vincent Rivaldi Kosasih, and Hendrick Xavi Yonga.

However, this season's additional strength is quite fantastic. They made a blockbuster transfer by bringing in a Defensive Player of the Year and the 2023 IBL Final MVP Muhammad Reza Fahdani Guntara.

Not to mention the recruitment of Brandon Van Dorn Jawato who had defended Pelita Jaya in the 2016 season.

Rows of foreign players are no less classy. Pelita Jaya has Thomas Earl Robinson, Kevin Ornell Chapman McDaniels, or KJ McDaniels, and Malichi Lewis Richardson.

KJ McDaniels has a Swiss portfolio. He is a professional basketball player in the United States who has played in several NBA clubs.

He entered the 2014 NBA Draft and was then chosen by Philadelphia 76ers. McDaniels' best performance was scored in his first season with Sixers.

He played 52 games 15 times as a starter. The average contribution was 9.2 ppg (point per game), 3.8 rpg (rebound per game), and 1.3 apg (assist per game), with a total shot accuracy of 39.9%.

Apart from Sixers, he has also defended Houston Rockets (2015-2017), and Brooklyn Nets.

He has played for Oklahoma City Blue, the OKC Thunder affiliate team in the G League. In that case, KJ McDaniels is often on the Philippine team, such as TNT KaTropa, NLEX Road Warriors, to Meralco Bolts.

Before leaving for Indonesia, KJ McDaniels was listed as a player in Al Hilal in the Saudi Arabia basketball league for the 2023-24 season. He played six matches with an average of 13.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, and 1.3 spg.

The presence of KJ McDaniels is proof that Pelita Jaya really wants to end their title drought in the last three IBL seasons.

The name of power is no joke. Apart from the names earlier, don't forget the local naturalized slot, Jerome Anthony Beane Jr., which was recruited for the 2024 IBL champion target.

Pelita Jaya Jakarta Troops At IBL 2024