Differences In Quality, Experience, And Posture Make The Indonesian Basketball Team Unable To Do Much Against Lebanon

Indonesian basketball team (Photo: PP PERBASI)

JAKARTA - The coach of the Indonesian basketball national team, Rajko Toroman, revealed the factors that made the Red and White squad lose to Lebanon in two Group C matches in the Asian zone of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifying window.

"They are better than us. We made adjustments on the pitch but they are stronger and more experienced," Rajko said in his official statement on Monday.

Andakara Prastawa Dhyaksa and his friends lost respectively in the first match at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Center, Zouk Mikael, Saturday (27 November) with a score of 38-96 and Monday (29 November) with a result of 64-110.

Differences in quality, experience, and posture make Indonesia unable to do much. What's more, in the second match the Red and White squad also had to lose Lester Prosper again because he tested positive for COVID-19.

Even though during the last test carried out by the management of the Indonesian national team the day before the match, Prosper was declared negative from the corona virus.

This situation repeats the first meeting. At that time, Prosper, who underwent three swab tests, was declared negative, but when the committee conducted a swab test before the match, he stated that he was positive and was forced to miss and have to undergo quarantine.

Prosper himself was confused by this situation. In his official Instagram account, he stated that he was healthy and did not know what was going on so he missed the opportunity to strengthen Merah Putih.

Even so, Prosper did not give up and will continue to work hard for Indonesia. "I am very sad and angry about this condition," Prosper said.

Meanwhile, basketball player Vincent Kosasih admitted that the absence of Lester Prosper and Arki Dikania Wisnu greatly affected the team's performance.

After Lebanon, Indonesia will appear in Window II of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifications against Saudi Arabia (24 February 2022) and Jordan (27 February).