Not only ABL Finals, coach Matt Van Pelt will be absent from the 32nd SEA Games campaign

In the closing match last night at Nguyen Du Stadium, Saigon Heat Club could not beat Hong Kong Eastern in Game 3 of the ABL Finals 2023 final series.

The fans soon turned their attention to the bench, where coach Matt Van Pelt was suddenly absent without any notice. According to information obtained by Webthethao, the American captain had a serious problem related to his family.

The incident was so important that he was forced to board a plane to return home just 24 hours before Game 3.

However, with the current situation, the 32-year-old coach will not be able to accept responsibility for the national team during the preparation period as well as playing in Cambodia in May.

The 32nd SEA Games is coming very close and the Vietnamese basketball team is expected to gather in early April, just over 30 days before the start of basketball in Cambodia.

With coach Matt Van Pelt not yet knowing the date of his return to Vietnam, if he still holds the position of captain, it will be a "difficult both ways" scenario for him personally as well as for the national team.

It is known that the two sides have come to a final agreement, allowing Coach Matt to focus on taking care of his family at this time. On the team's side, the leadership is considering alternatives.

In the past two years, coach Matt Van Pelt has been quite successful in Vietnamese basketball as a captain, both at national and club levels.

He and the Vietnamese team brought home the historic silver medal in the 31st SEA Games 3x3 basketball content. A few months later, Matt Van Pelt and the Saigon Heat Club completed the historic treble, successfully defending the title. VBA 2022.

By 2023, the 31-year-old coach brought Saigon Heat to the final series of the Southeast Asian Professional Basketball League (ABL) for the first time, the best achievement in more than 10 years of participating in this regional arena.