Saigon Heat at ABL Invitational 2023: The uniform strength of "the team that came out of the dark"

The unbeaten record in stage 1 is a remarkable highlight left by Saigon Heat, not only for Vietnamese fans but also for many fans and professionals at the ABL Invitational 2023.

Not revealing much information about personnel and squad before the tournament, coach Matt Van Pelt's army did not play in friendly matches like some clubs including Slingers, NS Matrix or Louvre Surabaya.

The first match at the ABL Invitational 2023 was also the first time "Mr 30" appeared to the fans, and since then, they have constantly left an impression on many different aspects.

Initially, foreign players like Jeremy Combs, Jairus Holder and especially Evan Gilyard shined, leading the game to bring Saigon Heat to victory. But gradually towards the end of stage 1, the imprint of Vietnamese-born players and especially the internal soldiers became more and more bold.

Bigman "overseas Vietnamese" Hassan Thomas is like a tireless working machine, contesting rebounds and scoring impressive near-baskets. Besides, Vo Kim Ban and Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh have round-role matches to contribute. lead the team to victory.

The stage opened for the internal army in the last match when Saigon Heat "blow-out" the opponent from the second half. Thanks to that, a series of names left an impression such as Anh Kiet, Du Minh An and Huynh Truc Nhan.

Stage two will be when Saigon Heat will face real challenges. Besides the Singapore Slingers with a uniform internal army, coach Matt Van Pelt's teachers and students will face champion candidate Hong Kong Eastern.

It is impossible to ignore the fact that the remaining teams have improved in quality and gameplay, learning from the defeat against "Mr. 30" in stage 1. This makes stage 2 of Saigon Heat more enjoyable to watch for fans. grave, and at the same time it will be more difficult for the players to fight in foreign lands.