Goh believes ABL champs Malaysia Dragons now "more comfortable" against Filipinos after PBA D-League stint

PBA

By Ivan Saldajeno

QUEZON CITY--Despite its PBA D-League stint not ending on a high note, Blu-Malaysia coach Goh Cheng Huat thinks the reigning ABL champion's campaign in the said Filipino league bore fruits especially for its local players.

"After 12 games, I feel that they have improved. They're now more comfortable facing the Filipino opponents," Goh, who took over current Phoenix Fuel Masters coach Ariel Vanguardia as the Dragons' mentor, told Dugout Philippines on Tuesday night after their final game in the Foundation Cup, a loss to the Phoenix Accelerators at the JCSGO Gym.

[Related Story: Phoenix stays in twice-to-beat hunt with rout of Blu-Malaysia]

For Goh, who is also the national team coach of Malaysia, he lauded center Kuek Tian Yuan the most.

"He's the guy in our team who is the most consistent. He's the guy who stands out, and he helps the team a lot," Goh said of Kuek, who was among the frontrunners for the conference MVP stats-wise but was actually quiet in the game with 11 points.

Blu-Malaysia is using the PBA D-League as a buildup for its ABL title defense, and Goh is aware that it is not going to be easy.

"In sports, becoming the champion is easy, but defending the championship is hard. Every team wants to beat you. We will try our best to defend the championship," Goh vowed.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno