Huỳnh Thị Ngoan will continue to captain the 5x5 Vietnamese women's basketball team. Photos courtesy of Việt Nam Basketball Federation

Xuân Đăng

In the upcoming SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's basketball team is expected to be a tough opponent and compete for a medal, thanks to good preparation and excellent athletes.

The team will be led by American head coach David Daniel Jones and two assistants, Horace Nguyễn and Lê Minh Chí.

Last week, the coaching staff finalised the official list of 12 players to prepare for the upcoming matches in the Games. Most of the players are in good form.

Among the 12 athletes, there are four players from HCM City basketball club, three from Cần Thơ, one from Hà Nội and four overseas Vietnamese players.

Because only 12 players are selected for the final list, the board of the Vietnamese women's team had to say goodbye to names like Nguyễn Thị Cẩm Tiên, Phạm Thị Tha Bay, Văn Thu Thảo, and Dương Thị Trang.

This was a difficult decision for the coaching staff as very player called up performed well during the last training camp.  

The list has many players playing in the positions of point guard and forward such as Trần Thị Yến Vân, Huỳnh Thị Ngoan, Bùi Kim Nhạn, Nguyễn Thị Tiểu Duy, and Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Trâm.

For the center position, the coaching staff will alternately use three players with the best height: Võ Thị Ngọc Hậu (1m 79), Đặng Thị Thúy Hằng (1m 81) and Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên (1m 81).

With many years of experience, Ngoan will continue to be the team captain.

Besides the homegrown players, the national team also has overseas Vietnamese players who promise to bring hope to the team, such as the twin sisters Trương Thảo My and Trương Thảo Vy, and Mailee Jones and Trần Thị Anh Đào.

After an impressive performance winning gold at the ABL 3x3 International Champions Cup 2022 in Bali late last month, the twins are expected to lead the Vietnamese team to win the first medal for Vietnamese women's basketball.

Both are currently playing for the University of Gonzaga in the NCAA Women Division 1, the highest league for college students.

Last season, Thảo Vy had an impressive performance with an average of 11.2 points, 3.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. Meanwhile, Thảo My had 10.4 points, 3.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.

Twin Trương Thảo Vy is expected to lead the team to win the first medal for Việt Nam in women's basketball.

The current squad has a great combination of youth and experience, and the players all have good shooting ability, a strength of coach David Jones' army, promising to bring a new dynamic playing style and become formidable opponents at the Games.

From May 16, the team will begin their journey to basket a medal.

With support from the home crowd at the 1,500-seater Thanh Trì Gymnasium, Hà Nội, the Vietnamese women's team is determined to get their best ever result. VNS