Tight National Election! PERBASI Calls 181 U18 National Team Players

Viralterkini.id, Jakarta – DPP PERBASI opens opportunities for young basketball players at home and abroad to join the Men’s and Women’s U18 Basketball National Team (Timnas).

This step was marked by the implementation of the first stage of national selection (Seleknas) which was held at Hoops Ancol, North Jakarta, on 26-28 February 2026.

The National Seleknas is part of preparations for facing two important agendas at the Southeast Asian level. In May 2026, the Women’s U18 National Team will appear in the FIBA ​​U18 Women’s Asia Cup SEAB Qualifiers 2026 in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the Men’s U18 National Team is scheduled to compete in the 2026 FIBA ​​U18 Asia Cup SEAB Qualifiers which will take place in Thailand in June 2026.

These two tournaments are the entrance to the FIBA ​​U18 Asia Cup 2026, an elite age group event in the Asian region. Therefore, the selection process is carried out in a strict and measurable manner.

A total of 181 players were summoned in the first stage of the national selection. In detail, 76 female players and 105 male players from various regions in Indonesia.

This summons is the result of monitoring by the PERBASI National Team Body (BTN) in various national championships, as well as recommendations from the PERBASI Regional Leadership Council (DPD) throughout Indonesia.

Program Leader (Pimpro) for the U18 Men’s and Women’s National Basketball Team, Fictor Roring, emphasized that this national selection was the initial stage to select the best players who would strengthen the Red and White.

“We started the national selection to select players who will strengthen Indonesia in these two events. Around 70 women and more than 100 men players took part in this selection,” said Fictor Roring on the sidelines of the activity.

He explained that the total participants would be reduced to the 40 best players. Furthermore, this number was refined again to 20 players who will attend the training camp in May 2026.

“In stages, from this number we are looking for 40 players. Then at the end of the selection we hope to have selected 20 players. These twenty players are the ones we will call for the training camp,” he said.

Fictor added that the national selection at Hoops Ancol was the first stage focused on players competing domestically. However, PERBASI is also preparing a second stage of selection targeting Indonesian players abroad.

The second stage will be intended for players who are studying abroad and heritage players who have an Indonesian passport and meet the requirements to defend the national team. The implementation time will be announced later.

“We want to look for all Indonesian basketball players, both at home and abroad. For the second stage, we will call players who are studying abroad or heritage players who have Indonesian passports. They will be selected separately,” explained Fictor, who is familiarly called Coach Ito.

According to him, this step is part of a long-term strategy to expand the talent base and increase Indonesia’s competitiveness at the Asian level. By opening up the widest possible opportunities, PERBASI hopes that no potential players will be missed.

Regarding the criteria for players being sought, Fictor emphasized that individual quality remains the main priority. Technical, physical and mental aspects of competition are important assessments in selection.

“What is certain is that we are looking for the best. If we want to simplify it, the one who is good, strong, has posture and is fast. All is for the benefit of Indonesia in the next championship,” he stressed.

Historically, the performance of the Indonesian U18 National Team shows a competitive trend in the Southeast Asia region. In the previous edition, the Men’s U18 National Team successfully became runners-up in the FIBA ​​U18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers 2024 which took place in Malaysia on 19-21 July 2024.

These results led Indonesia to qualify for the 2024 FIBA ​​U18 Asia Cup in Jordan, at that time under the direction of coach Andrie Ekayana.

Meanwhile, the U18 Women’s National Team recorded one win and two defeats in the qualifying group phase in Thailand, 24-26 May 2024.

The team then continued their struggle at the FIBA ​​U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2024 Division A in China under the leadership of coach Bambang Asdianto.

Secretary General of DPP PERBASI, Nirmala Dewi, appreciated the enthusiasm of the young players who took part in the national selection. He believes that this enthusiasm is an important asset in building the foundation for national basketball.

“Fighting for the Red and White is the calling of every Indonesian citizen. We appreciate the struggle of the young players who compete fairly to be part of the U18 national team for men and women,” said Nirmala.

He hopes that, through this open and competitive selection process, Indonesia will be able to maintain the quality of player regeneration and increase competitiveness at the Asian and Southeast Asian levels.

With two important agendas in sight, this national election is a crucial momentum for PERBASI to ensure the best composition of the U18 National Team.

The target is clear: qualifying, appearing competitive in Asia, and bringing Indonesia’s name to greater prominence on the international basketball stage. (ma)