Singleton's Dream of a New Identity for the Indonesian National Basketball Team

Five years ago, David Singleton began his basketball coaching debut in Indonesia. He was only 32 years old when he coached a small club in the eastern tip of Java, Pacific Caesar Surabaya. Due to his success each year, the tactician moved on to larger teams until he eventually arrived in the capital.

Singleton, after his adventures with Bima Perkasa Jogja (2021) and Prawira Bandung (2022-25), has finally reached the peak of his career in the homeland. Encountered at the Soemantri Brodjonegoro Sports Hall in Jakarta on Thursday (11/9/2025), the coach from the United States was busy training the Indonesian national team.

Dave, as he is called, appeared cheerful when meeting with journalists, although his eyes were red from lack of sleep. "How are you? I am happy to meet again as the national team coach at this time. I think this is the right moment. To be honest, this position is my main goal," he said.

No one is more deserving to lead the national team than Dave. He has been awarded Coach of The Year in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) four times in the last five years. Interestingly, this award was achieved while coaching a team from outside Jakarta, which typically faces a quality disadvantage.

That special track record is what led to his appointment by the National Team Agency last April. He replaced the interim coach, Johanis Winar, who had taken over from the foreign coach Milos Pejic (2022-24). Dave's first task is to lead the Indonesian national basketball team at the SEA Games in Thailand in December 2025.

A heavy challenge awaits the coach born in San Francisco, California. Indonesia is far from being categorized as a "basketball nation," unlike the Philippines, which has many tall and skilled player talents. Height has often been used as an excuse by previous national team coaches when facing defeat.

The reason for the high defeat is indeed the easiest way to simplify the problem. However, with such a perspective, what is the point of competing if one is already at a disadvantage from the start? Japan, for instance, has proven that it can rank 21st in the world with a squad height below the standard.

The issue of identity has become crucial. If one is aware of not having many high-quality players over two meters tall, there needs to be another way to win the match. Like Japan, they rely on skill, speed, agility, and a high fighting spirit.

Dave is aware of those limitations. Instead of lamenting the situation, he wants to create a new identity for the national team. "The key is resilience, persistence, and presence. We want to be a team that makes opponents say, 'wow, they are really difficult to face'," he said.

"We want to play hard, control the tempo, and create as many movements and passes as possible. That is from the gameplay perspective. You must believe in the X factor. You often see that matches are won not by the more talented team, but by the more tenacious one," he stated.

Coincidentally, the Indonesian national team is being forced to get creative by the upcoming SEA Games regulations. According to the latest information, there are special rules for naturalized players. Only players naturalized before the age of 16 are allowed to participate in Thailand. This means Indonesia cannot bring a naturalized center.

Of the 24 players called up so far, not a single one is taller than two meters. Indonesia's star center, Vincent Kosasih, was forced to miss the biennial event due to family reasons. Due to the lack of a big man, 40-year-old Ponsianus Nyoman Indrawan was recalled after his last call-up in 2018.

Fortunately, the national team has a player like Dave. When it comes to creativity, one should never doubt the 37-year-old coach. He has repeatedly proven his ability to elevate the team's performance with limited resources, including when he led the underdog team Prawira to victory in the IBL 2023.

"Ultimately, we have to face what we must face. You know, I have been on an underdog team before, and I know how to deal with it. So, we will just keep practicing and playing and believe that whatever we have is enough," said Dave.

Dave's creativity was already evident during the attack pattern training session at Soemantri. The spotlight was on one of the star-studded teams that the coach was closely monitoring. This team consists of Abraham Damar Grahita, Andakara Prastawa, Yudha Saputera, Juan Laurent, and Ponsianus.

Three players on the team can play as guards: Abraham, Prastawa, and Yudha. Meanwhile, Juan completes the guard trio's abilities as a three-point shooter. Komink, Ponsianus' nickname, plays center, although he usually plays more often as a power forward during his time with the club.

This lineup demonstrates the national team's plan to play with a "small ball" strategy, or without a pure center. This strategy is known for the NBA's Golden State Warriors. Fast-paced play and a flurry of three-pointers are the hallmarks of Stephen Curry and his teammates.

According to Dave, the national team has no choice but to rely on the greatest strengths of the players. "We have many shooters. Our advantage is that we can shoot the ball very well from anywhere. That is why we want to play at a slightly higher tempo," said the student of former New Zealand coach, Tim Fanning.

Komink's call-up isn't just due to a big man crisis. The 193-centimeter-tall player's speed may have slowed considerably in his forties. However, Dave needs him because of his highly intelligent play. This could be useful in executing quick attacks.

Prastawa and his teammates continue to be trained in quick attack patterns during counter-attack transition situations. They are instructed to move and pass the ball as quickly as possible. This pattern appears to be different from the previous foreign coach, Pejic, who relied more on a relatively slow-paced game.

Prastawa said the difference was already palpable, even though the SEA Games national training had only begun two days earlier. "We're all still adapting to the coach's desired system. Indeed, without a big man, we have to play faster," said the 2021 Vietnam SEA Games gold medalist.

Regardless of the new identity of the Indonesian national team, what Dave looks forward to the most is player development. He has always been able to elevate the level of players at every club he has coached. With the Kaizen principle he learned from Japanese culture, ordinary players become valuable, and talented players become stars.