Photo via ActiveSG
It seems Taiwan has turned their attention to our local basketball scene yet again!
This time around, scouts have their eyes set on 20-year-old Yap Zhi Wei, who excels in the forward as well as center positions.
Standing at 1.93m, Zhi Wei has been offered the chance to go to Taiwan and compete in the University Basketball Association (UBA) league, under a four-year basketball scholarship programme.
He will join Vanung University - a Division 2 side in the UBA.
Previously, former national players Kenneth Ho and Wong Chin Yong, as well as current national team star Yek Liang Chuan and KL Dragons' Tan Wei Long, had also played in the UBA.
However, Zhi Wei is the first Malaysian to go under a basketball scholarship programme!
The KL boy told the New Straits Times that he really wasn’t expecting this, and that the opportunity had just come out of nowhere.
“Of course, I was very happy at first and then I got a little nervous as I counted down the days to leaving Malaysia. But I really want to make the best of this opportunity in challenging myself in another country,” he said.
Zhi Wei left for Thailand earlier this week.
In case you didn’t know, the last time Taiwanese scouts looked to Malaysia was last year, in V. Dhayalan, who was offered a spot with Guangqi High School in Taoyuan, where he competes in the High School Basketball League (HBL).
This just goes to show that you can definitely excel in your passion if you put your heart and soul into it!
by Kyle Roshen Jacob
