CCA Previews ’26: Basketball

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Josiah Lo (26S06Q, Vice-Captain) and Kayla Tan (26S03E, Vice-Captain)

Adapted from CCA Previews ’25

Hello! Welcome to Raffles Basketball, a CCA where we have fun and work as a team.

Our team is not just about competing on the court, but a tight-knit family that supports and uplifts one another off the court as well. Our trainings are more than just perfecting our skills but also about strengthening the bonds we have with one another and camaraderie which makes our team unique.

Through team-building activities and social gatherings, we cultivate a shared sense of belonging from every member in the team. After all, we believe that sports is not just about winning but, more importantly, the bonds and relationships we form along the way.

Curious on how basketball works? We got you! Basketball is a dynamic and exhilarating sport that combines athleticism, strategy, and teamwork. Played on a court with a hoop at each end, the game challenges players to work together to score points and defend against opponents. It requires speed, agility, and precision, making it both physically demanding and mentally engaging.

You can find many basketball courts all around Singapore and it usually brings people from different backgrounds together. If you want to start playing for the first time, don’t be afraid to join a game or shoot around at any neighbourhood court. Basketball is easy to pick up and you are bound to improve after playing a while.

However, if you want to take your game to the next level, our CCA is sure to grow you as both a basketball player and a person overall. We ensure that CCA members are committed to the team, improving individual skills and team chemistry. This ultimately builds a very strong culture of discipline, camaraderie and most importantly, FUN!

Our training comprises both court training and strength and conditioning which takes place 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, usually lasting between 2-3 hours.

Our training sessions are rigorous and focused, honing our skills and strategies to push each player to their full potential. Under the guidance of our dedicated coaches, Boys’ Coach Kua Hiong Yong and Girls’ Coach Chiew Poh Leng, we engage in individual skills such as finishing and ball handling, or team drills, running plays and scrimmaging. Our team always strives for excellence and constantly works towards our goals, building fortitude and discipline along the way.

Through our strength and conditioning sessions, we participate in drills that train agility, speed, strength and endurance. This will help ensure that our athletes’ bodies are in tip-top condition during the season, preventing injury and enhancing our performance during the NSG season.

In the buildup to the season, thanks to our passionate teachers, Mr Carlsen Tay, Ms Kristine Ong and Mr Donavan Low, many tournaments and friendlies are organised to compete against other schools and replicate game-like intensity. This allows our teams to test our abilities in one cohesive effort, analyse and reflect on these games in order to build on our foundation and improve to achieve greatness in the annual National School Games A Division Championships.

One such example this year was the FIRE tournament, where our team had the privilege to compete with local and international schools, each providing us with a different challenge, allowing us to play, reflect, analyse, and eventually improve as a team.

To enhance our training, our teams also embark on our overseas training trips to countries around Asia, including Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. This gives our teams the opportunity to compete against stronger teams that we would usually not have the chance to play with, yet still gain very valuable experience and learning points. This encourages our team members to see how other teams have a high level of intensity and commitment to the sport, motivating our squad to also try to emulate the same culture within our teams.

We bring our learning back to our school training and it helps us elevate the effectiveness of our training. On our recent trip to Taiwan this year, the powerhouse schools tested our team’s capability to handle tougher opponents and be adaptable in a new climate and environment. Although we faced difficulties with the weather and getting used to the diet overseas, it taught us how to persevere and press on when facing challenges.

Most importantly, we gelled together as a team and gathered valuable experiences we made use of during NSG. During the years when we do not go overseas, we will usually conduct a 2D1N camp in school for training and team bonding.

Another tradition in Raffles Basketball would be our Gryphons Cup. This is our CCA’s version of Gryphons Recall where we invite previous batches of RI ballers to come back and participate in a 5v5/3v3 competition. This allows our alumni to get to know the current ballers, while allowing an avenue for catch-ups with their own batch mates. The alumni, having gone through the same journey as us, are able to impart their experience and wisdom, giving us advice for any challenges we might face throughout these two very hectic years of our lives.

The supportive environment within our CCA fosters personal growth, resilience, and leadership, preparing us for challenges both on and off the court. At Raffles Basketball, our commitment goes beyond the game—it’s about building a community where every member can thrive.

In basketball, teamwork is paramount to a team’s success. No matter what, everyone in the team has a role to play. Thus, our CCA believes in the importance of building bonds off the court, in order for us to work well together and foster a shared team identity. Our team usually eats together after training, where we share laughs, complain about school work, and enjoy each other’s company overall. Ultimately, what we take away from sports is not the wins or losses but the lifelong relationships and family that we can rely on even after we leave the CCA.

We pride ourselves on being a closely knit team–having fun while still working towards our goals with determination and discipline. Thank you for taking the time to read about Raffles Basketball and we hope this will intrigue you to enjoy basketball too!