THERE is no denying the fact that youngster Tem Zhen Jie has shot out of nowhere to make a name for himself in basketball.
The 21-year-old was a little known quantity as he never featured at state level nor has he represented Malaysia as a national junior.
He first came to attention during the inaugural Malaysia Pro League (MPL) in 2017 as a budding talent for Farmco Touch Up.
Zhen Jie’s growth as a player however accelerated since then and after continuously featuring heavily for Farmco and their sister team Knight Fury, also played a huge role in helping Malaysia grab a bronze in the FIBA Asia 3x3 Asia Quest in Maldives in September.
Now the Selangor-born cager is on the verge of taking his career to greater heights, both with the Westports Malaysia Dragons for the Asean Basketball League (ABL) and also for the Philippines Sea Games next month.
This is on the back of an impressive outing for the Dragons at the recent Maba International Invitation.
Despite his lack of experience, the 1.80m shooting guard, who is part of the four-man 3x3 squad for the Sea Games, played with a lot of confidence and swagger as he finished the tournament as the Dragons’ second highest scorer, contributing an average of 13.5 points per game.
“I definitely want to play in the ABL. I feel that I have the abilities and I just have to keep working hard in order to get the opportunity to see the world,” he said in reaction to the Dragons’ interest to sign him for the regional league.
“The opportunity to play in the ABL doesn’t come everyday and I just have to keep listening to the coaches instructions and to keep improving my game.”
If the Dragons finalise their signing of Zhen Jie, they will have a very young selection of local cagers for the 10th edition of the league.
The other youngsters that the Dragons are signing includes 17-year-old Teoh Yi Kang, 20-year-old Thea Zhong Shin and 23-year-old John Wong.