Catching up with ONE alumni
- Griffles Baller
- Apr 1
- 7 min read
For today's series of interviews with our Raffles Basketball Alumni, we have a special segment lined up as we have the honor of hearing from our alumnus, Teh Hua Fung (RJC Class of '96) whose son Kai-Sen is currently our Y2 Basketballer in 2025 as well!!
FUN FACT:
Hua Fung is the first Singaporean male to play basketball in the NCAA!
Griffles: Hi Hua Fung, could you share with us how training was like during your time in RJC?
Hua Fung: It was tough as we didn’t even have a proper coach during my J1 year (our CCA didn’t have the funds).
Training was conducted by the captain and teacher-in-charge then, Mr. Nah. So when I was elected as the captain, I tried to bring some organization to our training by going out to look for a coach for the team. I ended up getting the team to chip in to co-fund our own coach as the school didn’t have sufficient funds to afford a coach at the time.
Woah. Simply cannot imagine those days without funding and a coach. That's really great that you guys pooled together money to get your own coach. That was very enterprising of you and your teammates. Kudos to you all!
To add on, back then, my batchmates from RI did not play in NSG in their C and B Div years, so coming from HCI, I was the only one in the team that had been coached formally and had NSG experience.
But I knew our team nonetheless had a lot of talent and size, and was eager to show the world what we could bring to the table. I saw our '96 A Div boys team as the beginning of a golden age of Raffles Basketball. Unfortunately, in a critical first round game, we ended up losing by 1-2 points to SAJC, the eventual national runners-up. That game was such a death blow, especially since it was so close. I was so upset I went to shave my head the next day!
As a consolation, 2 of us from that '96 team would end up making the Singapore Combined Schools team with one (Low Jiaren, Class of '97) eventually making the National team in 2006. He would eventually become the National team captain too. This at least validated my view that we had talent. But still, it was a real shame that we didn’t make it past the first round.
Thanks for sharing about the painful loss that the team endured. Always never easy when a team has a premature end to the season. Oh, I remember seeing you back in school then with the shaven head. No wonder! I'm surprised Mr Leong Yew Wah (our Discipline Master then) didn't haul you up :)
After Raffles, I heard that you went overseas and that you actually studied and played basketball at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)!!
Could you share more about your life at MIT and playing basketball there?
Basketball is my passion, and it was always my childhood dream to play in the NCAA. Till date, even after so many years, playing in the NCAA still remains one of the more precious experiences of my life. Funny story - I actually picked MIT for “basketball” reasons. I was lucky enough to be accepted into both Stanford and MIT, but I knew there was no way I would make the Stanford basketball team (they were one of the top-ranked teams then in Division 1). I felt though, that I still could have a shot (though still quite slim) of making the MIT team. So that ended up being the deciding factor.
Ahhh... that is very strategic thinking there. But how did you manage to get on their team roster?!? It must have been tough to get a spot on the team.
I had to go for tryouts lasting a week or two. It was challenging as there were limited spots for freshmen, and even for those slots, the team had already recruited players from American high schools to fill. So there were even fewer spots for the rest of us who were just showing up to try out – those of us that made it were called “walk-ons”, meaning you weren’t recruited but made the team via tryouts.
That first week of tryouts was called Hell Week. We would just do physical drills and not touch any balls! It was really tough – I recall the coaches placing garbage cans around the court in case any of us needed to throw up! The scrimmages would only start happening in week 2.
Hell Week? Sounds like National Service Days man!
So, how was it like training and playing for MIT?
It was such a rich and meaningful experience in so many ways. I went from being the RJC captain and a combined schools player to a benchwarmer with very limited playing time. So it was a really humbling experience (in a good way). It taught me how to be a good bench and practice player, how to not just lead from the front but also how to be a good supporting actor. I basically had to learn to carve out a niche for myself that wasn’t about being the primary ballhandler or option on offense.
It taught me how to play with and against MUCH bigger guys. I was never extremely tall but back in Singapore the relative height difference wasn’t that much, and in Singapore back then many bigs were not as athletic so I could out-muscle or out-jump them. At MIT though, I was the shortest player on the team by a lot - there were players 6-7, 6-5, 6-4 etc. and they were very athletic.
I still remember this one teammate I had, Godfrey, from Trinidad and Tobago. He was only 6-4 but played center because he could jump so high; the guy could touch the top of the backboard and did chase down blocks regularly. If I recall correctly, he was one of the leaders in blocks in all of Division III.
So I had to change the way I played. For instance, I had to develop a better outside shot (since the risk of getting blocked inside was very real) and alter my passing angles to cater to much bigger defenders (and also bigger teammates).
It also showed me what it felt like to be an underrepresented minority. There were very few ethnic Asian males playing in the NCAA in my time compared to now. We were an EXTREME minority. During my first year, there were only two of us on the MIT team and for my second year I was the only one as the other guy graduated. And in our conference, outside of MIT, I can only recall one other Asian player named Chung. He played for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and was their starting point guard. He was good.
Well, you were definitely the forerunner before that famous Asian player at Havard who went on to play in NBA and had that Linsanity run :)
To end off our interview today, could you share some advice for future Raffles Basketballers like your son Kai Sen who is currently repping our C Div team?
I would love to.
The first thing I would say is, treasure your teammates. Nothing builds lifelong friendships like the years-long shared experience on the court together, with all its joys and sorrows.
Secondly, treasure your playing time on the court too. One day, life will get too busy – work, family etc - and you won’t be able to play as much as you would like. And even when you play, age will not permit you to run, jump and finish like you used to. So enjoy it while it lasts!
Having said this, basketball is something that will still stay with you and bring you joy forever. It’s just that the relationship with the sport will evolve over time.
When you are very young, you are focused on perfecting individual skills. There is joy in seeing improvements in your individual game.
As you mature, you think more about team dynamics, tactics etc, and are able to read the game more deeply. And there is joy in seeing how the system works, and watching your team gel and win together.
As you age, you start to play less (and more recreationally) but your engagement with the sport doesn’t wane. Quite apart from still watching NBA games and chatting about them with your buddies, you study closely all the new moves that are constantly being developed (Dirk’s one-legged step back, Luka’s slow finish, Curry’s/Lillard’s logo shots, Ja’s hesi moves + off-leg layups and the list goes on), and marvel at the constant innovation in the sport. You enjoy being a student of the game.
As you start to get slower and more rusty, you find new ways to be effective. New footwork tricks, new angles to get open, new ways to finish. For me, I am right now trying to work on my misdirection moves and floater (since I can no longer jump over people and finish close to the rim).
And of course, when do you get lucky and cross up some “young blood” (as Kyrie would say), that feeling of “still got it” will put a smile on your face!
Basically, basketball will continue to bring you joy (in different ways) for many years! So keep at it!
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