Indonesia's U-17 3x3 Sweep Highlights Promising Basketball Development

Head coach Wahyu Widayat Jati, popularly known as Coach Cacing, said the success of the Indonesian teams was rooted in their ability to stay consistent and trust the system throughout the tournament. "Consistency, believing in the playing system, focusing on one game at a time, avoiding overconfidence, and starting from defense were the keys," he said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by Antara.

Indonesia's boys' team secured the championship by defeating Malaysia 20-11 in the final, while the girls' team captured the title with a commanding 21-8 victory over Thailand.

For Coach Cacing, the achievements go beyond tournament results. He believes youth basketball development must continue focusing on building strong foundations to produce players with solid technical skills, physical attributes, mental resilience, and court vision. "In youth basketball, we need to build a stronger foundation so Indonesia can develop players with good fundamentals, physical capabilities, strong mentality, and game intelligence," he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia U-17 men's and women's 3x3 team manager Mohamad Shalahuddin praised the commitment shown by both squads throughout the competition. He said the players demonstrated strong motivation and determination in every match as they pursued the Southeast Asian title.

"They worked hard in every game to make Indonesia proud," Shalahuddin said.

The SEABA 3x3 U-17 Championship 2026 was held over two days, September 19-20, at HiTest Arena in Batam, Riau Islands. Six countries participated in the tournament: Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and host nation Indonesia.

The 2026 edition marked the second staging of the regional championship, following its inaugural event in Singapore in 2025. By claiming both titles on home soil, Indonesia reinforced its position as one of the region's leading emerging forces in youth 3x3 basketball while providing an early indication of the talent pipeline being developed for future international competitions. ***