NSG Basketball Powerhouse Dunman High School : Playing with Integrity & Sportsmanship!

(Dunman High's Boys' Basketball Team. Photo Credit : DHS)

By Pearlyn Koh

Having claimed a stunning total of 27 National School Games (NSG) titles (East-Zone) across the ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Divisions for Basketball from 2008 to 2019, Dunman High School (DHS) definitely takes pride in its Basketball team!

Although the DHS Basketball team did not achieve what they had set out to achieve during the last NSG in 2019, the team is definitely one to look out for at this year’s campaign. To prepare for the Games, the team had stepped up their training to thrice a week, with a key focus on set plays. Players of all 3 divisions also train regularly with one another, to increase the intensity of training as well as help one another improve their performance.

As the DHS Basketball team prepares for this year’s NSG (28 March - 19 April), we caught up with Teacher-in-charge, Ms Lim Yuan Chin through an email interview to find out more about the school’s amazing legacy in Basketball. We also spoke to Dong Huanran, a Year 4 student-athlete and the Co-Captain of the ‘B’ Division Boys Basketball team through a recorded Zoom call, to better understand the team’s preparations for the Games.

(For all the news, post-match interview videos, stories, photos, fanzone details and much more from the 2022 National School Games, do visit our website : go.gov.sg/nationalschoolgames)

(Pre-Games Interview with Dong Huanran, Team Co-Captain. Video Credit : Pearlyn Koh)

Interview with Basketball Overall Teacher I/C: Ms Lim Yuan Chin

Q1: How long have you been the teacher-in-charge for Basketball at your school?

15 years since 2007.

Q2: Over the years that you have been teacher-in-charge, what has been the proudest moment for you?

As a teacher IC of Basketball in Dunman High School, I have had the distinct pleasure of watching our players grow from a young teen at 13 years old to a young adult ready to step out into the world after their ‘A’ Level exams.  

I am always heartened whenever I see the students build friendships that last beyond their schooling years. The peer support they provide to each other is invaluable. I remember a time when a student had a serious leg injury which required him to use a wheelchair in school. His teammates made it a point to assist him in any way possible and you would always be able to spot him in school as his ‘entourage’ of teammates would take turns to push his wheelchair around and escort him from one venue to another. 

While we have had our fair share of memorable matches, the incidents that stand out for me are whenever the students display sportsmanship and exemplify the Dunmanian Spirit. As a team, we prioritise character development and hope to nurture our students into being Leaders of Honour.  

As such, usually, whenever I bring my students out for competitions, I would impress upon them to behave in a socially responsible behaviour. For instance, I always remind them to clear the rubbish before leaving the competition venue. However, once, I had to leave the venue earlier. In the midst of leaving the venue, I suddenly recalled that I had yet to remind my students to pick up the trash. To my pleasant surprise, when I returned to the competition venue, I realised that the venue was extremely clean with not a single piece of litter on the ground. This was a shock as for the past few years, when my students were in Years 1 to 4, I would always attempt to remind them to clear the rubbish. However, now that they were Year 5 students, they had ingrained in themselves good habits and showed that they could be responsible members of society and disciplined leaders.

Q3: How did your school fare at the last NSG in 2019?

We tried our best but did not achieve what we set out to do. We have since been training even harder and looking forward to the next NSG!

Q4: How does your school manage to consistently perform well in Basketball over the years?

Through discipline and hard work from both the players and our coach Mr Tan Siong Leng. I think that if we put in the right processes, the results will follow. So we try not to focus on winning, per se. Rather, we focus on having the right attitude during training and playing with integrity - having sportsmanship. Failure is part of the process. So if the students do not do well in a particular year, reflecting on the results and analysing our areas for improvement is an important part of the process. The journey is more important than the outcome.

Q5: How often is your school’s Basketball training?

We train at least thrice a week during the competition season and twice a week post-competition.

Q6: How do you think Basketball has shaped your students into better individuals?

I feel that Basketball has helped my students to develop holistically through the discipline and effort required, honing their technical skills and developing their character throughout the years. The many hours of training on and off the court have definitely given them more self-confidence and the ability to persevere in the face of adversity, which I am sure also translates into their other areas of life and beyond school as well.

Basketball has also taught them the importance of supporting each other through their lowest moments, whether it be in terms of their studies or in the sport. Knowing the importance of encouraging and spurring each other on is something that I know they will be able to bring with them beyond school in the future.

(For all the news, post-match interview videos, stories, photos, fanzone details and much more from the 2022 National School Games, do visit our website : go.gov.sg/nationalschoolgames)

Sport Singapore would like to Thank the school principal, students, teachers and parents from Dunman High School, for their kind assistance and responses towards this NSG preview. This article would not have been possible without their invaluable input and comments. And we wish the Dunmanians the Best of Luck, Success and Safety in their 2022 National School Games campaign :) 

Pearlyn Koh has been playing Table Tennis competitively for 9 years. She is a 4-time Champion at the National School Games, over a period of 6 years. And she's currently a member of the National Team and has represented Singapore at several major tournaments, including the 2018 Asian Games and World Table Tennis Championships. In 2019, Pearlyn was also the sole Southeast Asian player to enter the Top 16 at the Asian Junior & Cadet Table Tennis Championships. During her free time, Pearlyn enjoys reading and catching up with her friends. 

Dunman High's Roll of Honour in NSG Basketball

2019

A Division Boys ~ National Top 8
B Division Boys ~ East Zone Top 8
B Division Girls ~ East Zone Top 6
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 3rd
C Division Girls ~ East Zone Top 6

 2018

A Division Boys ~ National Top 8
A Division Girls ~ National 1st
B Division Boys ~ East Zone 4th

2017

A Division Boys ~ National 4th
A Division Girls ~ National 2nd
B Division Boys ~ East Zone 1st, National Top 8
B Division Girls ~ East Zone 4th
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 1st, National Top 8

2016

A Division Girls ~ National 3rd
B Division Boys ~ East Zone 3rd
B Division Girls ~ East Zone 1st, National 3rd
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 3rd, National 3rd

2015

A Division Boys ~ National Top 8
B Division Boys ~ East Zone 3rd
B Division Girls ~ East Zone 4th
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 1st, National Top 8

2014

A Division Boys ~ National Top 8
A Division Girls ~ National Top 6
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 3rd
C Division Girls ~ East Zone 1st, National Top 8

 2013

A Division Boys ~ National Top 8
A Division Girls ~ National Top 6
B Division Boys ~ East Zone 4th

2012

A Division Boys ~ National 3rd
A Division Girls ~ National Top 8
B Division Boys ~ East Zone 3rd
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 4th
C Division Girls ~ East Zone 4th

2011
A Division Boys ~ National 4th
B Division Girls ~ East Zone 3rd, National Top 8
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 4th
C Division Girls ~ East Zone 4th

2010
A Division Girls ~ National Top 8
B Division Boys ~ East Zone 4th
B Division Girls ~ East Zone 3rd
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 3rd

2009
A Division Girls ~ National Top 8
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 4th
C Division Girls ~ East Zone 3rd

2008
B Division Boys ~ East Zone 4th
C Division Boys ~ East Zone 3rd, National Top 8, National Fair Play Award