In last night's National Tournament game, Kuk Eng Hua accomplished a rare feat. By recording 23 pts, 10 rebs, 5 asts, 5 blks, & 5 stls, he became the first Clam ever to post a 5-by-5. The home crowd exploded after he logged his fifth block with 8:49 to go in the fourth and completing the feat after only 28 minutes on the court. The crowd erupted again when he pulled down his tenth rebound with 1:20 to go in regulation, putting the icing on the cake with a double-double. And as the final buzzer sounded, with the Clams besting their opponent, Avantasia, by 44 pts, the capacity crowd chanted "Hoo-ah, Hoo-ah, Hoo-ah," in appreciation for the recently acquired veteran who has quickly become a fan favorite.
Eng Hua was humble after the game. "I didn't even realize that I was close until it had already happened and the graphic went up on the screen. When everybody went crazy I glanced up to see what had happened. And I saw myself and '5x5' at the bottom. I knew I was having a good game, but that was a surprise. You got to give a lot of credit to Khan and Mezzetti and the other guys. Oren's having a heckuva rookie season and Massy's been cleaning up. What I did was part of a team effort."
Coach Simon had nothing but praise for Eng Hua in the post-game conference. "We knew he could do this kind of a thing and that's why we brought him in. He's given us a big boost this season. And with a career like his, having to play in a back-up role for so long, it's nice to let him shine like we know he can. When we realized he was close, we kept him in as a little 'thanks' for coming here. We know there are more good things in store for Eng Hua and the Clams."
Eng Hua earned his nickname "3-by-3" (a reference to his three three-letter names) last season when he performed this feat for the first time in a Cup game playing for his former team, ATL the Hawks, logging 22 pts, 5 rebs, 12 asts, 5 stls & 5 blks before fouling out after 40 min on the court.
Last edited by Rhymin Simon at 9/14/2012 8:45:54 AM