Last year, EntourageBBall Inc. pulled off a rare unbeaten season while winning the Crossover League (SE2) championship. The title came just 7 months after a very disappointing end to a promising season in the team’s former league, Jammers Association.
Along with timely player recruitment, steady coaching and regular practice, one of the key factors for the quick turnaround in fortune was the newly cemented partnership with MatSing Pte. Ltd, a rising technology company and global player in the Radio frequency lenses industry.
Michael Matytsine, Managing Director of MatSing (and player on E.B.I.) took time out of his busy schedule to explain his commitment to the team:
“MatSing Technologies is proud to be a sponsor of Entourage Basketball Inc. We look forward to a longterm partnership with the club and it’s members. Our goal is to help E.B.I. become one of the most attractive basketball addresses for the experienced, team-oriented player in Singapore, positively impacting the sports community on and off the court.”
What is MatSing and why become the prime sponsorship partner of EntourageBBall Inc?
MatSing is a company started in Singapore focusing on developing and manufacturing new RF lenses based products. Using patented and in-house developed meta material, MatSing has developed a new line of RF Lens base-station antennas, ideal for providing increased cellular and data coverage in crowded areas.
In the last few years MatSing has deployed such antennas while setting new data transfer records at major events and festivals all over the United States. Coachella, Burning Man, Outside Land and many other festivals utilised our technology. Recently we have entered the stadium market, providing coverage to indoor and outdoor Stadiums in the US and other parts of the world.
What attracted you to the EntourageBBall team? Are you happy with the team’s progress?
I was introduced to the squad by Sèbastien, who is a longtime member of the team. We happened to cross paths in Singapore through a mutual friend and discovered the shared passion for Basketball. The rest, as they say, is history.
On the progress, absolutely, it’s been amazing getting to know the players and being part of the action. E.B.I. has been around for nearly a decade here in Singapore, i feel fortunate to be part of the family. For me, the special bond that you can develop on a team matters the most, and we definitely have that here. We just finished our first season together with a Championship; progress is very good.
Your passion for the sport runs deep: when did it start and how do you feed it?
Basketball is my love, i truly think i can’t survive without it. It began at the early age of 8, growing up in Russia. With the circumstances at the time of the Iron curtain, it was difficult to watch any Basketball on tv, nevermind the NBA, but whatever glimpses of the Bulls, Lakers and the Magic that i caught left lasting impressions. I was a fan of the world’s most entertaining league since the early 90’s but only started playing myself upon my move to Singapore in 1994. Spent every evening playing with the local ballers, bonding with them through the game i love. After moving to Los Angeles for several years, i was fortunate to have attended numerous NBA matches, and this has stoked my passion for the game even more.
Which basketball player(s) past or present do you most admire?
I believe personality is as important as talent. Most if not all guys that make the NBA have the talent, it’s the character and personality that makes them stand out, succeed in the league.
The leadership and raw talent of Michael Jordan was always admirable to me, but also believe that role players are a huge part of the puzzle on teams. I have the tendency to always support the underdog, players who enter the NBA without a splash and become respectable all-stars, that storyline fascinates me.
Dennis “The Worm” Rodman, Kyle Lowry, those guy’s careers are interesting to me. Huge fan of Charles Barkley, even though he never won a ring, enjoyed his style, hunger and passion for the game. He proved to me that though you can’t teach height, you can still be most dominant at your position if you want it more (Editor’s note: Mike was top 3 in rebounds last season for Entourage Basketball Inc – at 6’0″!)
In the modern era, big fan of James Harden of the Rockets, my fellow #13.
After a title in your 1st season as sponsor, future goals and expectation for the club?
My goal is to make E.B.I. the ultimate Basketball club in Singapore, eventually garnering international recognition.
ENTOURAGE BASKETBALL INC. 