Passion for the game

There are over 50 countries in Molten international manager Norihiko Kamia’s area of responsibility and the Philippines is his favorite market for the basketball line.

Kamia, a former Japanese high school cager who is based in Thailand, calls the Philippines "a special case" because no other nation in his territory shows as much love and affixation for the game. The proof is how the country has embraced Molten’s revolutionary 12-panel, two-tone basketball with a passion.

Since the 12-panel ball was introduced in the local market early last year, it has exceeded all projections in terms of sales. Molten, whose head office is in Hiroshima, is now the Philippines’ undisputed No. 1 basketball seller and if the trend continues, the estimate is it will corner about 80 percent of the market within a year.

The 12-panel Molten model was designated by FIBA (Federation Internationale de Basketball) as the official basketball for the Olympics and World Championships in June 2004. FIBA has used Molten basketballs for the Olympics and World Championships since 1982 so the relationship has withstood the test of time.

Kamia made sure the Philippines would be the first Asian country to use the ball in an organized league. When the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) launched its 30th season in October 2004, the Molten top-of-the-line, 12-panel leather model was the choice on the floor. The PBA has now used the 12-panel basketball the last two seasons. Molten is distributed locally by KB Impex, a subsidiary of Sonia Trading whose owner Kay Sham has been involved in the sports business for over 35 years. Throughout his career, Sham said he has not encountered a product as revolutionary and earth-shaking as the 12-panel basketball.

Molten’s 12-panel basketball took the competition by surprise. It acquired patents for eight permutations or combinations of the 12-panel model. Another Japanese ball manufacturer, Mikasa, managed to obtain patents for four combinations.

According to KB Impex director Anil Buxani, there are only 12 possible combinations so the door has been shut on other manufacturers hoping to ride on the 12-panel bandwagon.

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In the Philippines, the basketball market is made up of seven brands. Over a million basketballs are sold a year. Molten produces over 4.5 million balls — of all kinds — annually, making it the world’s No. 1 maker. It produces about 150,000 leather, synthetic and rubber basketballs a month from factories in Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan and China.

Buxani said six versions of the Molten 12-panel basketball are out in the domestic market — the full-grain leather, the dual cushion composite leather, the composite leather, the polyurethane leather, the synthetic leather and the rubber. A seventh edition — a rubber basketball that looks exactly like the leather model — will reach stores next month.

The lowest-priced Molten 12-panel basketball is the orange-colored rubber version which retails for P279. The seventh version will retail at the same price and is expected to take the market by storm.

"You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the leather model and our seventh version," said Buxani. "They’re virtually identical. The rubber version will also have the flat pebble surface, the 12 panels and Molten’s cutting-edge technology. Molten is sending over only 7,000 balls initially and I’m afraid they’ve all been spoken for by just two retailers. However, we’ve been assured by Molten that it will be able to service any quantity of any type we require in the immediate future."

Buxani said luckily, the Philippine market has been spared from fake and smuggled basketballs with the Molten brand.

"When there is a big demand, the supply is limited and the genuine product is quite high-priced, you will see unscrupulous individuals trying to smuggle in fake goods," said Buxani. "So we’ve addressed the situation by providing for enough stock to meet demand and bringing in a product that’s relatively affordable."

The price of the 12-panel basketballs ranges from P3,400 for the leather version to P279 for the rubber version so the product is within reach. Buxani said when supply was low, he found out from a detective agency that some shops were infiltrated by fake balls from China. But the counterfeit balls were quickly removed when KB Impex threatened to withdraw its other top-selling sports brands from the stores. Eventually, the supply stabilized and the market was rid of the fake balls. Still, Buxani advised buyers to be vigilant and said KB Impex will continue to be on the lookout for fakes.

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Kamia’s territory covers Oceania, Asia (except Japan and China) and the Middle East. In Australia, he said the National Basketball League — which is expanding overseas with franchises in New Zealand and Singapore — uses the Molten 12-panel model. The US is a holdout because the National Basketball Association uses a different brand which reportedly is on the verge of launching a unique two-panel basketball with a maze of seams.

"There’s a reason why 12 panels are in the Molten basketball," said Buxani. "It’s not for cosmetic purposes. The 12 panels are ideal for a better grip, handling and shooting. And the ball was designed by Giorgetto Glugiano, an Italian who has been involved in design work from cars for Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Fiat to furniture, ceramics and buildings. I’m not sure if you’ll get the optimum feel and comfort with a two-panel basketball."

Kamia said he was in Japan recently for the World Championships to give moral support to Lebanon, Qatar, Australia and New Zealand — which are countries in his territory.

"I watched Lebanon and Qatar play and I think the Philippines could have achieved a better result if it participated," said Kamia. Lebanon beat Venezuela and France but like Qatar, failed to advance to the round of 16.

As for Japan, Kamia said national coach Zeljko Pavlicevic of Croatia has been sacked after a four-year tenure and there is talk that foreigners will be recruited for naturalization to beef up the Japanese team in the race for a slot at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.