Core of Junior Nationals to play for CNMI in Oceania basketball

Some members of the CNMI Junior Nationals will have a second tour of duty, as they will represent the Commonwealth in the 2009 Oceania Basketball Tournament in June.

Coach Rufino Aguon said most of the players attending the tryouts and training sessions for the CNMI Men’s Nationals are members of the youth squad, which played in last year’s Oceania Youth Tournament in Guam.

The list includes Jayvan Tarkong, Marvin Rabauliman, Jomary Tumaquip, Joseph White, Allen Moses, James Camacho, Jericho Cruz, and Keoni Chariton.

Three other non-CNMI Junior Nationals members are also attending the tryouts that started in December. They are Quincy Johnson, Pete Iguel, and Ringo Reyes.

“This will likely be the make-up of the team for the Oceania, although the lineup could change before the tournament starts. These guys will be playing together in the Bud Cup as part of their training,” Aguon said.

Missing on the list were Bill Babauta and Antonio Borja, who played for the Junior Nationals last year, but could not make it to the tryouts, as they are studying in Guam.

Reyes, one of the new faces in the pool, is from Tinian and Aguon is hoping that the former could fix his schedule and join the team in the Bud Cup.

Iguel is a veteran of various leagues on the island and a known gunner giving Aguon another offensive option besides Cruz, who was the scoring champion in OYT.

Johnson is a multi-sports athlete and played for youth leagues on Saipan.

Aguon said he expects his team to be the shortest among the eight squads competing in the tournament Saipan will be hosting. To make up for the lack of ceiling, he is building a fitter and faster team.

“This is a much tougher tournament that the OYT, and like last year, we do not have the height to compete with them, but we can be fitter and faster. We did very well at the last OYT, so we are going to improve in those aspects,” Aguon said.

The CNMI Junior Nationals placed sixth in the OYT winning against Papua New Guinea and Palau.

Between now and June, the pool will only have less than five months to get ready for the Oceania caging and Aguon wants his wards to make the most of their short time of preparations.

“A few months are never enough but we have to work with what we have. What we need first are commitment and dedication from all of us. Players need to be committed to the training and to the program. The ideal number of months is year round and of course having the height,” Aguon said.

The CNMI mentor added that tryouts are still open for interested players.

“I will be looking out for players that will compliment the style of play that most suit us. Conditioning, skills in certain positions, and execution will be the keys. These will be the guidelines in the final make up of the team,” he said.

Tryouts and training sessions are held every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 6pm at the Northern Marianas College Gymnasium.

In the Oceania caging, the CNMI bets will be up against the powerhouse teams of Australia, New Zealand, and Guam, and four other island-members of FIBA Oceania.