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Kiwis to send top teams to Oceania tournament
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Posted on Apr 30 2009
Sources close to Basketball New Zealand have advised the Basketball Association of the Northern Mariana Islands that the Kiwis will be sending some of their very best to compete at the 2009 Oceania Basketball Tournament set here on Saipan from June 20 to 28.
The women’s team will reportedly consist of New Zealand’s 21-and-Under National Women’s Team, while the men’s team will consist of the last 10 players cut from the Kiwis’ 19-and Under National Team.
The New Zealand men’s 19-and-Under National Team will be competing in the FIBA 19-and-Under World Championships, which will be played in Auckland just a few days after the Oceania Basketball Tournament.
The Kiwis have strong national teams, with the Tall Blacks (the national men’s team) ranked 14th in the world, and the Tall Ferns (the national women’s team) ranked 16th.
The Tall Ferns qualified for and competed in the 2008 Olympics at Beijing, and both the men’s and the women’s teams are regular top threats at the FIBA World Championships.
BANMI president Elias Rangamar commented, “This is an indication of how seriously New Zealand is taking this tournament. They want to beat all of the other countries, especially Australia. I’m sure Australia is going to send strong teams to meet the Kiwi challenge. CNMI fans are going to get to see some great basketball, both men’s and women’s.”
The Oceania Tournament will be held in Saipan from June 20 to June 28, 2009. Australia and New Zealand, along with Pacific basketball powerhouses New Caledonia, Fiji, Tahiti, and Guam, and the CNMI’s North Pacific neighbor Palau, will send national men’s and women’s teams to compete with CNMI’s best.
Gold sponsors for the tournament so far include CNMI business anchor Tan Holdings. Rangamar expressed his appreciation to all of the sponsors, and noted that additional sponsorships are still available for companies who want to take advantage of associating with this prestigious tournament. For further information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Rangamar at 664-2502 or Mike White at 234-6547. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]
