NMIBF announces slew of basketball tournaments

Athletes and basketball fans have more to look forward to as back-to-back basketball tournaments are taking the island by storm.

The Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation has prepared a 10-month schedule from September 2023 to June 2024 with workshops, national team tryouts, school tournaments, business tournaments, 3×3 tournaments, a masters league, a U15 League, and the Michelob Cup in between—all before the Micronesian Games in June.

With more specific details to follow later, the month of September is welcomed by a weekelong coaching/referee workshop by Olympian Annie La Fleur.

Then the interscholastic middle school boys basketball season is set to start in the second week.

An Inter-Government/Business League is slated to start in the third week, with the Her World, Her Rules event as well; the 3×3 Tournament Series is set to begin in the last week of September.

October is the continuation of the Inter-Government/Business League, the interscholastic middle school boys basketball season, and the 3×3 tournament—with the start of the interscholastic elementary school basketball season in the third week, and the middle school girls 3×3 tourney in the last week of October.

November is the continuation of the Inter-Government/Business League, the elementary school basketball season, and the 3×3 tourney. The interscholastic high school girls season is set to start in the second week of November 

December is welcomed by the Masters 40-and-up League and the continuation of the interscholastic elementary school basketball season, interscholastic high school girls season, and 3×3 tourney.

January brings the new year and the CNMI National Basketball Team Program tryouts and preseason and the interscholastic high school boys season. The Masters 40-and-up League, interscholastic high school girls season, and 3×3 tourney are set to continue.

February is the start of the U15 League and continuation of the National Program preseason, the interscholastic high school boys season, and the 3×3 tourney.

March is the start of the 3×3 high school girls tournament and is the continuation of the U15 League, the National Program preseason, and the interscholastic high school boys season.

April is the start of the interscholastic middle school girls league and the Michelob Ultra Cup men and women open division. It is also the continuation of the U15 League and the National Program preseason.

May continues the U15 League, the National Program preseason, Michelob Ultra Cup men and women open division, and the interscholastic middle school girls season. A 3×3 middle school boys tournament is set to begin in the second week of May.

And June concludes the Michelob Ultra Cup men and women open division. NMIBF will be sending representatives to the Micronesian Games from June 15 to 24 at the Marshall Islands.

NMIBF president James Lee was asked why they have all these events coming up and he said, “it’s our obligation to grow the sport and in order to grow the sport, we have to have tournaments. It’s a win-win in general, not only for our community—now there’s events that they can go to and watch—but also internally, it’s to grow our officials’ skills to be better and have interests from players,” he added.

Catch the action at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium as more specific details and dates of the tournaments come out in the future.