Aguon: Goal is to be within Top 4

With less than a month left before the widely anticipated 2024 Micronesian Games in Majuro, Marshall Islands, NMI teams are gearing up and getting their final touches in with their training.

For the NMI Men’s National Basketball Team, their goal is to get in the Top 4 as they recently wrapped up their two-month long tourney and preparation for the Games.

Head coach Rufino Aguon, who returned from coaching the NMI national basketball team after retiring in 2010, said their biggest challenge is Guam and has always been Guam—along with the long flight to get to Majuro.

In the last Micro Games in 2018, Guam swept the men’s and women’s basketball competition. Second place in the men’s was Marshall Islands, with Pohnpei in third place. For the women’s, Marshall Islands was second as well, while Palau took third place.

Aguon said they do not have the set schedule yet, but said their strategy is, if there’s going to be a pool, they need to be first or at least second.

Even with tough competition, he said they have some additions that may be a boost to the team.

A fly-in from Oklahoma, Micronesia son, 17-year-old, 6’5” Antoni Ogumoro—Aguon’s grandson—is part of the NMI’s 12-man roster. Ogumoro said on the chance to represent NMI in the Micro Games, “This will be my first time participating and I’m very excited.”

“I’m very blessed and grateful that I have this opportunity to play a sport I love while representing my island home at the same time,” said Ogumoro.

Aguon, with Ogumoro’s build, said, “Of course at 6’5,” I welcome anybody with that height. If only we had a couple more… but he’s a good addition to us. It’s going to make us competitive. As for medaling, it’s all up to us once we get there and see the competition.”

Another possible addition might be Philippine Basketball Association all-star player and champion Jericho Cruz, who lived on Saipan and was a member of the NMI National Basketball Team. “It’s a 50/50 possibility because they’re in the [PBA] finals right now. If they go up to seven games, it’s way past the [Micro Games],” said Aguon.

He said that even if the final team roster is now set with Ogumoro, Lucio Aldan, Airson Atan, Aiferson Atan, Douglas Schmidt, Preston Basa, Coby Santos, Chioni Dela Cruz, Greg Sablan, Marvin Rabauliman, DJay Ong, and Jack Lizama, he can still make changes before the basketball technical meeting.

“If he can make it by the time we play on [June] 17th, then I have to make a decision who’s going to sit. If not, this is the team,” said Aguon.

Aguon added that after a 14-year hiatus from basketball, he couldn’t say no to James Lee, president of the Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation, when he was asked to coach the team this year.

Aguon coached the NMI Men’s National Basketball Team in the 2010 Micronesian Games in Palau, and also coached the team that competed in the 2006 Micronesian Games on Saipan.

The only medal won by the NMI Men’s National Basketball Team was silver in the 1994 Micronesian Games in Guam.