4 enshrined into the CNMI Sports Hall of Fame

The Northern Marianas Sports Association enshrined four new shining stars into the CNMI Sports Hall of Fame during the 2023 NMSA Sports Award Banquet last Wednesday night at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.

The 2023 inductees, hailing from diverse sporting disciplines, were basketball’s Joseph “Joe” Diaz; the late multi-sport athlete Ketson “Jack” Kabiriel; athletics’ Noriko Jim; and administrator/official Jerry Tan.

Diaz founded the 670 Rollers Basketball Club on January 14, 1999 and continues to dedicate himself to the training and development of aspiring athletes in our community. His unwavering commitment to the sport has not only cultivated a love for basketball among the youth, but has also shaped numerous individuals into some of the top players the islands have produced.

He served as the NMI Men’s National Basketball head coach from 2021 to 2023. Under his leadership, the team achieved remarkable success, securing a bronze medal during the 2021 FIBA Micronesian Cup Basketball Tournament held in Guam.

Diaz said he was surprised when they called his name during the banquet and that he had goosebumps.

As for his favorite sports memory, the 46-year-old said he can’t pick a favorite as all of his memories are “all the same” because of the hard work, practice, and dedication the athletes put in either the youth or the national teams.

He dedicates his win to his late father Vicente Teregeyo and his mother, Debra Diaz Teregeyo. He then thanked his wife, Verna B. Diaz, his brother Vince Diaz Teregeyo, his son John Babauta, and all his players, family, and sponsors, that played a big role in the 670 Rollers Basketball Club.

Jim of athletics has been in the sport since the ‘90s and is still an active runner today. She was the NMSA Female Athlete of Year in 2006. Jim used to hold the CNMI national records in 1,500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m runs, and won gold medals in the 5,000m and 3K Cross Country, and silver in the 1,500m races in the 2006 Micronesian Games.

She also won gold in the 5,000m in the 2005 Micronesian Athletics Championships and silver in the 1,500m. To top it off, she won the 10K event in the Saipan Marathon 17 times (combined the open division/overall and age group). She then joined the half marathon in the 2020 Saipan Marathon and finished second, and in 2022 was first in the 5K event.

She said that her induction was a “surprise” and that “it’s an honor. I am grateful to everyone who has been involved with me.”

Jim added that she was “so happy to see a lot of talented people for sports in the CNM”, and the banquet brought back a lot of memories of the 2006 Micronesian Games 2006 in Saipan. She said her favorite memory was when she ran the 1,500m, 5,000m and cross country race and won two gold and one silver medal for CNMI.

“I wish those young athletes the best of luck in Marshall Islands this summer and many more future successes. Lastly, congratulations to all of the athletes, coaches, and their families,” said Jim.

The late Kabiriel passed away last year due to oral cancer. From 2010 to 2012 was a member of Hoe Lokahi Canoe Club and competed in local races and the Micronesian Cup. In 2013, moved to Saipan Paddling Club and got a silver in the Micronesian Cup in Palau. In 2014, was part of the gold medal team in the Micronesian Games in Pohnpei.

He represented the NMI in the Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea in 2015, and in 2015 and 2016’s Micronesian Cup in Palau and Guam, he collected five gold and one silver medal as member of the Marianas Outrigger Club.

Besides being a paddler, Kabiriel was also active in volleyball, triathlon, running, and swimming. He was named NMSA Male Athlete of the Year twice and used to hold the NMI national record in the 800m run, triple jump, and 3,000 steeplechase. He also won a silver medal in the 3,000m steeplechase event in the 2008 Oceania Area Championships.

Pat Kabiriel, Jack’s widow, and their sons—Kevin, Kaden, and Dennis—accepted his award for him said that the banquet was an emotional one for her and her family. “We were proud but emotional at the same time because we, or I, never thought that our kids and I would be standing up there on his behalf accepting one of the greatest achievements he ever received—being inducted into the hall of fame and being considered one of CNMI’s legends. It was also very emotional for me as this would be the last award my husband would ever receive. It’s like an end to his story.”

Pat then said, “I would like to dedicate this to all athletes and those that have impacted my husband’s life both in sports and in the community. Thank you also to all those that nominated him, his coaches, the federation, his teammates and friends. I truly appreciate all they do to make sure that his legacy lives on.”

Tan was inducted into the hall as an administrator/official. He has been the president of the NMI Football Association for nearly two decades and is the current President of Northern Marianas Sports Association.

Tan recently secured the first-ever charter flight of Team Marianas in a Pacific Games—the 2023 Pacific Games in Solomon Islands; established a soccer facility in the NMI—the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville; is in the University of Guam Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 2022); was a recipient of UOG Presidential Medal in 2022; and was NMSA Sports Administrator of the Year (2016).

He said after the banquet that the induction was a “total surprise.”

He added, “I know many athletes, administrators, coaches and officials across all sports that have contributed so much to our sporting community and being inducted as one of them—a Hall of Fame inductee—it’s an honor.”

“I appreciate the nomination and the vote of confidence. This award inspires me to continue what I love—which is sports—and do my best to help,” he said.

Results of the Coach of the Year; Administrator of the Year; and Team of the Year will be posted in the next issues of Saipan Tribune.