NYBA wins two of three titles on Guam

The Northern Youth Basketball Association Tournament All-Stars represented Saipan well in the Shell Guam 2005 Drug-Free Thanksgiving Youth Basketball Invitational as two teams won their divisions while another placed first runner-up.

NYBA vice president George Cruz said in a phone interview yesterday that the 12-and-under and 13-15 NYBA All-Stars won the championship crowns in their divisions yesterday.

What makes their presence on Guam even more memorable is that the two young teams went undefeated in their elimination and playoff rounds en route to brining home the bacon.

Cruz said the 12-and-under cast played a game on Friday and another two on Saturday, winning all three before beating the Agat Lakers in yesterday’s title bout.

Members of the 12-and-under all stars include Derek Abraham, Glen Gapor, Dave Jones, Mart Sablan, Dino Palacios, Jason Palacios, Rainier Deleon Guerrero, Frankie Santos, Jack Castro, and Rico Peters. Coaches were Jonathan Salas and Robert Naraja.

The 13-15 age group squad won a game on Friday and another on Saturday to advance to the finals, where they played well down the stretch to stop the Barrigada Crusaders, 29-22.

The All-Stars include Don Teregeyo, Jericho Cruz, Mariano Lisua, Zack Tudela, Nate Mateo, Edwin Camacho, Juan Ogarto, Ray Babauta, Manuel Matagolai, Dan Mateo, Steve Tellei, and Trevor Ogumoro. Coaches were Jose Tumaquip and Patrinus Mario.

The 16-18 age group squad also made it to the title game after beating No. 1 Inarajan in the playoffs, however, it had to play without center Kevin Cequena who sustained an injury in its 47-44 overtime win in the semis. The team’s players, however, can keep their heads up as they brought home the runner-up trophy.

“Ambrose [Ogumoro] is doing a really good job as head coach and so is his assistant Jun Teregeyo, and their strategy was to stay calm on the court,” Cruz added.

Joining Cequena in the team were Dan Barcinas, Fred Igisomar, Kovin Ogumoro, Pete Iguel, Joemar Tumaquip, Vince Teregeyo, James Sablan, Zack Diaz, Jose Ulloa, Jayvan Tarkong, and Jesus Norita.

With two championships and a runner-up finish, Cruz said the trip was a success and that the three teams represented well and played as a family.

“They [the 12-and-under and 13-15 teams] went undefeated and went all the way through,” Cruz said. “The first game was a tight game, but every morning we have a coaches meeting and also a team meeting every night for about an hour and a half, and that really helped because each player went around talking about what they need to improve on, what they felt was their strength and everything, and we really felt that was really instrumental in pulling together to get to the championship and in the championship.”

Cruz added that a key to their successful performance was the chemistry as all three teams gelled in time to showcase what they’re made of.

“It was just excellent,” he said. “It was kind of rough in the beginning but we had a lot of practices…we practiced on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It was only [yesterday] that we didn’t practice because it was championship day and we wanted them to be more relaxed and ready, but chemistry wise, everyone has gelled together. We don’t considered ourselves as a player from G-Rollers, or Capitol Hill, or the Sparks…we just see ourselves as a team from Saipan.”

“We’re very proud of them for coming off-island and for all the games they’ve played…they really stepped up. The young guys really looked up to the 18-and-under players because four or five of them have played in off-island competition. These guys played like all-stars and we’re so proud of them,” Cruz added.

Cruz and NYBA president Joe Diaz served as managers for the Saipan delegation.