Wiser Jr. Nationals preparing for Oceania Under-19 caging

NMI Junior Nationals coach Rufino Aguon will have a wiser crew for the FIBA Oceania Under-19 Youth Basketball Tournament, which will run from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 in Guam.

The Oceania youth caging will be the second regional tournament for the Junior Nationals since the team was formed early last year.

Aguon’s wards first played in the Micronesian Basketball Tournament, which Guam also hosted in November last year.

The Junior Nationals fell short of their goal of making it to the finals when they finished only third behind Guam and the Southern Sonics.

Lapses in the playoffs foiled the Junior Nationals’ finals bid. They swept their pool play games, but lost to the Saipan-based Southern Sonics in the semifinals.

Aguon said the Junior Nationals have learned from their mistakes in the MBT and are now showing maturity during their training for the Oceania tournament.

“This team will be much wiser than the team that competed in the MBT. They are maturing in their game and it shows on the teams they are playing with in the FMI league,” Aguon said.

“As part of their training, I encouraged and sent them out to play for other teams in the FMI league. There, they will experience playing with older and bigger players and adjust to their various styles of play,” Aguon said.

The open division of FMI league features several of the best players on the island who are also regulars in the Bud Cup, one of the toughest local tournaments.

Jericho Cruz is one of the members of the Junior Nationals who is playing in the FMI league. Cruz was the top scorer for the Junior Nationals in the MBT and continues to show his offensive prowess with the Sonny Flores-coached Ol’Aces in the FMI caging. His Junior Nationals teammate Marvin Rabauliman is also playing for the Ol’Aces.

Of the 11 players that made it to the MBT last year, only eight will be back for the NMI and will be eligible to play in the Oceania tournament. Joining Cruz and Rabauliman on the team are Bill Babauta, Damien Deleon Guererro, Jayvan Tarkong, Allen Moses, Keoni Chariton, and Steven Tenorio. Frank Basa, Won Joo Jung and Jerome Norita are over the age limit.

Aguon is still looking for players to fill up the two vacant slots as the NMI is allowed to field only 10 players for the Oceania caging. He is hoping to name the team in July.

Interested players who were born on or after Jan. 1, 1999, can still join the regular training being conducted at the NMC Gym.

“The training is doing okay and the boys are getting stronger and faster. We train twice a week with some basketball games in between,” said Aguon. “They are progressing well. Of course, sometimes I am impatient when they commit mistakes. But you see perfection is what we strive for. This team will be much wiser than the team that competed in the last MBT. I just hope that it is enough. We still got a couple of months to prepare so will make the most of it.”

Aside from having a wiser team, Aguon is hoping to build a fast-breaking and defense-oriented team

“We have to be a fast-breaking team with tenacious defense. We must also hit our outside shot consistently because we will be playing against bigger and taller players,” said Aguon, who will have the Junior Nationals play as one team in the upcoming BANMI 25-and-under caging.

The 25-and-under caging will be the final tune-up tournament for the Junior Nationals before they head to Guam in the last week of September for the Oceania caging, which will feature teams from Australia, Palau, New Caledonia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu .

Outstanding players from each team will be selected for the Oceania all-star squad, which will then play in the U20 Australian National Championships in Brisbane next year. [B][I](RM)[/I][/B]