BANMI starts selection for U17 team

 The search is on for boys U17 players who will represent the CNMI to the 2012 Micronesian Basketball Tournament (U12 West  Division).

Basketball Association of Northern Mariana Islands said it is opening the tryouts for the CNMI U17 Team starting today at the Northern  Marianas College Gymnasium. The first session of a series of tryouts will begin at 6pm.

Longtime coach Rufino Aguon will be conducting the tryouts and will also serve as interim coach of the squad.

“We are hoping for players from Rotary and MISO to show up in the tryouts. We will be selecting only 12 players for the final cut, but we’re hoping more will come to the tryouts, so we can really select the best among the best,” Aguon said in a telephone interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday.

Though he does not have a wish list of players, Aguon added that he will be pleased to see mainstays from Marianas High School and Saipan Southern High School at the tryouts.
“I’ve been reading the papers the past weeks and found out that MHS and Southern are undefeated in the MISO and they are the top favorites in the league, so hopefully players from these schools shows up at NMC tonight,” Aguon said.

The veteran mentor also said that although only 12 players will be selected before the month ends, they plan to form a pool, which could practice and play against the chosen players. He added that players in the pool may also suit up for the CNMI U17 Team if individuals originally selected do not live up to the team’s expectations.

“If you’re selected in the first 12 list, but keep on missing practices and do not respond well during the training sessions, you may lose your spot,” Aguon said.

The interim coach also explained they have to make the cut at the end of this month to form the team early and give them enough time to work together and gel. Once the team is formed, it will have only about four months to prepare for the MBT U17, which Saipan will be hosting from May 7 to 12. The CNMI will be playing against teams from Guam, Yap, and Palau.

Aguon said they are hoping to form a CNMI team that can both play fast and slow type of games.

“Having a good ceiling is also an advantage because you can’t teach height. However, we’re more concerned of having different talents and players with good basketball sense. We only have a few months to prepare, so hopefully we will have players who can fit it to the system and develop chemistry quickly,” Aguon said.

Training sessions will be held every Tuesday and Thursday and will run from 6pm to 8pm.

For more information, contact Elias Rangamar at 235-1775 or email eliasrangamar@hotmail.com or at 234-5498, extension 2500 or email rufinoa@nmcnet.edu.