BANMI kicks off youth league

The Sonics’ Jaymark De Guzman tries to dribble out of the defense of two Ol’Aces players during the third quarter of the opening game in the BANMI youth league (U21 division) yesterday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Ol’Aces and Sonics are entered in the U21 category and will be battling the division crown against six other teams. The Ol’Aces was in the lead at the end of the first half, 28-19. Final results of the opener will be reported in Saipan Tribune’s Friday edition.

Games in the U21 division will continue tomorrow with Laly 4 taking on Kentucky Fried Chicken at 6:30pm, while the U18 category will have its first game tonight with the Chalan Kanoa Saints facing KFC at 5:30pm. The U18 division also has eight teams with two more squads having their season debuts tomorrow, as the Rollers challenges the CNMI Girls U18 Team at 5:30pm.

Week 1 of BANMI’s youth league will be completed with a pair of U14 matches this Saturday. In the first game at 9am, the Rollers will meet the Ol’Aces, while in the second game at 10:30am, DYS will battle DA Projects. Five teams are competing in the U14 division and games will be played every Saturday.

Matches in the U18 and U21 division are slated on weekdays and the complete schedule will be announced once the participating teams met the league’s requirements. Teams are mandated to turn in completed waiver and registration forms and a copy of their respective rosters before their first game.

Meanwhile, BANMI official Elias Rangamar said they are still looking for sponsors of the youth league, which provides the CNMI a pool of players it can tap to represent the CNMI in upcoming regional competitions, such as the Micronesian Basketball Tournament, Micronesian Games, and the Pacific Mini Games.

Business, inter-govt tourneys
In other BANMI-related news, two more leagues will be played at the Ada Gym later this month.

First up is 2014 BANMI Inter-Government League, which is set to kick off tentatively on Sept. 16.

BANMI’s Abner Venus said they are still finalizing the number of teams that will vie for the inter-government championship, but so far eight have already expressed their interest in the league. Teams are asked to submit a copy of their rosters and pay the $500 entrance fee before the kickoff.

The same entrance fee is charged for teams interested in joining the 2014 BANMI Inter-Commercial/Business League. So far seven teams are signified their intension to join the business league.

Only employees of the participating companies are allowed to play and matches are scheduled every Tuesday and Thursday. The first game is set for 6:30pm, while the second will take place at 8pm.

For more information, contact Venus at 888-3215.