Basketball players sweep NMSA honors

The Ol’Aces’ Dan Barcinas, left, looks for a teammate to pass the ball to as he is guarded by Tinian Alpha Males’ Antonio Borja during their semis game in the finale of the 3×3 Marianas Hoopfest 2017 held early this month at the Gilbert C. Ada Gynasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Basketball swept the September monthly honors given by the Northern Marianas Sports Association during the group’s monthly meeting at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Veterans Dan Barcinas and Eleina Santos bagged the Male and Female Athletes of the Month, while Dean Blake and Tinian’s Sophia Cruz were named Tan Siu Lin Foundation/NMSA Male and Fame Student Athletes of the Month.

Barcinas had been a permanent fixture in CNMI basketball as the former Mt. Carmel School standout represented the Commonwealth in regional tournaments since he was 16 years old. He played for the Ol’Aces in last month’s Mariana Islands Basketball Federation-organized 3×3 Marianas Hoopfest and showed the moves that made him stand out in local and regional tournaments. Barcinas is known to be a defensive ace, but has also worked on his offensive skills as evident in his consistent outside shooting in the inaugural 3×3 tournament. With his all-around performance and help from the triumvirate of Preston Basa, Jack Lizama, and Douglas Schmidt, the Ol’Aces ruled the finals (against Almost, 21-6) aside from the winning the Saipan leg of the tournament.

Barcinas’ performance in the 3×3 event earned him the top ranking in the CNMI, based on the FIBA digital ranking system. He tallied 23,760 points to place 9,807th out of the more than 110,000 registered players FIBA ranked in all competitions. The Ol’Aces also helped the CNMI take the 92nd spot out of the 189 participating countries in FIBA 3×3, four places ahead of Guam at 96.

Meanwhile, Santos, who was also a member of the CNMI junior national basketball team in 2010, just came back after finishing her college degree in the mainland. She is the daughter of former CNMI men’s national team player John “Faceman” Santos. The former lacrosse player bullied her way against her defenders during the entire tournament to end up as the tournament’s top scorer in the women’s open division. She is ranked 84th overall in the CNMI and 54,909th in the world with 3,725 points.

Blake, the captain of the CNMI U17 team that won the silver medal in the Micronesian Basketball Tournament in Palau last year, led V-God to the Saipan leg U19 title and the overall crown. He played 11 games to rack up 5,733 points, earning him the 57th place in local rankings that also included players in the open division.

Cruz was the heart and soul of the Tinian girls’ squad that won the U19 trophy. Her variety of moves inside the paint baffled her defenders and allowed her to clinch the top ranking in the girls U19 and 147th overall, including other divisions.