Settsu-Saipan Friendship caging tourney set next month

  The Basketball Association of the Northern Mariana Islands will welcome the Settsu Red Impulse basketball team in its fourth consecutive appearance during the 2012 Settsu-Saipan Friendship Basketball Tournament scheduled from March 27 to 28 at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for 3:30pm on Day 1 followed by a dozen matchups. Then on Day 2 starting at 4pm the consolation and championship matches will conclude the series immediately followed by the awards presentation.

The event will feature four girls and four boys teams made up of players of ages 18 and under.

The boys field is made up of Red Impulse, the SSFBT’s 2011 defending champion Kagman High School Ayuyus; the SSFBT 2011 runner-up Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization all-star team comprised of players from the MHS Dolphins, Saipan Southern High School’s Manta Rays, and Tinian High School players; and a Coalition of Private School Sports Association all-star squad made up of players from Grace Christian Academy, Mount Carmel School, Saipan International School along with some other private school players.

The girls division includes 2011’s SSFBT runners up Red Impulse, last year’s SSFBT defending champion MHS Lady Dolphins, a MISO all-star team comprised of players from SSHS, KHS and the THS Lady Stallions; and a COPSA group made up of the SIS Lady Geckos and other private school players.

The Settsu Red Impulse basketball Club is based out of Osaka, Japan.

According to BANMI’s press release, they are hosting the tournament in the name of goodwill and their continued development efforts.

This year, the Red Impulse group features an eight-man boys team and a nine-member girls squad. Back in the 2009 inaugural tournament, the Red Impulse boy’s team fielded an Ironman six-player team and came up short in a thrilling heartbreaker to the MHS, who went on to finish in second place to the SSHS.

Then in 2010 the Red Impulse boys beefed up their roster to a dozen, but settled for a third runner-up finish.

2011 appeared to be a rebuilding year for the Red Impulse boys who came over with a seven-man line-up that managed a third place result.

Hisataka Sakaguchi is the Red Impulse boys’ lone returning player this time around.

The Red Impulse girls won the tournament in 2009 and have since then settled for a pair of runner up finishes.

The group is out for redemption this year against a veteran Lady Dolphins crew.

Red Impulse will field a number of new faces this year, but still have returning stars Reika Yamasaki and Mizuki Iwasaki at the helm.