CNMI Women ready for MBT

Suiting up for the women’s basketball team to represent the CNMI might not be the easiest thing to, but according to the players that have made the commitment to the team, it is worth every drop of their sweat.

As the women’s squad scrimmaged with the Garapan Rollers Thursday night in the Marianas High School Gymnasium, it was evident that they have progressed from a group of individuals to a cohesive team.

They work well together, and they are willing to stand up for each other. One of the more talented cagers of the bunch, 25 year-old Connie Camacho, didn’t play the part of the ball hog. Instead she moved the ball around to open players and quickly repositioned herself for the next game-time situation.

That’s the kind of selfless team play that inspires the rest her teammates to work harder.

“Connie kinda started this whole thing by making us go. We didn’t like it at first but she forced us. Now we love it,” said teammate Vanessa Mobel.

When the youngest member of the team, 15 year-old Henny Elayda, hit the ground after driving to the hoop, she didn’t lay there defeated. The product of Southern High School brushed the dirt off from her shoulder and ran back to play solid defense.

“I’ve played basketball ever since, but never on a team like this. We’re going to do our best and play hard,” said Elayda.

“And fight ‘til the end,” added Mobel.

This is why, no matter the strength of the competition, the women of the CNMI will represent the island well in the Micronesian Basketball tournament next week in Guam.

The women’s team has been working hard under the watchful eye of coach Don Blondin, practicing every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at the MHS facility for the last six weeks.

The practices are not easy; they are the kind that tests your will as a player as well as your commitment to the team. Blondin has worked the women hard and enforced a strict attendance policy to mold the team into a well-disciplined unit.

“I have seen a lot of improvement in our team, especially from the beginning and it’s all thanks to coach Blondin,” said Ladonna Castro.

As thankful as they are to the coach for all of his efforts, the players know that they will face teams in Guam that have a much larger pool of women from which they can choose.

One of the ways that coach Blondin is preparing for the conditions in Guam is by getting his players acclimatized for the upcoming tournament. While it’s true that the weather in Guam isn’t all that dissimilar from the CNMI, the facilities at the University of Guam are traditionally very cold inside. To get ready for the near wintry conditions inside the UoG gym, coach Blondin cranked the air-conditioning in the MHS gym to levels that froze ice candy. Not really, but it was cold enough that many of the spectators were bundled up with jackets.

“I wanted the players to get a feel for what it is going to be like. You go from somewhere humid to something like this and you can really feel it in your chest. I think it’s an advantage for us to have a chance to practice like this. At least I know that Chuuk probably doesn’t have this opportunity,” said the coach.

The players of the team know that they have an uphill climb ahead of them, but one thing that will keep them strong is that they will not quit on each other. One of the players was injured last week as Castro injured her ankle. That will make it difficult for the team of nine against opponents that will most certainly run with 12. Still determined, Castro doesn’t want to miss out on any of the action. “I sprained my ankle, but I’m gonna play if [coach Blondin] let’s me.”

That is what this team is all about. “It’s a matter of commitment and will,” said Vanessa Mobel.

The team faces its first action against a strong Palauan team at 1pm on Monday, July 5. Their second test will come against Chuuk at 11am on Tuesday, July 6, while their third opponent is this year’s host, Guam at 5pm on Wednesday, July 7. The final game before the playoff portion for the team will be at 5pm on Thursday, July 8, when the women face Pohnpei.

Come out to wish the CNMI women’s team luck at the commuter terminal of the Saipan International Airport this morning as Emylene Oiterong, Chariss Ruluked, Vanessa Diaz, Dena Ngirchongor, Henny Elayda, Krista Cruz, Ladonna Castro, Connie Camacho, Vanessa Mobel and coach Don Blondin board a plane for Guam at 10am.