Men’s coach wants players to give no less than 100%

CNMI National Men’s Basketball coach Rufino Aguon wants no less than 100 percent from his players when they compete in the 6th Micronesian Games set here on Saipan from June 23 to July 3.

“Training is going on okay. The guys are already running about seven kilometers aside from running sprints. I am holding off the naming of the guys until the end of April. I can only say that 10 are the ones coming, some more than others. This frustrates me, we are the home team and we should defend with all our might—nothing less than 100-percent effort,” he said.

The head coach of recently crowned Budweiser-Coca Cola 6th Annual UFO Inter-Organizational Basketball League champion SIP-Flor A. Miranda also said that even though Guam is the team to beat in the quadrennial event, the CNMI shouldn’t discount other basketball powerhouses in the region.

“Kosrae, they won silver the last games; Belau, just coming off the Mini Games where they did pretty good; Pohnpei, they won silver the last 22-and-Under in Belau; Marshall is always dangerous. Guam is still the favorite but we should not count out the other nations,” he said.

Aguon said the CNMI team may not be the tallest, fastest, and most talented team in the upcoming Games, but he would try to make sure of thing—the host team would be the most prepared and physically fit of the bunch.

“It will come down to the team that is fittest, execute under pressure, and with a winning attitude would prevail. I want us to be that team. But we must not wait and hope. We must work harder than any other team,” he said.

The former executive of Continental Micronesia also enjoined companies to help the Basketball Association of the Northern Mariana Islands in raising funds for both the men’s team but also for the CNMI National Women’s Basketball Team.

“For now all questions about sponsorship must go through the organizing committee. They are putting together a guideline for this and the federations should be getting it soon. I believe I can speak for all the athletes and sports federation that we will do whatever the companies ask of us to achieve our goals and dreams come this Micro Games. It’s once-in-a-lifetime for most of us so we must work together as a team with the community if we are to succeed,” he said.