Men on a mission in MBT

The CNMI’s men’s basketball team is leaving this morning on its way to defend the honor of the islands against the likes of the Marshalls, Chuuk, Palau, Yap, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Guam in the 8th Micronesian Basketball Tournament.

Hours and hours of preparation will come down to how the men perform on the air-conditioned hardwoods at the University of Guam.

A couple of those hours were spent in a scrimmage game against some of the best players of the UFO league Thursday night at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

The CNMI team looked like a well-oiled machine as they ran, passed, shot and communicated en route to their 132-68 victory. The players looked for each other on the court, talked to each other and worked the ball around to stay a step ahead of the opposing team. While their offense produced an avalanche of points, it was their smothering defense that kept the momentum in their favor.

The local team took to the air to intercept passes and block their shots. They were like disciplined magnets that stayed with their defensive assignments despite the crafty play of the UFO’ers. Plainly put, they were on their opponents like white on rice.

It was a dominating performance, but how a team does in a pre-tournament scrimmage means nothing in MBT’s. It was, however, a good chance to see how the players would react with another team on the court with them. If for no other reason, it was a great opportunity to see the team’s older and younger players work together and to see the youngest players demonstrate their poise and presence on the court playing against grown men. The game ended as young gunner Jeremy Winkfield sank a trey after receiving a pass from veteran Gabriel White with a pair of seconds left.

A noteworthy addition to the team was player/coach Elias Rangamar. Rangamar was already coaching the team, but added himself to the player roster when he was informed by then CNMI player, John Joyner, that he was unable to travel with the team because he could not get the time off from his job.

There are two pools into which the teams were placed. Pool A consists of Palau, Yap, Guam and Pohnpei, while the CNMI team was placed into Pool B along with Chuuk, Kosrae and the Marshals.

All of the pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremonies will take place early on Monday morning, July 5, and the men will not have to wait long to get a taste of the action.

Immediately after the opening ceremonies, the CNMI will face its first competition in a 9am match up with Chuuk. Their second game is against the Marshals on Tuesday, July 6, at 9am followed by their third match up on Wednesday, July 7, with the team from Kosrae at 3pm.

If you will not be accompanying the team on its journey to Guam, make your way down to the commuter terminal at the Saipan International Airport and cheer them on before they hop on their 10am flight. This might just be the team that brings home the gold, and you can say that you did your part to support the CNMI cagers.