FIBA Oceania wants to reach out to CNMI schools

FIBA Oceania secretary general Steve Smith will visit Saipan next month to meet with officials from the Public School System and private schools.

FIBA Oceania, through the Basketball Association of Northern Mariana Islands, wants to help PSS and the various private schools in the Commonwealth in running tournaments and leagues.

“The main purpose of the meeting is to help PSS and private schools in the administration of leagues and tournaments. FIBA Oceania wants to know how it can help these schools run their tournaments,” BANMI president Elias Rangamar said in an interview with the Saipan Tribune.

Rangamar said Smith will arrive on Saipan on Oct. 5 with FIBA administration manager Judy Smith.

PSS has the Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization Basketball League, which is open for high school teams and will kick off its 2008-2009 season in January next year.

The league features teams from Marianas High School, Kagman, and Saipan Southern. Mt. Carmel School is also participating in the league. Three years ago, Grace Christian Academy, another private school on Saipan, fielded a women’s team in the MISO caging.

The Southern Manta Rays are the defending champion in the boys division, while the Kagman Lady Ayuyus ruled last season’s women’s division.

PSS does not have a league for its elementary schools, but holds a tournament annually with volunteer teachers organizing the elementary caging.

Private schools have the Coalition of Private Schools Basketball League, which features competition in the middle school and high schools divisions.

The private school league will open shop for the 2008-2009 season in January next year, after it started its volleyball season last month.

Members of the coalition are Saipan International School, Saipan Community School, GCA, Mt. Carmel, Whispering Palms and Seventh Day Adventist.

Rangamar said it is important that FIBA meets public and private school officials to bring more order to the leagues and tournaments being organized in the scholastic level.

When asked about the possibility of having all public and private schools play in one league, Rangamar said it has been BANMI’s dream to bring all schools in one group, but funding and manpower problems prevent them from doing so.

“Usually school leagues are run by volunteer teachers and schools don’t really have a group whose role should solely focus on organizing leagues and tournaments because of lack of funds,” Rangamar said.

While BANMI still finds way to form one league for private and public schools, the association for now will be contented in assisting in the officiating of games and helping schools in their calendar of tournaments.

“It’s very important for schools to submit a calendar of tournaments, so we can arrange the venue and the availability of game officials for the matches,” Rangamar said.