Dan Barcinas to beef up Nationals

Prolific scorer Dan Barcinas will suit up for the CNMI Men’s Nationals who will play in next month’s 2009 FIBA Oceania Tournament.

Barcinas, a former MVP in the MISO high school caging and played for various caging on Saipan, is now based in Oregon, but will be in town early next month to help the Nationals’ bid in the Oceania event.

“He will be a big addition to the team, especially on the offensive end. He played for me before, so he knows how the system works. He will just have to adjust with his new teammates, quickly,” Nationals coach Rufino Aguon said in a telephone interview with Saipan Tribune.

Aguon added Barcinas has been playing pick-up games in Oregon, so the Mt. Carmel School alumnus is still in good shape for the Oceania caging, which Saipan will host from June 20 to 28.

Barcinas is expected to fill the vacuum Jericho Cruz left on the team.

Aguon said Cruz planned to go to the Philippines next month to enroll in a university and try his luck in a collegiate league.

“Jericho told me he was leaving early June, so he will not be able to play. But he has been practicing with the guys to stay fit and be ready when he goes to Manila for school,” Aguon said. “We are already looking ahead to playing without him. He will be a big loss, but we all must move forward.”

Besides Barcinas, the Nationals are also waiting for big man Oscar Ada, who will plane in from Hawaii at the end of this month. Ada played for the CNMI during the 2006 Micronesian Games and his return to tour of duty will boost the Commonwealth’s frontline. He will be teaming up with Kelvin Fitial and Mel Manibusan.

Other players training for the Nationals are Jayvan Tarkong, James Camacho, Joseph White, Quincy Johnson, Joemary Tumaquip, Allen Moses, Marvin Rabauliman, Pete Iguel, and Keoni Chariton.

Aguon is expected to name the CNMI National Team at the end of this month.

Meanwhile, the Nationals mentor had mixed feelings about the withdrawal of Fiji, Tahiti, and Palau from the Oceania tournament.

“I am happy because we will get a chance to play New Zealand, but sad because we are looking forward to an eight-man tournament and learn from these seven other squads,” Aguon said.

Prior to the withdrawals, the CNMI Men’s Nationals were placed in Pool B, along with Australia, Guam, and New Caledonia. Pool A had Fiji, Tahiti, Palau, and New Zealand. In the women’s draw, CNMI was in Pool A, along with Fiji, Guam, and New Zealand. Pool B had Tahiti, New Caledonia, Palau, and Australia.

Now, the tournament will no longer have a pool play and instead will have a round-robin format, which according to Aguon makes the competition tougher.

“It (competition) will be a lot tougher and I just hope our hard work and heart will be enough to pull us through. We will do our very best in every game,” Aguon said.