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CNMI to field 2 boys teams in MBT
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Posted on Feb 10 2012
By Roselyn Monroyo
Reporter
Reporter
The CNMI will now have two teams in the boys division of the 2012 U17 Micronesian Basketball Tournament.
“Because we have a lot of young boys that came and are still trying out it has been decided that we field two teams,” said team manager and trainer Rufino Aguon in an email to Saipan Tribune.
“Team A is composed of the bigger and more experience players while Team B will have the younger ones,” he added.
Aguon also explained that having two teams in MBT will help the CNMI develop young players and coaches alike.
National Team player Quincy Johnson will coach Team A, while Ed Manalili will assists him. Omar Ajoste, who coaches the Sonics in various youth leagues, will call the shots for Team B and will be assisted by former CNMI national player Edsel Mendoza.
Last night, the four coaches were scheduled to select the members of their respective teams from the pool of players who started joining the tryouts mid last month at the Northern Marianas College Gymnasium. More than 30 players are attending the series of training sessions held every Tuesday and Thursday.
The U17 MBT will be held on Saipan from May 7 to 12 with the host battling teams from Guam, Yap, and Palau. The CNMI being the host country has the luxury of fielding two teams in the boys division. The girls division has its own competition and the Commonwealth is expected to have only one team.
The MBT on Saipan will be the second event in the region since the Micronesian Basketball Confederation was revived in 2010 during the Micronesian Games in Palau. Palau hosted the U15 MBT last year with the CNMI placing fourth in the boys and second in the girls division. Guam, which sent two teams in the boys division, swept the girls and boys championships.
There will be two MBT events this year, as Guam will host an open tournament in July. The U17 MBT is for the west division teams, while the east (Pohnpei, Chuuk, Marshall Islands, and Kosrae) will have their separate contest. Then in Guam, the west and east open squads will square off for the regional championship.
