NMIBF hosts first 3×3 tournament

Players and coaches participating in the NMIBF 3×3 Hoop Fest pose with Tan Siu Lin Foundation executive director Merlie Tolentino, 11th left, and Northern Marianas Islands Basketball Federation officials during the jersey donation turnover ceremony yesterday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Contributed Photo)

The Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation will be holding its first 3×3 competition of the season tomorrow, Saturday, at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The event, which is dubbed as the NMIBF 3×3 Hoop Fest and will be held in collaboration with FIBA Oceania, will feature games in three divisions with the women’s field drawing 10 teams, the men’s category having eight squads, and the boys U18 age group getting six.

“We are excited to host our first 3×3 tournament this season and look forward to see more teams and more competitions next year,” NMIBF president James Lee said.

The NMIBF head is specifically upbeat on the boys U18 division, as the event is part of the federation’s assistance to member-clubs. The boys U18 division will have the Ol’Aces Real Deal, Tinian Typhoon, MadFlex, San Antonio Sixers, Chinatown Chargers, and the Rollers’ Undercooked Rolls.

“We are reaching out to clubs to see how we can help them grow their own program. We’ve seen their players practicing in various village courts the past few months and we want to provide them an opportunity to showcase what they learn from their practices and continue their development,” Lee added.

There are no registration fees for the U18 teams/clubs and they are also provided with free jerseys, courtesy of the Tan Siu Lin Foundation.

“We are thankful to the Tan Siu Lin Foundation for their continued support to CNMI basketball, especially our youth program. They’ve supported us with the summer camp, the interscholastic program, and now the youth teams participating in our 3×3 tournament,” Lee said.

TSL Foundation executive director Merlie Tolentino said they are pleased to partner with the NMIBF in the 3×3 competition, as the foundation promotes the participation of more youths in health and wellness activities, such as sports tournaments.

Meanwhile, teams that will be vying for the women’s division title include Acers, Team Agape, Alley-Oops, That One Team, Shammi, Small Giants, CrushOver, Tinian Typhoon, Gang Gang, and BellaBalls. In the men’s division, the field has Outlaws, Roll’Aces, Tinian Typhoon, Bebenome3, End Game, Dixon Cider, The Game, and Hole in the Wall.

Matches will start at 9:30am, while title games will be played in the afternoon, beginning at 4:15pm. Medals will be awarded to the Top 2 finishers in each division. (PR)