Rangamar said some of the young cagers will be leaving within the week, and the rest of the team members will follow this weekend.
While a private firm already shouldered the manufacture of official uniforms of the boys and the girls’ basketball teams, the young athletes currently face shortage of funds to answer for their own airfare.
Rangamar earlier noted the FIBA-sponsored tournament will shoulder the athletes’ food and accommodation during the games, but it will not sponsor their plane ticket.
Given the situation, both teams have organized their own fundraising projects only to finance their travel fare.
In a previous interview with Coach Rufino Aguon of the boys’ basketball team at the Northern Marianas College, mentioned some of his young players have tried conducting coin drives in the streets and sending out solicitation letters to gather money for their place ticket.
“We’re asking the community’s help,” Aguon said. “These are difficult times. The kids need help.”
Some of the girl cagers have held car wash activity and sent out letters of pledges to some individuals, to meet the same objective.
According to another coach and trainor, Gabriel White, the two teams still need to raise about $4,000 for their plane tickets to Guam.
White estimates that a single player would need between $150 and $200 to be able to fly to the Oceania games.
It is hard to get sponsors because of the economic slump and the culture on island that does not seem to show priority on basketball, he said.
This same sentiment has been expressed by Rangamar in a past interviewing, saying the government is more focused on other sports in terms of fund provisions but appears to neglect basketball.
It is said that this year’s attempt to compete in the Oceania tournament will be CNMI’s first.
Aguon pointed that it is important for CNMI to participate in this year’s games in Guam so as to showcase the young talents of the islands in the area of basketball.
“By joining we’ll be able to bid for next year’s FIBA-sponsored Men’s Oceania Open Tournament,” Aguon said, adding that the local boy and girl cagers’ failure to compete in this year’s Oceania youth basketball will somehow affect CNMI’s hosting of the event next year.
Rangamar said he and the rest of the young basketball contingents are hoping they will all be able to fly to Guam.
White said with this year’s participation of CNMI in the said games will allow the commonwealth to launch a more aggressive stance in joining other larger sports competition in the future.
