The competition — which lasted from March 20 to 26 at the Anderson Air Force Base — included 14 groups overall.
Teams were divided into two pools of seven, with the NMC Proas joining the Saipan-based Hoopaholics and Rollers.
“The team did very well despite not being used to NCAA rules and being a very small team in the land of giants,” said Aguon in an email to Marianas Variety.
“There were two games (our first and sixth), which we could have won and propelled us to the championship round (double elimination) but we did not. Still we made history by winning two games, almost winning two more and finishing in fifth place in our pool.”
The Proas took on Korea’s Area 4 All-Stars for their first game, losing 46-53.
“This team had four guys over 6’5” with the tallest at 6’9”. We had a five-point lead with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, but we could not hold on to it. They mounted their own trapping defense, similar to ours and we turned over the ball enough for them to take the lead and win by seven,” recalled Aguon.
The Proas’ luck finally turned after beating Guam’s Naval Hospital, 66-51.
They fell again, 59-68 to the tournament’s eventual champion, Korea’s Area 1 All-Stars.
“We only lost to them by nine. At one point, we did take the lead in the fourth quarter. They called a time out and came out hard on us. We lost the game because we were out rebounded. They had six guys that stood between 6’4” and 6’10”. We played a run-and-gun game which they had a problem with, but we could not sustain our shooting accuracy to win the game,” said the Proas’ head coach.
The fifth-ranked Proas won two of six games (not including their consolation rounds) and were unable to reach the finals. Team Proa is invited to the next tournament by director and Anderson Bombers coach Gerard Barnes, according to Aguon.
“Next year’s team and future teams must do better. The guys that made up the team have learned valuable basketball and life lessons that will enhance their lives forever. They went, they saw, they did their best and never gave up until the time expires. They now know what it takes to play those high level competitions. They have made a commitment to the program and to each other to continue training and be ready for the next challenge that can come at anytime,” he added.
The Proas included Dan Barcinas, Pete Iguel, Jack Lizama, Jason Bahillo, Charles Johnson, Marvin Rabauliman, Mike Babauta, Gino Libuw, Aitao Barcinas, Jomar Tumaquip, and Guy Mosley. Two other members that were unable to make the trip were Joe Villacrusis and Pete Mendiola.
The team would like to thank the Basketball Association of the Northern Marianas Islands, Northern Marianas College, Thrifty Car Rental, Priscilla Tenorio and Tim Quan, Twins Market, all those that bought their fundraising lunch tickets, family and friends, Susan Macario, Claire Aguon and her basketball club that hosted a dinner in Guam, and their families and friends in Guam that provided rooms and boarding.
