Kaia Travilla, Mikki Kautz, Jan Travilla, and Madi Alegre pose for a photo after winning the NMIBF Marianas Arsenal 3×3 Basketball Series last month at the Ada gym.
Coby Santos, Jack Lizama, Preston Basa, and Douglas Schmidt pose for a photo after winning the NMIBF Marianas Arsenal 3×3 Basketball Series last month at the Ada gym.
THE NMI men’s and women’s basketball teams that topped the NMIBF Marianas Arsenal 3×3 Basketball Series are headed to Singapore to compete in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup on March 27-31.
“This is NMI’s first time to participate in a FIBA 3×3 tournament,” said Marianas Arsenal 3×3 basketball series coordinator Joe Villacrusis. He said it was possible to send teams to compete off-island thanks to their sponsors such as Marianas Arsenal, the NMI Basketball Federation and the community.
The NMI men’s team consists of Jack Lizama, Douglas Schmidt, Preston Basa and Coby Santos while the members of the NMI women’s team are Jan Travilla, Kaia Travilla, Mikki Kautz and Madi Alegre. Lia Rangamar is the teams’ manager.
Lizama, Basa and Schmidt saw action in the 3×3 competition of the 2017 Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu. This time, Basa said they expect “massive competition.”
He added, “We are looking…to really get into the 3×3 aspects and prepare before heading there. Our strength is speed and shooting. All four of us have been scouting teams and we know that they’re big, but they don’t shoot much. We’re hoping that we can exchange 2’s for 1’s down there. As long as we make our shots, we have a chance to perform well.”
First time
For Kaia Travilla, this will be her first time competing in an off-island 3×3 competition. “When my team and I officially knew that we would be the ones to represent the NMI, we were definitely excited and proud of each other to be able to reach that point,” said the 19-year-old Northern Marianas College student.
“Our team strategy is to trust in ourselves and in each other — it comes down to playing as one. I think the competition would be tough considering that we are going against nations that have more experience and are exposed to more basketball. Either way, we look forward to the competition because it’s a chance to show what NMI basketball is about, and the fact that we’ll be able to bring more experience back for basketball in the Marianas,” she added.
The NMIBF, for its part, has been assisting the teams in every way possible such as providing them with the official 3×3 balls, which are smaller but a bit heavier.
“Regardless of the outcome, we want them to take the experience, bring it back and share it with everyone because this is a different level from the Micronesian Games, the South Pacific Games and the Pacific Games,” Villacrusis said.
Like Basa, Villacrusis believes that the NMI men’s biggest advantage is their shooting ability and quickness.
As for the NMI women, Villacrusis said they will be going up against taller opponents, “but nonetheless, they should soak it in, bring it back and advance — and there is no way to advance without going out there and experiencing it. Again, this is our first time. Other countries have been there before….”
Win or lose, both teams are grateful to be presented with such a rare opportunity.
“It’s amazing,” Basa said. “A big shout out to NMIBF, James Lee, David Apatang, Marlene Lumabi and the rest of them. Basketball here is fun and we enjoy it, but opportunities like this bring a lot of hope for the youth. It’s a great incentive.”
Kaia Travilla said she is “thankful that NMIBF has provided them with an opportunity to play for the Asia Cup and offer a higher level of competition to those that want it.”
The NMI men’s first two opponents will be South Korea and Sri Lanka on March 27. Their third game is against Indonesia on the following day.
The NMI women will go up against India on March 27, and face Hong Kong and Indonesia on the following day.
