Aside from nine of the cagers who played in the Oceania Youth basketball tournament last year, there are 10 more youths who had been working their way to be included in the team that will compete with other Pacific teams of boys 19 years old and under in Guam on September.
Since the tryout games started weeks ago, the nine veterans had been showing up at the Northern Marianas College Gym. The three other veterans, Damien Deleon Guerrero, Bill Babauta and Tony Borja are all off island so whether they will be drafted or not, is still questionable, Aguon said.
Among the last year’s team members who are still eligible to play in the Oceania caging and are now attending the tryouts are Jericho Cruz, Keoni Chariton, Allen Moses, Marvin Rabauliman and Jayven Tarcon.
But since this year’s tournament requires only 10 players for each team, the CNMI team only have one slot open for a rookie who will make it in the tryout games.
Aguon and team manager, Ed Manalili continue to train the aspiring national team players. They had earlier said they will decide on the picks late this month.
Among the new comers vying for the slot are Dimps White, who played with Mt. Carmel School in the Coalition Private Schools Basketball League and Jack Lizama who played in the Friends of Mariana Islands First Intercolor Basketball Tournament.
In more than one month of watching the boys do the practice games, Aguon observed that new guys have a lot of potentials, and he also like their attitudes.
Aguon said one of the biggest challenges they are facing is the lack of fundamentals in basketball which the players should have learned in their earlier age.
Without those foundations, he said, “everything else is going to be hard.”
Nevertheless, he said the coaching team is trying to fill what’s lacking in the players.
If the new guys are fast enough to learn, Aguon said each of them will have a great chance to be included in the team.
