Basketball names U18s

Sports

By JACK AMI
PAPUA New Guinea international Liam Wright, based in Victoria, Australia, was included in the National Under-18 training squad for the FIBA Oceania Championship in Fiji in December.
Liam is the only overseas player given the nod by the Basketball Federation PNG to team up with the local potentials.
He plays for the Subway North East Bush Rangers in Victoria and is considered one of the club’s rising stars.
The Wright brothers Liam and Lloyd played for the PNG men’s team during last year’s Pacific Games.
Port Moresby-based players dominate the Papua New Guinea U18 men’s and women’s training squads for the FIBA Oceania Champions in Fiji.
The Basketball Federation Papua New Guinea announced that the train-on squad earned selection due to their performance at the National U18 championships in Port Moresby last week.
BFPNG executive officer Joel Khalu said that finalising the selections was a tough challenge.
“Because the standard of play was so high and most games were very close, both the men’s and women’s selection panels had an extremely difficult time confirming their final squads,” Khalu said.
“With competition for spots being so tight, I think that reflects just how much basketball talent we have throughout the country in this particular age group.
“It’s really exciting to also think that some of these players could quite possibly go on to earn selection into PNG senior sides when the 2019 Pacific Games rolls around.”
U18 men: Conillus Muri (NCDABA), Moses Kairi (NCDABA), Esau Horo (NCDABA), Anderson Hewe (NCDABA), Ivan Tabua (Daru), Brenneth Morris (Daru), Nuga Vere (PMBL), James Karulaka (PMBL), Ravini Markaro (PMBL) and Liam Wright (Australia). Shadow players are Zebulon Wamu (Daru), Freddy Dickson (PMBL), Douglas Pirika, (PMBL), Patrick Solomon (Kerema), Lukas Kawage (Kupiano) and Mekere Tete (NCDABA).
U18 women: Tina Dobunaba (POMWBL), Deborah Solomon (POMWBL), Margaret Kevin (NCDABA), Sabatinah Henry (POMWBL), Normalisa Dobunaba (POMWBL), Millene Taule (POMWBL), Donna Aisi (Kerema), Denienne Bray (POMWBL),Jennifer Haro (NCDABA), Tabitha Karulaka (POMWBL). Shadow players: McDalyn Passingan (Mt Hagen), Stella Tepra (Mt Hagen), Jane Avea (Kerema), Evia Kake (NCDABA), Valerie Maikai (POMWBL), Svetlana Arthur (POMWBL) and Erika Amos (POMWBL).