Tuckayo, 14, set to debut at c’ships

By JACK AMI
Bianca Jane Tuckayo, 14, says she is eager to make her mark at the Fiba U15 Oceania Basketball Championships in Port Moresby next week.
Tuckayo, who can play guard or forward, is expected to be a vital cog in Papua New Guinea’s campaign on home soil.
Tuckayo — from Sentani in Jayapura and Busamang in Morobe — stands at 164cm and weighs 62kg.
Tuckayo grew up playing basketball in Lae, having tagged along with her aunty Jenny Magatu — a former PNG international who played with the Unitech Bulls.
Apart from Magatu and her mother Salome, NS Busu coach Martha Aaron had encouraged Tuckayo to play in the Lae schools basketball competition.
Tuckayo said she was 13 years old when she started playing basketball for the Lae Secondary School U15 team and NS Busu’s A-grade side.
In Grade 9, Tuckayo started playing regularly in the senior competition to develop her skills.
“I can play guard and forward,” she said.
“I do a lot of training to dribble from left and right.
Salome is proud of her daughter for earning the opportunity to represent the country.
Salome said she would take time off from work to travel to Port Moresby to support Tuckayo and her teammates.
“This will be a big challenge for her at the Fiba U15 Oceania Championships, as she will make her representative debut alongside other players after earning selection at the national championships recently,” Tuckayo’s mum said.