Best 4 for 3-on-3 basketball tour

NATIONAL under-16 boys basketball coach Peni Ratumaiyale has named a 16 member extended training squad for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Oceania 3-on-3 Youth Tournament.

Over 50 young players turned up for trials at the Vodafone Arena in Suva last Saturday.

Only four will be able to travel to the inaugural tournament that will be held in Australia in April.

Ratumaiyale has only one-and-half-month to work on the squad and he says a lot of work will need to be done.

“The players are young and fast learners but still we have only one-and-a-half month to prepare,” he said.

“They have a lot of talent but we still have to work more on their weaknesses and ball skills.”

He said 3-on-3 is a new sport to Fiji and therefore only the best four will make the cut.

“We will need the four best players that will have all-round skill.”

“They need to have the height, defence, speed, and they should also be able to shoot.”

Ratumaiyale said the other factors that will determine the selection of players will be attendance, commitment and determination.

“They are at a growing age and they can learn easily but we also have to look at who is attending training regularly, who is consistent and has the commitment and determination to be a national team player.”

“In these six weeks, these players have to show me they have become better than when they came for trials.”

“This is the best time to start and for those who do not make it, well, it’s not the end of the road for them because they are still young and they have a long way to go,” he said.

The final four member squad will be named after the Easter Championships.

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