Palau Women preparing to take on the region's elite

PALAU (FIBA U17 Women's Oceania Championship 2017) - This year's FIBA U17 Women's Oceania Championship 2017 will be a historic first for the Palau Women's team.

Determined to make a splash in their first ever FIBA U17 appearance, Palau's women's coach Stephanie Ngirphoinei is focused on preparing her team for the challenge ahead.

"Preparation is going well. We are at the beginning but they've come a long way," said Ngirphoinei. "We are very excited for the upcoming tournament."

Palau has not participated in a FIBA event for many years and is the smallest country at this year's event, but this has not dampened their excitement or determination.

"It's a big tournament so it's a great chance for my girls to get good exposure. For most of them, it is their first time playing for Palau," Ngirphoinei explained. "They're still young, so I think they need that exposure and to have a tournament competing with other athletes from around the Pacific. We are all looking forward to it."

Her ultimate priority is to ensure that Palau is represented well at this year's event.

She said: "I know it's going to be a lot of rookies, we know we're young, so I'm just going to motivate and take care of my girls."

Ngirphoinei noted that they look forward to learning a lot from more experienced teams like Australia and New Zealand.

"I know [they] have very advanced programs, so competing and seeing other teams playing style and exposure of highly competitive games will boost their experience," she explained.

FIBA