Guam women's team banking on speed and shooting in FIBA U17 joust
"Our goal is to compete. We want to compete for every single game, no matter what the score is. We want to get better from each game," Coach Jimmy Yi said.
The Guam national women's basketball squad may face tall odds in terms of matching up their size against its bigger opponents.
But make no mistake, Guam is ready and equipped to cut that size disadvantage into bits by its speed and shooting as assured by head coach Jimmy Yi.
"We aren't a tall team so we will have to make it up with quickness and shooting," said Yi days before Guam vies in the prestigious Oceania championship among U17 cagers set from August 18-24 in New Caledonia.
"We will have to shoot well, we've been shooting a lot lately."
Grouped in Pool A with taller powerhouses Australia and New Zealand together with Samoa, Guam indeed will be in for a herculean task that would require their A-games especially in transition and perimeter shooting to stand a fighting chance.
Good thing for the Micronesian standout Guam, it will troop into battle armed with proper preparation and mindset in waging gallant basketball wars against its taller counterparts.
"We have been practicing 3-4 times a week for that past few months, we have been focusing on everything," Yi added.
"We've been working at all aspects of the game and having fun. We are ready as we can be. We're excited to get there."
Tasked to spearhead Guam's attack are veteran captain Alana Salas and rising teen sensation Cori-Nicole Paulino whom Yi deeply trusts to come out and deliver.
"Alana has been with us for a few years, she knows what to expect and has experience playing against international teams. Cori-Nicole, on the other hand, will be in her first international basketball competition, it's going to be a good test for her, she knows how to run a team."
A podium finish for sure remains the ultimate goal for Guam but Yi would be more than satisfied if his wards compete until the very end while enjoying at the same time which is still the true essence of the game.
"Our goal is to compete. We want to compete for every single game, no matter what the score is. We want to get better from each game," Yi emphasized.
"But more importantly, we want to have fun."
FIBA