Tenorio Ready to Lead Guam Men in PNG

PORT MORESBY (Papua New Guinea) – The Guam U17 Men’s Team will be chasing a podium position at the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship this October, building on their momentum from 2022.

After hosting the FIBA U15 Oceania Championship in 2022, the Guam men are shaping up to bring the heat to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG) at the championship.

Head Coach, Arvin Jay B. Domingo said that the team are well-prepared and ready for the championship and ready to do their country proud.

“Our preparations are going well,” Coach Domingo said.  “The boys have been putting in the work to ensure that we communicate effectively, so that we are on the same page on both ends of the floor.”

Coach Domingo expects all his players to show up offensively and defensively to get the job done at the FIBA U17 Oceania Championships and is excited to see what their emerging players bring to the team at the tournament.

Raven Pascual in action at the 2022 FIBA 3x3 U17 Asia Cup

“Raven Pascual represented Team Guam at the FIBA 3x3 U17 Asia Cup 2022, so we look forward to seeing what he can do, alongside Raven we will have all island stand outs, DJay Osborn and Keanu Anderson, they will all be great to watch and play a pivotal role in shaping our team,” Coach Domingo said.

Continuing on from their 2022 success, plenty of the Guam line-up will have learnt valuable lessons to build on and improve this time around including, Noah Tenorio, who was selected in the All-Star Five last year, Colin Baker, Collin Rillamas, Troy Dirige and Michael Bork. 

“I’m really excited to see our team play at this event,” Tenorio said.  “Everyone has been working incredibly hard each day and putting their heart and soul into training sessions.”

Noah Tenorio leading Guam at the 2022 FIBA U15 Oceania Championship

“We are all prepared for the challenge of coming up against the best in Oceania, we have been working on defence, keeping our men in front and rotations.  We are an undersized team so we know how crucial playing good defence will be.

“For me personally, I need to find new ways to score and contribute to the team.  I have been working on getting open to score more and lead the boys on and off the court.  As a leader, I always want to improve and understand more about my teammates and the game of basketball.  I think I need to become a better athlete overall, improve on my scoring abilities and be reliable at both ends of the court.

Coach Domingo said that his team are more than ready to take on the best Oceania basketballers in the region.

“Expect Team Guam to battle every game and leave everything they have on the floor.”

 The 2023 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships will be hosted by the Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby at Sir John Guise Stadium from October 2 to 7.  The Championships serve as the first step in the qualification process to the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup.  The top two placed teams at the 2023 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships qualify to the 2024 FIBA U18 Asian Championships.

FIBA