BY JOHN CHRISMA
ABSENCE of an active domestic league competitions and inadequate training facilities may haunt the preparation of the Solomon Islands National Basketball teams for the 2023 Pacific Games.
According to the Solomon Islands Basketball Federation, the lack of training facilities is a challenge for the country’s basketball team and players as they might prepare for any future championships and the upcoming 2023 Pacific Games.
Solomon Islands Basketball Federation (SIBF) President Cyril Bernard Rachman said the Federation is not as fortunate to ensure the members of the Solomon Islands National Basketball have access to proper basketball court training facilities.
He said the basketball players (SIBF members) normally train on the poor concrete surf of the Holy Cross basketball court as it is the only basketball court facility available in Honiara.
“At the moment, the Federation is yet to have its own proper facility (international standard basketball courts) to host domestic league competitions and daily routine trainings for our national basketball players,” the President told local sports journalists during the recent sports reporting workshop held in Honiara.
The standard basketball court venue at the Multiple-Purpose Hall was previously turned into a mini field hospital to accommodate the COVID-19 frontline medical staffs operations in Honiara.
Cyril said it is also not quite as comfortable to training on the concrete (hard) surf court at the Holy Cross basketball court.
“Playing on the hard court isn’t the same as playing on a proper standard surface courts. Bounce of the ball, movement of the players and other technicalities are altered. If this goes on it will affect the teams’ future performance in top competitions and ultimately the result.
“Playing on good surf courts are the areas of the game that Solomon Islands needs to improve on,” he pointed out.
Solomon Islands senior national basketball representative, Augustine Basia said the country’s national men’s 3×3 basketball team are eyeing to participate in next year’s (2022) 3×3 wildcard basketball tournament in Fiji.
On his assessment of the opponents at the upcoming Games, Augustine said Solomon Islands fall miserably short when it comes to the training facility and domestic tournament exposure.
