FIBA

Utilizing the sport to the fullest of its noble cause, the Samoa National Basketball Federation gathered a slew of standout girls in the community for a two-goal camp in partnership with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Girls age six up to 15 years old participated in the three-day camp that included seminars, discussions, and workshops on women empowerment along with activities and drills teaching fundamental basketball skills as part of Samoa’s “Stop The Violence Against Women and Girls" platform.

The new NBA season will start next week, on Dec. 22, with the regular season wrapping up on May 16 before the playoffs between May 22 and July 22.

The Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed by a year to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, kick off on July 23, with the basketball preliminaries starting two days later.

"Looking at the late finish of the Orlando bubble (last season's playoffs) and the following season, we had requested an in-depth discussion with the NBA and the NBA players association," Zagklis said.

The Samoa National Basketball Association (SNBA) boasts impressive experience as hosts with the successful events held in the country including the previous "Poly Cup" edition in 2018 and the quadrennial Pacific Games in 2019.

"We feel that we want to continue where we left off from the Pacific Games 2019 with all the locally trained officials we have and as well the amazing facility right there. Also with the experience from the 2018 Poly Cup - we feel we can improve a lot and host another successful Poly Cup," shared SNBA President, Talalalei Pauga.

The Boomers sealed a sixth consecutive victory in the tournament to make history at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center on Wednesday.

Australia took charge in the third quarter, outscoring the Czechs by 30 points to 18 to seize control and went on to set up a last-four showdown with Spain in Beijing on Friday.

Mills, Chris Goulding and Andrew Bogut played key roles for Andrej Lemanis' side, scoring 48 points between them to ensure a brilliant performance from Tomas Satoransky was in vain.

The FIBA Melanesia Cup will feature the best teams from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands all vying for the chances to claim the converted Melanesian Cup.

Not only that, they will also battle it out to secure the top three positions to qualify them for the 2019 Pacific Games.

The FIBA Melanesian Basketball Cup is one of the three new Oceania sub-zone competitions comprising of the Melanesian, Micronesian and Polynesian regions

Mayor Tom Tate made the announcement  alongside FIBA President Horacio Muratore, who is visiting the Gold Coast to open the Regional Office and meet with GOLDOC and Basketball Australia representatives.

"This is the first sporting organisation the city has attracted through our new Sport Attraction Program, and the first centred around the new indoor sporting facilities being constructed for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth GamesT(GC2018)," he said.