Papua New Guinea’s ‘Coni’ Muri is paving his own hoops path
Port Moresby (FIBA Melanesia Basketball Cup 2017) – He originates from a long family list of Papua New Guinea (PNG) basketball greatness, but Conillus ‘Coni’ Muri is paving his own hoops path.
“I’m a totally different type of player to Apia and Purari,” said the younger brother Coni. “I play my own style. I’m not as athletic as those guys but I’m probably a bit craftier,” he said jokingly. “They’re both PNG national team stars and have been reps for many years, so I’ve got a long way to go to catch up to them.”
16-year-old Coni Muri is up for selection for this year’s FIBA Melanesia Basketball Cup to be played from the 27th to 30th of September 2017 in Papua New Guinea.
Coni he was raised in a basketball-rich environment, the kid from Kaugere in Moresby South never actually played his first real competitive game until he was nine years old.
“It was 2010 in the Capital Basketball League and I was playing with people older than me,” Muri recalls. Coni remembers his earliest basketball influence being his grandfather Moi Muri, a legend of the sport in PNG, who represented the country at multiple South Pacific Games.
“Pops (Moi) wanted to expose our talents to the public and take us out from the streets and the bad things in the community and help us do something positive. Basketball was a way to do that.”
Coni is certainly heading on the right track. As a 15-year old he was selected to the PNG under 18 national team last year, where he traveled to Australia and played in a pair of exhibition games in Cairns.
“Going to Cairns and playing was a great experience. It made me realise how much better I need to get.”
Muri has improved considerably since the December, earning more playing minutes with the KSS Southern Flames in the PNG Men’s Basketball League (PMBL) this current season.
While still only a teenager, he demonstrated the ability to handle pressure consistently at the men’s level, showcasing an outstanding all-around performance at the recent Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea (BFPNG) national championships, leading his team to a third-place finish and earning himself selection to the PNG senior training squad.
“I’m very happy with that achievement and I’m excited to begin training with the elite players,” he said. “It’s going to be a long road for me. Representing my country at the senior level might not happen this year, but it’s something I want to do down the track. My goal is to be in the 2019 Pacific Games team.”
“But at the end of it all, through basketball, I can be a better person and that’s what it’s really all about.”
FIBA
