SUVA (Fiji) – The Fiji men will be looking for redemption at the FIBA Melanesian Cup 2022 as they host reigning championships Papua New Guinea and look for winning start to the tournament.

In 2017 at the Melanesian Cup the Fijians were narrowly defeated by New Caledonia (70-73) in their first match of the tournament which was dominated by Papua New Guinea (PNG) who went through undefeated.  They went on the qualify for the Pacific Games 2019 where they bounced back and finished that tournament with a bronze medal accounting for PNG convincingly.

Assistant Coach, William Peter said the team has been preparing well for the Mela Cup with everyone eager to impress in front of a home crowd.  “The team has been preparing since August with daily sessions for our squad of 15.  We have two young players in the squad and that combined with a lot of experience, we have a solid range of talent.

“The whole team are really excited and ready to compete at home in front of family and loved ones.”

Assistant Coach Peter highlighted Joshua Fox, Filimone Waqabaca and Mataika Koyamainavure as players to watch with Orisi Naivalurua always a consistent competitor.

At the Pacific Games in 2019, Fox and Koyamainavure were both prolific with Fox averaging 13 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game.  Koyamainavure was equally as impressive, averaging 12.4 points per games and 6.4 rebounds.

Both Fox and Koyamainavure will both be eager to continue their form and lead their team to a gold medal in front of their home crowd at the FIBA Melanesian Cup 2022.

The top two teams at the Melanesian Cup will qualify for the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands.  The Pacific Games then serves as the official qualifier for the Oceania region to the FIBA Asia Cup Pre-Qualifiers.

 FIBA