HAGATNA (Guam) - 3x3 national team captain Seve Susuico has been appointed as Guam Basketball Confederation (GBC) 3x3 Program Director, ushering an era with high goals and noble vision in the long run not only for Guam basketball but for the Pacific hoops scene as a whole.

A member of the Guam national team that captured the historic 2019 Pacific Games 3x3 Gold Medal, Susuico will now embark on a new journey off the court in a bid to promote, develop and make Guam basketball a force to be reckoned with in the world's most popular urban sport.

“The goal is to establish ourselves as true contenders in the region,” said skipper Susuico, who teamed up with Andrew Carlos, Ben Borja, and Michael Sakazaki in Guam’s breakthrough 3x3 gold medal win last year's Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.

“And that will start with the community and developing our youth, men’s and women’s programs. The potential is there. We just have to keep moving forward. Bringing more education about the game of 3x3 to the sports community here and creating a positive atmosphere for our athletes.“

The road to that destination will not be a walk in the park, Susuico admitted, but he’s banking on rich experience as a player and the government all-out support in all fronts to fulfill that vision soon.

“I have been blessed enough to have played in international competitions across the world, and have seen the talent and the gameplay from all different counties. Every county has their style of play and I know Guam will evolve with time and create our ways to succeed in 3x3,” added Susuico, who was personally picked by GBC president and national team head coach EJ Calvo.

“I could see other countries supporting their players and federations. I would like to see that kind of support from our government as well. Program-wise, I would like to see more venues to play the sport and also support for our national program to travel and compete and express ourselves through sport.”

This early, Susuico has already short-term plans and a concrete program on the pipeline including a number of 3x3 tournaments this year depending on the COVID-19 situation and an overall blueprint for the 3x3 development starting with the grassroots level.

From being national 3x3 captain, Susuico now stands at the helm of the ship raring to kickstart Guam's smooth sail to 3x3 relevance and success worldwide.

“It is an honor to be able to be in a position to change the game of basketball here in Guam for the positive. By establishing the foundation of what works for us in the game of 3x3, we can develop and evolve into where we want to see our players, standing on the podium with our flag rising high,” he concluded.

FIBA