Noumea (New Caledonia) - Head Coach Arii Meuel has set an ultimate goal for the Tahiti U17 squad in the looming 2019 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships this weekend in New Caledonia. 
 
And that is to make the Final Four with hopes of pulling off a stunner against powerhouses Australia or New Zealand from thereon. 
 
Now serving as the national youth squad mentor, the men's team captain and FIBA Polynesia Cup MVP Meuel eyes that dream for his wards when the Oceania tilt among 17-and-under cagers gets going this August 18-24.
 
"First I want the players to have fun on the court. It is a great experience to be part of, they should enjoy every second of it," said Meuel who also towed Tahiti into an impressive Silver Medal finish in the 2019 Pacific Games last month. 
 
"Second is to make the Final Four of the tournament and then why not create the surprise against New Zeland or Australia in the Semi-Final." 
 
For sure though, the job will not be an easy nut to crack especially with Tahiti falling into a tough Group B together with Pacific rivals Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea and host New Caledonia. 
 
To achieve the feat, Meuel will be banking on a proven and tested arsenal on the hardcourt; defense, which they have built through special preparation and training.
 
"Our strength will be and has to be our defense. We cannot win this tournament if our defense is not solid. And stops will make us in good positions to run our offense." said Meuel who is also a part of the Pacific Games' All-Star Five.

Photo: Meuel playing in the 2019 Pacific Games

Tahiti's training included track, field and beach training in a bid to toughen up their legs to give their counterparts a hard time on offense all game long. 
 
"We did some ball, beach, track and field practices as usual. This tournament will be hard physically with a game every day for 6 straight days. We prepared the players body to endure this kind of effort while being as efficient as possible on the court," he added. 
 
" The goal was to make the players physically ready to play the game the way we want which means playing very hard defense." 
 
Of course, offense is still needed to win and Meuel has some guys to deliver the production. 
 
These are top-notch US-based cagers who participated in summer leagues and off-season tournaments, making Tahiti a dangerous squad on both ends of the floor. 
 
"The preparations are going well so far even if we are still missing a few players that are in the US for summer league games. So I'm confident that they will be ready physically when they will integrate the group," he added. 
 
"I think that any player on the roster can stand out for the team. Everybody can play hard defense on and off the ball and our offense doesn't focus on 2 or 3 players but we try to find the open man. Whoever it is. It will depend on who got the hot hand during the game." he concluded.

FIBA