SUVA (FIBA U18 Oceania Championships 2016) - The host nation of the FIBA U18 Oceania Championships 2016 will be looking to give their home fans something to cheer about. In their quest to protect home court, Fiji’s hopes of medalling at the championships will be led by Tiyana Kainamoli and Colin Lal.

Kainamoli was tremendous at the 2014 U18 tournament, despite Fiji’s disappointing campaign. The Fijian women finished with a 1-5 record two years ago, a mark they’re definitely keen to improve this time around. However, don’t place the blame on Kainamoli, who showed her all-around versatility two years ago.

Kainamoli averaged 13.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.5 steals and 1.8 blocks at the 2014 U18 championships, displaying her capability to impact the game in all areas. What makes Kainamoli so tough to handle is she can adapt to different situations. Even if she isn’t shooting the ball well, she can still rebound, be a physical defender and make plays for her teammates. With Kainamoli’s immense skillset, it allows her to be a factor no matter how the game is going.

Along with her impressive 2014 event, Kainamoli was also a participant at the first ever FIBA Pacific Youth Leaders (PYL) Basketball Camp. Kainamoli received one-on-one coaching from former Australian Opals coach, and the winningest coach in WNBL history, Carrie Graph. Along with the opportunity to learn from one of Australia’s most decorated women’s basketball coaches, Kainamoli was able to compete with some of the Pacific’s best players around her age and compete against some of the young talent Australia has to offer. The lessons she learnt from Graph, along with her experience competing with and against some of the regions great talent will be invaluable, and they’ll help Kainamoli lead Fiji at this year’s championships.

On the men’s side, they’ll also be looking to better their 2-4 record from the 2014 FIBA U18 Oceania Championship for Men. Someone who will help them do so is Lal, who will be playing in his first FIBA Oceania championship event.

Even though it’s his debut tournament, Lal will be prepared, this tournament comes on the back of his attendance of the PYL Camp earlier this year. Like Kainamoli, Lal had the chance to learn from one of Australia’s most respected coaches, Phil Smyth. Smyth is a four-time Olympian and three-time Australian National Basketball League (NBL) champion player plus, a former Australian Boomers coach and three-time Australian NBL championship-winning coach.

Lal entered the camp with some specifics he wanted to improve, aspects of his game that’ll be worth watching at this year’s U18’s.

"I would love to be able to come back to Fiji with good basketball habits. Some of the things I would like to learn are; proper boxing out, shooting post play and rebounding," commented Lal.

Lal is a seasoned baller in the Fijian local leagues and has also played in FIBA Oceania 3X3 tournaments, so basketball has been a part of his life for a long time. Now, Lal will be looking to combine his experience across numerous leagues and events, to help bring Fiji a medal.

The FIBA U18 Oceania Championships 2016 will take place in Suva, Fiji, from the 5th to 10th of December.

FIBA