SUVA (FIBA U18 Oceania Championships 2016) - Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the most hyped female squads heading into the 2016 FIBA Under-18 Oceania Championships, and for good reason. The duo of Normalisa Dobunaba and Tina Dobunaba are set to lead PNG to the medal rounds.

Both Normalisa and Tina have FIBA Oceania experience, having competed in the 2014 U18’s with Papua New Guinea. That event didn’t go as planned for PNG, as they finished with a 2-4 record, but this year is shaping up to be a totally different story.

Not only is the duo accustomed to a FIBA Oceania tournament format, but Normalisa also participated in the first ever FIBA Pacific Youth Leaders (PYL) Basketball Camp earlier this year. Normalisa was among 11 of the Pacific’s best-emerging women’s talent invited to work with former WNBA, WNBL and Australian Opals coach Carrie Graf.

Not only was Normalisa lucky enough to have direct coaching from Graf, she also had the chance to compete with the upcoming stars of her fellow Pacific nations. This will serve her well when she comes up against these familiar faces at this year’s tournament.

The skills and knowledge gained from her fellow athletes and Coach Graf during her time in Australia will be invaluable for Normalisa and PNG’s medal chances this year.

Normalisa was a rebounding machine at the 2014 championships, averaging 10.3 boards per game. This included four straight games where she recorded double-digit rebounding, highlighted by a monstrous 15-rebound, 10-point effort in a loss to New Caledonia.     

If Normalisa brings her rebounding expertise to the 2016 U18’s, expect the Papua New Guinea women to fare a lot better than they did two years ago.

Normalisa and Tina work so well together on the court that some may not be surprised to learn that Tina is in fact, Normalisa's niece. No wonder the family duo is such a handful to deal with on the glass. Tina averaged 5.5 rebounds per game at the 2014 U18’s, along with 4.8 points and 1.2 assists.

PNG’s reliance on Tina at the 2014 championships was immense, as she played 35 minutes or more in all but one game. It made sense, considering Tina was able to display her scoring and rebounding ability all tournament long.

In an outing against the Solomon Islands, Tina scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds, including four on the offensive end. This was an example of how dominant Tina can be in multiple areas, and if she brings that same energy to the court this year, PNG should be set for success.

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

FIBA