Apia (Samoa) – Solomon Islands finished fourth in the FIBA Melanesia Cup and was not an outright qualifier to the 2019 Pacific Games.

But following a thorough review and a successful application bid, FIBA granted the Solomon Islands a wildcard seat, paving its way to a return in the prestigious quadrennial showpiece in the Pacific.

The Solomon Islands thus complete an eight-team field with Melanesia Cup champions Papua New Guinea, Samoa, New Caledonia, Tonga, Polynesia Cup champion Tahiti together with the Micronesia king and reigning Pacific Games titlist Guam.

QUALIFIERS

The Solomon Islands was overwhelmed by its counterparts in the Melanesia Cup, to finish with a 0-4 record.

The Solomon Islanders suffered stinging losses against Papua New Guinea 37-79, Fiji 51-70 and New Caledonia 57-82, and Fiji again in the semi-finals, 43-63 to finish last in the 4-team tournament.

POSSIBLE KEY PLAYERS

Hilton Gwali, Waige Turueke, Matthew Boardman

Due to a cellar finish, Solomon Islands was the only squad which did not produce a player in the All Star-Five of the Melanesia Cup.

But make no mistake, Solomon Islands still has a lot to offer despite its struggles especially with three vital cogs at the helm.

The troika of Gwali, Turueke, and Boardman will be the main stars for the Solomon Islands and are bound for a better outing this time in a bid to lift the Solomon Islands to greater heights.

2015 PACIFIC GAMES PERFORMANCE

The Solomon Islands piled up a 2-4 slate in the last edition of the Pacific Games.

It absorbed big losses against Tahiti (35-76), Samoa (70-78), Guam (61-91) and New Caledonia (71-91) but also managed to rack up wins over Kiribati (94-57) and Nauru (95-71).

In the end, Solomon Islands settled for just seventh place out of the eight participating teams.

OUTLOOK

The Solomon Islands may have struggled in the Melanesia Cup as well as in the 2015 edition of the Pacific Games.

But do not underestimate the strides that it is doing in the past couple of years with an ultimate goal of improving step of the way.

After all, the Solomon Islands as per the Solomon Islands Basketball Federation (SIBF) vows to send an even stronger team this year following a 36-man training pool upon receiving their Pacific Games wildcard ticket.

Add the experience it acquired from the Melanesia Cup, expect the Solomon Islands to display a better outing that would serve as a springboard in their Pacific Games hosting in 2023.

For more Pacific Games information visit the official website here.

FIBA