APIA (Samoa) - Guam are preparing for the FIBA U17 Women’s Oceania Cup with a mix of pride and promise, bringing back several athletes who impressed at last year’s FIBA U15 Women's Oceania Cup. Led by guard Lana Quinata, the team will look to build on their performance in Canberra and showcase the growth of a core group that has already proven it can compete at regional level.
Quinata was Guam’s standout at the U15 event, averaging 16 points per game against and consistently providing scoring spark and leadership. Her ability to create opportunities and inspire teammates makes her the focal point of Guam’s U17 campaign.
She is joined by other returning players who gained valuable tournament experience in 2024. Guam finished 5th overall, highlighted by a spirited 77–57 win over New Caledonia. Several of the current U17 squad members were part of that run, learning to adapt to Oceania’s pace and intensity while representing their island with pride.
Adding to Guam’s continuity are the Whitehead sisters, who both featured prominently at the U15 Oceania Cup last year. Their return gives the team a familiar spark on both ends of the floor. In Canberra, the sisters showed composure, combining for steady scoring contributions, defensive hustle, and an ability to lift the energy of the group in key moment s. Their performances underlined Guam’s depth and resilience, and now, stepping into the U17 stage, they bring not only experience but also the confidence of having already tested themselves against Oceania’s toughest opponents.
"The Whitehead sisters are excited to represent Guam again, they enjoyed their U15 experience and now looking to improve from their first experiences," Guam U17 Women's Head Coach Jimmy Yi said.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” Coach Yi said. “Being able to make a positive impact with the players over the years has made all the sacrifices worth it, and I’m just getting started. The future looks bright.”
Preparation has been limited, with Guam’s local girls’ season restricting practice time together. Still, Coach Yi emphasises the importance of building chemistry and sharpening fundamentals whenever the team gathers.
“When we do get together, we’re working on spacing, building chemistry, and reviewing plays,” he said.
He acknowledges that cohesion will be the biggest hurdle, but with many of the players already familiar with one another, he is confident they will rise to the occasion.
“They’ve known each other a while, so they will come together,” he says.
For Coach Yi and his players, representing Guam is about more than results.
“Every opportunity we get to represent our island is always special,” he said. “This is an opportunity for us to put Guam on the map, and give the younger girls more opportunities to represent Guam in the future.”
With Quinata’s All‑Star pedigree and the experience of teammates from the FIBA U15 Women's Oceania Cup in Canberra last year, Guam’s U17 women’s team enters the Oceania Cup with pride, promise, and the determination to showcase their island’s talent on the regional stage.
The FIBA U17 Oceania Cup and FIBA U17 Women’s Oceania Cup is being hosted by the Samoa National Basketball Association in Apia from December 8 to 13. The event is supported by the Government of Samoa under the Ministry of Sport and Recreation, with the two teams qualifying for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup and FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2026.
All games are livestreamed via the FIBA YouTube Channel in collaboration with BluWave Media.