HONIARA (Solomon Islands) - At just 18 years old, Senikau Taleitaki is stepping onto the international stage for the first time - wide-eyed, proud, and determined. The moment is as terrifying as it is thrilling, but for the young guard from Raiwaqa, it's a dream that’s been years in the making.
"When I got selected, my family was like, 'Finally!' It felt like it was my chance - an opportunity to play basketball for Fiji."
"It's quite terrifying," she admitted. "But it's a great opportunity for me, especially for my first time, to really play at another level of competition with older women."
A debut years in the making
While her name might be new to fans, Taleitaki’s story stretches far back to the courts of Suva, where she first picked up a basketball at the age of six. She joined weekend clinics run by her local association and quickly fell in love with the game.
"I've been playing basketball since I was six," she said.
"I think it was like a neighborhood thing. Like if I didn’t try it... Normally everyone in the neighborhood plays basketball so I wanted to try it, too."
She started watching from the sidelines to playing on the courts - even against boys and men, some of whom are representing Fiji at this year's Melanesian Cup. Yet despite her early start, Taleitaki never appeared at youth-level tournaments - not for lack of talent, but timing.
"Every time they had tryouts for the youth teams, I was always an age older," she explained. "So this is my first time representing Fiji."
A family of hoopers
Basketball runs deep in the Taleitaki bloodline. Her uncles have both represented Fiji, her cousin joined an Australian youth tour, and now Senikau proudly becomes the fourth in her family to wear the national colors.
"When I got selected, my family was like, 'Finally!'" she laughed. "It felt like it was my chance - an opportunity to play basketball for Fiji."
Wearing number 7, she’s honoring a family tradition.
"Most of my family members who represented Fiji have always worn No.7," she said.
Guided by a Koroi legacy
Her basketball journey is also intertwined with one of Fiji’s most well-known basketball families — the Koroi family. Her mentor and role model, Ella Koroi, is a former national team player who helped introduce basketball into Senikau’s school and guide her development as both a player and person.
"She's the one who helped coach my team from when I was 16 - that’s when we introduced basketball into our school and she's helped us develop the team."
"She's a shooter, so that’s why I like to be a shooting guard. Her shooting's really good so I want to be like her. "
It’s no coincidence that members of the Koroi family are also suiting up for Fiji’s men’s and women’s teams at this year’s Melanesia Cup - basketball truly runs through their veins.
Player/Coach
Even before making her national team debut, Taleitaki is already a coach. She's coaching basketball at her school, reviving the girls’ program after a four-year break.
"There are a lot of girls now trying basketball, especially from my school," she said. "I asked my uncle to talk to the head of school to bring basketball back, and that’s when I started teaching the girls to play."
She laughs when asked if she enjoys coaching - "Maybe a little," she admits - but it's clear she's already shaping the next wave of Fijian players.
"Sometimes I get frustrated when they can’t do the basics," she said. "But I have to teach myself to calm down and teach them because I was also like that."
Running toward her dreams
Before basketball, athletics was her first love. She ran both short and long distance events from the age of six, competing in school and club meets until a knee injury steered her back to the hardwood.
"Athletics was actually my main sport," she said. "Basketball was just a hobby back home - but after my injury, it helped me come back."
Now, the girl who once ran laps around the track is sprinting toward her basketball dreams - and doing it as a representative of the nation.
Ready for the moment
As she prepares for her first gold medal game with Fiji, nerves mix with excitement.
"I'm really nervous,” she said about the upcoming game against a team they had lost to just a few days ago in Papua New Guinea. "But I think we can do better."
And if she were coaching her own school team in a championship game? Her advice would be simple.
"Don't stress a lot. Don't overthink. Just execute whatever plays we’ve trained and learned so far. Just enjoy the game and whatever happens, happens."
From the neighborhood courts of Raiwaqa to representing her country, Senikau Taleitaki is not just part of Fiji’s present - she’s helping build its basketball future as well.
FIBA