The Papua New Guinea U18 Basketball Championships kicked off at the Taurama Aquatic and Indoor Centre in Port Moresby yesterday.
There are 17 participating teams from all over the country, including Daru, Madang, Central, Kerema, Simbu, Mt. Hagen, Kupiano and Port Moresby Basketball League (PMBL).
All teams converged in Port Moresby to battle it out on the hardwood court for the U18 national title, as well as playing for the selection of the U18 National team for the Oceania championships in Fiji in December.
The men’s competition is played with one division of two pools; Pool A and B consists of five teams each while the women’s competition will be played with one division of seven.
The tournament started with the first two days of round-robin games, before the all-important finals matches get underway on Friday.
BFPNG executive officer Joel Khalu said he is very excited about the number of teams competing in this year’s event.
“With the ten men’s and seven women’s teams, we’re expecting the standard of play to be very high,” Khalu said.
“It’s not often that associations get the chance to play for a national championship, so there’s no doubt teams will be giving their all in the pursuit of claiming that title.
“It's also a great opportunity for our young players to get exposed and put themselves in the running for national squad selection.”