THE Fiji women's under-19 basketball is drawn in a tough pool at the upcoming FIBA Oceania Youth Basketball Championship in Australia next month.
Fiji faces an uphill battle against Guam, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand in Pool Two. The Laisiasa Puamau-coached side is wary of the unpredictable Guam side in its opening pool match on November 25.
"This is a very tough pool for us. Guam and PNG and we have New Zealand all in our pool, so it is not easy for us," Puamau said.
He said they would take each game at a time in a bid to improve their previous outing where they settled for the bronze medal.
"Our first game is against Guam, we want to start the competition on a high note and we are not going to take Guam easily. This is the most important game of all as it determines our fate in the competition." Fiji plays New Zealand in its second match before facing PNG in the final encounter. Puamau added they wanted to finish as pool winners after the round robin matches. Meanwhile, the men's team is drawn in pool Two with New Zealand, PNG and New Caledonia.
Oceania Pool Draws
Men - Pool One: Australia, Guam, Tahiti, Samoa;
Pool Two: New Zealand, New Caledonia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea
Women - Pool One: Australia, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Samoa;
Pool Two: New Zealand, Fiji, Guam, Papua New Guinea