GBC eyes November FIBA bubble

Edward Calvo

Guam Basketball got some good news this week with the announcement that FIBA will be following the path of the NBA and institute its own competition bubble for all of its qualification games across the world. Following recommendations from FIBA's medical and competition commissions to host full-contact games amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers will be held in either Australia or New Zealand in November, according to a press release from the Guam Basketball Confederation. 'The FIBA bubble appears to be in line with what other pro sports like the NBA and UFC,' said Edward Calvo , GBC president and head coach for the men's national team. 'We look forward to playing in front of our awesome fans at home again in the future!' Under the guidance of the host's public health authorities, FIBA health protocols will include PCR testing and controlled entry into a secure environment. Each bubble will consist of four to eight teams with hosts decided at the regional level. Team Guam competes in Group C, which consists of Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. The last time Guam played, prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the team faced the Kiwi powerhouse, picking up their first loss in front of a sold-out crowd at the University of Guam Edward Calvo Field House. COVID-19 forced a postponement of a match against Hong Kong in February. Currently, NZ leads the group with a 2-0 start, Australia is 1-1 and Guam and HK are tied at 0-1 FIBA has yet to set dates for those matches.
'It has been extremely difficult, but at least players get time to heal injuries and condition on their own,' Edward Calvo said. 'It is vital that we eventually get back on the court with live drills in the next month or so.' Currently, Edward Calvo said, the focus is on training at home and improving cardio fitness. With athletes sharing outdoor workouts and working to stay competition ready, it's a steady work in progress. One of the younger athletes being considered for Team Guam, Ben Borja, a member of the gold-medal 3x3 team at Apia, Samoa, said it was great to hear that the qualifier was back on the agenda. 'We've been itching to play some competitive ball after being out for so many months,' he said, adding the athletes working out are in 'better shape than expected.' Personally, Borja has targeted several facets of his training, adding depth and value to his game in his bid to make the Guam roster. Normally, younger players are viewed as spark plugs, bringing energy off the bench, something Borja is embracing. But he's keyed in on several aspects of his training regimen. Besides aerobic conditioning and overall skill set, Borja has added strength and agility in an effort to increase his versatility and play both ends of the floor. Borja has high expectations of the team, alluding to hints of an explosive chemistry in their last outing back in February against New Zealand. 'Imagine if we had a lot of time to play together, we would be even scarier,' he said. 'I think we have great chance at competing; we have the complete parts of a great basketball team to do something special and make a great run.' Team Guam has been on a run, steadily climbing the FIBA rankings since its impressive back-to-back gold medals at Pacific Games and an unbeaten performance at the Asia Cup prequalifiers in Thailand. COVID-19 brought the sports world to a grinding halt, wreaking havoc across all sports. But, Edward Calvo said the team will work to ensure it gets ready for the bubble, even admitting Team Guam may to seek 'special permission to train as a small group.' However, he stressed safety for now, adding 'it is important that our players stay healthy and protect their families. Running outdoors and more personalized training for each player is what we will focus on for next several weeks. 'As much as possible, we need to be prepared to continue on our upward climb,' Edward Calvo said.
Courtesy of: postguam.com