There was a first of its kind tournament held in the territory last Saturday, September 20 when the American Samoa Basketball Association (ASBA) put on a '3 on 3' Wellness Basketball Tournament showcasing some of the home-grown high flying talent right here in the territory, with the tournament taking place at the Faga’alu Park.

A 3 on 3 tournament utilizes half the basketball court, and the games are shorter than regular full court games. Each team consists of  three players plus one 'sub' and the full game is just ten minutes long. The game emphasizes quick footwork and speed along with scoring skills.

“Today’s tournament was a huge success, with twelve registered teams. This was the first time this was held in American Samoa and we are very happy that it well,” said Diehl Langkilde of the ASBA. “We would like to thank and congratulate all the teams that participated and thank the sponsors as well. I also want to thank the parents of the young players for being part of this, and for their support,” he said.

According to Diehl, tryouts will be starting next month for the men’s and women’s American Samoa National Basketball teams to play in the 2015 Pacific games next year in Papua, New Guinea. He also said that the Moso’oi two week Basketball tournament will be this held coming October 15, with registration now open. For more information you can call 258-1054, 731-4424, or 770-1544. You can also visit the ASBA Facebook page at: asba Tutuila.

Here are the overall winners of the tournament:

Men’s Division:

Primetime-Champions

Beakers-Runner Up

Women’s Division:

Under 19 Girls Blue-Champions

Under 19 Girls Gold-Runners Up

Men’s Most Valuable Player:

Ryan Samuelu-Primetime

Women’s Most Valuable Player:

Rakipa Naea