Setting their sights on qualifying for the Asia Cup Pre-Qualifiers for the Fiji men’s basketball team is of the essence, says national coach Earl Hughes.
This is part of the plan for the team as they head into the FIBA Melanesian Cup 2025 in the Solomon Islands next week.
Fiji faces New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the hosts, and Vanuatu.
While the team has achieved recent success with a gold medal at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau in July this year, Hughes said there is more to come, and the qualifiers play an integral part in inducing that.
“Qualifying for the Asia Pre-Qualifiers is of big importance to the team,” Hughes said.
“Players are motivated to contribute and perform well as they understand that winning opens pathways for the current and next generation.”
If Fiji qualifies for the pre-qualifiers, the achievement would mean opening an avenue through basketball in the country could be elevated further.
According to FIBA, it stated Fiji would shift “from chasing medals every four years to building sustainable, year-round excellence.”
And for coach Hughes, this also delves into the notion of not only winning but to evolve by expanding their range of participation.
“I hope to see basketball and player development in Fiji evolve from a four-year cycle to a professional approach and behaviour cycle,” he said.
“We’ve long been stuck in the Pacific Games mindset and now need to take the next step toward continuous growth through qualification and higher levels of participation.”
Meanwhile, the FIBA Melanesian Cup will be held in Honiara from next Monday to Saturday.
Fiji’s first match against the Solomon Islands is on Monday at 6.30pm and PNG at 11am on Tuesday.
All games will be livestreamed via the FIBA YouTube channel.
