A BASKETBALL player who went on to win Fiji’s first Men’s Netball Nations Series title, Amena Nacavaraba is the best of both worlds.
The 25-year-old was the goal shooter of the Fiji men’s netball team that created history in Singapore earlier this month.
Three years ago, the Burenitu, Nalawa in Ra lad was a dedicated basketball player competing for Raiwaqa before moving to Kaunikuila club.
“One of my basketball teammates was looking for players to fill in for an open men’s team for Lomaiviti netball so they asked me to be their goal shooter,” he said.
He was an ideal choice for the shooter’s position given that he stands at 2.12metres in height (7 feet) and could immediately play at locks if he ever decided to venture into rugby.
“I had no experience at all. I used my basketball skills and when I got to club level, they started teaching me how to play the sport,” he said.
At club level, Nacavaraba applied the basketball skills he learned as a student player of Marist Brothers High School while slowly learning the ropes of netball.
Using his height to his advantage coupled with his precision shot at goal and dedication to the sport, Nacavaraba quickly caught the eyes of national coach Jioweli Makare.
Drafted into the national squad and making the final selection was no surprise for those who followed his progress.
However, he had to make some adjustments to his daily routine given that he was also a double major student at the University of the South Pacific, studying chemistry and biology.
“We do our morning runs at five in the morning so waking up in the morning for runs and going to the gym was very tiring especially being a student. Trying to balance that out was very hard,” he shared.
He is another classy example that with proper planning and time management, one can do wonders on and off, in this case, the netball court.
“I set out my timetable, plan my schedule ahead and I stick to it. It took a lot of self-discipline and dedication to stick to a solid routine every week, but it has paid off.”
Enroute to Singapore, the tall timber from Ra was making his first appearance for the country in any sport.
His towering figure was evident when the players stood in line, and it was his trump card during matches.
Nacavaraba held the most demanding role of any netball team, and he executed with precision at the tournament.
This precision started with a pre-game ritual that would get him in the right head space.
“I usually just talk to myself like you got this, just put it in, this is for your country.
“I am the goal shooter I must put in all the goals, so the pressure is always on me. I just prepare myself mentally before we play, just being calm and put the shots in,” he added.
The role couldn’t be more challenging in the final against Australia on December 8 as Fiji ran away with a goal difference to win 55-54 in the dying minutes.
“It was my first ever international appearance for Fiji. It was eye-opening for us especially playing against teams like New Zealand, Australia.
“It was an amazing experience. I think the good thing about playing in that final was that we played Australia first in the round-robin, so we had some idea of how they play so we tried to sort things out from there. Our coach is good, he told us what to do and we just kept fighting until the last whistle,” he said.
The experience at international level, topped off with the win solidified the saying, ‘a talent put to good use’ for Navacaraba who is now learning a different sport.
“I was just playing for myself, my talent, represent my country and make good use of my height. My plan is to try and learn volleyball, I’m learning it right now,” he added.
He is following in the footsteps of teammate and goalkeeper Nacanieli Goneyali, who plays netball and volleyball.
