BASKETBALL Fiji 5×5 captain Joshua Fox says the national team’s historic success in Mongolia should be a turning point for greater investment in the sport.
Fiji defeated Vietnam 69-57 in their final match at the FIBA Asia Cup Pre-Qualifiers 2029, creating history and delivering one of the biggest moments for the country’s 5×5 programme.
While celebrating the achievement, Fox said the result also highlighted the potential of basketball in Fiji and the need for increased resources to support future development.
Fox, who first represented Fiji in 2015 in Thailand, said he had witnessed the sport’s progress firsthand.
“It’s come very far,” he said.
“The first games I ever played in was in 2015, so it’s been a crazy journey to see how far we’ve come and just seeing all the steps and how much better we’ve gotten, and the younger talents that keep coming up, has been great.”
He said growing interest among local players and Fijians living overseas was another encouraging sign.
“There’s more interest from the local boys and boys from overseas as well,” he said.
“It’s always nice to see where we’ve grown without some of the funding and resources that the rest of these countries have.”
Fox said he hoped Fiji’s historic victory would encourage stakeholders to recognise the sport’s potential and provide stronger support for players and national teams.
“Hopefully now we can see that basketball can actually do something great and that we start putting resources into it,” he said.
He described the current period as pivotal for Basketball Fiji and called for increased investment at both grassroots and national levels.
“It’s a good future, but I think it’s a pivotal time for us to start actually investing in it,” he said.
Fox said he wanted more local competitions for young players, improved national team programmes, more international matches and better training camps.
With junior tournaments, including an under-15 competition expected later this year, he said the foundations were already in place for growth.
“I hope we start investing in it, doing more local competitions for all the kids in Fiji and more things for the national teams,” he said.
After making history in Mongolia, Fox said Basketball Fiji now had an opportunity to turn a landmark victory into sustained progress.
Fiji’s guard Tyrone Mclennan (with the ball) in action during their game against Mongolia in the FIBA Asia Cup 2029 Pre-Qualifiers in Mongolia last month. Picture: BASKETBALL FIJI
