Madang Pikinini Basketball stages 5th Inter-School Tournament

The Madang Pikinini Basketball (MPB) tipped off its fifth edition of the annual Inter-School Tournament on Sunday, 2nd November 2025, and will conclude on Sunday, 9th November.

This was an initiative taken by the teachers and senior basketball players of the Madang Town Basketball Association (MTBA) in 2021, aspiring to build not only future basketball players, but also instill the kids on discipline and good values.

Since the establishment of the tournament in 2021, it has been held every November of each year, with different themes being used in each edition, and the event is usually hosted at Madang’s spiritual Laiwaden Oval.

For this year, the theme is: "The Ball is in Your Court" - which means the guardians, teachers, and churches are to support and guide every child in their next steps by taking responsibility and aiming to create a learning opportunity in every environment.

The tournament features children from ages 13 and below across three divisions: Under 13 Boys, Under 13 Girls, and Under 10 Mix. 

The participating schools are Kusbau Primary School, Lutheran Day Primary School, Madang International School, Mercy Learning Academy, and Jomba Primary School.

Madang Pikinini Basketball Administrator, Stephanie Siou, underlined the reason for starting the concept in 2021: 

• We aim to create an environment where children feel open to speak and that they are heard; 

•  Have the children build relationships with the other school children; and 

• Develop their leadership roles - note that coaches’ roles are done by students and assisted by teachers. Our technical officials are all students as well.

The Madang Pikinini Basketball’s long-term goal is to encourage the Madang Town Basketball Association (MTBA) to create a C Grade Division (ages 14 to 16) in their yearly season and have all schools in Madang town be involved in such engaging activities.

Mrs. Siou mentioned that they have been running this initiative without any support for the last four years, urging the local MP and Madang Provincial Government's backing.

“Since 2021, all these tournaments or initiatives are volunteer-oriented and focused on skills development, and we have business houses that sponsor trophies and awards,” she said. 

“We are yet to see our government look into our children's future, and we would love to see our government take an interest in our children.”

She acknowledged Furama Enterprises for sponsoring the trophies, including Madang Town Basketball Association, Rotary Club, Madang Butchery, and Fatman Limited, in sponsoring other awards and merchandise.  

The current staff of Madang Pikinini Basketball (MPB) is as follows: 

• MPB Administrator - Stephanie Siou

• MPB Patron & Mentor - Jethro San Juan

PC: Supplied