For the first time in 10 years, the American Samoa Handball Association, (ASHA) is entering a men’s indoor handball team into an Oceania Championship Tournament.
The U17 Youth team, is competing in the 2024 Oceania IHF Continental Trophy hosted by Tahiti Handball in Papeete, December 16-20.
The local team is made up of mostly 14 and 15-year-old handballers with local experience, and a few 16 and 17-year-old Tafuna HS JV football players recruited by JV Coach Loso.
American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Tahiti will vie for the right to compete at next year’s U18 Men’s World Handball Championships.
American Samoa ‘s team is made up of players from Leone HS, Nuuuli Vo-Tech, Samoana HS and Tafuna HS.
The team will be led by Monuloa Mann from Tafuna HS. Also from THS are Tupu Thompson, Faletoi Uso, Siale Moli, ZosimoEugenio and Faigatalesatauro Tiumalu. From Samoana is goalkeeper Alvindimitri Sa, while goalkeeper Antony Tomasi attends Manumalo Academy. From Nuuuli Vo-Tech are Ioasa Muaulu and Mathew Lepou, while Misa Siilima, the most experienced handballer, attends Leone HS.
ASHA President Carl J. Sagapolutele Floor has stated many times that ASHA will never recruit off-islanders, which denies local athletes and prospects opportunities to compete and represent their home.
Floor says, “This is an interesting team.”
“We will be the youngest team and certainly the least experienced. I normally wouldn’t take a team this young (14/15) and inexperienced to a tournament of this caliber, against mostly 17 and 18-year-olds. However, they are savvy, very athletic and super competitive. There’s looseness about them that I believe is in our favor. They will be learning on the fly and their rebellious character and looseness will do well with our tactics and strategy.”
He added, “They can’t win if they can’t score along with what they do to you, do back to them. Add to that, the fact that we can make plays on the spot and as loud as we want speaking Samoan. This is a great advantage. I am very confident that Coach Joey Sagapolu, Coach Loso Laulaulo and I have created a team that can score points.”
