Basketballers for FIBA AmeriCup 3-on-3
JAMAICA’S men’s and women’s teams are to participate in the 2021 International Federation of Basketball Associations (FIBA) AmeriCup 3-on-3 Basketball Championships to be held November 12 to 14 in Miami as part of their preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
President of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JABA) Paulton Gordon explained that the competition is for countries in the Americas, consisting of North, Central, South America and the Caribbean.
There will be 18 men’s and 15 women’s teams participating in the tournament that will be divided into four groups in the qualifying rounds before advancing into the main draw of the Championship.
The top three teams from the four groups in both the men’s and women’s preliminary rounds will qualify to play in the championships and battle for titles.
Gordon said Jamaica would be participating in the prestigious championships for the first time.
Gordon said the return to competitive play is welcome relief for the players who have been largely inactive due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“The players were very much inactive for more than 16 months before JABA got the okay to begin their training with 3-on-3 basketball matches so that they can be either physically and mentally prepared for the return of the sport,” Gordon said.
He explained Jamaica will have to participate in the AmeriCup in order to get qualifying standards for other overseas tournaments.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s National Coach Rick Turner attended a training session of the local players recently at the National Stadium basketball courts before returning to the United States.
The last time the FIBA AmeriCup 3-on-3 Basketball Championships was played was in 2017, when the United States of America defeated Argentina 82-76 in the final to win the men’s title and gold medal.
Meanwhile, the FIBA AmeriCup 3-on-3 Basketball Championships was a former qualifying competition for the Olympics Games and the FIBA World Cup Basketball Championships, but they are no longer being used as qualifiers.
Jamaica’s men’s and women’s teams will be selected sometime next week before they leave for the championships in Florida.
— Gerald Reid
