Excitement is growing as Guyana prepares to host the largest 3×3 basketball event in the English-speaking Caribbean, welcoming 16 nations in just 11 days.
The tournament pools for the 20-team competition, which will decide the next qualifier for the renowned FIBA 3×3 World Tour in Edmonton, Canada, have been formally released by the Guyana Basketball Federation (GBF).
The top two teams from each of the four groups of five that the 20 teams were split into advance to the knockout stage.
Puerto Rico’s squad Carolina, the best squad in the Caribbean and a formidable force, is leading Group A. Ball So Hard, a strong squad from Puebla City, Mexico, will be their opponent.
The group is completed by Guyana’s very own Untouchables, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Elites from Tortola, and the SKN Sugar Boyz from St. Kitts and Nevis. Guyanese star Daylon Bovell, who is based in the United States, and national captain Stanton Rose Jr. will be part of the Untouchables.
With a current FIBA world No. 11 ranking, Lausanne, Switzerland, is the tournament’s top-ranked team. Although they are the overwhelming favorites in Group B, Renegades, a Guyanese club from North Ruimveldt, will be a fierce opponent.
Recently, Guyana was represented at the 3×3 AmeriCup in Puerto Rico by the Renegades, which included Travis Belgrave, Harold Adams, Nikkoli Smith, and Dominic Vincente.
Bermuda’s Hamilton, St Lucia’s Elite Blazers, and San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago’s Quarters United will also be joining them.
Group C is led by the Santo Domingo-based Distrito Nacional of the Dominican Republic. They will play Georgetown, Guyana’s third team, which is made up of Guyanese players who live abroad. The group is completed by Team Paramaribo of Suriname, PSN from Guatemala City, and Cayman Storm from the Cayman Islands.
The top-ranked team in Group D is the Maloney Pacers of Trinidad & Tobago, who represent the D’Abadie community. They are joined by the Bronx’s New York Soundview, Team Phillipsburg from St. Maarten, Fit Storm from Ecuador, and Spice Boyz from Grenada.
On the first day, after a brief opening ceremony, the event will begin at 10:00 a.m. The second day will begin at 11:20 a.m.
