Trinidad and Tobago men in FIBA 3x3 World Cup qualifier

Trinidad and Tobago’s fourth-place finish in the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup men’s division in Miami over the weekend, has qualified them for the FIBA 3x3 World Cup qualifier which will be held in Israel from May 6-7, 2023.

A statement issued by the National Basketball Federation of TT (NBFTT) on Monday said, “Following the completion of the second edition of the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup, the NBFTT was informed by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) that through its team’s results the TT men had successfully qualified for the FIBA 3x3 World Cup Qualifier 2023.”

There, six teams will participate in the qualifier, with the top three teams qualifying for the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Vienna Austria, May 30 - June 4, 2023.

Facing Puerto Rico in their opening match of the AmeriCup group phase, TT’s male quartet of Ahkeel Boyd, Moriba De Freitas, Adrian Joseph and Nathon Lewis suffered a 21–15 loss.

However, in the second match, TT bounced back to defeat Argentina 17-12, which secured them a quarter-final spot.

In the quarters, TT pulled off a 16-15 upset win over Dominican Republic to seal a semi-final berth.

There, they met the USA, and despite putting up a fight, TT went down 21-15 to the eventual 2022 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup Champions USA. In the third-place playoff, Brazil bettered the TT unit 21-9, and placed fourth overall.

In the women’s division, TT’s Nikiya Baptiste, Crystal Ann George, Jameela Mc Carthy and Afiesha Noel tipped off their campaign with a 21-13 victory over Barbados.

In their second qualifier match, TT suffered a 22-10 loss against 2021 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup silver medallists Brazil. With a record of one win and one loss, TT finished second and advanced to Pool D in the main draw.

But after a 21-14 loss to Puerto Rico and a 21-13 defeat to Dominican Republic, the TT women were unable to progress to the knockout phase.

Debutants George, Mc Carthy and Noel, together with the young but experienced Baptiste made a statement to their regional counterparts that they were ready to compete, and - with time - offer an even greater challenge to the more seasoned campaigning nations.