Training tips off for Trinidad and Tobago basket-ballers ahead of Pan Am Games

The National Basketball Federation of Trinidad and Tobago (NBFTT) has announced a training squad of over 30 players to commence training for the Pan American Games which runs from October 20 to November 5, in Chile.

TT’s men qualified as one of the 12 teams for the FIBA America region which is made up of the USA, the number-one ranked team, and Canada, ranked second.

TT had until June 30 to be ranked inside the top 12 to earn qualification and did so when the NBFTT hosted its National Championship, which aided their qualification process.

The other competing nations are hosts Chile, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, El Salvador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Colombia.

The TT men’s team tipped off training at the Maloney Indoor Sports Complex in Maloney on Tuesday. Training sessions will also be conducted at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena in Pleasantville.

Christopher Jackson Charles, head coach of the Maloney Pacers, has been charged with the responsibility of the national men’s team for the 2023 Pan American Games.

The squad is currently made up of Trinidad players only, as NBFTT finalizes their picks from Tobago.

In-Training Pan Am Team

Ahkeel 'Smally' Boyd (Maloney Pacers), Cheke Augustine (Straker Nets), Ahkeem 'Tattoo’ Boyd (Maloney Pacers), Adrian Joseph (Quarters United), Moriba Defratas (Unattached), Jeffery Saunders (Valencia Heat), Jelani Valley (Maloney Pacers), Jael Lewis (Maloney Pacers), Fabrice Fisher (Valencia Heat), Clint Graham (UTT), Mikhail Williams (UTT/Tobago), Triston Benjamin (Straker Nets), Naython Lewis (Straker Nets), Tyrese Fields (Maloney Pacers), Simba Joseph (KRL/Quarters United), Jason Friday (Quarters United), Mark LaRue (Caledonia Clippers), Jaylon Sargent (Spartans/Maloney pacers), Adam Salazer (NCA), Jadon Roberts (NCA), Kevon Williams (Morvant Oilbirds), Anthony Ambris (Morvant Oilbirds), Michael Jerome (Prisons), Kerry MacMillan (Defence Force), Jerrel Doorbal (Straker Nets), Sadiki Guerra (Straker Nets), Kyeon Joseph (Defence Force), Seylon Williams (Police/Tobago), Dextroy Manswell (Police), Kadeem Grieg (Defence Force), Justin Mitchell (Quarters United), Kurt Christian (Caledonia Clippers), Ako Pascal (Quarters United), Ayodeji Iwaro (Maloney Pacers), Kenrick Julien (NCA) *Tobago players to be contacted.