Four players selected for Trinidad and Tobago 3x3 basketball camp

The National Basketball Federation of TT (NBFTT) has announced a four-man squad which will go to Santiago, Chile from June 8-14 for a pre-games training camp in preparation for TT's 3x3 participation at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games.

The Junior Pan Am Games will be held in Asuncion, Paraguay from August 9-23, with the Chile-bound quartet also forming part of a 30-man roster which has been selected to try out for Trinidad and Tobago's under-23 Pan Am squad. The basketball competition at the Pan Am Juniors will be held from August 15-17. The four players selected for the training camp in Chile are Leshaun Alfred, Simba Edwards, Tyrese Fields and Josiah Marryshow. Fields was among a TT quartet who competed at the 2024 Fiba 3x3 AmeriCup in Puerto Rico last December. The other members of that 3x3 team were Chike Augustine, Ahkeel "Smally" Boyd and Moriba De Freitas, who famously helped TT to a bronze-medal finish at the 2023 Pan Am Games.

Triston Benjamin, NBFTT's vice-president of technical and training support, said the players' selection for the training camp doesn't guarantee them a spot on TT's 3x3 team for the Pan Am Games. Benjamin, who will accompany the players on the training camp, said the purpose of the camp is to help the players acclimatise to the 3x3 format and expose them to top-tier coaching and competition conditions. The camp was organised in conjunction with the TT Olympic Committee.

Benjamin told Newsday training towards the Pan Am Juniors was scheduled to commence on June 5, with the team expected to train for up to four days a week under the watchful eyes of coach Melissa Guerero. Benjamin said the final team should be announced in late July.

A former national player, Guerero helped TT to a second-place finish at the 2011 Caribbean Basketball Championships.

A May 29 NBFTT release said, "Coach Guerero brings a wealth of experience, unmatched passion for developing talent and is known for her tactical acumen and motivational leadership,"

The release said Guereo is the holder of a master's degree in business administration and has also completed FIBA's 3x3 basketball preparation programme specialist course.

"We're not just building a team – we're building belief," Guerero said. "These young men are adding another chapter for TT basketball and I'm honoured to help them dream bigger, train harder and rise higher."

The release said TT secured qualification in ninth place among the teams selected across the continent.

"This qualification is more than a win – it's a statement," said NBFTT president Jason Hills. "Our youth have proven that with vision, community support and unwavering determination, TT can stand tall on the international stage.

"The Pan Am Games represent not just a competition, but a legacy of opportunity, and we're proud to be a part of it."

The NBFTT thanked its supporters and its grassroots enablers such as Basketball Fan TT, Maloney Pacers, Quarters United and Swish 868 for hosting events and creating opportunities to allow TT to clinch Pan Am Junior qualification.

Players invited to trials for TT's 3x3 team at Pan Am Juniors:

Leshaun Alfred, Chaunce Alleyne, Samuel Anderson, Haseem Best, Blessings Brewster, Emmanuel Cournard, Simba Edwards, Steven Edwards, Tyrese Fields, Justin Francis, William Francis, Jason Friday, Raanan Howard, Ayodeji Iwaro, Zachary Julien, Jael Lewis, Joshua Mahabir, Josiah Marryshow, Michael McCarthy, Luke Mobhair, Necose Moore, Solomon Okali, Mikiel Phillips, Chris Roberts, Adam Salazar, Denzil Skeete, Jayden Small, Shakeel Stephen-Lewis, Amaree Toney, Ethan Wyke.