2021 AmeriCup pre-qualifiers draw

[JGX]

7th Place: Montserrat 57 Bermuda 47
5th Place: St. Vincent 82 Grenada 68
3rd Place: Barbados 81 Suriname 75
Final: Guyana 83 Antigua 70

Montserrat gets their first win over a Bermuda team reduced to five players.

[JGX]

South American and Central American qualifiers were not held in February as originally announced. It seems they might be in July?

Central American schedule (provisional)
10 Jul Group A - Belize - Guatemala
10 Jul Group B - Costa Rica - Nicaragua
12 Jul Group A - El Salvador - Guatemala
12 Jul Group B - Honduras - Nicaragua
15 Jul Group A - El Salvador - Belize
15 Jul Group B - Honduras - Costa Rica
17 Jul Group A - Guatemala - Belize
17 Jul Group B - Nicaragua - Costa Rica
20 Jul Group A - Guatemala - El Salvador
20 Jul Group B - Nicaragua - Honduras
22 Jul Group A - Belize - El Salvador
22 Jul Group B - Costa Rica - Honduras
26 Jul Final 1st Leg - 1st Group A - 1st Group B
29 Jul Final 2nd Leg - 1st Group B - 1st Group A

Haven't seen a South American schedule anywhere.

Apparently Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua have withdrawn and the remaining three countries will play a tournament in Belize July 20-22:

https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2018/06/30/belize-to-host-central-american-championship-for-fiba-americup/

[Federoy]

Apparently Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua have withdrawn and the remaining three countries will play a tournament in Belize July 20-22:
https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2...fiba-americup/

I can only assume that lack of funding is the reason these teams withdrew.

[JGX]

I can only assume that lack of funding is the reason these teams withdrew.

Nicaragua is out because of the current turmoil there. I don't think they would have been allowed to host games and it may have been difficult to assemble a team as well. Haven't seen anything about Honduras or Guatemala but money sounds like a plausible reason.

Coach Milt Palacio discusses Belize's prospects:

http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/168602

[JGX]

Haiti is appealing their disqualification:

http://lenouvelliste.com/article/190222/haiti-fait-appel-aupres-de-la-fiba

[JGX]

Belize squad for qualifiers. Darwin Carter was on the team when they won the CARICOM championship at home in 1998:

Charlie Burgess
Darwin Carter
Jared Chatham
Englebert Cherrington
Daniel Conorque
Devin Daly
Charles Garcia
Glency Lopez
Elvis Olivera
Nick Phillips
Gregory Rudon
Richard Troyer

Garcia had a good season with Austin in the D League a couple years ago. Daly plays in Denmark.

El Salvador team:

Luis Portal
Josue Avila
Alvaro Alas
Julio Mancia
Oscar Rivera
Carlos Arias
Omar Coreas
Brayan Garcia
Ernesto Lahud
Marco Aguilar
Alejandro Arias
Robert Sandoval

[JGX]

Costa Rica roster:

Jefny Anderson
Marco Chacon
Isaac Conejo
George Letford
Deon Lynch
Kay Martinez
Carlos Quesada
Amaurys Ripool
Alonso Sanchez
David Shedden
Daniel Shedden
Rohel Wilson

Martinez has been their top scorer in recent years. Daniel Shedden plays for NCAA D2 Montana State-Billings.

[JGX]

Costa Rica beat Belize 57-52 in the decisive game after both teams beat El Salvador. Belize led 44-36 in the third quarter before self-destructing.

[JGX]

Bolivia and Ecuador will play August 7th and 11th for the South American spot in the next round.

[JGX]

Bolivia advanced on total points after winning the first leg 78-51 at home and losing the second 81-76 in Ecuador.

[JGX]

Second round of qualifiers is this weekend:

Group A
Belize (host)
Cuba
Bahamas
Antigua/Barbuda

Group B
Colombia (host)
Guyana
Bolivia
Paraguay

Apparently Costa Rica withdrew and was replaced by Belize.

[JGX]

Day 1

Group A
Cuba 88 Bahamas 74
Belize 96 Antigua/Barbuda 70

Group B
Paraguay 93 Guyana 53
Colombia 84 Bolivia 51

Group A streamed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjr...9g46M3ogL4WzhA
Group B streamed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs1...Jmqj6xdUVM_QGw

Not sure Belize's whirlwind style will be as effective against younger Cuba and Bahamas teams.

[JGX]

Day 2

Group A
Bahamas 110 Antigua/Barbuda 56
Cuba 82 Belize 80

Group B
Paraguay 75 Bolivia 73
Colombia 114 Guyana 68

Cuba blows a 12-point fourth quarter lead but wins it on a basket by Guzman with 15 seconds left. Belize missed two open threes on their final possession. Belize plays the Bahamas for the second spot in the next round.

Colombia and Paraguay clinched advancement from Group B, Paraguay needing a pair of late free throws to get past an improving Bolivian team. Colombia scored 68 points in the second half against Guyana.

[JGX]

Group A
Cuba 123 Antigua/Barbuda 70
Bahamas 86 Belize 72

Group B
Guyana 73 Bolivia 65
Colombia 93 Paraguay 82

All four teams that played in the WC qualifiers advance. Nice win for Guyana after a pair of heavy defeats.

[judasmartel]

I don't know if you follow lower-level Asia-Pacific basketball, but how do you think these Caribbean and lower-tier South American teams will fare against SEA and lower-tier Oceania teams?