PANAMA (Centrobasket) – The team of the Virgins Islands gave hard battle against the defending champs of the Centrobasket Championship for 40 minutes and sent the game to overtime, but the Mexicans closed the game better and took the victory, 91 – 83.

Sam Mitchell who has NBA experience leading the Toronto Raptors and the Minnesota Timberwolves, spoke with FIBA.com about the team’s effort and the future of the Virgin Islands’ National Team.

FIBA.com: The team fought hard during four quarters, but at the end you couldn’t close out the game?

Mitchell: All of our big players fouled out, two of my best players fouled out and were short on numbers, we only have 9 players, and when two of your starters fouled out, we had to play with four guards at the end of the game and they were just too big for us.

FIBA.com - How does a team rebound after such a heart-breaking loss?

Mitchell: We have to keep playing, stay focused, and stay together. We will be better, we made a lot of mistakes, we didn’t play the way were capable of. I’m proud of the team, with 9 guys we battled all the way and gave ourselves a chance, and I still think we could have won the game.  We missed a lot of open shots early in the game, and our passing wasn’t as sharp as it needed to be, we will use the day off to fix and work on those issues.

FIBA.com: What attracts you to this National Team and what do you see in the future for the team?

Mitchell: I’m committed to the program and the guys are great, they work hard, but we have to continue to grow and work on our game.

FIBA