IWBF Americas Cup a split decision for USA and Canada
CHARLOTTE (Steve Goldberg's Wheel World) - Two years ago in Toronto, I watched as Argentina's men won a bronze medal at the Parapan American Games. When the final buzzer sounded, the players and coaches embraced and cried, not tears of joy but of disappointment as the win felt hollow. Only the top two teams would qualify for the first ever Paralympic Games in South America. The team they had just vanquished (72-47), Brazil, were already eligible into the Rio 2016 Paralympics as hosts.
Fast forward to last Wednesday in Cali, Colombia. Down by 4 after three periods, Argentina fought back to send the game into overtime where they outscored Brazil 13-2 to win 68-57.
This time around, the joy of winning their last game at the Coliseo Evangelista Mora was without reservation or regret. By making the semifinal, they had already achieved the prize that every team in Cali was hunting… qualification for next year's IWBF World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. The bronze medals… they were just gravy.
As for the gold medal game, that once again came down to the usual suspects, the USA and Canada. Again, both had already achieved what the primary objective, a reason to learn basic conversational German.
In group play, both went 4-0. Canada's closest game, against Argentina, had a 19-point margin. The next closest was 49 points. The Americans, however, were tested early, in their final game against Brazil, coming from behind to win by 3, 47-44.
In this tournament where four teams each from the men's and women's brackets would qualify for the worlds, the quarterfinals were essentially finals. Win and you're playing with house money from then on.
Medals weren't the big prize at the 2017 IWBF Americas Cup Tournament in Cali, Colombia. Qualification for next year's World Championships in Hamburg, Germany was the Holy Grail.
Unlike Toronto two years ago, where the American men surprisingly crushed the home team 62-39, this match was the old school heavyweight fights that have defined so much of the rivalry.
Though a resurgent Canada with Patrick Anderson back on the court showed their mettle, ahead by 10 going into the final quarter, it was the defending Paralympic champions from the United States that prevailed 54-50 in the final.
Canada coach Matteo Feriani told me that, in spite of having Anderson back with other established veterans David Eng, Bo Hedges, and Tyler Miller, the Americans prevailed because of their experience and inferred that Canada lost the game more than the Americans won it.
"What I can say? Wow; what a pity," he wrote. "Wow, because when I took the team in May I wasn't thinking we would, in a few months, get to play for a gold against the Paralympic champion."
The USA celebrates another gold medal on South American soil, this time at the 2017 IWBF Americas Cup in Cali, Colombia. Photo courtesy of Karen Ljungdahl
"What a pity because I think we lost the game. With all the respect for the USA who well deserved the gold medal, we gave them a great help."
We had fun, we enjoyed the journey, and I'm pretty sure we will enjoy the loss to come back stronger, harder and hungrier.
While Argentina and Brazil add some depth to the men's field, none of the South or Central American women's teams are anywhere close to the USA or Canada. It was always going to come down to these two sides.
That didn't mean there wasn't any mystery. The USA, gold medalists in Rio, had only three players on the squad who had been in Brazil. Canada, 5th in Rio, was clearly the stronger roster, experience-wise, and talent-wise, defeating the Americans twice by more than 20 points, 82-56 in the final.
Defending world champions Canada celebrate a gold medal performance at the 2017 IWBF Americas Cup and the chance to play next year's tournament in Germany. Photo courtesy of Wheelchair Basketball Canada.
"This was pretty interesting because we basically had 11 rookies," replied USA coach Trooper Johnson when I asked about the roster. "Even though Abby Dunkin and Vanessa Erskine were on the team in Rio, they had such limited playing time that they were really put in the position of seeing the court in pressure situations for the first time."
While all of the coaches came to Cali with Germany as an objective, Johnson casts the World Championships as another part of the journey rather than the destination.
"We will continue to be in the development phase until we get to Tokyo in 2020. Looking back at the last quad (where Johnson served as an assistant to head coach Stephanie Wheeler), in 2013 we couldn't have beaten some junior teams. In 2014, we took 4th at Worlds and by 2016 we were Paralympic Gold Medalists. I would love to win in Hamburg next year but our focus is on Tokyo."
Steve Goldberg
FIBA
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