A team at its finest

The first FIBA AmeriCup edition with its current name was in 2017 and took place in three host cities for the group stage: Montevideo (Uruguay), Medellin (Colombia), and Bahía Blanca (Argentina). It was a new experience for the competition both in format and structure because the tournament's definition would later take place in a fourth city: Cordoba (Argentina). There, the best four teams would meet to decide the championship title. The model was a complete success. There were sold-out arenas, exciting games, and the total support of the federations.

In the first phase, the three mentioned cities welcomed four teams each. Group A had Argentina, Canada, Venezuela, and the Virgin Islands. Group B included Colombia, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. And Group C featured Uruguay, United States, Dominican Republic, and Panama. In short: the best in the continent.

After some surprising results, the qualified teams for the Final Four at Córdoba were Argentina, Mexico, United States, and the Virgin Islands, who faced each other in the semifinals in this same order (the locals against Mexico, and the United States against the Virgin Islands). Both Argentina and the United States were clearly superior. The final was then to take place with the two strongest national teams in the tournament, who were meeting once again in a decisive match after ten years (2007).

Jeff Van Gundy

At one side, the team led by Sergio Hernández had an excellent collective functioning. This, despite the unexpected loss of captain Luis Scola (who arrived at the tournament in the minimum necessary condition after tearing his left gastrocnemius muscle, and then, after a mere minute in a game against Canada, he tore the one in his right leg). For the other side, Jeff Van Gundy's men were a squad that mixed quality, experience, and ambition, and although it didn't have any NBA figures, it didn't go with insignificant players at all. On the one hand, the locals, fully undergoing the rebuilding process of the Golden Generation with a new leader in the group, Facundo Campazzo, and with a desperate longing of transcending, of writing their own history. On the other, everyone's historic terror, with its usual pros (an overwhelming defense and a quick attack) but adding up to their game tactics an interesting tendency toward the outside shots as the cornerstone of their offense.

Jameel Warney

The game was held in the Orfeo Stadium in an unforgettable context. Argentina started better and even got to a 20-point advantage in the third quarter (50-30). However, the pressure, anxiety, and lack of experience of some players complicated things when the time came to finish the game. The United States noticed that insecurity and, with Warney (MVP), Dillard, and Munford as spearheads, it furiously reacted to turn around the story and take home the title. It was 81-76, a dramatic Final. And, although local fans left with a bitter taste in their mouths – a mixture of resignation and frustration – they also left with the assurance that their national team was taking a gigantic step toward the future.

Xavier Munford

Argentina grew enormously after that painful and unexpected defeat. It was, above all, painful, due to the way the game developed and how much that squad longed for its first title. The tears of the team members in the medals ceremony were the motivation to what came later – qualifying to the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. Failures build up. The Americans, meanwhile, celebrated yet another title. Full of pride. They were a team at its finest and not just a simple collection of stars. They built their identity from a sincere collective commitment. “We wanted to do something big, and we did it,” said Van Gundy after the celebrations. And they sure did.

Reggie Hearn

Since the Tournament of the Americas started in 1980, the United States has already raked in seven wins – even when its participation hasn't been constant. Team USA only lost one of the eight finals it has disputed: against Puerto Rico in Mexico 1989.

German Beder
FIBA