Power Rankings: The favorites going into the start of 2022 FIBA AmeriCup

RECIFE (Brazil) – Twelve National Teams are ready to seek glory at the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup, to be played starting September 2nd in Recife, Brazil. They’re all vying to conquer the prestigious continental title – one that’s only been won by six countries: United States (7), Brazil (4), Puerto Rico (3), Argentina (2), Mexico (1) and Venezuela (1). Could we see another country add their name to the list?

The U.S. is the defending champion and comes in as the favorite, but other teams are more than capable of stealing their crown. Let’s look at how they’re ranked before the start of the tournament, considering individual performances and the rosters they’ll be fielding.

1. United States 

The North Americans won the tournament in 2017 and they accomplished it with G League players with some NBA experience. This time around they’ll have a similar group, but with even more experience, due to the presence of NBA champions Norris Cole and Patrick McCaw. They’ll also have sharpshooter Jodie Meeks and forwards Gary Clark Jr., Anthony Lamb and Zylan Cheatham, with recent stints in the league.

2. Brazil

The host nation is coming off three straight losses at the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and those occurred with basically the same roster they’ll be bringing to this AmeriCup. However, they’re this high in the ranking because they’ll have the home crowd in their favor and still possess plenty of depth and talent. We expect that head coach Gustavo Conti will have made enough adjustments in the last few days.

3. Argentina 

They’ll count on their biggest stars like Facundo Campazzo, Gabriel Deck, Nico Laprovíttola, Carlos Delfino, Leandro Bolmaro and Nicolás Brussino. With such a talented roster, it’s impossible to not consider them heavy candidates. But last Tuesday night they fired head coach Nestor “Che” García, generating a lot of uncertainty. Pablo Prigioni will take over, but it’s yet to be seen how the defending silver medalists will assimilate to this sudden move.

4. Puerto Rico 

Due to tradition and history, the boricuas are always a respected opponent. They had a 1-1 record in the last window of the Americas Qualifiers, with a great win against Brazil at home and then losing on the road to Uruguay. They will have the same players available, a hungry group ready to make a splash. Former NBA guard Tremont Waters had a great debut, leaving his mark with his offensive prowess. With more time to get ready, they could be dangerous.

5. Mexico 

Since the arrival of head coach Omar Quintero, the Mexican squad has shown cohesion and a clear game plan. And in the Americas Qualifiers, the proved to be capable of recovering from adversity. After a disappointing home loss to Colombia, they got back up and beat Brazil on the road. They’re losing some key players, but the team nucleus of Paul Stoll, Gabriel Girón, Fabián Jaimes and Daniel Amigo remains.

6. Dominican Republic 

During the last World Cup Qualifiers window, they fell just short of completing a 21-point comeback on the road in Venezuela. To have success in Recife, they need to leave that behind and start over. On a good day, they can dominate any opponent with their transition game, and despite not having Víctor Liz, Eloy Vargas or Chris Duarte, they remain strong thanks to Ángel Delgado, Andrés Feliz and young Jean Montero, who’s expected to play a bigger role.

7. Canada 

Canada was the most dominant team in the region during the World Cup Americas Qualifiers but will field a squad consisting mainly of players from their domestic league. In theory, it’s hard to expect them to reach the same heights, but they have enough potential and a solid mix of youth and experience.

8. Uruguay 

Jayson Granger and Bruno Fitipaldo won’t be joining the party and that will cause a significant offensive drop-off, but head coach Rubén Magnano is a specialist in team play and knows how to get the best out of his men. Luciano Parodi and Martín Rojas will carry a bigger burden, and so will veteran stalwarts Esteban Batista y Kiril Wachsmann. They’re always a potential spoiler and they showed it by beating Puerto Rico, but they haven’t achieved a great result at the continental level in a long time.

9. Colombia 

Their recent success at the Americas Qualifiers (with wins over Brazil and Mexico) are encouraging. They have a talented squad with  Juan Tello, André Ibargüen and center Jaime Echenique, who’s coming off his NBA debut last season. Things have changed and now their opponents won’t be underestimating them, which is the highest of compliments.

10. Venezuela 

Only three players from Window 4 of the World Cup Americas Qualifiers (Windi Graterol, Yohanner Sifontes and José Ascanio) remain on the roster and the rest are mainly new faces or guys who haven’t had many chances with the National Team. That’s why they’re this low in the rankings. It would be a big surprise to see them advance past the Group Stage.

11. Panama 

Panama has been trying to jumpstart a new era for their National Team, something that started with the last few games of the First Round of the Americas Qualifiers. Heading into AmeriCup, they haven’t yet announced which players will be available, but it’s easy to imagine them fighting Venezuela for the third spot in Group C.

12. Virgin Islands 

They couldn’t win in four AmeriCup Qualifiers games and then dropped their six games at the World Cup Qualifiers. That means they’re on a 10-game losing streak at the continental level, which informs why they’re ranked last here. However, they hope to turn things around with the arrival of Edniesha Curry, who will be the first female in history to coach a men’s team at the AmeriCup. The Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach will have team stars Walter Hodge and Ivan Aska, and their presence always gives them a shot. After all, the Caribbean nation is coming off a 4th place finish at the 2017 edition of the tournament.

*These power rankings are completely subjective and in no way a precise or true system of qualification. All comments are the author’s own.

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