Barbados' U18 3x3 is ready for 2020
The Barbados Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) held this weekend their U-18 national 3x3 qualifying tournament before the international events that are ahead in 2020.
BRIDGETOWN (Barbados) – The Barbados Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) held this weekend their U-18 national 3x3 qualifying tournament before the international events that are ahead in 2020.
Sixteen teams fought for the Championship Cup of the two-day tournament. In the end, the Kings, comprising Brandon Ruck, Deroni Hurley, Carl Thorpe Jr., and Kyrone Alexander, were named champions with an undefeated record of 6-0.
The female division will step on the court from the 23rd to the 24th to define the champion team.
“We had very talented players. One of them got a scholarship to go to a private school in the United States,” said to FIBA.basketball Terry Innis, 3x3 coordinator for the Association. “The talent in the men's division is at quite a high level. With the women we always have a challenge. The most teams we've had are six (6) because our basketball population is small.”
The men’s team, which last month had already been proclaimed champions of a local U23 tournament, will represent Barbados in regional tournaments next year.
First in this list is the Antilles 3x3 of FIBA’s International Basketball Foundation (IBF). This competition brings together the best teams of the Lesser Antilles to promote high-level activities both at a local and international level. Because of the 3x3's simple format, the Association expects that it helps to motivate and inspire young and new players to try out the sport. The Martinique teams won the 2018 championships that were held in Guyana.
“Our plan is to keep building the 3x3 and what we really want to do is to have many more 3x3 events next year,” said Innis. “But our main goal is to get the people of Barbados to take part in 3x3 basketball with more enthusiasm than now.”
Likewise, this same week concluded BABA’s second-division senior tournament, where the Barbados Warriors won the championship after several months of strong competition. The team became the first in the Association's history to win two national tournaments in the same year.
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