Excitement grows in Costa Rica's Mini Basketball with the 3x3 Tournament

SAN JOSE (Costa Rica) – Mini Basketball is growing in Costa Rica and in the second half of this year 2019, the Costa Rican Basketball Federation (FECOBA, for its Spanish acronym) organized its third 3x3 Liga Menor FECOBA Tournament 2019, featuring more than 30 teams ranging the U10 to U14. For an entire day, players experienced the excitement surrounding a modality that’s gaining strength in Costa Rica.

The gym at Liceo Mario Vindas in San Pablo de Heredia was again the venue for the tournament that is starting to be a tradition in the competition calendar of the minor divisions of Costa Rican basketball. More than 130 active players participated, as well as 34 team directives -- for a total of 170 people involved.

With each edition, the quality improves, and the competitive level does so too, guaranteeing that the tournament’s great success.

“This year, the Federation made a great effort to include the 3x3 on the Mini Basketball competition, and the U10 category, with the aid of FECOBA President Álvaro Calvo. This helped instill a greater interest among coaches and players. Because it’s an Olympic sport in Tokyo 2020, we need to build up to be able to represent our country in this modality. I want 3x3 to be showcased this year in Costa Rica’s sports games,” said to FIBA.basketball Mario Cruz, Mini Basketball 3x3 instructor.

“Sometimes, as coaches, we have some doubts regarding this modality, but the kids have shown that the 3x3 is important because it's played with an intensity that they later move to the 5x5,” the coach added.

In the U10 category, the winning team was Academia AP from Liberia. In the female U12, the Naranjo Crazy Girls took the first place. Greco Baloncesto won first place in the male U12. And in the female U14, it was Samuel Sáenz, while their male counterparts were Los Gary’s.

“The good thing is that each edition is better than the last. We're really satisfied with what we've achieved because all teams have shown great competitive quality. The 3x3 is gaining importance and it's being practiced better and better. The most important thing is that everyone here leaves as friends,” explained Cruz to FIBA.basketball.

Mario got involved in the modality first as a volunteer and then with FECOBA, gave life to the sports initiation school in San Pablo de Heredia.

The basketball initiation schools began to grow in Costa Rica two years ago when FECOBA sought volunteers and gave them the equipment to develop the sport in an attempt to make it grow and to promote the female categories.

“As it continues to grow in the base, we’ll see better results at the top. I want the 3x3 to be international in Costa Rica and to experience a tournament of this modality. There’s even an economic advantage in this modality because it’s easier to move four or five people than an entire team of the 5x5,” added Cruz.

The importance of having the 3x3 gain relevance in Costa Rican basketball is because many elements in this modality contribute to the athletic growth in young players, in a formative and development stage in the sport.

“The tournament takes place in just one day and with regular, semifinals and finals stages. Because these are categories from 10 to 16 years of age, we have the chance of doing it in a gym that belongs to a public school in the city. By using the half-court, two games can take place at the same time. Eight days before the tournament started, we had 25 teams and five days before we closed inscriptions with 34,” said who is also a basketball coach in the 5x5.

FECOBA's intention for the next editions is to move the venue to different places in the country so that all of Costa Rica is encouraged to be a part of this 3x3 tournament that inspires more enthusiasm in the youth with each edition that comes around.

“The 3x3 came to my life as an immediate solution to start popularizing basketball in my city, San Pablo de Heredia, where the culture is focused on soccer. Because there are not so many kids interested in basketball, I looked for ways to compete and started to research. I found the FIBA 3x3 Manual, I read it, I studied it, and I loved it. There’s 3x3 in Costa Rica, but in higher categories, which is why I decided to take it to kids aged 16 or less. It's a competitive strategy because there’s a small number of children interested in basketball or that know it, and this is an interesting modality to bring them (to the game),” he added.

With the FECOBA initiatives, basketball will be active for the remaining 2019 season, thanks to a Federation that is organizing great competitive events that, without a doubt, will bring a lot of excitement for people who love sports. All these efforts are an attempt for Costa Rica to become a fertile ground for talents to send overseas and to give options in educational and social areas to improve the quality of life of Costa Rican athletes while strengthening the Central American country's national teams.

“This modality gives an opening for children and young people to play sports to have fun and to compete. Life is a competition and as we learn to compete, to win with effort, and to lose after giving a fight, this will help children to grow with a vision that's a little more optimistic,” concluded Cruz, who expects to have the third edition of the tournament ready in January.

FIBA