FIBA AmeriCup 2025 – Team profile: Dominican Republic

MIAMI (United States) – The Dominican Republic’s national team is going through one of its best moments, thanks to the wealth of talent on its roster. Several of its players are shining in Europe, while others are working to establish themselves in the NBA. Although they won’t have their full roster available for this tournament, they will count on several high-level contributors. It’s time for that international talent to start translating into results for the national squad. The Dominican team competed at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, finishing in 14th place. They are currently ranked 18th in the FIBA World Ranking and sixth in the Americas.

In the AmeriCup Qualifiers, the team was placed in Group C, the toughest group. Only two spots were available, as the host nation, Nicaragua, already had a guaranteed place in the tournament. The Dominicans posted a 4-2 record and ended up in a three-way tie with Canada and Mexico. Based on tiebreaker criteria, they secured second place in the group and earned their ticket to the AmeriCup.

Tournament history

This will be the country’s 15th AmeriCup appearance and the seventh consecutive one. They have only earned one medal, which was a bronze in 2011. They finished in eighth place in the most recent edition of the tournament in 2022.

Players to watch

Guards Andrés Feliz y Jean Montero will be in charge of orchestrating the offense. Feliz is a threat on both ends of the court. Coming off the bench for Real Madrid, he averaged 7.3 points in the Spanish league, and during the AmeriCup Qualifiers, he posted averages of 15.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in three games. Montero is a nightmare for opposing defenses, and with Valencia in Spain’s top division, he averaged 15.9 points and 4.4 assists. In the Qualifiers, he contributed 14.7 points over three appearances.

Other names on the preliminary roster include shooting guard/small forward David Jones-García, one of the top performers in the most recent Las Vegas Summer League (21.6 points, 53 percent from three, and 6.2 rebounds), who signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. Ángel Delgado, Joel Soriano and Eloy Vargas will be the key interior players, while Jassel Pérez is ready to take on a major role in the rotation.

Head coach: Néstor “Che” García

The Argentine coach is one of the most experienced in the region. He already knows what it’s like to win the AmeriCup (in 2015 with Venezuela) and is well-acquainted with Caribbean basketball culture. After leading Venezuela to the 2016 Olympic Games, he took the reins of the Dominican squad for the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, advancing past the Group Phase in both tournaments. Now, he’ll be aiming for another medal at the continental level.

Outlook

Although the team is missing several key players, the pieces they do have could be enough to earn them a second medal in their history. One of their main strengths is the familiarity and continuity between the players and the coaching staff, who have worked together for several years. They’re also placed in Group C, arguably the most favorable group in the tournament. In that group, they’ll face Colombia, Argentina, and Nicaragua. On paper, they are expected to battle Argentina for the top spot.

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