FIBA AmeriCup 2025 – Team profile: Nicaragua

MIAMI (United States) – Nicaragua enters the biggest challenge in its basketball history by taking its first steps at the highest level in the Americas. But as host, the team also carries the responsibility of delivering a positive showing for the home crowd despite not being considered a title contender.

For Nicaragua, the main goal will be to lay a solid foundation and strengthen its basketball culture so it can continue to grow in hopes of becoming more competitive in future tournaments.

The team holds the lowest position in the FIBA World Ranking among the 12 participants, sitting at No. 80 in the world and No. 17 in the Americas.

In the AmeriCup Qualifiers, Nicaragua went winless in six games against high-caliber opponents such as Canada, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico, though it had already secured its berth as the host nation.

Tournament history

This will be Nicaragua’s AmeriCup debut, making it the only country in the 2025 field playing in the tournament for the first time.

Players to watch

Norchad Omier is the star of the team and also one of the country’s brightest basketball prospects. The forward recently wrapped up his career in the NCAA. Although he went undrafted in the most recent NBA Draft, he averaged 9.2 points and 8.4 rebounds with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Las Vegas Summer League. This showed his potential to earn a shot in the world’s top league.

Swingman Jared Ruiz was the team’s go-to player in the qualifiers, averaging 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. He is expected to form a productive duo with Omier that is capable of troubling the opposing defense.

Forward Josmel Martínez and captain Francisco Garth averaged 10.5 and 10.3 points, respectively, in the qualifiers. Their contributions will be key to relieving the scoring load from Omier and Ruiz occasionally.

Head coach: David Rosario

The Puerto Rican coach has led Nicaragua since 2021. Before his arrival, the national team was ranked outside the FIBA Top 100. Now, it is among the top 80. Under his leadership, the squad has improved significantly and won the Central American Pre-Qualifiers for the AmeriCup in 2023. Rosario acknowledges the challenge of competing at home, but has stated before that his players will take the court without pressure and with a commitment to giving maximum effort.

Outlook

Nicaragua is in Group C alongside Argentina, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. Argentina and the Dominican Republic appear to be a step ahead and are the early favorites to claim the top two spots. The hosts will aim to upset Colombia to fight for Third Place and see if they can advance to the Quarter-Finals as one of the two best third-place teams.

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