FIBA Basketball

    Mexico look to maintain positive momentum

    VERACRUZ (Central American and Caribbean Games) - Mexico's national team players have an important objective as they look ahead to next month's Central American and Caribbean Games.They want to sustain the

    VERACRUZ (Central American and Caribbean Games) - Mexico's national team players have an important objective as they look ahead to next month's Central American and Caribbean Games.

    They want to sustain the momentum they have been building since a silver-medal winning performance at the Pan American Games in 2011.

    Since that time, the team has won the 2013 COCABA Championship for Men in El Salvador, and captured a first-ever continental title at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship in Venezuela.

    The Mexicans also hosted the Centrobasket Championship in Nayarit this year and after winning that, participated in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

    Mexico didn't just take part in the Basketball World Cup for the first time since 1974 but won a couple of games in Group D and advanced to the Round of 16 before falling to eventual champions USA.

    "We know it will be an important tournament to keep growing as a team, especially since many of our big players are not coming as they are in other leagues," said national team power forward Adrian Zamora.

    Gustavo Ayon, Jorge Gutierrez, Roman Martinez, Hector Hernandez and Paul Stoll are players with commitments to teams overseas.

    Someone else who has been extremely important in Mexico's resurgence will be missing.

    Coach Sergio Valdeolmillos is no longer in charge.

    After the Basketball World Cup, the country's national basketball federation announced it had appointed former Chicago Bulls center Bill Cartwright as their new coach.

    The men's basketball tournament is to be staged 24-28 November.

    "We had a very good coach the last three or four years with Sergio Valdeolmillos but things changed," said veteran Mexico center Adam Parada.

    "Bill Cartwright was a good player in Chicago, but as a coach I do not know much, although I have heard good things about him. I hope that we can keep winning tournaments."

    Mexico will compete in Group B against Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

    Only the top two sides will progress to the Semi-Final Round.

    FIBA