PAN - Panama boss raring to go

DALLAS (FIBA World Championship) - The start of the FIBA World Championship cannot come soon enough for Panama coach Guillermo Vecchio, who insists his side`s focus is now firmly on their opening Group B clash with Angola.

Panama looked to be well off the pace last Wednesday as they slumped to a 104-83 defeat to neighbours and fellow World Championship finalists Puerto Rico.

But Vecchio`s side bounced back in the return meeting between the sides with a 75-73 victory on Thursday, and it is that level of performance that the coach hopes of see more of in Japan.

"I think that in the second game we managed to be nearer our level for the World Championship," said Vecchio, who says the team`s thoughts are now on their August 19 clash with Angola.

"We will go on improving. We are all very anxious to arrive in Japan and are thinking only of Angola."

Meanwhile, Panamanian Basketball Federation president Miguel Sanchis has confirmed that JR Pinnock will not be part of the country`s World Championship squad.

It has been rumoured the 22-year-old guard was in line to replace one of the 12-man group already announced by Vecchio after resolving the passport problem that initially led him to excluding himself from the travelling party.

However, despite Pinnock averaging more than 15 points per game last summer as they finished fifth at the FIBA Americas Championship to qualify for Japan, Sanchis and the national team general manager, Guillermo Nurse, agreed not to make any changes to the squad.

"We analysed several points. One of them was that there is a group of players trying to get used to each other," Nurse explained.

"If Pinnock joins the team, we should take one player out of the squad, and we thought that would not be fair."

By PA Sport