Getting to know the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup teams: Puerto Rico

MIAMI (United States) – The Caribbean squad is one of the most successful and improved of the last half decade and will look to consolidate that work and establish themselves as one of the best in the region. Head coach Gerardo “Jerry” Batista, one of the leaders of the recent good times, is back with the team after a great showing at the 2022 World Cup in Australia, where they reached the Quarterfinals, and the title at 2022 Centrobasket.

FIBA Women's World Ranking, presented by Nike: 10

After three consecutive Women's Centrobasket titles, two Top-3 finishes at FIBA AmeriCup and appearances at the 2020 Olympic Games and the 2022 World Cup, Puerto Rico reached its best world ranking ever. They're currently the third-best ranked team in the continent behind USA and Canada.

Women's AmeriCup appearances (including 2023): 12

The first time they played at the biggest continental tournament was in 1995 in Canada, where they made a splash with a third-place finish. Since 2009, they’ve participated in every edition of the event.

Most recent appearance: 2021

In 2021 they hosted for the second consecutive occasion, in the city of San Juan, and put on a show for the home crowd, finishing with a 4-2 record and only losing to the champion, United States, who beat them in the Group Stage and the final.

Best showing: 2021

The silver medal in the most recent edition was their best showing at the event – and their third medal – improving on their third-place finishes in 1995 and 2017.

Players to watch:

While the official roster hasn’t been named yet, Arella Guirantes is the team's top player after phenomenal performances at the 2022 World Cup, where she led the team in points (18.2), rebounds (6.5) and assists (3.5), and 2022 Centrobasket, where she impressed with 24.0 points, 6.0 boards and 5.4 assists. However, the presence of the WNBA's Seattle Storm's point guard isn't guaranteed yet. Center Isalys Quiñones has taken on a bigger role thanks to her work on the paint (15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds at Centrobasket) and it's always smart to keep an eye on veterans like Jennifer O'Neill, Pamela Rosado and Tayra Meléndez, who've been irreplaceable team stalwarts in recent years.

How they qualified:

The boricuas took first place 2022 Campeonato Centrobasket without much fuss, finishing with a 5-0 record and beating their rivals by an average margin of 30 points.

Tournament projection:

Due to their recent performances at the global and continental levels, they'll be a strong candidate to finish in the Top 3 alongside United States, Canada and Brazil. This time they'll play in Group A and face Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Colombia.

FIBA