The Men’s National Basketball Team He will go out on Monday to the court of the Coliseum of the Ciudad Deportiva in Havana, Cuba, with the need for a victory to continue fighting for a place in the tournament AmeriCup 2025.
Puerto Rico will face the Caribbean host starting at 7:00 pm two days after receiving a beating, 108-66by the United States in Washington, DC
The Puerto Ricans fell to third place in Group D of the continental qualifier with a 1-2 record. Cuba, for its part, is second with a positive record of 2-1. The Americans are first in the bracket with 2-1 and a huge point difference with +49. The Bahamians (-22), for their part, are tied (1-2) with Puerto Rico, which has a -34.
According to FIBAnone of the four teams will advance or will be eliminated at the end of the second window. The third and last will be in February 2025.
The Cubans will enter the game with two consecutive victories. They surprised the United States, 81-67, in the first window last February, and on Friday they defeated the Bahamas, 76-62.
Their best scorer is Yoanki Mensia, with an average of 17.0 points per game. The forward plays in the Spanish Endesa League with the Casademont Zaragoza club.
Puerto Rico had a return to the field to forget in the debut of Carlos Gonzalez as a leader before the Americans. They were overwhelmed with 17 three-pointers and made 14 errors. Their best scorer was forward Phillip Wheeler, the only one in double figures with 12 points.
From behind the arc, they made just two 3-pointers in 18 attempts.
Thompson will not play
For the game against Cuba, the president of the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation, Yum Ramosnotified this Sunday to The New Day that the escort Stephen Thompson He will not join the quintet.
So there will be no changes to the Puerto Rican team’s roster.
Initially, the Federation indicated that Thompson would not be present in Washington, but would make the trip to Cuba. Thompson is an important figure in the long-range offense.
Puerto Rico, meanwhile, awaits a physical match against the Cubans.
“We have to regroup and watch a little video, but the rotations, see what we did wrong. Cuba is a different team”commented Arnaldo Torocenter of Puerto Rico, after the defeat against the United States.
“We are going to regroup as a team and move on to the next thing,” he added.
On the Puerto Rican side, the game will be one of immense emotions for Ysmael Romeroin his first game in his native country with the monostar uniform.
It will be the first time they will see him play in his homeland since he made the decision to leave the adult team at the age of 21 at the 2012 Centrobasket that was held in San Juan.
(Carlos Rosa Rosa collaborated on this story)
