MIAMI (United States) – Bruno Caboclo showed why he’s one of the most lethal players of the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers 2025. The power forward, who was coming off impressive performances at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia and then at the Olympic Games in Paris, picked up where he left off and once again led Brazil to victory. Caboclo had the highest efficiency rating (29) during the first slate of games of the second window after dropping 21 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in Brazil’s win over Uruguay, 71-65, in Group B. The Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) player shot 7-for-10 from two-point range and went 7-for-8 at the free throw line. He added a steal and finished +20 in 35 minutes on the court.
Michaell Wright also had a memorable day in Colombia’s key victory (80-74) on the road against Chile in Group A. The small forward was his team’s sparkplug with 25 points and 5 boards and did it very efficiently, shooting 6-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Wright also shot 10-for-13 at the charity stripe for a 28-efficiency rating and finished +26. Gael Bonilla took a big step forward in the absence of Gabriel Girón to lead México’s win (86-77) on the road in Nicaragua in Group C. The 21-year-old had a 27-efficiency rating after generating 20 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. He shot 9-for-10 from the field, including 2-for-3 from downtown. Finally, Panama point guards Iverson Molinar and Trevor Gaskins also put on a show for their country. They combined to dismantle Paraguay’s defense on the way to a 116-79 win in Group B.
Molinar, who returned to the national team for the first time since his debut in 2017, showed his growth over the last few years and contributed 27 points, 5 assists and a pair of steals. The Hapoel Beer Sheva (ISR) guard shot 9-for-11 on twos and a perfect 6-for-6 at the line for a 26-efficiency. The experienced Gaskins was the perfect complement, going 7-for-10 from long distance (and 2-for-2 at the line) to finish with 23 points. He filled out his stat sheet with 3 assists and 2 steals for an efficiency of 24.
FIBA