Everything you need to know ahead of FIBA AmeriCup 2022

RECIFE (Brazil) – With the 19th edition of the FIBA AmeriCup taking place from Sept. 2-11 in Recife, Brazil, the most prestigious basketball competition in the Americas features 12 countries ready to do their home nations proud and bring home hardware as the top team in the Americas region.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2022 AmeriCup taking place at Geraldao Arena.

Who is participating?

Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Panama, Mexico, Uruguay, United States, and Venezuela are the 12 teams competing in the most prestigious basketball competition of the Americas region.

All 12 teams qualified through playing three windows of the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers where 16 participating teams were split into four groups, with the top three performers in each group qualifying for the FIBA AmeriCup 2022.

Which teams are in each group?

Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia and Canada make up Group A; Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Argentina make up Group B; Mexico, Venezuela, Panama and United States round out Group C.

The top two teams in each group as well as the two best third-place teams will move on to the Final Phase, with the Quarter-Finals starting on Sept. 8, which is played in a knockout format.

Where can I watch?

While each game will be broadcast by different providers in their respective countries, games are also available through FIBA’s Courtside 1891 streaming service, which allows subscribers to have access to real-time live matches and extended highlights from the FIBA AmeriCup.

Who are the favorites?

The United States won the tournament in 2017, and are brining NBA champions Norris Cole and Patrick McCaw to their roster for the FIBA AmeriCup, which has slotted them as the favourite to win the competition.

Host nation Brazil may be coming off straight losses from their FIBA Baskteball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers, but they have the talent along with the home crowd to help them get back to their winning ways.

Argentina is the team rounding out the top three in favourites, with stars like Facundo Campazzo, Carlos Delfino, and Nicolás Brussino taking the court. However, after moving on from their previous coach, Pablo Prigioni will have a tough first task as the defending silver medalists look to take the top of the podium this time around.

Who are the players to watch?

Facundo Campazzo – Argentina
Campazzo is coming off four games at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers where he led Argentina in scoring and was second in the whole competition averaging 20.5 points per game and scoring 82 points in the competition.

Shooting 50 percent from the three-point line, Campazzo will add to an intense Argentina offense that put up 637 points against their opponents in the competition and shot 45.1 percent as a whole.

Marcelinho Huertas – Brazil
The Brazilian point guard averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 assists per game during the four games of the Americas Qualifiers, including a whopping 27 point performance against Colombia where he shot 66.7 percent from two-point range.

As Brazil will be without their leading scorer Bruno Caboclo, Huertas has the ability to step up and make an impact from both a playmaking and scoring standpoint as the host team tries to get back to the win column.

Tremont Waters – Puerto Rico
Making his appearance for Puerto Rico at the Americas Qualifiers during the second round, Waters has been on a scoring hot streak as he tallied back-to-back double-digit games, starting with a 29-point performance against top dog Brazil, adding to six assists and four rebounds on the night.

In a quitter night against Uruguay, Waters still managed to tip in 14 points and six assists, being a reliable guard for Puerto Rico who can help them move the ball and get shots up against physical teams.

Windi Graterol – Venezuela
In one of the most exciting games of the Americas Qualifiers, Graterol was one of the best players on the court as Venezuela took down Bahamas in comeback fashion, with Graterol accounting for 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in the win.

Graterol is also one of the team’s best defenders, able to apply pressure not only to shooters but also can be physical in the paint and force tough, unbalanced shots that Venezuela can turn over into fast break points.

FIBA