Panama takes shape looking ahead to Centrobasket
MERIDA (2016 Centrobasket Championship) - After completing seven weeks of preparation, Panama’s Head Coach, Joaquin Ruiz, announced the latest preliminary list of the 2016 Centrobasket Championship hosts.
MERIDA (2016 Centrobasket Championship) - After completing seven weeks of preparation, Panama’s head coach Joaquin Ruiz announced the latest preliminary list for the 2016 Centrobasket Championship hosts.
| Panama 13-player preliminary squad for Centrobasket | |||
| Joel Muñoz | Carlos Rodríguez | Eugenio Luzcando | Michael Hicks |
| Chris Warren | Jonathan King | Edward Jones | Tony Bishop |
| Ernesto Oglivie | Josimar Ayarza | José Jaime Lloreda | Daniel King |
| Akil Mitchell | |||
The Panamanian list shows the arrival of a new generation to the national team, mixing experienced players like Michael Hicks, Jaime Lloreda and Joel Muñoz, with athletes who will make their debut in the national team, such as Eugenio Luzcando and Carlos Javier Rodriguez.
Hicks was the scoring leader of the team at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship with 13.4 points per game and will add another tournament with the national team, after debuting on the international stage at the 2004 Centrobasket Championship.
Meanwhile, Spaniard Joaquin Ruiz will also be making his debut as Panama’s coach during the Centrobasket, which will run from 19-25 June at the Roberto "Mano de Piedra" Duran Arena.
Panama began training on 15 April and after completing seven weeks of practice, the team has now traveled to Merida, Mexico, where they will form part of a Triangular Series, tipping off against Centrobasket defending champions, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, from 10-12 June.
After completing the series of friendly games in Aztec land, the team will return to Panama to finish the details of their preparation for the Centrobasket.
#Centrobasket2016 en #Panamá del 19 al 25 de junio en la #arenarobertoduran @FIBA @FIBA_es @pandeportes #Baloncestohttps://t.co/CF30CcLUKl
— FEPABA (@FePaBa) June 10, 2016
Panama will be part of Group A along with Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Antigua and Cuba, meanwhile Group B will consists of Mexico, Costa Rica, Bahamas, Virgin Islands and Dominican Republic.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Semi-Finals where the winners will play for the gold medal of the competition. The losers will play for bronze. Likewise, the teams finishing up in 3rd place during the group stage will play for 5th place, and the teams ending in 4th will try to end up in 7th place of the Centrobasket.
5th place of this competition is particularly important because the teams that finish in the top five will automatically qualify to America’s Division A of FIBA’s New Competition System and Calendar to the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
FIBA