El Salvador aims at the future with recent achievements

EL SALVADOR - A promising future lies ahead for Salvadorian basketball after an excellent participation of the U16 national teams in the 2016 Central American Championships, which were celebrated in Guatemala City from March 25 to 29.

They came home with two medals and with a ticket to the U17 Centrobasket that taking place this year in Puerto Rico. This means not only a great achievement for the players that left their body and soul for their country’s colors, but also a hope for national basketball, who try to be better positioned and reach a podium position with the senior teams.

Led by Spanish coach Ray Santana, the Salvadorian national teams had an unforgettable performance which was a historical feat for the Central Americans, achieving a silver medal in the women’s category and a bronze in the men’s.

 
“Getting to the podium in two categories is very important; we were the only country to achieve that, and there were countries like Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama, who also brought their two national teams. We were the only ones to do it and that speaks highly of the good work that’s been developing. Thanks to that and the results, were showcasing what Salvadorian basketball can aspire to be,” added Santana for FIBA.basketball.

As to the next steps in this process and the national teams’ continuity, the coach commented: “The idea and the project must be aimed at these talented players so that they can continue to showcase themselves and compete. That should be the process for them to arrive to play at the national team.”

“These two medals mean that we're on the right path. We’ve laid the groundwork for the long-term, but we haven't forgotten about the rest of the building process and preparing through leagues of a greater category, and we trust the foundational work. It's not easy because people want immediate results. Nonetheless, we're demonstrating that with patience and sacrifice we’ll bring results,” said the President of the Salvadorian Basketball Federation (FESABAL, for its Spanish acronym), Yamil Bukele, to FIBA.basketball.

“There's always been support and it’ll continue to be like that. It’s a commitment we've accepted. We have boys and girls from rural areas that are coming each time we call them. If it’s necessary, we guarantee room and board, and studies too,” added the Salvadorian directive.

Since Yamil Bukele's arrival at the Presidency in 2013, national basketball has been transformed, and now there's a vision of putting all efforts toward adult categories, professional leagues, and decentralizing basketball. “This task isn’t easy or simple, but we want boys, girls, teenagers and the country’s youth — and even those born outside of El Salvador — to have the same opportunities,” stated the President.

The project started in 2015, and through professional leagues it aimed, firstly, to seek government and private institutions to invest in basketball in a country where soccer (football) reigns. It also strived to motivate future generations to fall in love with the sport of the basket and practice it throughout the whole nation.

“We want to be main actors once again. Not only in Central America, but also in CONCENCABA. I believe we have the talent and the necessary courage to achieve that. We're on the right path,” assured Bukele, who’s also CONCENCABA’s president until 2023.

The idea is to turn sports into a social actor, a community building presence, and above all, a place where the youth can dream about being part of national teams and local leagues by practicing the sport they love. This is a phenomenon that may already be witnessed in El Salvador.

FESABAL also gave 1,000 basket balls to the nation's federations so that the girls and boys in their athletic beginnings can enjoy the sport and practice it in the best conditions possible. “We did it with the initial programs. What we want is for schools to motivate children of all ages to practice basketball. We know that the next Salvadorian Michael Jordan is in one of the departments and municipalities we can reach. That’ll be better to recruit the talents and build better national teams.”

 
With the work done by the current Board of Directors headed by Bukele, and by National Teams Director Ray Santana, they strive to build national basketball and the future generations of national teams.

“We made a bet, we defined our strategy, and we've tried to pursue our work plan to a T. We've improved some aspects along the way. We still have a long way to go, but we're focused on our goal,” he added.

Besides the achievements of the national teams in the 2019 COCABA Championships, FESABAL are proud of the individual work done by national team player Connor Faustino Phipps Colón who, at his 1.90 meters, was named the best rebounder and was named part of the championship's All-Star Five. Also outstanding were Anthony Reyes and Bryan Romero, two of the Top 5 shooters of the championship. Meanwhile, in women’s basketball, Nicole García led in assists, and Guadalupe Vázquez in points.

Centrobasket now awaits for both teams, who will have no time to rest. They are about to begin the preparing process for this year’s U-17 championship, which will take place in July, and are now set on achieving something more —perhaps a gold medal. Meanwhile, the directives of the Central American country continue to build from the ground up and acquiring the concepts for a better present and future for basketball.

 
FIBA