SAN JUAN — The U.S. Virgin Islands’ senior men’s national team will play its final first-round games in its own backyard — Puerto Rico — for the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers.
The USVI national team’s best player and scoring leader, Walter Hodge, is a native of Puerto Rico — so he is ideally suited to play there.
The U.S. Virgin Islands team will square off to play against Canada, the Dominican Republic and Cuba at times and dates in February TBD, FIBA said today.
The USVI men’s team is currently ranked number 51 in the world by FIBA.
The venues for the upcoming February window of the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers were confirmed by the FIBA Americas Regional Office today.
The third and last window for the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers will be held in bubble format in order to protect the environment of the tournaments and to ensure the health and safety of all participants.
The most important criteria in choosing the hosts were health and travel guarantees and compliance with FIBA health protocols, including testing and controlled entry into a secure environment, it said.
The final window will be held from February 18-22, 2021. The locations approved are as follows:
The bubbles will be hosted in Cali (Colombia) and San Juan (Puerto Rico), each city will host 8 teams. Group A and B will be held at Cali, while Group C and D will be at San Juan.
The exact schedule of games will be confirmed at a later stage.
FIBA will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation in the Americas on a daily basis and communicate further updates regarding FIBA Competitions when necessary.