COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The USA U16 men’s and women’s basketball teams learned their groupings today for the upcoming 2019 FIBA Americas championships.
The USA U16 men will compete in preliminary round Group A from June 3-9 in Belém, Brazil, along with Argentina, Dominican Republic and Mexico.
Group B will feature Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico and Uruguay.
The top four finishing teams at the event will qualify for the 2020 FIBA U17 World Cup.
“The coaches, staff and players are all looking forward to competing in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship next month,” said first-year U16 head coach Mike Jones of DeMatha in Hyattsville, Md. “We anxiously awaited the draw, and now we can’t wait to get to work. Now that we know who we will face in group play, our focus and preparation can be even more detailed. We are excited and can’t wait to compete in Brazil.”
The USA’s assistant coaches are Eric Flannery of St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) and Sharman White of Pace Academy (Atlanta).
The preliminary round games are June 3-5. All eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals on June 7, the semifinals are June 8 and the gold medal game is June 9.
Training camp to select the 12-member team will be held May 22-29 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Meanwhile, the USA U16 women will compete in Group B at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship from June 16-22 in Puerto Aysen, Chile, along with host Chile, El Salvador and Mexico.
In Group A features Brazil, Canada, Ecuador and Puerto Rico. The top four finishing teams at the event qualify for the 2020 FIBA U17 World Cup.
“Playing against host Chile, El Salvador and Mexico in the preliminary round will provide us with good competition, and we will have to be prepared to play our best throughout the tournament,” said U16 head coach Mark Campbell of Union University in Tennessee.
Kelly Carruthers of Bowie High School (Arlington, Texas) and Ruth Sinn of University of St. Thomas in Minnesota are the assistants.
The preliminary round games are June 16-18. All eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals on June 20, the semifinals are June 21 and the gold medal game is June 22.
Trials to select the 12-member USA U16 National Team will be held May 23-27 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The final roster will be announced on May 31.
