Belize National U-18 Basketball Team Travelling to Argentina  

Argentina, here they come! The Belize National Under- Eighteen Basketball Team left for Argentina just before sunrise today. They are headed to compete in the FIBA Under-Eighteen Americup after securing a bronze medal in the FIBA Under-Seventeen Centrobasket Championships 2023, hosted here in Belize. Our team has been placed in group B along with teams from Argentina, Brazil and the U.S.A. Their first game is scheduled for Monday against Brazil. The tournament will run from June third to the ninth. The top four teams from the tournament will get a chance to compete internationally against other teams next year. We spoke with some team members before they departed Belize.

 

Jacob Leslie, President, Belize Basketball Federation

“We reach Argentina Saturday morning, at five thirty in the morning. We check into the hotel and try to get some rest and they compete on Monday, and they compete everyday from the third to the ninth and return to Belize on the tenth. What Belize can expect from these kids are exactly what we saw last summer, a bunch of kids that plays hard. They play to the whistle, and they don’t give up. They have gotten better; the kids individually have gotten better and that will cause us to look better as a team.”

 

 

Douglas Langford Jr., Belize National U18 Basketball Team

“I feel like this is something we all looked forward to after the end of the first tournament we played. The only thing we were talking about is when we get back together and get to compete again and that time is finally here and we are super excited. As you can see we are just laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It is something we really looked forward to.”

 

Elijah Favella, Belize National U18 Basketball Team

“We have two really big goals. The biggest goal that every team should have been to win the whole thing. So that is the first thing we want to do is win the whole thing. And if we don’t win, we definitely want to qualify to go to the world cup next year. So the top four make it so we definitely want to be the top four to make it up there.”

 

 

 

 

Paul Lopez

“Is there anything intimidating about the group you have been placed in?”

 

Ellijah Favella

“I mean they do have U.S.A. but at the same time everybody is the same. You got to look at them the same. If you look at them like they are better than the others, then we are going to get a lot scared and it is going to throw off our whole game. So really don’t fear anybody.”

 

Devin Moody, Belize National U18 Basketball Team

“Growing up it has always been a part of my dream to even be on the national team. So for me to be on the national team for the second time and knowing that we are going on a bigger stage, I feel very great about this opportunity that I have been given.”

 

All the games will be streamed live on youtube.