Ja U-17 basketballers depart for Puerto Rico

Jamaica's Under-17 basketball Team left the island yesterday as it hopes for a landmark showing at the 2019 FIBA CentroBasket Under-17 championships in Puerto Rico starting tomorrow.

The 10-man squad features two overseas players from the United States: Joshua Minott, who plays for St Andrews High School in Florida, and Orlando Wallace from Iona High School in New York. Wallace, a former Calabar High student, participated recently in the NBA Basketball Without Borders programme in Medellin, Colombia.

Two of the original 12-man squad, Raheem Daley of Wolmers Boys, and Kevon Gayle of St George's College, were unable to travel with the team due to visa issues.

Jamaica open their campaign in Group B against Mexico before facing Panama and the Dominican Republic. Hosts Puerto Rico are in Group A with The Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands and El Salvador. The top three teams from the tournament will qualify to the FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship to be held in 2020.