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Coaches pleased with improvements in 3X3 basketball
December 17, 2024
Coaches of Jamaica's male and female teams have expressed satisfaction with improvements following their performance at the FIBA 3x3 basketball tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico over the weekend.
Both teams advanced to Sunday's quarter-finals on the weekend tournament, but suffered defeat in contrasting fashion. Jamaica's male team lost 21-14 to eventual champions the United States, while the females were narrowly beaten 12-11 by hosts Puerto Rico.
According to Oneil Brown, head coach of the female team, they did well even though half the four-member squad was slowed by injuries.
"Two of the players (Sasha Dixon and Crystal Primm) got hurt from the first game. They fought through the injuries and, in the quarter-finals, we got our chances but lost by a point," Brown said. "However, I'm proud of the ladies and their performances."
He further stated that, based on the evidence of Jamaica's style and growth in 3x3 basketball, the gap is getting smaller against top-ranked countries around the world.
"It's closing. Canada went on to win the title and they only defeated us by a point. We're right there. Last year, we lost in the quarter-final to Brazil by two points and they medalled this year. We're not far away and I'm proud with where we are now," Brown added.
Rick Turner, head of the male team, stated that there's no embarrassment in losing two games, especially against teams finishing in medal positions.
"We competed and played hard. We lost to the bronze medal (Canada) and gold medal teams (USA). While we're not where we want to be, we're getting closer. I'm very pleased with how they competed and played together. That part I love," Turner said.
"Every team is getting better, including Jamaica. It's good that we're improving and making progress, but we can't rest on our laurels and expect that while we're getting better no other team will. We have work ahead of us to continue pushing for the top," he suggested.
Turner explained that, in the tournament's history, only a handful of teams has remained consistent, partly because of their abundance of talent.
"I started coming to this tournament in 2021," he shared. "The level of play from then to now is nowhere it used to be. However, the likes of USA, Canada and Puerto Rico have been good the entire time with 3x3, because they have such a large pool of basketball players to choose from," he opined.
