Basketball Federation prepares for COCABA 16 and younger games

While the F.F.B. presented its five-month report card earlier today, the Belize Basketball Federation (B.B.F.) will be busy this weekend scouting new talent to represent the Jewel in the COCABA under-sixteen tournament being hosted by Honduras next month.  The organization is inviting all athletes sixteen years and younger to audition for the national team which is scheduled to participate in the upcoming championship.  A four-member team will also leave for Spain later this month to compete in the under-eighteen world three-by-three championship for boys.  B.B.F. President Paul Thompson spoke with News Five about the tournaments earlier today.

Paul Thompson, Belize Basketball Federation

“Earlier this week it was confirmed that the COCABA U-16 Basketball Championship for boys will be held in Honduras on the twenty-second to the twenty-eight of October.  So this weekend, this upcoming weekend we are starting our tryout process and that will be held in Belmopan from two to five p.m. at the UB gymnasium.  Then on Sunday we tryout at the Belize City Center from nine to eleven a.m.  In Belmopan, we are asking players from the Toledo Districts, from the Stann Creek and Cayo Districts to come in and tryout.  For the Belize City tryout we are asking players from Corozal, Orange Walk and the Belize Districts to come.  Then we will make, we will see what we have and then we will start that process of selecting players for this team.”

Isani Cayetano

Paul Thompson

“I was also made to understand that the selection for the three-on-three tournament will be heading to Spain, as well.  Can you speak on that?”

Paul Thompson

“We were selected to be a part of the three-by-three U-18 world championship for boys, that will be held in Spain from the twenty-seventh to the thirtieth of September.  From the three-on-three tournament that was held over the last few months we selected eight players to send up to FIBA to be a part of this.  Of those eight players we will select four.  We have done a tryout for that already last week.  By the end of this week we will have those four names available and we will give those four names to you and we go from there.  Four players will be going and it’s a national team.”