The Cayman Islands Men’s National Basketball Team wrapped up a hard-fought campaign in Guyana at the FIBA AmeriCup 2029 pre-qualifiers.
Competing in Group B during the 8-12 July event, the 12-man squad faced regional teams and tested their skills against Barbados, Grenada, Haiti and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The tournament tipped off on Wednesday, 8 July, with a tough opening match against Barbados, which saw the Cayman side fall 89-54.
However, the team bounced back the following day by securing a 77-68 victory over Grenada.
On Friday, 10 July, the momentum shifted once again as Cayman dropped Friday’s match to St. Vincent and the Grenadines 96-63.
The Cayman squad concluded the tournament on Sunday, 12 July, with a 104-48 loss to a dominant Haitian lineup.
Completing the Cayman player roster was team captain Shaad O’Garro, Justin Collins, Philip Webb, Davion Cotterell, Brad Lansdell, Nathaniel Hurlston-Anderson, Daniel Quinland, Griffin MacDonald, Daric Ebanks, Alwin Buttrum, Alexander Thompson, and Xzavier Miller.
Team captain reflects
Cayman’s team captain O’Garro said, ‘Overall, I’m proud of the effort our team put in throughout the event. We had several fairly new and inexperienced players, so this tournament was a valuable learning experience for everyone.”
Even in tough circumstances, the team’s positive attitude and competitive spirit never wavered, traits that O’Garro praised as their greatest collective strengths.
“The team maintained a positive attitude even when situations were tough. At the same time, we know we need to improve our chemistry and communication on the court. Building stronger teamwork and gaining more experience playing together will be key if we want to take the next step,” O’Garro said.
O’Garro added that facing teams with chemistry and years of collective experience tested Cayman in every facet of the game.
“The competition was definitely challenging. We faced teams that had more experience and had clearly been playing together for a longer time. It tested us in every aspect of the game, but those are the kinds of challenges that help you grow. We learned a lot from competing against that level,” said O’Garro.
O’Garro said the biggest takeaway from the competition included areas beyond the physicality of the game.
“Talent and effort alone aren’t enough. You also need chemistry, consistency, and preparation. Moving forward, we’ll focus on spending more time training together, improving our communication, and building good work ethics.
“We had fun, gained valuable experience, and now we know what it takes to compete at a higher level,” O’Garro said.
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