KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Head coach of Jamaica’s men’s basketball team, Rick Turner, believes the sport is set to reap substantial benefits from hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers next year.
The JamRockerz, as they are affectionately called, will compete in the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time in the nation’s history and are drawn in Pool B, alongside Canada, Puerto Rico, and The Bahamas.
While they will kick-start their campaign with back-to-back away games against Puerto Rico in San Juan on November 28 and December 1, they will then play two home games at the National Arena, the first against the Bahamas on February 26, before the final home game against Canada on March 1.
Turner believes that hosting such a major tournament is a significant milestone for the country.
“Jamaica deserves this. I think, at least for me, part of the motivation for bringing basketball to prominence in the country is the opportunity to play meaningful games in front of Jamaican fans, who deserve to see high-level basketball played on their soil.
“I think it’s an opportunity to be very, very exciting. I think it will be something that acts as a jump-start to basketball in the country,” Turner said.
“We’re able to have some skin in the game and to see these players live and to see the talent level and skill level that they bring.”
Turner said these games could also help Jamaica become a mainstay among the region’s top teams, as the Jamaica Basketball Association (JBA) continues its work to build a sustainable, competitive national program.
“The team was essentially dormant since 2013, so it’s been a long time. We have a lot of ground to make up, and we think it can be sustainable. So, in no way can we become complacent.
“We’re trying to build something that would be lasting and something that, you know, 20, 30, or 40 years from now, people can look back on and not only be proud of what we’ve done, but know that this was the beginning of the renaissance for Jamaica basketball,” Turner said.
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