COACHES DECLARE THEIRSELVES READY FOR BOYS' U19 PAN AM CUP

Coaches were presented prior to the tournament in
Mexicali, Mexico.

MEXICALI, Baja California (Norceca.org).— The First Boys’ U19 Pan American Cup starts this monday at the State Auditorium with participation of six countries.

The first match will be played at 5:00 PM local time, between Brazil and Costa Rica, while the Official Opening Ceremony will take place immediately. After the ceremony, México will face Trinidad & Tobago. This will be a free event to the public.

The host team, Mexico, will compete in Pool B, along with the United States of America, as well as Trinidad & Tobago. Brazil, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico are part of Pool “A”. Coaches of every competing team shared their expectations about this tournament.

Percy Oncken (Brazil): “The expectation of course is big for us, because it is a very important tournament and we understand that this competition is a preparation for the World Junior Championship that will be played in Argentina next August. We will see very strong teams and we hope Brazil can play very well”.

Oscar Licea (Mexico): “We want to have a change in our Boys’ youth teams. There have not been good results previously, but we are beginning a long preparation process with these kids, and we hope to have a good start in this tournament”.

Ramon Lawrence (Puerto Rico): “We have a very young team, in development, and this tournament will help us as a preparation for the World Championship in Argentina. We will try to be among the top three and we hope that during this competition our players can get confidence”.

David Camacho (Trinidad y Tobago): “This is my second time in the city of Mexicali, it is hot but so friendly. For us the preparation was not very long actually, however our main attention is to practice, get confidence, and we plan to enjoy this tournament”.

Henry Rodríguez (Costa Rica): “We bring a new team to gain experience in a tournament like this with important teams like Mexico, United States, Brazil or Puerto Rico. We have been training to have a united group. It will be difficult, but we will work to give our best on the court, even we win or lose”.

Ken Shibuya (United States of America): “Our USA team is ready and very excited to be in Mexico. We appreciate the federation to host us. This also will be a great preparation for the World Championship in Argentina. We are very excited to play Mexico in Mexicali, it is a wonderful environment.”