With its third victory over Jamaica, 73-68, in the Centrobasket 2014 qualifier in Tepic, Mexico (1-7 August 2014), the Dominican Republic national men’s basketball team earned the right to play in the FIBA Americas Championship. The FIBA Americas Championship is the pre-Olympic qualifier and will be played in Rio de Janeiro. This event will determine the teams that will play in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Centrobasket is also helping to prepare the Dominican national men’s team for its participation in its most important challenge n the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. In Bilbao, Spain, Dominicans will play Ukraine, the United States, Turkey, New Zealand and Finland in Group C.
Coaches see Centrobasket 2014 as a testing ground for players looking to earn places on the World Cup squad. The Dominican men’s team won Centrobasket in 2012.
After Centrobasket, the Dominican team will play the University of Kentucky on 15 and 17 August 2014 in Nassau, Bahamas. Also participating in that series is the French first-division club team Champagne Chalons-Reims Basket and the Puerto Rico national team. These matches will serve as preparation for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Afterwards, the Dominican national team will play the United States national basketball team at the Madison Square Garden in New York City on Wednesday 20 August.
Former UK assistant coach Orlando Antigua is now head coach of the Dominican team.
The Dominican Republic is No. 26 in the current FIBA World Rankings.
http://www.fibaamericas.com/en/not2012.asp
http://www.thegarden.com/events/2014/august/usa-basketball.html
http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062514aaa.html