BRAZIL PROFILED AS SANTIAGO 2023 BASKETBALL FAVORITE

The men’s team are strong contenders for gold and the women’s team will look to repeat the feat from Lima 2019.

The Brazilian teams will have a unique opportunity to win both gold medals in basketball at these Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. The main reasons are the absence of the United States and the alternative composition of the Argentine men’s teams, which are currently the Pan American teams. champions after winning the gold medal in Lima 2019.

Considering this, the Brazilian men’s team is listed as the favorite to win the gold medal, since they are the third best qualified in America according to FIBA ​​​​after Argentina and Canada. However, Canadians do not participate in this discipline. Additionally, the Brazilian women’s teams are the current champions of Lima 2019 and are also positioned as favorites in their category.

The Brazilians have just participated in the FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup, an event in which they qualified for the Paris 2024 pre-Olympic qualifiers. Another of the countries that participated in this World Cup was the Dominican Republic , a team that can be considered another of the favorites to win the gold medal at the Santiago 2023 men’s tournament.

The basketball championship, women’s and men’s, has been divided into two groups, where the first two places in each group will qualify for the semi-finals. For men, Group A is made up of: Argentina, Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Panama. In Group B are: Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico. For women, Group A is made up of: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. Group B: Cuba, Argentina, Chile and Puerto Rico

FIGURES TO FOLLOW

Brazilian Lucas Dias, 28-year-old striker, is coming off an excellent year. He participated in the World Cup with his country and this season, overall, he is averaging 18 points, eight rebounds and one assist per game.

Chilean Fernanda Ovalle, 20, plays as a shooter. She reached the NCAA, the women’s college basketball league in the United States where she plays for Xavier University. He participated in the recent 3X3 basketball tournament in Santiago 2023 in which Chile won the bronze medal. During last year’s FIBA ​​South American Women’s Championship, she averaged 11 points and five rebounds per game.

The Chilean Nicolás Carvacho is a 28-year-old center and positions himself as the great figure of the host country. He plays in the Polish championship and had a stint in the college leagues in the United States. During pre-qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, he averaged nine points and six rebounds.

Written by Bastián Correa