The Cuban Basketball Selection is at the limit. In the FIBA window that opens from this Thursday, the boys of the island will play the classification to the Americanup 2025, particularly in their duel against Bahamas, because it is almost a fact that they will not be able to face Puerto Rico on Sunday when counting with only two effective visas to travel to Puerto Rican territory.
The Antillenos must take out the extra during their visit to the Sir Kendal Gl Isaacs Gymnasium of Nassau, where they will be presented with a minimum payroll due to the absences of several essential figures in the schemes of coach Oys Planas.
Only ten available players will have the Guantanamero strategist and with them will seek to complete the difficult mission of defeating the hosts to ensure the direct ticket to the continental appointment, which will be held in Nicaragua in August and which Cuba fails to classify for a decade.
The international Jasiel Rivero and Reynaldo García will be the Aces of the squad, who will also demand stellar presentations of Sigfredo “Tito” home, Pedro Bombino, Marcos Chacón and Marlon Díaz, as well as a considerable support of the second line, mostly composed of basketballists without so much international route.
The eternal specoling of the visa
The story of this story begins by the end. For the official calendar of the FIBA, next Sunday, February 23, the Cuban Basketball cast had to close its qualifying round towards the Americanup 2025 at the Roberto Clemente Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, it is practically impossible for this party to be held.
Only two Cuban players have an American visa to enter Puerto Rican territory, which eliminates any possibility of competition. According to official sources consulted by Oncuba And they requested to maintain anonymity, the individual procedures of players and coaching staff to obtain these authorizations began more than a month ago, but have not obtained an answer.
The situation conditions the Cuban team and places it on the edge of the abyss, because, even if they were granted the visa between today and tomorrow, it would be very complex, expensive and unpacking to obtain air tickets to travel to Puerto Rico on Saturday or Sunday, To play this last day at 8 at night.
According to journalist Henry Moralesthe Cuban Basketball Federation has asked the FIBA, also in advance, which mediates to resolve the setback, but there is no positive response guarantee within such a short period.
It is not the first time that the men’s male selection has visa problems from the United States. During this same qualifying process towards the Americanup 2025, Pedro Bombino and Marcos Chacón were denied by the authorities of the northern country to play the first game of the event at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.
The Cubans went to that meeting a year ago with only eight players and lost by bulky score of 100-79. Only three days later, in the visit of the United States to Havana, coach Oys Planas could have all its troops and achieved a historic 81-67 victory against the main world basketball power.
Cuban volleyball players prevented from going to Copa Panamericana for not receiving visas
There are many background of negatives or delay in the visa process of Cuban athletes of any discipline to participate in events held in the United States or Puerto Rico.
To cite some examples, in September 2023 the triplista Leyanis Pérez and Liadagmis Povea and the Salvador Luis Enrique Zayas They could not compete in the final of the diamond league made in Eugene. The same year, in August, the Women’s Volleyball Team also did not intervene the Pan American Cup of Puerto Rico, in which the classification to the continental multisport event of Santiago de Chile was at stake.
The most recent case occurred at the end of January this year, when the Cuban Baseball Federation reported that the island would not be present in the Antillana Cup that will be organized in the Puerto Rican town of Aguadilla between February 21 and 23. The sports authorities of the balls and the Strikes They explained that it was impossible to carry out the visa process with the margin in advance required, since the official ratification of call to the event delayed.
Bahamas, Life or Death Duel
The almost null possibilities of traveling to Puerto Rico place the basketball selection in the face of a life or death situation in their match against Bahamas. This Thursday, Antillanos will have a minimum margin of error if they want to guarantee their ticket to the Americanup 2025.
The four -letter squad has two paths to achieve its goal. The first, clearly, is to overcome the Bahameses for any difference, which would place them with balance of three victories and two losses in their group. That triumph, whatever happens in the other duels of this window, would ensure third place and direct passage to Nicaragua.
Instead, if they lose, it could not be by margin greater than 14 points on the scoreboard, just the difference they took to their rivals on duty when they faced them in Havana in November. If they fall for less than 14 units, they would have to wait for Bahamas to lose with the United States on the weekend to certify their classification to the Americanup 2025.
Taking into account these variables, the Antillean squad will need to keep the board adjusted to a team surely grown by the support of his fans and much better armed than during his visit to the coliseum of the sports city three months ago, when they only had seven players.
At the outset, now the 36 -year -old veteran Eric Gordon will be, who has played in six NBA organizations. Born in Indianapolis de Madre Bahamesa, Gordon came to represent the United States in the 2010 World Cup. However, since 2023 he received the authorization to play for the Caribbean nation, with which he participated in the Olympic classification competitions held last year.
The escort will be the main threat of Bahamas, which has also gathered a group of good exterior shooters. This detail must take it into account the Cuban high command, which needs the best version of Reynaldo García, Marcos Chacón and “Tito” home in the perimeter defense, as well as a good job under the boards of Jasiel Rivero, Pedro Bombino and Marlon Díaz
Mastering the rebounds will be one of the keys of the game, in which Cuba will also demand a considerable contribution of second -line players. Young Aldo Castel, Michel Espinosa and Ibrahim Hechevarría, without so much international route or club level, will have to be ready to assume protagonist roles for several minutes, because there will be no more available changes.
Cuba’s absences
Cuba tried to add to this meeting to the experienced Karel Guzmán, who is in Havana for issues related to his passport. However, it was almost impossible to manage aerial tickets from Havana to Nassau to arrive at the game in time, because there are no direct connections available until Saturday, said Henry Morales.
Karel’s confirmed absence adds to those of Howard Sant-Ross and Yoanki Mencía, two very important pillars in the defensive approach of the selection, not forgetting the volume of play and the mastery they contribute for their professional tour, mostly in Europe.
Meanwhile, there will not be the Pivot Yoel Cubillas, who is resolving legal procedures in El Salvador, where he fulfills a contract. As explained by coach Oys Planas to the newspaper Youth Rebel, the Villaclareño is waiting for his residence and cannot leave the Central American country. “To that add some personal problems that have been presented to him, that prevent him from helping us, at least for this window,” concluded the coach.
