Head coach of the Antigua and Barbuda senior men’s basketball team, George Hughes, said the country is being left at a disadvantage, having not played competitively as a unit in two years.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, Hughes said the Antigua and Barbuda Basketball Association (ABBA) must find ways to provide players with high quality games outside of Antigua and Barbuda.
“Well, it pains my heart to not be even be able to have a tournament to be able to go to. I think we are losing momentum because we had a good team in the team that we took to Nicaragua where the average age was 23. I think that the two years we didn’t compete, we’re losing some ground with them and we have to find something to be involved with, even if it is not on a FIBA level. We have to find something to basically be a part of so that we can keep the momentum going,” he said.
The last time Antigua and Barbuda competed as a unit was in June of 2023 when they took part in the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers held in Nicaragua.
Hughes, who was head coach of the team which included players like Kareem Edwards, Jaden Andrew, Kenya Achomand Selassie Braithwaite, said he had major plans for that unit.
The Antigua and Barbuda Bulldogs were beaten in all three of their FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers. They were beaten 97-53 by Cuba, 79-71 by hosts Nicaragua and 63-54 by US Virgin Islands (USVI).
