Power Rankings: Who are the favorites heading into the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup?
MIAMI (United States) – We're just days away from the beginning of July and that will bring the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, to be played from the 1st to the 9th at Domo de la Feria in Leon, Guanajuato (Mexico).
Only four countries have been able to win the tournament: Brazil (5 times), Cuba (4), United States (4) and Canada (3). It is yet to be seen whether those will maintain their supremacy or if a new team can join that selected group.
This is how these nations are stacked before the event tips off, considering recent performances and their rosters.
1. United States
defending champions are also the current Olympic and World Cup monarchs. With such pedigree, it's impossible to not have them at the top. For the tournament they'll bring a young but supremely talented squad led by Angel Reese, the NCAA's best player and champion at Louisiana State. The 21-year-old forward is one of the event's main attractions and the leading MVP candidate.
2. Canada
The North Americans reached the semifinals at last year's World Cup in Australia and finished in 4th place. They're projected to have many of their players back, though with some key absences. Canada is one of the teams that have been doing a great job in recent years and they have an extremely talented pipeline. Bascoe (17 years old), Syla Swords (17) and Cassandre Prosper (18) are some of their top young players eligible for this tournament.
3. Puerto Rico
We've mentioned in previous occasions that the boricuas are arguably the team that has shown the most growth in the region in the last 5-7 years. At FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2 years ago, held in San Juan, they won the silver medal. They're also coming off their first Olympic appearance and they advanced to the quarterfinals at the World Cup. They built a solid base of players and many of them return for this event.
4. Brazil
Brazil is trying to regain its stature in the content and has showed signs of recovery recently under head coach José Neto. They'll bring a good number of the top players that won bronze last edition at FIBA Women's AmeriCup in Puerto Rico and that lifted the South American Championship trophy last year in San Luis, Argentina.
5. Argentina
Argentina showed its potential at last year's South American Championship. In that tournament, where they played at home, they won silver but dominated most of the final game, losing on a buzzer-beater. Head coach Gregorio Martínez's squad will feature shooting guard Florencia Chagas, one of the country's biggest talents, who hasn’t played at the national team level since 2019.
6. Colombia
In similar fashion to Brazil and Puerto Rico, Colombia has been building for many years under the same head coach (Luis Cuenca). The team features veterans like Mabel Martínez, Jenifer Muñoz and Manuela Ríos, who complement younger paint players like Daniela González y Yuliany Paz. This group has a pair of consecutive 5th place finishes at Women's AmeriCup and three South American Championship bronze medals in a row.
7. Mexico
The host country is trying to build something big and assigned that task to American coach Lindsey Harding, who has experience with several NBA teams and who was just named as head coach of Sacramento's G-League team. Harding will make her Women's AmeriCup debut but her coaching staff, led by assistant Ebony Hoffman, already led the team to second place at 2022 Centrobasket. There, Mexico looked in good shape with Gladys Ávila, Jacqueline Luna Castro and Paola Beltrán as their stars and the three of them return for this tournament.
8. Venezuela
Argentinian head coach Eduardo Pinto, in his third year in charge, has been gradually adding younger players to the squad to complement a group of veterans that features Ivaney Márquez, Waleska Pérez, Yosimar Corrales and Daniela Wallen, among others. Those players are now more seasoned, especially after notching a 4th place finish at the South American Championship in 2022. Venezuela has the added bonus of being the first roster to get together and start training toward this Women's AmeriCup and were also the first country to arrive in Mexico, spending a week to acclimate.
9. Cuba
Cuba returns to the competition after missing it for the first time in 2021. They’re currently undergoing a rebuild, but still feature young stars Isabela Jourdain and Nahomis Vargas, who generate plenty of optimism for the future. Their history as the winningest nation in the event is one of their calling cards, and they also finished third at the most recent Centrobasket.
10. Dominican Republic
The Dominicans are at level comparable to Venezuela and Cuba. They fall to the last spot in our rankings only because we previously mentioned that the Venezuelan squad has been preparing for a month and because at the most recent Centrobasket, they lost to Cuba in the bronze medal game. However, on a good day, this team (featuring the veterans like Yohanna Morton, Sugeiry Monsac, Génesis Evangelista and Elemy Colomé, plus 20-year-old Cesarina Capellán) can make it tough on anyone.
I can't take anymore already.
