The Antigua and Barbuda Basketball Association (ABBA) has officially confirmed the final squad for its senior men’s national basketball team, which is set to compete in the upcoming FIBA AmeriCup 2029 Caribbean Qualifiers hosted in Georgetown, Guyana. The tournament is scheduled to run from July 8 to 12, bringing together 10 Caribbean nations split into two competitive groups.
Antigua and Barbuda, nicknamed the Bulldogs for international competition, has been drawn into Group A alongside host nation Guyana, Dominica, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Bermuda. The parallel Group B consists of Barbados, Haiti, Grenada, the Cayman Islands, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. All squads will compete in a single round-robin format, where every team faces off against each other in their group once over the five-day tournament.
After weeks of tryouts and selection processes, ABBA has named the 12 athletes who will represent the nation on the regional stage. The roster includes Kareem Edwards of Cuties Ovals Ojays, three players from Lava Smoke Elite Stingerz – Jamine “Muff” Charles, Alexis Jackson, Darnell Azille, and Seth Joseph – Cohen Desouza of JSC Red Hawks, three college-based players starring at U.S. institutions: Preston Merrick of Harvard University, Xavier Spencer of Lindenwood University, and Jaden Andrew of Emory & Henley College, plus T-Shawn Lewis of Da Project, Danny Perez of Daryll Matthew Ottos, and Javonte Daley of EZ Fit Flyers.
The team’s coaching and support staff has also been finalized ahead of the qualifiers. Veteran George Hughes will lead the squad as Head Coach, supported by assistant coaches Bradbury Browne and Cedric David. Rounding out the official delegation are Team Operations Manager Inga Francis, Players Manager Christopher Khouly, Media Relations Officer J’nai Spencer, Physiotherapist and Trainer Natrecia Mussington, Equipment Manager Marlon Charles, and Head of Delegation Vere Cornelius.
The Bulldogs’ tournament path is already mapped out ahead of their departure, which is scheduled for tomorrow, one week ahead of kickoff. They will open their qualifying campaign on July 8 with a matchup against Bermuda. The following day, Antigua and Barbuda will face host Guyana in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2018 Caribbean Qualifiers finals. The squad will take on Dominica on July 11 before closing out their group stage play against Turks and Caicos on the final day of the tournament, July 12.
Only the top finisher from each group will earn the right to advance to the next stage of the pre-qualification process, which is currently slated to take place in November 2026, bringing the qualifying journey for the 2029 FIBA AmeriCup one step closer to the main tournament.