After securing two standout opening wins against Haiti and the Cayman Islands, Barbados’ Senior Men’s National Basketball Team has its sights firmly set on preserving its perfect start at the FIBA Americup 2029 Caribbean Pre-qualifiers being held in Guyana. With progression to the next stage of qualifying reserved exclusively for group winners, every remaining contest carries high stakes as the Caribbean side fights to lock in first place in Group B.
Barbados will kick off its final stretch of group play against Grenada on Saturday at Georgetown’s Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, before wrapping up their pre-qualifier campaign against St Vincent and the Grenadines the following day. Fresh off the team’s come-from-behind victory over Haiti on Thursday, head coach Charles Vanderpool expressed confidence in his squad’s ability to keep their momentum going. The match against Haiti was widely projected to be one of Barbados’ toughest tests of the group stage, making the comeback win even more meaningful for the side.
“This has been the product of so much hard work from the entire group, and this match really was our biggest hurdle to clear in this whole competition,” Vanderpool told the team’s media team after the win. “The effort every single one of my players put out there was outstanding. Even when we fell behind early in the game, no one got discouraged. We kept our composure and proved we belong on the same court as any team here. For a small island nation, we have no shortage of talent.”
Vanderpool also noted that the series of positive breaks the team has experienced both in the lead-up to and during the tournament have been remarkable, crediting what he called divine intervention for the smooth path. “When so many elements align perfectly for the team, it can only be divine work. We truly believe we have God’s blessing with us throughout this competition, and we’ve been through a lot to get to this point,” he said, referencing the team’s preparation tours to Chile and Mexico over the past months. While those trips included several tough losses for the squad, Vanderpool emphasized that those defeats carried invaluable lessons that have made the team stronger ahead of the pre-qualifiers.
Guard Kyrone Alexander emerged as the standout star of Thursday’s win, pouring in a game- and team-high 35 points to lead the comeback. Alexander shared that he was thrilled to contribute to the victory and praised the entire roster for their consistent effort. “I’m very proud of how we performed today. Every guy brought great effort and paid close attention to the game plan, even the substitutes who came off the bench maintained the same high intensity as the starters,” Alexander said.
Mirroring his coach’s comments, Alexander pointed to last summer’s preparation matches in Chile as a critical turning point for the team’s development. He explained that the Barbados squad is now far more cohesive and strategically disciplined than it was just months ago, as the entire group remains focused on extending their unbeaten streak and securing their spot in the next round of FIBA Americup qualifying.