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The Under 20 Hoop Dreams Belize captured the basketball dream this year again for the second consecutive time making it a total of three wins at the annual Copa Cancun basketball tournament. The Belize team faced a lot of formidable competition as it faced off against 6 of the finest under 20 basketball teams in Mexico. But the team pulled off another remarkable victory, bringing home the first place trophy. They were recognized and applauded today by the National Sports Council at brief ceremony inside Rogers’s stadium in Belize City.  

Brads Neal - Coach, Hoop Dreams Belize
"The COPA Cancun tournament is a very fierce tournament. In our category we play which is U-20 none of our players are 18 years old so we are playing like 2 years ahead of our age category but the players basketball IQ their willingness to win, their drive and determination to excel and exceed at that level is innate it’s something you see inside of them. We started the tournament very slow we lost our first game and we saw every game progressively the players got better the team got better. Everything that we did we got better at."

Emanuel Pech
"Now throughout the tournament, who was your biggest competitor?"

Nicholas Phillips - Captain, Hoop Dreams Belize
"Our biggest competitor for me would the Scorpions, the Cancun Scorpions. That team really gave us a battle out there and showed us why they are who they are and the way our team stuck together and kept our composure and defeated them was amazing."

Emanuel Pech
"And exactly how did you pull that off?"

Nicholas Phillips - Captain, Hoop Dreams Belize
"Well basically we stick to the coach game plan and the players talked about reach mistake we made and how to correct it. We encouraged each other in certain areas we know we could do better in."

Emanuel Pech
"What does it take for a young man like yourself all the way from PG to be a part of the Hoop Dreams Belize team?"

Darnell Oden - Hoops Dream Belize
"Well this is my first year but I was supposed to come on the trip last year but I had a little school problem so it’s hard for me do it because of the workout schedule and now it’s a good time because its summer time and I have relatives in the city so it’s just a 6 hour trip from here to PG. And it just takes you focus and hard work and dedication."

Ritchell Dominguez - Dir, National Sports Council
"We Belize to know that at the national sports council we support sports and we supported when teams go away and usually when they go away and come they are not recognized as they should. We are partnered with you all with your agency in saying thanks for what you have done for Belize because its only in encouragement that you all will keep on doing what you’re doing."

The Copa Cancun International 2016 was held from the 14 to the 17 of July in Cancun.