Belgrave reflects on “competitive” Commonwealth Games for 3×3 team

Guyana’s men’s 3×3 basketball team last week made their debut at the Commonwealth Games as the team of Anish Ramlall, Travis Belgrave, Kevin Mickle, and Christian Hinckson etched their names in history.
It was a campaign of ups and downs for the Guyanese in Glasgow, Scotland, going down to hosts Scotland 21-14, New Zealand 21-3 and 2022 Games silver medallists Australia 21-11.
However, the team struck their first-ever victory, overcoming
Cayman Islands 17-21. Then, in a thriller against Nigeria that was poised at 19-19, Guyana unfortunately came up short at 20-19.
Reflecting on their outing, Travis Belgrave describes the games as highly competitive.
The player shared in a recent interview, “Firstly, it was very competitive; you know, the competition is much greater than what I normally play in AmeriCup and the Caribbean and stuff. So, I mean, this Commonwealth Games was actually a learning curve for me. It was very intense.”
Pinpointing where they came up short, Belgrave highlighted chemistry as a necessity for the team.

“I think we did fairly well. The guys and I didn’t play much together, and I think 3×3 is really a game of not who’s the more skilled team but the best coach, the most experienced team that’s playing with each other longer. So, that’s where I think we came up short,” he explained.
Relating that the format has grown exponentially, Belgrave made a call for heightened training in the discipline in Guyana.
He highlighted, “Definitely, I think that it’s growing. Based on the last few years, it has grown a lot, and I think it will continue to grow. I met a 72-year-old lady yesterday, and she was like, this is the first time she’s seen a 3×3 live, and it’s really fascinating, really exciting. So, it’s going to grow.”

“We can implement a lot more training camps because it’s a more strategic game, like I said. So, I think that we need a lot more training at home and more experience to develop the sport,” Belgrave added.
Hinckson, from the Commonwealth Games team, will now head to the Dominican Republic to join Travis Burnett, Nikkoloi Smith, and Akil Hughes, where they will spearhead Guyana’s campaign in the discipline at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games.