JAMAICA’S challengers for the 2012 Centrobasket Championship for men and women in Puerto Rico next month have been announced. In the men’s competition, in San Juan from June 18-24, Jamaica will play Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, Mexico and Costa Rica in Group B.

With the top two teams from the group advancing to the semi-finals, Jamaica’s primary competition will come from Dominican Republic, ranked number 25 in the world, and Mexico, world-ranked at 30.

In Group A, Puerto Rico and Panama are the two highest-ranked teams, with Cuba hoping to get a foot in ahead of Bahamas and Nicaragua.

Meanwhile, in women’s competition in Morovis from June 12-16, Jamaica will play in Group A alongside Puerto Rico, Mexico, and El Salvador. Group B comprises Cuba, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, and Trinidad & Tobago.

The top four teams in the Centrobasket Championships will qualify for the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship.

Jamaica’s men were seventh in 2006 and fifth in 2010 in recent performances at the Centrobasket Championships, while the women were bronze medallist in 2006 and silver medallist in 2010. The Centrobasket Championships involve national teams from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean since 1965 for men and 1998 for women.