CARACAS, Venezuela — Teams at the FIBA Americas Championship have had a hard time keeping up with a strenuous competition schedule.

Four basketball games in five days during the first round was already hard on the minds and the legs, but a further four encounters in as many days, scheduled for the second stage, represents a nightmare of a challenge.

The Jamaica medical team here has been working overtime trying to ward off bouts of fatigue, which undoubtedly will arise as the JamRockerZ enter the final second-round match against hosts Venezuela.

The team’s head coach Sam Vincent and his assistants Sharone Wright and Richard Polack have also tried to lessen the effect by rotating players.

“Several games in a row are very challenging on their body. What we are working on with each of them is to ensure they maintain their flexibility by massaging between games. We just want to keep them in shape because it is so challenging to be playing so many games back-to-back.

“We also want to ensure that when injuries come up we can take care of those in the best way we can so players can give their all on the court,” the team’s massage therapist Daniela Goode told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

The major concern within the squad has been the right shoulder sprain injury to forward Patrick Ewing Jr, suffered mere days ahead of the tournament.

Despite his ailment, which has hampered his effectiveness in games, and a few minor niggles within the setup, the team physician Dr Melita Moore believes the players have held up well.

“I think the team has really been doing pretty well. They have really been about rest, hydration and getting proper nutrition. You play four games in a row [and] you have a lot of muscle recovery that needs to happen between games. There haven’t been that many injuries, so we have been fortunate in that department,” she said.

“Anytime you travel internationally, your diet is going to change and unfortunately, you can’t find things you are accustomed to eating in your typical meal. We just try to make sure they have a lot more protein, a lot of electrolyte replacements, sport drinks and just eat very healthy while we’re here,” Dr Moore added.