Despite Jamaica missing out on their dream appearance at next year’s FIBA World Cup, Head Coach Rick Turner believes the nation’s basketball programme has built a solid foundation for future success.

Jamaica finished fourth in Group B in the first round of Americas Qualifying, after devastating losses to second-placed Bahamas in Nassau last Friday (123-74) and group winners Canada in Ontario on Monday (116-78). Heading into the final group games, the team only needed a win to advance to the final round and move a step closer to the World Cup in Qatar.

The Jamaicans could have advanced had Puerto Rico lost both of their remaining games against Canada or the Bahamas. However, Puerto Rico defeated the Bahamians 115-92 on Monday, a result that left Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico level on eight points.

With only the top three teams advancing, the head-to-head tie-breaker could not separate the sides after each finished with the same record against one another, leaving points difference to decide the final placings. Jamaica’s final two defeats proved costly as they ended with a points difference of -99, compared with -18 for the Bahamas in second and -16 for Puerto Rico in third.

It was a disappointing end to Jamaica’s debut campaign, having started with two big wins against Puerto Rico at the end of 2025.

Jamaica guard Marcus McDonald drives to the basket against Canada during the FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifier in Ontario.

However, Turner believes the experience shows the country had made significant strides in becoming a top basketball nation.

“This is where we want to be. We want to be playing the best, and certainly [Canada] are a darn good basketball team, among the best in the world, and that’s where we hope to be someday. And we have to get these experiences in order to find the pathway to get better,” he said.

“It’s been a long journey in a short amount of time. We found out a year ago, February, that we were eligible to play and we had to find the funding. Thank goodness for Cedella Marley and the Bob and Rita Marley Foundation that got behind us right away that allowed us to create a training camp in [Florida] then Norman Powell for stepping in and giving us a legitimacy in that first pre-qualifying tournament in Mexico. We deserve to play with the best teams in the world, and maybe this window didn’t really show that, but I think the future looks pretty bright.”

Turner is optimistic that young players, both locally and overseas, will be motivated to further develop the national team and one day secure a World Cup berth.

Jamaica guards Andrew Thelwell (left) and Marcus McDonald (second left) look on as Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hits a three-point shot during the FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifier in Ontario.

“We thought that having a competitive senior team while trying to build that pipeline simultaneously was the best path for us because kids need to see something. They need to look up to somebody. They need to look up to guys like Norman Powell, and others,” he said.

“Whatever the circumstances are, kids in Jamaica, kids in Toronto, kids in Miami of Jamaican descent, kids in New York Jamaican descent, kids in Arizona of Jamaican descent, they need to see something. So that’s kind of part of what I hope we built over the course of the last year is something for kids to point toward and look toward.”

Nineteen-year-old Marucs McDonald is looking to be part of that future after playing in all six games, including scoring 19 points against Canada which featured NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“I honestly think we could be at the top. I feel like we could be a top 10 team in the world. We just need to get the youth on board and just keep working,” he said.

“I feel like we’re going to be up there with all the other guys that’s at the top right now. I feel like we deserve to be there and we fight. I feel like that’s where we’re going to be.”