United Cup of Champions

The United Cup of Champions is an international annual basketball tournament for club teams in the Central Americas and Northern America. The league is traditionally held with 6 teams over a period of a week in the Gran Arena del Cibao in Santiago, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

United Cup of Champions
Organising bodyUnited Cup
Founded2014
First season2014
CountriesAs of 2023:
 Belize
 Canada
 Costa Rica
 Dominican Republic
 United States
ConfederationFIBA Americas
Number of teams6
Current championsMexico Correcaminos UAT Victoria (1st title)
(2022)
Most championshipsUnited States GIE Maile Matrix (4 titles)
Websitewww.theunitedcup.org

History

The United Cup was first played in 2014.

In the United Cup's second season, in 2015, six teams for the Dominican Republic and the United States participated.[1] The GIE Maile Matrix were the inaugural champions after finishing the season with a 3–1 record and beating GUG in the finals. In the 2016, Academia de La Montana de Medellin from Colombia joined the league. In 2019, the HAB Caicos Sonics from the Turks and Caicos Islands made their debut in the league. In 2019, Fenix Santiago from Guatemala and the Tonga national team played in the United Cup. The following year, in 2020, the Chiba Seals from Japan joined. The 2022 saw the United Kingdom's Sheffield Bulldogs join the competition as well as the Correcaminos UAT Victoria from Mexico, who immediately won the title.

The 2023 season will take place from January 10 to January 13, 2023, with teams from a record 5 countries (those being Belize, Canada, Dominican Republic, United States and Costa Rica). The national teams from Belize and Costa Rica represented their countries.[2]

Current teams

TeamLocation
 Costa Rica (NT)Costa Rica
 Belize (NT)Belize
Atlanta SavageAtlanta, Georgia, United States
Immortals CibaoCibao, Dominican Republic
BC UpriseSantiago, Dominican Republic
Fénix BaloncestoSantiago, Dominican Republic

Champions

EditionSeasonChampionsRunners-upFinals scoreFinals MVPThird placeFourth place
22015 GIE Maile Matrix GUG81–76Ethan BradshawNo third place game
32016 GIE Maile Matrix (2) Plaza90–78Keith Closs
42017 GIE Maile Matrix (3) Houston Havoc86–72Jermaine Barnes
52018 GIE Maile Matrix (4) GUG85–80Langston Nolley
62019 Tonga (NT) Atlanta Blaze101–90Stefan Bradford Fenix Santiago Plaza Fernando Valerio
72020 Santiago Basket GIE Maile Matrix90–72Ameth GilNo third place game
82021 Santiago Basket (2) GIE Maile Matrix82–77Oliver Garcia
92022 Correcaminos UAT Victoria Fénix Baloncesto[3]Marquin Chandler

References