The Puerto Rico Basketball Federation announced on Tuesday the names of 24 players in the preselection squad for the fifth FIBA qualifying window for the Qatar 2027 World Cup. Puerto Rico plays Panama, which carries a 2-6 record, on November 26 in Panama City, then hosts Uruguay, which is 6-2, on Sunday, November 29 at the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón.
The called-up guards and shooting guards are André Curbelo, Tjader Fernández, Gary Browne, Javier Ezquerra, Alfonso Plummer, Rafael Pinzón, Gian Clavell, Stephen Thompson Jr and Jezreel De Jesús. At forward and power forward: Phillip Wheeler, Ramses Meléndez, Isaiah Piñeiro, Angel Matías, Jordan Cintrón, Davon Reed, Alexander Kappos, Christian Negron, Devon Collier, Daniel Rivera and Enrique Freeman.
The centers are Arnaldo Toro, Ismael Romero, Tai Odiase and George Conditt. With a 2-6 record, Puerto Rico sits fifth in Group F, led by Canada at 8-0. All remaining games in the last two qualifying windows are must-win for the islanders, who need to finish among the top three teams of Group F or be the best fourth-place team between Groups E and F to qualify for Qatar 2027.