South American Championship
Uruguay was the host and champion of the first major international basketball championship, the South American Basketball Championship 1930. The event was held in Montevideo and featured four South American teams. Teams played each of the other three teams twice apiece; Uruguay won all six of its games. In 1932, Uruguay lost its first game of the South American Basketball Championship series when it was defeated by Chile in one of the two matches it played against the Chileans in the preliminary round. When each team finished at 3–1 (each having defeated Argentina twice), they played each other in a third match to determine the champion, which Uruguay won.
The 1934 and 1935 competitions did not end so happily for the Uruguay team, as they finished in last place each year. With the larger fields of 5 teams each year in 1937, 1938, and 1939, Uruguay fared somewhat better. They took second place in 1937 and 1939, and third in 1938.
Uruguay won their third championship in 1940, which saw the return of the series to Montevideo. There were a record six teams in competition that year; Uruguay beat each of the other five in turn to finish undefeated. 1941 resulted in a bronze medal for Uruguay. The team played in their second tie-breaker final in 1942, this time losing to Argentina to take second place in the tournament. Uruguay advanced to the final round in the first two-round tournament, in 1943, finishing in second place overall.
Uruguay has won the South American Championship 11 times, the last two in 1995 and 1997. The team ranked in the top four in all editions as of 2010.
| Year | Place | # of teams | Wins | Losses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 1st | 4 | 6 | 0 | Host |
| 1932 | 1st | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3–1 preliminary, won final match |
| 1934 | 4th | 4 | 2 | 4 | |
| 1935 | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 3 | |
| 1937 | 2nd | 5 | 5 | 3 | |
| 1938 | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1939 | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1940 | 1st | 6 | 5 | 0 | Host |
| 1941 | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1942 | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3–1 preliminary, lost final match |
| 1943 | 2nd | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4–1 preliminary, 2–1 final round |
Read more about this topic: Uruguay National Basketball Team
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