They say fourth place is the worst possible position in which to finish in sport and Kyle Jimenez has not once, but twice had to deal with the disappointment of finishing just one spot away from the medals.
At both the 2018 and the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Jimenez was part of the Scottish men’s basketball team which finished fourth, and to make the disappointment all the trickier to deal with, the Scots were pipped to the bronze medal by Canada by only a single point four years ago. Those feelings of devastation are something Jimenez wants to ensure are not repeated at Glasgow 2026, where he will make his third Commonwealth Games appearance for Team Scotland.
“In the last two Games, we just missed out on bronze medals so this time we're hoping for a minimum of bronze,” the 28-year-old says.
“We've got a squad that can compete with every single team at this Commonwealth Games and so a medal would be a huge thing. My goal is to win every single game that's in front of me and everyone in our team will have that same mindset. So you can say we're going for gold.”
The basketball tournament at Glasgow 2026, as it was at Birmingham 2022, will be in the 3v3 format rather than the more commonly-recognised 5v5 game meaning the Scottish squad is comprised of only four players - Fraser Malcolm, Owen McCormack and Skyler White alongside Jimenez.
While Jimenez and Malcolm are teammates at Caledonia Gladiators, McCormack and White play their club basketball south of the border and so while there may not have been ready-made playing chemistry amongst the quartet when they began their Games preparation, Jimenez is confident that will not hold them back over the coming days.
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“This one's going to be interesting because this is a totally different group of guys compared to the last couple of Commonwealth Games so we're making new friendships and building that chemistry whereas the last couple of Commonwealth Games, we had that naturally because we had all played with each other for so long,” he says.
“And a big thing for this Games is that it's on home soil so we're going to have everyone supporting us and I feel like that will be like having an extra player on court.”
While Jimenez and his compatriots have considerably more experience playing 5v5 basketball, the guard from Edinburgh is relishing the prospect of testing himself in the 3v3 format in Glasgow. And this Scottish quartet is, he believes, well-suited to this more frantic, dynamic style of basketball.
“I love 3v3 - it suits my game as a physical player,” says Jimenez.
“It's a different type of conditioning in 3v3 because in 5x5 basketball you have a lot more stops and starts so you can catch your breath a bit more. So the main thing for 3v3 is being in shape, but I like the physicality of 3v3.
“We've got a great shooting team, and we have a team that can compete with anyone in the tournament at shooting the ball from behind the three-point line.
“I think people were sceptical about 3v3 basketball when it first came out but it's a sport that can really capture non-basketball fans as well as basketball fans. It's a much faster-paced sport and really hooks people who don't know anything about basketball.”
Defending champions England head into Glasgow 2026 as the team tipped to win gold and while Jimenez acknowledges their status as favourites, he’s also quite optimistic that there will be a few shocks and surprises over the coming days - hopefully by the Scots.
“We’re very excited to get starts,” Jimenez says.
"We know where our strengths and our weaknesses are so as long as we play to our strengths, I think we can be competitive against everyone.”
