Bermuda's men's national basketball team are looking to push for the World Championships when they compete in the FIBA Caribbean Championships in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, this week.

The tournament, which also acts as a qualifier for the 2012 Olympics, is the team's first FIBA sanctioned overseas competition. Bermuda took on the hosts British Virgin Island in their opening match last night.

Team captain John Lee said the Caribbean Championship would allow the team to see hwo they compared to other Islands in the region. "This is great opportunity for the players on the team to compete against top Caribbean players to see how we match up against them," said Lee.

"We as a country have had great success in tournaments such as the Island Games competing against countries with a similar size and talent. Now we want to see how we will do against the bigger Caribbean islands of the likes of Jamaica, Cuba and Barbados."

Some of Bermuda's top players are competing in the Island Games in Aland, which has given IMG Basketball Academy graduate Adam Correia, who will be playing basketball at Flagler College in the fall, and 6'5" collegiate Aaron Jackson an opportunity.

"Although we have guys that are playing in Aland with the senior men's basketball team we have a strong team that will go and compete for Bermuda," said Lee.

"I'm confident that if we play to our capabilities we will give each team a run for their money."

In order to qualify for the World Championships next year and the 2012 summer Olympics, the top two teams from pool A will face off against the top pair from pool B in a round-robin style play-off.

The two teams that advance to the CBC finals and the winner of the bronze medal game of the Caribbean Basketball Championships will advance to next year's World Championships.

Bermuda national men's coach Allen Walker said: "It is vital that we attack the teams early in order to pick up wins against the other teams in our pool.

"Definitely our first game against the host country in front of their fans will be challenging.

"But we know that in order to be one of the two teams that advance out of our pool we must pick up at least two wins."

In Bermuda's pool are British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Cuba, while the second pool consists of Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.