Let’s face it! Given the year we had in 2020 with the stoppage of league play in sports, the dismantling of teams and the lack of national team travel, there were certainly no expectations as far as cohesion, chemistry and performance among teams was concerned.
One such unit which defied the odds, and continues to be a bright spot in sports in the country is the senior men’s national basketball squad. They finished tied for the Nassau Guardian’s Team of the Year for 2020 with the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding & Fitness, both earning 22 points.
The senior men’s national basketball squad wins the tie-breaker as a result of receiving two first place votes compared to no first place votes for The Bahamas’ team at the CAC Championships, but really and truly, when one looks at the overall scope of things they are both deserving of the honor.
The senior men’s national basketball squad received two first place votes and a fifth place vote by the Nassau Guardian’s team for their 22 points. The CAC team got two second place votes and a third place vote to finish with 22. At the end of the day, no one could discount the contribution to sports success in 2020 by either squad. Coincidentally, the other first place vote went to The Bahamas’ team at the Union Americana de Natacion (UANA) Swimming Cup.
So, as we bring the Nassau Guardian’s yearly sports honors to a close, it’s only fitting that we recognize a team that was the epitome of hard work, resilience, grit and determination in 2020.
Suffering from inactivity due to lack of practices, and in the face of COVID-19 restrictions, The Bahamas’ senior men’s national basketball squad was that team. They overcame adversity and turned in some of the finest performances by a Bahamian basketball team ever, in 2020. The team defeated Mexico in competition for the first time ever on the senior men’s side, putting itself in prime position to advance to the 2022 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) AmeriCup. Additionally, the team came within two and a half minutes of doing the same to Puerto Rico, and they did it with a makeshift team, without the country’s two most high-profiled basketball players (DeAndre Ayton and Chavano “Buddy” Hield), and as mentioned, with little to no practices as a unit.
Both Puerto Rico and Mexico are ranked significantly higher than The Bahamas in the FIBA World rankings. Puerto Rico is at number 18 and Mexico is at number 25. The Bahamas is ranked at number 59.
Yet, The Bahamas had both reeling, wondering what hit them in 2020. The Bahamas and Mexico split a pair – each winning on their home court, but The Bahamas owns the tie-breaker via point spread. The Bahamas won emphatically 76-59 at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island here in The Bahamas, and lost 75-61 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Against Puerto Rico, The Bahamas was on the verge of securing a spot in the FIBA AmeriCup but fell apart in the final six minutes of their game in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the end of November 2020. The Bahamas was in firm control, holding a nine-point lead, 85-76, with 5:43 remaining, but then went ice cold the rest of the way and dropped a critical game in the FIBA AmeriCup qualifying process. Puerto Rico outscored The Bahamas 15-0 in the final five and a half minutes of that game to record the impressive come-from-behind win.
Team Bahamas was clicking on all cylinders and in firm control through three and a half quarters but then the bottom fell out for them. The team had six turnovers, went 0-for-5 from the field, including four missed shots from three-point range, and was 0-for-4 from the charity stripe in the final 5:43 of the game. The team was ever so close to recording one of the country’s biggest upset wins in history, but just couldn’t close the door in the final five and a half minutes of play.
Still, The Bahamas has a realistic shot to qualify for the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup, which in turn is a qualifier for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They find themselves in fourth place in their group with a 1-3 win/loss record, trailing the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The top three teams move through. The good news for The Bahamas is that the final window of the qualifiers, which is set for this February, is scheduled to be played in The Bahamas. They will play the United States and Puerto Rico in that window. A split in February could be good enough to propel The Bahamas to the next round.
What more could be said of the fantastic job Team Bahamas did at the 47th Annual CAC Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships in December, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The team returned home with four medals – a silver and three bronze with three-time National Champion Jimmy Norius securing the silver in the pro segment of the show, and with Serena Salis-Norius, Jimmy’s wife, Wellington Wallace and Kaif Young winning bronze medals in their respective categories in bodybuilding and fitness.
In his mid-40s, Norius proved that he still has a lot to offer in the sport of bodybuilding in fitness and still has what it takes to compete against the region’s best. He is still one of the top competitors for The Bahamas in bodybuilding in fitness on the international stage. The veteran won the silver in the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB) Elite Pro men’s bodybuilding segment of the show, narrowly missing out on the gold in what was just his second professional show since earning his pro card in 2018.
Norius’ wife Serena won a bronze medal in Masters Women’s Bikini Fitness Open (Over 35). Wallace won a bronze medal in Men’s Physique (Up to and including 176 centimeters); and Kaif Young brought home a bronze in Men’s Physique (Over 179 centimeters).
Additionally, Fania Joseph and Salis-Norius were fifth and sixth respectively in Women’s Bikini Fitness (Up to and including 160 centimeters); Jason Johnson was sixth in Men’s Physique (Up to and including 179 centimeters); and David Dormavil competed in Men’s Physique (Up to and including 170 centimeters) but failed to place among the top six.
When one considers that gyms were closed for a significant portion of 2020, and athletes were unable to properly prepare for international competition, the four-medal haul for Team Bahamas was a pleasant surprise and worthy of praise. The team persevered against the region’s best, making their performances that much more noteworthy.
The sport of bodybuilding in fitness is one of those sports in The Bahamas that suffered immensely with the advent of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 on this side of the world last year. A number of Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (BBFF) officials, local gym operators, and even the athletes themselves, called for gyms in the country to be reopened with safety measures and social distancing guidelines in place, during a second surge of coronavirus cases, but on the most part, it was to no avail. Therefore, athletes were forced to work out from their respective homes and nearby parks and open spaces to prepare for international competition.
Also, there were no local shows and the BBFF was unable to raise any funds to support Team Bahamas.
Finishing third in voting for the Nassau Guardian’s Team of the Year for 2020 was The Bahamas team at the UANA Swimming Cup, finishing with 20 points in the voting process.
Competing before COVID-19 reached the region, halting sports, the team travelled to Lima, Peru, for the second version of the UANA Swimming Cup and returned with 17 medals, four championship records and a sixth place finish overall.
The Bahamas hauled in seven gold, four silver and six bronze medals.
Winning six of those medals individually was 13-14 boys swimmer Nigel Forbes. He had four gold, one silver and one bronze, and set three championship records. The Grand Bahamian also won the 13-14 boys’ high point award, finishing with 49 points. Lamar Taylor had a strong meet for The Bahamas as he came away with four individual medals – two gold, one silver and one bronze – in the 15-17 boys age group. He also broke a championship record. Taylor was able to cart off the 15-17 boys’ high point award after amassing 34 points.
Swimming in the 13-14 boys category, Marvin Johnson won two silver and two bronze medals for The Bahamas.
The Bahamas secured another individual bronze and two relay medals to complete its haul.
A total of 27 countries participated in the three-day meet, and The Bahamas finished sixth overall with a combined score of 196.5 points.
Finishing fourth in the race for the Nassau Guardian’s Team of the Year for 2020 was the St. Augustine’s College (SAC) Big Red Machine which wrestled the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) Track and Field Championship away from the Queen’s College Comets, winning by a slim 8.5 points, and rounding out the top five for team of the year was the Sunland Baptist Stingers Senior Boys Basketball Team which was the runner-up for the Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association (GBSSSA) senior boys basketball title and won the prestigious Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic in 2020.
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source https://thenassauguardian.com/the-nassau-guardians-team-of-the-year/
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