National team denied access to Kendal Isaacs gym

The Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) is faced with a major dilemma as it prepares two teams for international travel.

According to reports, the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium is currently undergoing renovations and the gym is unavailable for use. It comes at a time when the country is faced with its most critical period in the qualification process for the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers.

The Bahamas is scheduled to play the United States (US) and Puerto Rico later this month in Puerto Rico. At least a split is necessary for advancement purposes. The Bahamas is in the Group D, regarded as the ‘pool of death’, with the US, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Just the top three nations will advance to the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup Tournament.

The US leads the standings with an unblemished 4-0 record, securing eight points. Mexico is second with a 2-2 win/loss record and six points, and Puerto Rico and The Bahamas are tied with identical 1-3 records and five points each.

“The Bahamas Basketball Federation is totally frustrated and irritated as its efforts appear to be thwarted by the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture and the National Sports Authority (NSA), as the federation prepares two national teams for competition of international significance,” the BBF pointed out in a statement. “The BBF simply does not have access to the Kendal G.L. Isaacs gym to hold practices for the squads; or even, to conduct a practical session for a referees’ international certification course although formal requests have been submitted. The federation calls on the relevant authority to rectify this situation for its programs that are designed to fully develop and promote the sport of basketball in the Bahamas. The BBF understands that renovations are being conducted at the gym. However, works are being done to the changing rooms and on parts of the building that are nowhere near the basketball playing surface or the uprights.”

When contacted yesterday, NSA General Manager Quinton Brennen said he’s been off the island for the past nine days and is not aware of the issue. Meanwhile BBF President Mario Bowleg is irate. The use of the national facility, he said, is necessary in the preparation of the national teams.

“The thing is, there was not going to be any interference with the work that is going on. It doesn’t even have to be during the same time period,” he said. “We can stage practices when there are no workers around. I believe there is much more than what meets the eye. We had international referees do a physical examination at A.F. Adderley and one of the officials fell. The floor is slippery and one of the issues is it’s not a FIBA regulated size court. That affects us at an international level. Practicing at those places has proven to have placed Bahamian teams at a distinct disadvantage in terms of our shooting. To be kept in mind is that these athletes took time out from their various teams to represent the country, sometimes at a salary loss.

“Why as a country are we allowing this to happen? This does not sit well with me as the president. This is voluntary work that we are doing, and we are doing it because we have a passion to see our country reach a certain standard. It’s just sad that we have this opportunity to reach the next level and there are things like this that are limiting our progression. This is The Bahamas’ team – not the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s team. This team is representing all of us and it’s absolutely necessary that it is afforded the best possible treatment in order to qualify and move on.”

At the moment, about a third of the players on the 24-member player pool are home. Bowleg said some of the others are skeptical of returning if the situation remains the same, indicating that the cohesiveness of the team will not be at an ultimate level.

“Players don’t want to suffer the disrespect of not having a proper facility to practice in,” said Bowleg. “These are professionals and they don’t want to be treated like second- and third-class citizens in their own country. They feel slighted and under-appreciated. I’m not too optimistic. I reached out to the director (Director of Sports in the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture Timothy Munnings) and there is no answer that is favorable. This is why things much change. It must get better. We have to be able to work along with the federations to promote sporting disciplines in this country and ensure that we have the best opportunities to succeed.”

The third and final window of the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers for Group D is set for February 19-20 at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Bowleg said the team might have to travel about a week earlier than originally planned to develop some team chemistry on a substantial court and get acclimatized to conditions in Puerto Rico. The country is scheduled to play the US on February 19 and host country Puerto Rico on February 20. At the moment, Bowleg said they are still struggling with funds to get the team to Puerto Rico and will know definitively by next Monday what their options are.

“This issue of gym usage seems like it’s no longer in the NSA hands,” said Bowleg. “Every time we reach out, it is pushed up and up and other individuals who have no idea of what this means to the country and how important this tournament is are making the decisions. Also, we are still struggling with funds, and if we have to travel early, we will have to supply accommodations, provide meals, award stipends and hire transportation. In addition to the grant for the last window, we got an extra $20,000 but we spent in excess of $70,000 and we’re cash strapped. We’re looking for corporate sponsors to come through for us because I don’t know if the ministry will be willing to assist. In the budget, we see that funds were allocated to different things and if those funds are still there we are asking that they are used to help send these nationals teams off.”

The Bahamas wins a tiebreaker with Mexico and will have to beat Puerto Rico by more than six points to ensure that it advances ahead of Puerto Rico should both of them end up in a tie.

In The Bahamas’ last game, during the last window in Indianapolis, Indiana, they were in prime position to reach the doorstep of qualification and put Puerto Rico on the brink of elimination but couldn’t hold on to an 85-76 lead with 5:43 remaining in the game. A series of turnovers and missed free shots down the stretch led to their unraveling at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

Puerto Rico outscored The Bahamas 15-0 in the final five and a half minutes to record the impressive come-from-behind win. In total, The Bahamas 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.

It would have been one of the biggest wins for The Bahamas in the history of men’s basketball in the country. Puerto Rico is ranked at number 18 in the FIBA World Rankings while The Bahamas is at number 59. The United States is the top ranked nation in the world and Mexico is at number 24.

The Bahamas’ Senior Men’s National Basketball Team has a realistic shot to qualify for the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup Tournament. The senior women’s team is scheduled to compete in March 2021. 

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