Team Bahamas off to Puerto Rico

The Bahamas’ senior men’s national basketball team is off to Puerto Rico with one goal in mind – finish off the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers with a spot in the top 12 who will play in the regional final in September of 2022.

To do that, the country must earn at least a split against the United States and Puerto Rico this weekend. The Bahamas will play the United States this Friday and Puerto Rico on Saturday. Both games are set for the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Named to The Bahamas’ team for this final window are Nashad Mackey, Dominick Bridgewater, Michael Carey, Arron Levarity, David Nesbitt, D’Shon Taylor, Godfrey Rolle, Jaron Cornish, Kentwan Smith, Mychel Thompson, Travis Munnings and Tavario Miller. Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) President Mario Bowleg is the head coach of the team, stepping in for Golden State Warriors’ Assistant Coach Chris DeMarco this weekend. He will be assisted by Steve Barnes, Perry Thompson and Moses Johnson. Elvardo Kemp is the team manager, Eugena Patton travels as the team’s physiotherapist and John-Marc Nutt will handle the public relations of the team.

This weekend’s games are collectively the third and final window of the qualifying process for FIBA’s biggest tournament for the Americas region. Bowleg is confident that they will get the job done.

“It’s a very good team and we’re prepared to go out there and compete based on the talent that we have,” said Bowleg yesterday. “I think we definitely have a shot of qualifying. When you look at the team, there are some pieces here who were not a part of the last window and that will help a lot. There are players here who have played very well for us in the past. We’re just going to stick with the game plan and do our best to advance. We have a good shot.”

During the last window in Indianapolis, Indiana, The Bahamas was blasted by the United States and lost a close game to Puerto Rico in which they were shut out 15-0 in the final five and a half minutes of the game. They were without the services of players such as Munnings, Miller, Nesbitt, Bridgewater and Carey. Bowleg feels their presence alone, for this final leg, will provide a significant boost for the team in its hopes of qualifying.

“They are going to plug some holes, making us a much better all-around team than we were in the last window,” said Bowleg. “At the end of the day, we’re going to compete. There are a couple players who we would have liked to be here, but we are going to fight with what we have. I feel good about our chances.”

One of the players who played well for The Bahamas in the last window, Willis Mackey Jr., is unable to make the trip this time around due to injury. He is out with ligament damage.

In The Bahamas’ last game, against Puerto Rico in November, Mackey scored 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting and added seven rebounds, an assist and a steal. At the club level, he was the player of the year for 2020 in the Spanish Eurobasket Association (EBA).

“We would have certainly liked to have him but that’s how the ball roll sometimes,” said Bowleg. “Notwithstanding that, this particular team gives us a great chance to move on to the next level. Right now, the only concern is the cohesiveness of the team with us not having enough time to come together and have consistent practices. Hopefully, we could develop some chemistry for this weekend.”

The team left for Puerto Rico yesterday despite having issues with planned practice sessions as the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium and securing funds for travel.

The Bahamas is currently fourth in Group D behind the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The United States has 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. Just the top three nations will advance to the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup.

In head-to-head play, The Bahamas suffered a crushing 91-85 loss to Puerto Rico in November. 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 The Bahamas’ unraveling at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis in November.

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 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 this weekend. The crucial game this weekend is the one against Puerto Rico. A victory would almost certainly assure The Bahamas of a spot in the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup Tournament which is a qualifier for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The team is set to return home on Sunday.

The post Team Bahamas off to Puerto Rico appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

source https://thenassauguardian.com/team-bahamas-off-to-puerto-rico/