With arguably the best collection of players in quite some time, The Bahamas is faced with the arduous task of qualifying for the FIBA Americas Championships for senior men for the first time. From there, the country will have the opportunity to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. FIBA (International Basketball Federation) is the world's governing body for basketball, and FIBA Americas brings together the best basketball squads in the western hemisphere.
Before we can start thinking of FIBA Americas,
The Bahamas must get through two very important qualifying tournaments this summer - the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships, and Centrobasket. The top three teams from CBC qualify for Centrobasket and the top four from Centrobasket qualify for next year's FIBA Americas Championships. The CBC Championships is scheduled for July 1-5 in Tortola, British Virgin Islands (BVI), and Centrobasket will be held August 1-7, in Tepic, Nayarit in west-central Mexico.
The Bahamas' senior men's basketball team hopefuls are currently engaged in a nine-day training camp on Colorado State University's campus, in Fort Collins, Colorado. The school's men's basketball head coach Larry Eustachy is also the head coach of The Bahamas' senior men's national team.
"What I realized about Bahamian teams is that they play as hard as any country that I have seen," said Eustachy. "I'm pretty sure this team isn't going to be any different. We have to be able to pick up full-court. We have to be able to fast break. We have to be able to play multiple defenses, and we have to be able to change gears. Once we get in half court defenses, we have to be able to take good shots.
"I think there is a big commitment in The Bahamas to become one of the world's elite teams. There are some talented players here, they have bought into the program, and I really believe we could head in the right direction."
The 20 members of the senior national program are expected to wrap up training in Fort Collins, Colorado, this weekend. The practice sessions are being held in the 8,700 seating capacity Moby Arena.
"We benefit as much as The Bahamas do, if not more, having the training camp here, with the publicity we get from it, and it also helps in recruiting," said Eustachy. "I embrace this challenge to be the head coach of the Bahamian national team. Hopefully, I can make these guys better players."
Mitchell Johnson, a 6'4" swingman who has been with the national team for about five years, said that the guys on the training squad are quite familiar with each other, and that should help with the team chemistry.
"I really like this unit. Every year, the team keeps getting better and better, and this is the best crop that we have had in a while," said Johnson. "I think the sky is the limit for this team. We just have to play to the top of our potential. We have a lot of professionals and a lot of people who could put the ball in the hole, so that's what we need to do.
"This time, I think that we have the best big men in the Caribbean, and we're going to have to rely on them to carry us through. The air is thin up here in Colorado, so when we work out, we're going to get our wind up, and that will help in our conditioning. We'll be able to run the other teams into the ground. The facilities here are great as well."
Eugene Bain, a 6'6" small/power forward, shares those sentiments. Bain has also been with the national program for about five years.
"I think that with this group of guys, we can definitely make it far, maybe even qualify for the Olympics," said Bain. "Defense is going to be one of the biggest keys in the tournament. We just need to be focused on playing together. The chemistry is coming together. We just have to work on a few things, and try to bring it all together. We have a good group of guys who are ready to play. I think that we finally have some height, and that's a big advantage for us."
The national program has acquired the services of National Basketball Association (NBA) draftee Magnum Rolle this time. The 6'11" power forward/center spent a year with the Maine Red Claws in the NBA Development League and just completed his second year with the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins in Nagoya, Japan.
"I think everyone is gelling well together," said Rolle. "We have some history with this crop of players, so that bodes well for our chemistry. I think it's a good mix of guys, and we'll be okay. This team has a lot of depth. We have guys at multiple positions who could do a number of things for us. This team just has to have the will power. The talent is already there for us to advance, we just have to be disciplined and go out there and dominate. I love it here (Fort Collins, Colorado). It's professional, and there are no distractions. Here, we could just eat, sleep and drink basketball - you're constantly focused on basketball, and that's a good thing. I'm just happy to represent my country."
Mychel Thompson, the son of Bahamian legendary player Mychal "Sweet Bells" Thompson, has also been acquired by the national program this year. The 6'7" shooting guard/small forward currently plays with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA Development League.
"I always felt that I had an allegiance to come back to The Bahamas and help with the national program," said Thompson. "I feel as if we're headed in the right direction. We have a good group here and we could do some good things. It is great here and the team is meshing well. We have a lot of great players. We have a lot of athleticism. With the guys that we have here, I think that we could do some damage. I think that it's important to stick together and show some unity. That's how national teams excel and that's how you win."
Lynden "LJ" Rose Jr. had to be released by USA Basketball just to be eligible for Team Bahamas. He spent some time playing with the USA junior national and developmental teams and is currently the starting point guard for the Houston Cougars collegiate basketball squad.
"My whole family is from The Bahamas, and representing The Bahamas is something that I always wanted to do," he said. "I thought that it would be a great opportunity to come out here and represent the other side of my heritage. This team has a lot of depth. There are good guards, wing players and some bigs...It's an all-around team. Coach Eustachy has been there, in the winning circle. Hopefully, he'll instill that winning tradition in us. Our length, quickness and speed is our strength. Working out up here is amazing. I think it will help with our conditioning."
Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) Vice President Mario Bowleg who also serves as the assistant coach for Team Bahamas, said that the team's goal is to go to the BVI and win the gold medal.
"I think that is something that is very much achievable," said Bowleg. "After that, we'll move on Centrobasket and see how it goes. The guys are having a very good time. They are all happy to be here. We are doing what is necessary to ensure that Bahamas Basketball moves to the next level. This is just the beginning of great things to come.
"Here at this training camp, the gym is always available for us. We can choose what time we want to practice and how many times we want to practice each day. Back home in The Bahamas, there is just one main gym that is shared by basketball and volleyball, and also there are a lot of other activities that are in the gym. We are going to have to put together the best team possible team, and looking at the talent that we have available, I think that we will be able to put a very good squad together.
"The decision to choose Larry (Eustachy) was a very good one. He is a people's person, and he has done very well in the past. We think that he is going to do a very good job. This is the best team that we have seen assembled in a very long time. The BBF has taken the steps to put the best possible team together, so that we could try to qualify for the 2016 Olympics."
At the CBC Championships, The Bahamas will play out of Group 'A', alongside Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Cuba. Group 'B' consists of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Guyana and Barbados.
At Centrobasket, The Bahamas is expected to compete against teams from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Panama, Jamaica, Costa Rica and Mexico.
The training camp in Colorado will culminate on Saturday, June 28, and from there the team will make its way to Tortola. Prior to the CBC Championships, the team will be trimmed down to 12 players.
The 20 members at the training camp in Colorado are C.J. Hines, Marvin Grey, Lynden "LJ" Rose Jr., Mychel Thompson, Mitchell Johnson, Kadeem Coleby, Bennet Davis, "Chicken" Knowles, Magnum Rolle, Anwar Ferguson, Ray Rose, Archie Rose, Eugene Bain, Michael Carey, Dwight Coleby, Kentwan Smith, Scottie Ferguson, Rony Cadeau, C.J. Smith and Tavario Miller.
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