The Bahamas' Olympic hopes in basketball were crushed yesterday, as the senior men's national team fell to the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), 80-79. It was the country's second straight loss at the 2014 Centrobasket Championships in Tepic, Mexico, and the team's third loss in its four games so far.
The team lost 88-72 to Puerto Rico on Friday, slammed El Salvador 96-47 on Saturday, but suffered a hurtful 90-57 loss to the hometown favorite, Mexico, on Sunday. Now after a narrow loss to the USVI, on Monday, the players find themselves out of the top four spots of the 2014 Centrobasket tournament, thereby failing to move on to the next stage of the 2016 Olympic qualifying process or the 2015 FIBA Americas Championships for Men. FIBA (International Basketball Federation) is the world's governing body for basketball, and FIBA Americas oversees the sport in this region.
In the game against Puerto Rico on Saturday, Jose Juan (JJ) Barea was the primary catalyst for his team. He helped his team to pull off a huge victory, finishing with 19 points and five assists. For The Bahamas, Chavano "Buddy" Hield played an amazing game. He was the team's leading scorer, and is the tournament's top scorer so far. Hield finished this game with 30 points, going 6-for-7 from behind the three-point arc and adding three rebounds and an assist.
Following the loss, the team bounced back with an impressive 96-47 victory over El Salvador. Alonzo Hinds was the top scorer in the contest for The Bahamas. He finished the game with 20 points, going 5-for-6 from three-point land, and he added two rebounds. Hield also had a strong game for The Bahamas. He finished with a double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
In its third game, The Bahamas took on host country Mexico.
The Mexicans jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. They cruised to a 90-57 victory over The Bahamas.
Roman Eduardo Martinez finished with a game-high 18 points, to go along with four rebounds for Mexico. Gustavo Ayon dominated the paint for Mexico, finishing with 13 rebounds.
Hield was once again the leading scorer for his club. He finished the game with 17 points and three rebounds. Marvin Gray played a good game as well, ending with 14 points.
The loss against the USVI yesterday sealed The Bahamas' fate. The game went back and fourth, with several leads changes down the stretch.
The Bahamas had a chance to seal the game with just seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Hield made two clutch free throws that put his team ahead 79-77. The USVI seemed as though it was down for the count, but after the team inbounded the ball, Walter Hodge found a clear lane to the basket. He took it in strong to the hoop and converted on a lay-up and was fouled on the play. He made the free throw to put his team ahead 80-79. Hield had a chance to win it, but he missed a point blank lay-up.
The loss ended any hopes the country had of qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Although the players won't be heading to the Olympics, this team changed the culture of the national team. Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) officials recruited heavily, inclusive of players and coaches. With a strong talent base, considered one of the best ever assembled for The Bahamas, the senior men's team won the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships. The training camps for both the CBC Championships and the Centrobasket Championships were hosted out of the country.
Team hopefuls consisted of professional and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I players.
This year's team showed that the level of talent being produced in the country is to be taken seriously, and the players paved the way for future teams that have the potential to be even better.
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