On the heels of a successful FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Basketball World Cup Americas Pre-Qualifiers campaign in July, The Bahamas’ senior men’s program jumped up three places to number 59 in FIBA’s latest rankings, that was released after the postponed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
The move also brings The Bahamas to number 12 in the FIBA Americas Zone. The Bahamas has 164.1 points and sits above Switzerland (157.8 points). Just above The Bahamas at number 58 is Portugal (164.2 points).
Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) President Mario Bowleg said that Bahamas basketball is moving in the right direction.
“I think that moving into the Top 60 is a complete example of the hard work and dedication being put into the senior men’s program over the last five years. The mere fact that we are competing against teams like Canada, the United States of America and the Dominican Republic over the last couple years and we have been competing so well in the last two recent tournaments, have allowed us to move up the rankings. We also had a player in Kai Jones who was drafted into the top ranks of the National Basketball Association (NBA),” Bowleg said.
He continued, “I said it five years ago that Kai Jones along with Sammy Hunter will be our next NBA players. I still believe that Sammy Hunter is on his way to being the next Bahamian-born basketball player to be drafted in the NBA. Looking at potential and the future of the federation and the country as it relates to the talent is one of the reasons why we will continue to move up into the ranks.”
In the World Cup Americas Pre-Qualifiers in early July, The Bahamas finished the competition with an unblemished 3-0 record in Group A play against the likes of Cuba, Costa Rica and El Salvador. The team’s performance meant that it is one of 16 teams that advanced to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers, set for November once the COVID-19 pandemic does not change those plans.
“It is a chance once again for us to qualify for the World Cup, which will automatically put us in a position to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. We are right there. We are trying to get our best players on the floor and that is possible. Of course funding plays an important role in that and how we treat the athletes. The federation has been struggling over the years, but has been doing a tremendous job with the little that we have to make sure that the athletes are well taken care of to the best of the federation’s ability,” Bowleg stated.
He added, “We have the opportunity to reach the Olympics and I believe that more attention needs to be paid to that program while we are knocking on the Olympics’ door.”
Once The Bahamas performs well in the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifiers in October, it has has a chance of sliding even higher on the FIBA rankings.
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