Bahamian professional basketball player Travis Munnings is optimistic and excited about the upward direction the men’s senior national team is headed in. The Bahamas has garnered attention lately, putting the rest of the world on notice.

The forward took advantage of his opportunity at the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Pre-Qualifiers in early July. He led Team Bahamas in scoring and in rebounds. Munnings averaged 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. His 4.7 assists per game was the second highest on the team.

“Us being able to play against various teams gives us a chance to show that we can hang with those guys and that we can compete at the highest level, and, most definitely, I think it’s helping us make sure to continue to develop our game and move forward in the right direction. We just want to try to get Bahamas basketball known around the world,” Munnings said.

In the pre-qualifiers, The Bahamas was able to come away unscathed with a 3-0 win/loss record in Group A. They took down Cuba, Costa Rica and host country El Salvador to win the group. As a result of winning the group, they advanced to the Americas qualifiers set to be held in November. A total of 16 countries will take part in that event.

In the latest FIBA rankings, since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics wrapped up less than two weeks ago, The Bahamas jumped up three places into the top 60 at number 59, with 164.1 points.

Munnings recently finished up a stint in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) MGM Resorts Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Golden State Warriors. He played his final summer league game on Tuesday night in which he scored two points in three minutes and was able to grab one rebound. Out of the five games that the Warriors played, the Grand Bahama native played in three of them.

“I can play with the best in the world, it’s a great opportunity and I love it and I’m just taking advantage of each and every moment,” 

Munnings stated.

Munnings is not one to shy away from taking his shots in a game and is a very good rebounder. Last season, he played professionally in Portugal for Uniao Desportiva Oliveirense. He played in 28 games and averaged 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

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