What is expected to be one of the more popular sporting events in the 2023 Bahamas Games is taking shape as a calendar of games was released over the weekend.
There will be 10 teams in men's basketball, separated into two pools, and six in women's basketball with action set to tip off on Tuesday, July 11 at 9 a.m. in the morning at the D.W. Davis Gymnasium. On that Tuesday, there will be nine games with the featured contest being a men's contest between Eleuthera and Bimini. That game will take place at 9 p.m. at D.W. Davis.
According to its roster, Eleuthera is loaded with a number of present or former national team players suiting up for them.
The other teams in men's basketball are New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, MICAL (Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay), Exuma, Columbus Isles, Andros and Long Island. In women's play, New Providence, Grand Bahama, Exuma, Eleuthera, Abaco and Columbus Isles will compete.
"On paper, Eleuthera looks like one of the stronger teams with the likes of Michael Carey, Dominick Bridgewater, 'Kino' Burrows and others, but as we know, basketball is not won on paper," said Eugene Horton, president of the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF).
"They will be tough to beat but so will some of the other teams. This is the Bahamas Games and the competition will be intense. This is the first time in 20 years that we're having the Bahamas Games. The last time I played and that was in the early 2000s. This is a time for the athletes, and even the
coaches and team officials, to compete and network with each other. This is going to bring the islands together in a spirit of unity and for bragging rights. It's going to be fun. We're encouraging the public to come out and support basketball and support the other events as well. Come out and go from one sport to the next and let's have fun and hopefully bring the islands together and set the way forward for future events."
According to the schedule, basketball will be played for five successive days, culminating with the championship games for both men and women.
In the men's division, after a single round robin style of play within a pool, the top four teams from that pool will advance to the pool championships. After a pool champion is crowned, the top two teams in each pool will play a crossover semifinals to determine the two teams that will advance to the championship. The winners will play in the gold medal game.
For the women, after a single round robin style of play, the top four teams will advance to the semifinals and the winners from the semifinals will play in the championships game. The bulk of the playoff games, and the championship games, will be played at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.
The two gold medal games are set for Saturday, July 15, starting at noon at the Kendal Isaacs gym. The women will play first and will be followed by the men.
"Some teams still have to finalize their rosters, but we didn't let that stop us from going ahead and setting the schedule," said Horton. "I'm happy to get it out of the way. I don't like to wait until the last minute to get things done. This is a simple process. We set it up the same way that it is done in the NPBA (New Providence Basketball Association) and the round robin (BBF National Round Robin Tournament) in terms of scheduling games.
"Also, we wanted to make it easier for the media. There is a link for statistics, so that the media could follow the games at the link or on the BBF's website. The pools are set up in a way that the best teams will go to the championship. The top four teams in each pool will go to the playoffs. There will be crossover games and the winners of the two crossover games will go to the gold medal game. The women will go straight to the semifinals and the winners will go to the gold medal game. It's going to be exciting."
Horton said he will miss some of the competition because of a fraternity conference that he must attend, but added that his heart and thoughts will be with the basketball portion of the Bahamas Games.
The games were established in 1989 and the following events took place in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 2001. The Golden Jubilee Bahamas Games will be held from July 7-15. The opening ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 8, leading into the national 50th anniversary of independence celebrations.
These will be 16 sporting disciplines at 16 different locations, enabling persons to enjoy and support the teams and sports of their choice.
The 10 teams forming the individual islands or grouping of islands include: the Abaco Survivors, the Andros Chiccharnies, the Bimini and Berry Islands Marlins, the Columbus Isles Arawaks (Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador), the Eleuthera Adventurers, the Exuma & Ragged Island Navigators, the Grand Bahama Lucayans, the Long Island Sheep Runners, the MICAL Flamingoes and the New Providence Buccaneers.
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