The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Some “miscommunications” on the defensive end caused the Bahamas men’s national basketball team a chance to successfully defend their title as they returned home from Tortola, Virgin Islands, with silver medals following the 2015 Caribbean Basketball Confederation men’s championship series.

“We felt with the team we had, we were able to win the gold medal, but the players had some miscommunications on the defensive end and the desire to win was not as great as that of the Virgin Islands,” said Bahamas head coach Mario Bowleg on the team’s return home Monday night. “They wanted it more and for that reason, I think they were successful.”

Despite the loss, the Bahamas still joins the women’s team, who the week before won their title in Tortola, and in the process, both teams advanced to the Centrobasket next year.

The Bahamas men, however, watched as the Virgin Islands used a 9-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter as they went on to outscore the Bahamas 18-9 in the final frame to win the men’s title with a 71-65 win at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Road Town, Tortola.

The game had been tight the entire way. The Virgin Islands led 18-12 after the first quarter - the biggest lead of the entire game for either team occurred when the Virgin Islands were up 17-8 with 1:56 to play in the first.

The Bahamas briefly took a lead at 32-31 with 3:00 to play in the second on a basket by Leon Cooper, but a pair of three-pointers by Khalid Hart helped Virgin Islands regain the lead 37-35 at halftime.

The Bahamas outscored Virgin Islands 21-16 in the third behind Kadeem Coleby and Michael Bain, and took a 56-53 lead into the fourth quarter.

That’s when the Virgin Islands made their run, which was capped off by a three-pointer by Ivan Aska and a basket by Angel Rivera with 6:51 to play. The burst put Virgin Islands up 62-56, and gave them a lead they would not relinquish.

David Nesbitt got the Bahamas to within one at 66-65 with 1:48 to play, but free throws by Rivera and Cuthbert Victor with 7.9 and 2.1 seconds left respectively iced the game for Virgin Islands.

Ivan Aska was named the most valuable player in the tournament. Khalid Hart led Virgin Islands with 24 points, while Aska scored 10 points and had 14 rebounds. Craig Williams scored 10 and Rivera added nine points and nine rebounds.

Kadeem Coleby was the only player in double figures with 15 points and four rebounds for the Bahamas. Kentwon Smith added nine points with eight rebounds, Magnum Rolle also contributed nine points with four rebounds, Torrington Cox had eight points, Michael Bain had seven points, four rebounds and three steals and David Nesbitt chipped in with seven points and five rebounds.

The Bahamas had gone undefeated in their round robin play, but Bowleg said if it wasn’t for the mental lapses that they experienced in the championship game, they could have emerged as the two-time champions, giving the Bahamas a rare two-team feat at the top of the standings if they had duplicated the performances of the women, coached by Yolett McPhee-McCuin.

As for the next step, Bowleg said the Bahamas Basketball Federation will have to wait on the final announcement of when and where the Centrobasket is held before he can look at what the possible make up of the team will be.

“Taking consideration of the time frame when these games are held will determine the quality of team that the Bahamas will have to represent us,” said Bowleg, who was assisted by Wayde Watson and Norris Bain out of Grand Bahama. “Not taking anything away from the present team, which was a very good one, I think they performed very well and I was very proud of each and every one of them.

“But as we move towards the Centrobasket and the Americans Cup next year, we will definitely try to get the Buddy Hield and Tum Tum (Lourawls Nairn) and the other players like the LJ Rose and Mychel Thompson and even Eric Gordon, who has made it known that he may be interested in coming over to play as well. They are just talk, but that is our next step to see if we can get players like them, along with persons on the present team, to help us form the best team.”

With all of the talent that is available here at home, on the collegiate scene and throughout the professional ranks in the United States and around the rest of the world, Bowleg said it will be based on the time frame for the federation to select the team to compete next year.

Bowleg, who also serves as the first vice president of the federation, said he’s confident that the Bahamas can medal at the Centrobasket, which is a FIBA-sponsored international basketball tournament that features teams from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

“The players who spoke to me, like Magnun Rolle, the captain, said he is definitely in for next season, so did Torrington Cox and Tehran Cox. A lot of these guys are excited about coming back to avenge the defeat by going to Centrobasket and win another medal, if not the gold,” Bowleg said.

“We have been working for the past few years to put things in place and we are happy that they are now comfortable and treated like the elite athletes in the country should be treated. We just wish that we can get some of our basketball players on the subventions from the government and corporate Bahamas to sponsor us some more as we take basketball to the next level.”

The Bahamas advanced to the final by defeating host nation British Virgin Islands 85-68.

The Bahamas jumped out to a 14-2 lead in the first quarter and never faced a serious challenge, leading after the opening frame 25-14 and at halftime 50-30. They extended the lead to 69-47 after three, and never let the lead get below 14 points in the fourth.

Magnum Rolle led the Bahamas with 14 points and was one of five players scoring in double figures.

Kleon Penn and Norville Carey each had 13 for BVI, while Penn pulled down 13 rebounds.

While the men’s team fell short of repeating as champions, the women’s team improved from fifth to winning the title in the last two years. It was another remarkable showing for the federation.