The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE country’s best basketball players have less than a week to fine tune their skills before they attempt to seize an historic opportunity of playing professionally in the Bahamas for the first time in the history of local basketball.

Initially scheduled for January 11, the American Basketball League (ABL) postponed is pre- draft camp on two occasions and is now scheduled to take place this weekend (February 15-16) at 2pm in the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.

The camp is intent on searching for the top 40 professional basketball players in the country as the ABL establishes its Bahamas division.

To maintain amateur status, high school players and players wishing to compete at the collegiate level in the future will not be eligible for the ABL league.

The camp will precede the debut of the ABL’s Bahamas division this summer when the league commences on June 1.

The league’s expansion into the Bahamas will feature four 10-player teams which will play their 18-game schedule at various locations in New Providence.

The first step in the search for players to fill team rosters will be the aforementioned camp. The 2014 ABL season will be played from June to August featuring an 18-game season that will include an international team for the first time.

“The inclusion of teams outside the United States signifies the first time in United States sports history that a US professional sports league has integrated teams from abroad, establishing true international competition. Though contemplated for years by the NBA, if this move is truly accomplished by the ABL, it will forever be seen as beating the NBA to the punch,” according to league executives.

The league has partnered with Capital City Marketing as it expands to the Caribbean.

ABL commissioner Eric Newsome said the historic partnership between his league and the locally based Capital City Marketing will usher in a new era of opportunities for Bahamian basketball players.

“We want to get the top 40-42 guys on the island. In order for us to have a good camp where we can evaluate the kids properly, our target number is around 42. Ideally we want a five to six hour camp where our scouts can evaluate everyone thoroughly and the guys can get what they came there for. The camp will identify who is who and we can evaluate their skills to really begin their scouting process,” he said.

Newsome said the league will provide opportunities for increased exposure for players looking to work their way towards a professional basketball career.

“Basically what we wanted to do in the (United) States is develop an avenue for basketball players that have played in high school or college at a certain level and what we wanted to do was give them a way to extend their playing career. We have a lot of contacts in Europe, South America, and we feel that most of the guys that would like to continue their playing career would have a better opportunity to go overseas,” he said.

In terms of playing games during what is considered a non-traditional time of the year, the league’s move to summer has been lauded as a way of reaching a far deeper talent pool.

Not only will the available talent increase the value of the product on the floor, it will allow players who will play the traditional FIBA fall, winter, spring schedule the opportunity to play in a viable professional league setting and boost their own r�sum�s for future endeavours, organisers said.

Newsome said there is one Bahamian player who has already benefitted from a season playing in the ABL.

“Last year, we had Anwar Ferguson from Exuma and he was the first pick in our draft last year. I saw him play in at least 10 games and that kid should be in the NBA no question about it. I’m sure there are more Anwar Fergusons. We saw him at our San Antonio, Texas, draft camp. He had to go all the way down there to get noticed, but this would create easier opportunities for local players here,” he said.

Ferguson, who played in college for the Houston Cougars, is currently a member of the Saitama Broncos in the Japanese BJ League where he is averaging 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

Ferguson has also played in the NBA’s D-League, and played professionally in Mexico and Georgia.

The ABL draft is slated to be held in April 2014.

Each team will select four players in the draft while the remaining six roster spots will be filled through free agency.

The draft camp is open to all Bahamian players. “The players have to see the vision and understand that they are not just paying to go and play basketball. They are paying toward an end goal to hopefully make a team where they will be paid to play and secondly get an opportunity to be scouted and play in a professional league,” said ABL Bahamas Commissioner Larry Wilson.

Bahamas Basketball Federation vice-president Mario Bowleg said the league will be immensely beneficial to the men’s senior national team programme.

“For the federation it provides us with an opportunity to identify the top players here locally and now they have a chance to play for some monetary funding. It will also help the national team programme because we will now be able to ensure that most of our players that play pro ball will be home in the summer time because they can now come home and make some money playing and we can put forward the best team possible,” he said.

Players interested in the camp can contact Bowleg and the BBF at marbowe_2804@hotmail.com or visit Capital City Marketing at www.ccmbahamas.com