The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING 

Tribune Sports Reporter 

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

 THE dust has settled since The Bahamas senior men’s national basketball team came up short in their quest to make their Paris dreams a reality in the final game of the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Valencia, Spain almost a week ago.

The national team was just on the cusp of making Bahamian history, but they ran into the no. 2 ranked basketball juggernaut Spain who capitalised on the home court advantage and shut the door on The Bahamas’ chance of an historic Olympic berth 86-78 on Sunday.

Although the loss left a bitter taste in the mouth of some players and the Bahamian fanbase, there were some silver linings along the journey that cannot be ignored as it relates to the future of basketball in The Bahamas.

Mychal “Sweet Bells” Thompson, the father of Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson, believes that The Bahamas has a bright future in basketball after their latest historic run.

“This was the best collection of basketball talent The Bahamas has ever put together led by Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon, Kai Jones and we have even more to come with VJ Edgecombe. The Bahamas is in a golden era and golden age of basketball talent and we just saw that on display by missing the Olympic Games by one win. I really thought they had a chance to get there so The Bahamas is set up for the future very well and they are ready to make their mark on the basketball world,” he said.

The Bahamas’ journey to shock the world began at the 2023 FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, last summer.

With head coach Chris DeMarco at the helm and NBA pros Deandre Ayton, Chavano “Buddy” Hield and Eric “EJ” Gordon all onboard, The Bahamas ran through the competition, including the no. 8 ranked Argentina, to emerge as the tournament’s winner and advance to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

The national team was a force to be reckoned with in Group B play. They picked up wins against Finland and Poland to remain undefeated going into the semifinals of the Olympic qualifiers.

Ayton shouldered the load with a dominant 24 points and 15 rebounds performance in the 89-72 victory against Lebanon in the semifinals, to propel his team to the final stage.

The Bahamas had a tough time against the host country in the finals and were unable to claim the Olympic qualification that hung in the balance.

Despite this, Thompson believes that the current basketball landscape is now on par with track and field in The Bahamas.

“I think Bahamians should be very proud of the efforts of the current basketball players representing The Bahamas. I think the talent in basketball now is on par with the track and field talent The Bahamas has put out over the last couple of decades. I think it has talented youngsters and on the women’s side too with Jonquel Jones leading the way. I think basketball is right up there now with the best The Bahamas has to offer in sports along with track and field,” he said. 

The 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament is now in the rearview but Bahamians have already started to look ahead and are optimistic about the country’s chances of making it to the LA 2028 Summer Olympics during the next Olympic cycle.

The first Bahamian to be drafted to the National Basketball Association (NBA) had these words of advice for those in positions to make an impact on the next generation of Bahamian basketball players.

“Continue to promote the young men in basketball from Buddy Hield to Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon, VJ Edgecombe coming up and the young ladies too. Continue to promote them and encourage the youngsters to follow in their footsteps because there is a lot of basketball talent and basketball passion in The Bahamas. We need to capitalise on that and manufacture that and grow it in the coming years because there are more Buddy Hields and Deandres to be found,” he said.

The small but mighty nation has once again shown its ability to rise above the odds on one of the biggest stages and, despite the obstacles along the way, the future is certainly brighter than it was yesterday in Bahamian basketball.