The Bahamas males’s nationwide basketball staff took one large step for the nation on Sunday as they defeated Argentina 82-75 to earn a spot in one of subsequent summer season’s qualifying tournaments for the Paris Olympic Games.
The Bahamas have by no means in historical past been to the Olympics for basketball and NBA stars Buddy Hield, Deandre Ayton and Eric Gordon are motivated to get them there.
The Bahamas head coach and Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco has been the staff’s coach since 2019 and is so proud of the efforts of his facet, particularly since they needed to play Argentina twice in a matter of 5 days on their house court docket.
“This is something that’s been years in the making,” DeMarco told ESPN. “I’m so proud of our gamers for focusing on basketball and staying collectively and the sacrifices they made. I imply, this isn’t straightforward. This is everybody’s offseason. They’re not coming house. Argentina hosted this factor. We needed to beat them on their house court docket twice. The effort from everybody concerned, gamers, employees, assist employees … it’s unbelievable.
“I have no other words for it.”
In their last FIBA pre-qualifying recreation in opposition to Argentina, Gordon was undoubtedly Bahamas’ greatest participant after recording 27 factors on 8-13 capturing from the sector and 6-7 from deep.
Ayton and Hield had a combined night time as the previous grabbed ten factors and 21 rebounds on 5-14 capturing from the sector, whereas the latter completed with 15 factors however had a reasonably forgettable capturing night time – 5-17 from the ground and 2-11 from deep.
A 12 months from now, the Bahamas, together with 23 different groups can be break up into 4 teams of six and the winner of every of these will earn the 4 wild card locations to get to Paris Olympic Games.
The different eights spots will go to France because the host nation, plus the seven groups that may qualify through the FIBA World Cup.
The FIBA World Cup begins on Friday and can happen in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
READ MORE: Deandre Ayton Addresses Playing For Bahamas With Eric Gordon
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