The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT'S his second time around as the head coach of the men's national basketball team, but Larry Smith is more enthused about what he has to work with going into the Centrobasket Championships this week.

Smith and his assistant coaches, Mario Bowleg and Wayde Watson, have added some pieces to the team that finished as runners-up to the US Virgin Islands when the Bahamas Basketball Federation hosted the Caribbean Basketball Championships at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium a year ago.

"We're getting better every day as we get used to each other," said Smith on the eve of their departure on Sunday for Tobago, Trinidad & Tobago, where they will begin play today in the ten-team two pools.

"We basically have half of the team from last summer, but basically the team is new and they're just trying to get used to each other so it's a work in progress."

The team, managed by Rodney Wilson, will get its first real test today when they take on Cuba in their opening match in Pool A. It's a game that Smith feels will serve as a measuring stick to determine what progress they have made since they began working out together.

"That's the only game that I'm concerned about right now," Smith said. "We have to win that game. They're big and athletic and strong. But we've played Cuba close in the past years and just lost by a few points, but now we have to go over there and get the job done this time around."

This year's team is comprised of Mitch Johnson, Bennett Davis, Keno Burrows, Teran Cox, Marvin Gray, Jamal Douglas, Kadeem Coleby, Kenton Smith, Eugene Bain, Gamalian Rose, Leon Cooper and Michael Bain.

"We've really got some great athletes like Mitch and Ronnie," he said. "But Bennett Davis came in this year and he's going to really help us out inside. The four players like Jamal and Keino are going to be really solid for us this year."

If there is any weakness on the team, Smith admitted that it's going to be at the shooting guard position, something that hurt their chances of beating the US Virgin Islands in the final as well.

"We don't have great shooters and we know that teams are going to zone us over there, so we're going to have to knock down the outside shots," he lamented. "We've had a couple of players who we thought would have been on the team, but we couldn't get them all the way through the process.

"So we just have to go out there and win it with our defence."

The Bahamas will have to finish in the top two in their pool to advance to the playoffs. Along with Cuba, host Puerto Rico, Panama and Nicaragua are also included.

Pool B will feature Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Mexico and the US Virgin Islands.

The top four teams at the end of the championships will advance to the Tournament of Americas. For the Bahamas, if they do, it will be the first time getting to that prestigious level. From the Tournament of Americas, the Bahamas will have a chance to qualify for the World Games, another step towards an appearance at the Olympic Games.

Bowleg, who serves as the first vice president of the federation's new executive team headed by Charlie 'Softly' Robins, said they went above and beyond to try and bring home all of the elite international players to make the trip.

"Things are beginning to turn around. We finally got Bennett on board, Magnum (Rolle) was unable to come this time, but he assured us that he will make an effort in the future and so we're doing some things to ensure that as we move to each level, the talent is there for us to compete," he said.

"This team this year is much more talented than last year, but whether its better remains to be seen until we get on the court. But definitely the talent is there, we're younger and quicker as we have improved on our defense, especially in the guard play. So hopefully we can go out there and do some things."

In the past, many of the top tier players have been shying away from playing on the national team for a number of reasons, but Bowleg said a lot of that has changed and they are eager to come home and make their contribution.