The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH all of the talent available in the professional ranks and college, this could be the Bahamas’ best chance to qualify its men’s national basketball team for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Some of the top brass from FIBA Americas were in town this week to advise the Bahamas Basketball Federation, the government and corporate Bahamas on how they can maximise on their effort to get through a new qualifying format that will benefit smaller nations like the Bahamas.

At the end of their trip, the FIFA representatives held a press conference with the BBF and the Bahamas Olympic Committee to outline just how the Bahamas can get in a position to secure their spot over the next two years.

“Over the last two years, we have been making assessment visits to our member federations to find out their weaknesses and strengths that they have in order to prepare them for the new competition that will start in November,” said Anibal Garcia, FIFA Americas’ National Federation and Sport Manager. “We have a new competition system that will change all aspects for basketball and we have some new benefits for our federations. It will affect the competition and the teams financially and the development of basketball.”

Starting in June in Bolivia, the Bahamas will get a chance to compete in a qualifying tournament against teams from Cuba, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia and Bolivia in the A division where the top four teams will advance to the new format that starts with the home-and-away series in November.

“This is a great opportunity for the Bahamas to compete at the A level to qualify for the World Championship Cup in Beijing, China in 2019,” Garcia said. “We understand that the national federation has a chance to qualify for the new system that we are introducing.

“That is why we are here to have meetings with all of the stakeholders, sponsors, Olympic committee, the government and private sponsors that will be able to be a part of this national trust for the federation.”

Mario Bowleg, the first vice president for the federation, representing president Charlie ‘Softly’ Robins, said during their three days in the capital, the FIFA representatives were able to meet with the BOC, the Ministry of Tourism, Atlantis and BTC, just to name a few.

“I had my doubts about team sports (qualifying for the Olympics), but after watching the presentation by FIFA Americas in my office yesterday (Tuesday), it’s a good chance of the Bahamas qualifying for the next Olympic Games,” said BOC president Wellington Miller.

“The Bahamas Olympic Committee will throw all of its expertise and some monies behind that so that the Bahamian basketball will be given the best opportunity in this part of the world to make it to the next Olympic Games.”

Miller congratulated the federation for the amount of talent that is available all around the world and he insisted that the plans that FIBA America will be taking care of the insurance of the players will provide the impetus for them to come home to represent their country.

And with the home and away series that will be introduced, Miller said the Bahamian public will get sufficient opportunities to see the local players on display against teams and players that could end up in Tokyo.

Victor Mansure, the Executive Director Assistant to Alberto Garcia, the Executive Director of FIFA Americas, used as projector slide to outline the new system that will be introduced throughout the world as follows:

• November 20-28, 2017.

• February 19-27, 2018.

• June 25-July 3, 2018.

• September 10-18, 2018.

• November 26-December 4, 2018.

• February 18-28, 2019.

The format will lead to the qualification for the 2019 World Cup that will lead to the final qualification for the Olympics. Through the new format, the top 32 teams will compete in the World Cup instead of the usual 24.

“FIBA is changing its structure, FIBA is changing its competition system,” Mansure stressed. “They realize that they have home games in order for somebody here to see Buddy Hield hit five three-pointers in a half, see a dunk from DeAndre Ayton and to see a steal for them to be like their idols.”

Mansure said a total of seven teams will eventually for the Tournament of Americas out of the new format that they will introduce, thus increasing the Bahamas’ chances of getting to the World Cup and ultimately the Olympics.

The cycle calls for a day of travel, another day of practice and then the game is played. The following day, the teams will travel to the opposing country, get in a day of practice and then they play before they complete the first series of games.

Just how would this be funded?

Mansure said that FIBA will provide the television coverage and with local deals being struck. From the deal, the profits will be distributed to the federations.

FIBA will also cover the players’ insurance, which will provide expenses for all injuries and in the event that a player can’t play for three months, they will be compensated for that period.

The referees travel and per diam will also be taken care of by FIBA.

The federations, in term, will be able to secure their own sponsorship through advertising on the two free throw circles, the two baselines and they will also receive 80 percent of all advertising around the court and any other sponsorship in and outside of the arena.

In addition to the television rights, FIBA will have a standard logo placed at center court that will be seen in every arena where their games will be played. They will also receive 20 percent of the advertising around the court.

Bowleg, who also serves as the current head coach of the men’s national team, said the FIBA Americas representatives were in here to work along with the BBF in determining how they can maximum their opportunities to put the best team together to represent the country.

“The problems we’ve had with some of the players like Buddy Hield, whom I spoke to his agent last week, as well as Clay Thompson, who wants to assist, is what happens if they =get injured? Can the federation provide the insurance, which we could not,” Bowleg stated.

“Now FIBA has come in and they will be providing the insurance for us. So I think once these guys (Bahamian players) contracts are taken care of and now it’s only a matter of us flying them in and getting them t play, I believe we can get the government and corporate sponsors to assist.”

Bowleg, however, said the challenge is for the federation to put together a group of persons who can get the sponsorship drive off the ground.

He noted that Hield, who was just recently traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Sacramento Kings, would be leading the charge in trying to negotiate the best players in the country to come home and represent the Bahamas.

As for the coaching staff, Bowleg said the BBF have a few local coaches that they feel can coach the team, but because of the professional players they intend to invite back home to represent the country, they might be looking at acquiring the services of another international coach as they did in the past.

“I for one has already made it clear that I would like to move on the side and pay more attention to the federation, which is needed to get something like this of the ground,” he insisted. “However, the president might have another opinion on that.

“So when the time come, we will discuss some things that we will put in place.”