The Tribune

By JONATHAN BURROWS

Tribune Sports Reporter

jburrows@tribunemedia.net

THE Team Bahamas Select team closed out the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League with another valuable test against NCAA Division I opposition yesterday, falling 86-46 to the University of South Carolina at Baha Mar.

The final score was not what head coach Jaraun “Kino” Burrows wanted, but the three-game experience provided exactly what he was looking for from a group that featured professional, college and high school players.

South Carolina used its size, depth and defensive pressure to pull away after a competitive opening half, holding Team Bahamas to 18-of-76 shooting from the field for 23.7 per cent.

The Gamecocks led 39-22 at halftime and opened the second half with a 24-11 run to take control.

Dominick Bridgewater led Team Bahamas with 18 points, three assists, four rebounds and four steals, shooting 7-of-18 from the field and 3-of-9 from three-point range.

Rhiaughn Ferguson added eight points and four rebounds on 4-of-7 shooting, while Zane Knowles also scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds. Tyshawn Wallace finished with six points and Van Hutchinson Jr had three points and seven rebounds.

Ferguson, who is committed to play at Kilgore College, said the opportunity to compete against South Carolina was another step in his development.

“It’s been a great experience,” Ferguson said. “My first time playing was back in, it was like two years ago, and I only got to play one game because I had a fracture in my face and stuff.”

Ferguson said that first experience gave him an appreciation for the level of basketball he needed to reach. “Watching those games really showed me the level I need to get at,” he said. “So I just continued to work, work.”

After returning home this summer and getting another opportunity to play with Team Bahamas Select, Ferguson said he was able to see the results of that work.

“I just trusted the work to the end of it,” he said. “I felt like I played pretty well. I made a couple of mistakes, but that’s what comes with the games.”

The two games he played during this summer’s competition gave Ferguson an opportunity to measure his progress against higher level competition before returning to college.

“I’m glad that I was able to see the level,” he said. “Now I feel like I’m playing up to that level. I still got to take it up a few more steps, but I feel like it was pretty productive two games.”

The experience was also a significant part of what Burrows wanted for the players involved in his Raw Talent programme.

Burrows emphasized that the purpose of playing teams such as South Carolina and Arkansas was not necessarily to win the games, but to expose Bahamian players to the level they will encounter as they pursue opportunities abroad. “No championships are won tonight,” Burrows said. “Only scholarship offers, only exposure, only development. So we feel great.”

He acknowledged the 40-point defeat but said the bigger picture remained positive.

“We had a lot of high school kids that won tonight against $20 million teams,” Burrows said.

“So we just take the lessons from it. Of course we wish we could have been a little bit closer, but with the 15 that we put on paper today, I’m happy with the collective fighting spirit. I’m happy with the intensity. We can keep building the culture.”

The tournament also produced tangible opportunities for several players.

Burrows pointed to Whitfield earning a scholarship opportunity after the Arkansas game, while Javez Coleby received additional attention and was recently ranked No. 74 among players in his class by Rivals.

He said the exposure gained by the group is one of the major benefits of participating in the tournament.

“My kids go back better,” Burrows said. “When they go on a Raw Talent programme in the summer, they get a chance to be around a team behind the basketball court. They all leave better than they come.”

Burrows said the programme is designed to prepare players for the challenges they will face once they leave The Bahamas.

“I’m a tough coach. I’m hard on them. Because when they go to the States, it’s tough. It’s difficult,” he said. “So I try in the short time that I have them to prepare them for the next step.”

South Carolina was led by Kory Mincy, who finished with 15 points, seven assists and four rebounds. The Gamecocks shot 49.2 per cent from the field and made 11 of 29 three-point attempts while recording 25 assists on 30 made baskets.

For Team Bahamas Select, however, the value of the tournament extended beyond the final record.Burrows said every player entered the tournament with an individual objective, whether it was earning a scholarship opportunity, gaining exposure or simply developing his game against stronger competition.

“Everybody on the team has an individual goal,” he said.

“Why are they coming out and fighting in this tournament? What’s most important for me is that everybody leaves better.”

The three-game run at Baha Mar gave Bahamian players an opportunity to compete against high level college programmes while also giving several of the country’s younger players experience that they can take into their upcoming seasons.

“This is just the beginning, but it’s far from the end,” Burrows said.

“Next year, we’re looking for another big year of some of the Baha Mar Hoops. We can keep building and keep creating opportunities and keep developing and keep building the culture that we want for Bahamas Basketball.”