Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield helps Bahamas win Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament
The Bahamas Men's basketball team capped off a huge week for the program with a victory over Argentina on Sunday, which made the team the champions of a pre-qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The final score of the title game was 82-75, and the game itself was played in Santiago del Estero, meaning it was a true road game for the Bahamas. They took down Argentina earlier in the week during group stage play as well.
It is one of the better results in the history of the Bahamas basketball program. Phoenix Suns players Deandre Ayton and Eric Gordon were great for the squad throughout the week, and Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield was often the team's leading scorer. He and Gordon shared lead ball handling duties.
The Bahamas squad opened up the competition by crushing Cuba 109-68. Hield led the Bahamas with 24 points while adding six rebounds and five assists. It was clear early in the tournament that he was going to be an important player for the squad.
Two days later, the team had their most impressive win of the tournament — the aforementioned group stage win over the Argentine hosts. Hield and co trailed by 12 after one quarter and needed to pull off a comeback against a talented group, but they had little issue. Over the course of the final three frames, the Bahamas outscored Argentina 76-52. Hield finished with 23 points, but it was his defense that was more impressive on that night.
That victory propelled the Bahamas to the top of Group A, putting them against Uruguay in the first round of the knockout stage. Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco is the head coach for the Bahamas, and he vaulted the squad to the top of the tournament's power rankings.
They crushed Uruguay in the semifinals 78-62. Hield had 17 points in the win, knocking down five of his seven two-point attempts.
That set up another date between the Bahamas and Argentina in the finals. The Pacers guard and his teammates once again fell behind early, but that was nothing new. They had the blueprint for a comeback win over the hosts.
This time, they waited until the fourth quarter to take over the game. The Bahamas outscored Argentina 23-12 in the final frame to secure the seven-point win. Eric Gordon was excellent and finished with 27 points while Hield added 15.
"GREATEST little country in the WORLD!" Bahamas Press tweeted after the game.
Hield finished the tournament with averages of 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He shot 43.5% from the field and 29.3% from deep in his four appearances. That is on top of his 37 total points against the University of Kansas in two games earlier in the Summer.
The Bahamas are still alive in their quest for Olympic play and will participate in another qualifying tournament next July. If they do well again at that time, they could qualify for the 2024 Olympics. They have never made the Olympics before.
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