The Bahamas women’s national basketball team’s Interim Head Coach Wayde Watson said he is impressed with the mix of local, collegiate and professional players, who have turned out to compete for a spot on the team that will represent the country at the upcoming FIBA Women’s Caribbean Cup, scheduled for June 17-21 in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Watson said he plans to make a final decision on the roster in June, just before the tournament begins.
“I am looking for athletes that will accept their roles, athletes that will do what they can to help out the team and athletes that are willing to be coached,” Watson said.
“We have a good crop of athletes coming out and even more commitments from collegiate athletes that will look to represent the country. In the next couple days, I will begin to put together a playbook, and will try to see which athletes will be able to follow through on the way I want to play. I believe in ball movement. I’m not a coach that likes one player to dominate the ball, that’s just not the way the I operate. I like to work the ball down low and attack the paint and work inside out.”
One of those low post players that Watson will rely on heavily is former North Carolina standout Walteia Rolle. The 6’6” centre recently was added to the pool of players that will represent the country at the regional competition.
“I’m happy to have a player with Walteia’s experience playing for us,” Watson added.
“She brings a certain composure that you just can’t teach at this point. Quite frankly, one of the best players that I have seen in some time. But not just Walteia, we have several players with a lot of experience. We also have a good young point guard in Valerie Nesbitt making her way back home shortly, and also another good post player in Leashja Grant. So, we are really expecting to compete in the region.”
In the tournament, The Bahamas will be placed in Group A where they will play Cuba at 4:30pm on Sunday, June 17 and the Virgin Islands on Monday, June 18 at the same time.
The first and second place teams from Group A and B, comprised of Guyana, Barbados and Dominica, will advance to the semi-finals and final that will take place June 20-21.
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