BRONZE T-T-O!!! 3x3 ballers deliver T&T’s first 2023 Pan Am medal

As narrated by Trinidad Express journalist Mark Pouchet, “TTO baller Ahkeel Voyd hit the clutchest of clutch shots to earn Team TTO its first medal at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, last night.”

The article recounted that at the Estadio Español, Boyd collected the ball with TTO behind 19-20, under serious pressure from both the clock—with less than five seconds remaining—and a swarming Venezuelan hounding him down beyond the arc.

When the lanky athlete went airborne with 2.1 seconds left, Venezuela’s Nelson Palacios behind him and José Bracho in his face, also climbed with their hands extended. Boyd pumped once and released with his left hand, evading the reach of the Venezuelan’s probing hands.

And as the shot swished through the net, simultaneously as the horn blared to signal that time had expired, for a 21-20 win, the partisan Chilean crowd exploded: “T-T-O! T-T-O!”

The celebrations continued for several minutes after the conclusion of the game and with the Boyd brothers eagerly hugging and lifting each other at the site of this famous and remarkable history—the country’s first ever medal in this format of the game at senior level.

Over the previous two days, the TTO ballers, headed by captain Moriba De Freitas and coached by Christopher Jackson, had become crowd favourites at the intimate venue following two upset wins. First, they shut down the higher-ranked Dominican Republic 22-15 on Saturday, then in the quarter-final they edged Brazil 20-19.

“This was for the young guys for the staff and I hope the powers-that-be understand that these young guys need the support for the sport to grow. (prior to the tour) Support wasn’t at its best, but we came and we pulled through and it’s a good victory for the country,” said coach Jackson.

“It is lovely, plenty of work. We wanted gold, but we have to take what we get right now and this is showing the Federation that they have to support in building Trinbago basketball,” said captain De Freitas.

“We put in the work. Plenty of people didn’t know who we were.” said Boyd (Ahkeel) who sank the incredible winning shot. “I’m sure everybody back home is supporting us and is proud of us for bringing home this medal. Hopefully we can qualify for Paris and win another one!”

Boyd (Ahkeel) sank to his knees in tears describing how much work he endured to reach the medal-winning effort and about his ambitions to become the best player in the world.

That objective may still be some way off. But Boyd and company were good enough for a podium finish yesterday after he himself got the ball with a pretty up and under drive to the basket that he then spinned off the back glass for the opening point.

TTO were on point in those opening minutes, racing to a 6-1 lead after just two minutes and 32 seconds of play. But Venezuela changed tactics, taking their cue from the strategy USA employed to beat Team TTO in their semi-final—USA won 21-9 before going on to win gold 21-15 over Chile.

Venezuela began to increase the pace of the movement off the ball that the TTO players struggled to keep tabs on. That movement off the ball opened up the area beyond the arc or caused the TTO’s defence to lose shape, when De Freitas and company darted to try to prevent the long shots.

Bracho, Palacios and the athletic Ernesto Hernandez took advantage and scores were tied at 13 with 4:19 remaining. TTO went back up to a 16-14 lead through a Chike Augustine lay-up and Ahkeem Boyd’s rebound and put back. The Venes responded over the next period with a pair of drives and lay-ups with 1:35 on the clock.

Boyd sank a two-pointer and then Augustine fouled Palacios who converted two from the line for 18-18 with 35.3 seconds left.

A drive and mid-range shot gave TTO a 19-18 lead before Palacios was fouled again by Augustine. He sank his two foul shots before Boyd performed his miracle shot.

Earlier in their semi-final match, after a competitive start, TTO was humbled by a more efficient, fitter, and mobile USA team. USA used their running-off-the-ball abilities to great gain, especially in the two-point department where they sank 7-of-18, the last three of those coming in the final two minutes of the game.

Source: https://trinidadexpress.com/sports/world/bronze-t-t-o/article (24/10/2023)