After concluding his seventh season with the Warriors, Assistant Coach Chris DeMarco is island-bound for part of the summer to lend his leadership to the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s senior men’s national team. DeMarco has previous experience with the national program, serving as an assistant in the recent FIBA (International Basketball Federation) World Cup Qualifiers.

“My coaching experience at the World Cup Qualifiers last summer allowed me to see first-hand how skilled, passionate and tough-minded the Bahamian players are,” he shared. “As a group, they’re very high-character individuals on and off the court. I believe the program will continue to grow under Mario Bowleg’s (President of the BBF) leadership and we have a shared vision of our goals moving forward.

The Bahamas Basketball Federation is growing exponentially, with the idyllic island producing promising talent such as Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield and several others throughout the years. The Warriors’ very own Klay Thompson has strong ties to the Bahamas, where his father Mychal Thompson became not only the first Bahamian basketball player drafted in the NBA, but also the first-ever foreign-born player to be a No. 1 draft pick in 1978.

“There is a ton of talent in the Bahamas,” DeMarco said. “We will run camps in the summer and try to implement a system not only for the senior players, but for the youth as well so when we get to the second- and third-tier level of players.”

With the Dubs officially in the off-season, he will look to translate the championship experience he’s gained with the Warriors to cultivating a maturing basketball program with no shortage of talent and unlimited potential.