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Swimmer Lamar Taylor holds off a trio of professional basketball players for the top honor
- Sheldon Longley and Simba French
- Jan 2, 2024 Updated 1 hr ago
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It was a tough task for a three-member panel to select The Nassau Guardian’s Senior Male Athlete of the Year, but in the end, it was senior men’s national team swimmer and collegiate Lamar Taylor who came away with the honor with 44 points.
Taylor held off senior men’s national team basketball players Eric Gordon who was second with 40 points and DeAndre Ayton and Chavano “Buddy” Hield who were tied for third with 36 points. All three are in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Taylor kept lowering his 50 meters (m) free record all season and left it at 22.13 seconds going into 2024. He set the new mark at the Pan Am Games, winning a bronze medal. Only
Americans Curtiss David, who won in 21.85 seconds, and Johnathan Kulow, who was second in 21.90 seconds, finished ahead of Taylor in that race.
Taylor came away with a gold and a bronze in the 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle events at the CAC Games. He won the gold medal in the 50m back with a personal best and national record time of 25.08 seconds. He swam for the bronze medal in the 50m free in a time of 22.51 seconds.
Taylor, who attends Henderson State University, won three NCAA Division II swimming titles this year, becoming the first Henderson State Reddies swimmer to win three national titles at one meet. At the NCAA Division II Swimming Championships back in March, the Bahamian was able to touch the wall first in the 50-yard free with a time of 19.24 seconds. He then won the 100-yard back with a time of 46.42 seconds. Taylor wrapped up his competition with a time of 42.30 seconds in the 100-yard free.
Apart from winning those three titles, Taylor was named the Great American Conference (GAC) Male Athlete of the Year, the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference (NSISC) Male Swimmer of the Year, the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division II Male Swimmer of the Year and also the Henderson State Male Athlete of the Year.
Taylor is looking to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Gordon was instrumental in helping the senior men’s national basketball team advance to the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Olympic Qualifying Tournament when they won the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Americas Tournament in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, in August, 2023. Gordon was instrumental in the championship game of that tournament when he came alive in the fourth quarter to help The Bahamas take down host nation Argentina, 82-75. He scored 11 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter and went 8-for-13 from the field. The Phoenix Suns’ guard went 6-for-7 from deep for the game including three in the fourth quarter. He led The Bahamas with an average of 20.3 points per game.https://dd1b891b36f03c463e8fbb252001e0ae.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
On the NBA scene, Gordon is averaging 13.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game and the Suns sport a 17-15 win/loss record.
Ayton averaged a double-double in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Americas Tournament with 15.5 points and a team-high 13.8 rebounds per game. Hield averaged 19.8 points and 4.8 rebounds to go along with 3.3 assists per game.
The trio will look to make history again when they come together for a chance to get The Bahamas to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament is set for July 2-6, 2024, in Valencia, Spain. The Bahamas has to win that tournament in order to move on to the Olympics in men’s basketball.