🌎 Resumen en español · traducción automática
Mikhail McLean, asistente técnico del equipo de baloncesto de Kentucky, fue nombrado entrenador en jefe de la Selección Nacional de Hombres de Bahamas, cargo que comenzará con las clasificatorias de la Copa Mundial en julio donde el equipo necesita dos victorias para avanzar a la segunda ronda. McLean, originario de Nassau, mantendrá su puesto con el equipo de Kentucky bajo la dirección de Mark Pope y se reincorporará a tiempo completo cuando comience el semestre de otoño. La Selección de Bahamas cuenta con estrellas de la NBA como Buddy Hield y Deandre Ayton, y el equipo estuvo cerca de clasificarse a los Juegos Olímpicos 2024 tras perder la final ante España.
Traducción y resumen generados por IA a partir del artículo en inglés. Puede contener errores; consulte el texto original.
Kentucky men’s basketball assistant coach Mikhail McLean has been named head coach of The Bahamas National Team, UK Athletics announced Wednesday. McLean’s tenure with the Caribbean nation will begin with World Cup qualifying in July, where The Bahamas faces crucial games to advance in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers.
A native of Nassau, McLean said the position represents a lifelong dream. “It is a great honor to be named the head coach for The Bahamas Senior Men’s National Team,” he said in a statement. “Representing my country is something that I take immense pride in and will never take it for granted.”
McLean’s appointment comes as The Bahamas enters its final first-round window of qualifying, requiring two victories to confirm advancement to the second round. The team will host Jamaica on July 3 and Puerto Rico on July 6 at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium in Nassau. Currently tied with Puerto Rico at 1-3 overall, the Bahamian squad sits in fourth place in Group B, behind undefeated Canada and Jamaica.
The Bahamas roster features NBA standouts including Buddy Hield and Deandre Ayton, giving McLean considerable talent to work with. The national team came tantalizingly close to Olympic qualification in 2024, falling one game short after a championship loss to Spain, but notched impressive victories over Poland and Finland during that run.
McLean will retain his role with UK’s basketball staff under head coach Mark Pope. He will miss a few weeks of summer practice but returns as a full-time assistant when the fall semester begins. Mark Pope praised his assistant, calling McLean “one of the bright young coaching stars in basketball right now.”
McLean joined the Wildcats in June 2024 and played a key role in Kentucky’s first-season success under Pope. The 2024-25 Wildcats went 24-12 and advanced to the Sweet 16, tying an NCAA record with eight wins over Associated Press Top 15 teams and setting a program record with 341 made 3-pointers. McLean worked closely with center Amari Williams, who posted the fourth triple-double in program history and led the team in assists.
Before joining Kentucky, McLean spent three seasons as an assistant at Lamar, where the Cardinals compiled their best NCAA Division I record since 2011-12 with a 19-14 mark in 2023-24. He also served six seasons on the Houston coaching staff, helping the Cougars to American Athletic Conference titles in 2019 and 2020 and two Sweet 16 appearances.
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from UK Athletics, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/06/10/uks-mikhail-mclean-named-head-coach-of-bahamian-national-team/.
