Tigers take on the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League

The Dalhousie University Tigers men’s basketball team prepared for their 2026-27 campaign by competing at the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, facing new and competitive National Collegiate Athletic Association teams in Nassau, the capital city of the Bahamas.

The Tigers went 1-2 over a span of three days, while taking on Division 1 schools such as Valparaiso University and Georgia Tech. 

Dalhousie fell to Valparaiso 90-70 before defeating the Nassau-based Commonwealth Bank Giants 113-72. The Tigers then pushed Georgia Tech to overtime, eventually falling 90-89.

Lydell Husbands is headed into his fifth season for the Tigers. He finished last season after averaging a little over 12 points per game and finishing the season as an AUS Second Team All-Star.

“It was like the trip finally made it out of the group chat when we found out we were going,” he says.

Husbands says the tough competition was valuable for the team.

“[Our performance] shows us that we can play with anybody, especially in Canada, because there’s nothing that we’re going to see that’s going to be as good as the teams that we played.”

Despite winning one of three games, Husbands believes the experience and time with the team will prove to be invaluable.

“The biggest take-away for me was that we have a good group of guys. It’s always the most important thing,” says Husbands. “You’re in for a long year if guys don’t like each other or certain guys don’t get along, but we had none of that.’

Ukiah Best, a second-year point guard for the Tigers, echoed Husbands’ sentiment.

“I think it was a real learning experience — just seeing what we need to improve on and how we can work better together as a team as we get to know each other more,” Best says.

The Tigers are coming off a season where they went 7-13 and are looking to turn the page as they gear up for the U Sports men’s basketball Final 8 tournament, which the Tigers will host in Halifax at the Scotiabank Centre. As the hosts, Dalhousie will be granted automatic admission into the tournament.

“We can do some serious damage, because we’re looking like a really good team and we’re going to have a really strong year,” says Glen Cox, a recruit of the Tigers.

Cox, in his fifth year of eligibility, is looking to make his mark with the Tigers this year.

“It’ll be good to see what we can do against teams in our own league after putting on a good showing against teams like [Valparaiso and Georgia Tech].”

The Tigers play their next exhibition game against the University of King’s College on Sept. 17, where they will be looking to expand upon what they learned in the Bahamas.