Flyers Look – By Samuel Peters
Flyers Look Complete Double
The Barbados Flyers have claimed the 2026 ABBA season title, finishing with an impressive 11-3 record, and will now set their sights on completing what would be a historic double when the playoffs get underway on May 5th.
However, heading into the post-season, head coach George Hughes has made it clear that he is far from comfortable about the road ahead.
Speaking ahead of the playoff campaign, Hughes was candid about the challenges posed by the extended pause between the regular season and the post-season competition. “Not good. Not good at all,” he said, when asked about the break. “It’s something that you really don’t want to have. You want to really and truly go into the playoffs with some kind of momentum.”
For a team that has dominated local basketball in recent years — having secured a four-peat of championship titles — maintaining rhythm and sharpness heading into the playoffs is something Hughes considers non-negotiable. The gap in play, he said, has forced him to think outside the box.
“I definitely have to try and be very creative to try and keep the guys loose and in somewhat of game shape,” he explained, adding that the team would return to structured preparation over the weekend after a brief period of rest.
Compounding the challenge is the absence of key playmaker Kenya Achom, who Hughes described as the engine of the team. “He is basically the spark that gets us going. He puts everybody in the right places. He’s our point guard.” Achom is set to travel to the United States to seek further medical attention on his injury and will play no further part this season, leaving a significant void in the Flyers’ setup.
Despite these concerns, Hughes remains composed and focused in his approach. He emphasised that the Flyers do not dwell excessively on opponents, preferring instead to concentrate on executing their own game plan to as close to perfection as possible. The team finished the regular season four games clear of the bottom of the top four, though a pair of 10-4 sides and a 9-5 outfit ensured the competition at the summit was far from one-sided.
With the playoff bracket set to bring those closely-matched rivals into direct confrontation once more, the Flyers will be under no illusions about the difficulty of their task. But if their regular-season form and championship pedigree is anything to go by, Hughes and his squad will be difficult to stop when the ABBA Division 1 resumes.
The playoffs begin on the 5th of May.
