Thursday, September 5, 2019

YOLETT McPhee-McCuin

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#OLE Miss women’s basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is using her platform to spearhead her own fundraising effort, with a focus on the mental health of the victims of Hurricane Dorian’s path of destruction.

#The native Grand Bahamian established a GoFundMe.com account – “Hurricane Dorian relief with Coach Yo” and pledged $5,000 to kickstart the effort.

#“I want to provide mental care, because there will be a lot of psychological damage and in the Bahamas we don’t talk about mental health care, we don’t believe in it, it’s not something we grew up on. I remember I had postpartum (depression) and my mom didn’t really know how to respond to it because it’s just not something that is talked about back home. It it is real and is probably why alcoholism is at a high in the Bahamas, because that’s how people deal with their pain,” McPhee-McCuin said in her video appeal posted on Instagram, “If you are a licensed psychologist and you deal with catastrophic incidents and you want to go home, I hope to raise enough money where I can fly you home, even if it’s for a week at a time so that you can assist in rebuilding our great nation.”

#To date, the fund has raised approximately $16,000.

#“This has been an incredible emotional time for me. I was born and raised in the Bahamas and I was born and raised in Freeport where Hurricane Dorian decided to hover for hours and bring catastrophic blows to my home. I think the toughest thing was being able to see people go through what they are going through and be helpless. Even if I was there right now I would be helpless because I would be under duress,” she said, “I want to use my platform to provide relief for those in need. I will physically go down there and do it but at the same time there are many relief efforts that I am going to support, that I know are legit and are not stealing from my people because that’s the last thing we need.”

#McPhee-McCuin is in the second year of her tenure at the helm of the Rebels’ programme.

#“This is the worst our country has likely ever seen…I’d like to not only help with the provision for supplies and essentials but also counseling/mental care support as the hurricane has taken an unimaginable emotional and psychological toll on adults and children from young to old alike,” she posted in her personal message on the GoFundMe page, “My family and I pledge to personally donate 5k to this effort and my plan is to distribute it and additional contributions to various organizations around the Bahamas that are truly supporting the relief, recovery and wellness of Bahamian people. Once the airports open up I will personally make a trip to ensure funds are used to rebuild our beautiful Island not only physically but mentally.”

#McPhee-McCuin was recently in Grand Bahama when she made an appearance at the Buddy Hield Basketball Camp in July.

#In her first season, the Rebels finished 9-22, 3-13 in Southeastern conference play. They were eliminated in the opening round of the SEC tournament but the season was highlighted by the first ranked road win for the Rebels since 2011 when they defeated the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time since 2007.

#In the offseason, she signed an extension which will run through the 2023 season.

#In addition to increasing their win total by two from the previous year, she also increased the team’s profile off the court throughout Oxford, Mississippi with several community outreach efforts.

#Ole Miss will lose three seniors from last year’s team, but their future includes incoming junior and Bahamian national team standout Valerie Nesbitt.

#The Rebels Bahamian basketball connection also includes men’s team members Franco Miller Jr and Sammy Hunter.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

#Yolett McPhee-McCuin was officially introduced as the head coach of the Women’s Basketball programme at Ole Miss at a press conference in Oxford, Mississippi.

#“The number one goal for the program will be to be better every day, and be better tomorrow than we were the day before,” McPhee-McCuin said today. “That is the focus, and you will hear that a lot, that will be the staple: to get better. The people that I’m going to bring in here and the support that we have is going to put us in a situation where you will be able to witness the process of growth. Anytime that you come on and are building a program – by the way, this is prime real estate here at Ole Miss – you need to be focused on bringing people that understand to embrace the process of growth.”

#McPhee-McCuin made the Dolphins a dominant team in the Atlantic Sun Conference and finished with a 94-63 record (50-24 in ASUN play) and three postseason appearances.

#“When Ole Miss opened up, I was just blown away. I’m unfamiliar with the SEC as far as coaching in it, but I’ve been in the ACC, the Big East, overseas internationally, so I’m not unfamiliar to talent. When Ole Miss opened up I was excited because this is the SEC, it’s the best conference in the country. I do my research too, and this guy (Ross) is a phenomenal leader. His vision is infectious. It’s prime real estate. This is a place where we can do the unthinkable and the unimaginable. One of my good friends, Dabo Swinney, always everything is impossible until you make it happen. I’m excited about the challenge. When I took over Jacksonville, we didn’t have much. And I’m leaving it, I’m proud to say, way better than I found it.”

#Ross Bjork, Ole Miss Rebels vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics, said Coach Yo’s heritage and track record made her a top priority in the programme’s recruitment.

#“Coach Yo is a proven winner,” Bjork said today. “She is a recruiting machine. She develops players. These interpersonal relationships she will develop with her team is a must in college athletics today. She cares about academics. She’s disciplined. She has passion. She has integrity. And above all, she is a leader. The other thing that’s important, and we talked about this, (are) expectations for our basketball program. We also wanted a leader who has vision like we do, really someone who would grasp and have an energetic vision around our program and someone who saw the potential – just like on the men’s side. The other thing about it is that we have resources in place, and someone who could come in and capitalize on those resources was very important.”

#The Rebels ended last season with a 12-19 record and a second round loss in the SEC Tournament.

#“We’re not just hiring a basketball coach. This was a transformational leader who was born to do this and take our program to the next level. We have potential, we have history, we have to rejuvenate and restablish Ole Miss Women’s basketball and Coach Yo is the right person to do that,” Bjork said.

Friday, April 6, 2018

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#YOLETT McPhee-McCuin continues to achieve new milestones and make history for Bahamian basketball.

#Ross Bjork, Ole Miss Rebels vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics, officially announced McPhee-McCuin’s addition as the head coach of the women’s basketball programme for the 2017-18 season.

#“I am extremely humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be the women’s basketball coach at the University of Mississippi,” McPhee-McCuin said.

#“Once I stepped on campus, there was no doubt in my mind that Ole Miss had the potential to be a force to be reckoned with — not only in the SEC, but nationally as well. I’d like to thank Chancellor Vitter and Ross for their complete vote of confidence in me, and I look forward to getting started.”

#The Rebels ended last season with a 12-19 record and a second round loss in the SEC Tournament.

#The daughter of legendary Bahamian coach Gladstone “Moon” McPhee and educator Daisy McPhee, she became the ninth head coach in Rebels history. McPhee-McCuin will be publicly introduced during a press conference at Ole Miss on Friday.

#She completed an historic tenure with the Jacksonville Dolphins where the program accomplished several new feats.

#In her final game at JU, the Dolphins saw their season come to an end in the opening round of the WNIT when they were eliminated with a first round loss to the University of Central Florida Knights.

#It was the second consecutive season, the Jaguars came up just short in a bid for the NCAA Tournament but earned a berth to the WNIT.

#It capped a season where the Dolphins set a new single season program record with 24 wins. In the 2016-17 season, the Dolphins tied the previous record of 23 which tied the old school mark for most wins in a season set back in the 2007-08 season. In the 2015-16 campaign, McPhee-McCuin led the Dolphins to a 22-11 record, the A-Sun tournament title and their first NCAA Tournament championship berth in school history.

#McPhee-McCuin made the Dolphins a dominant team in the Atlantic Sun Conference and finished with a 94-63 record (50-24 in ASUN play) and three postseason appearances.

#She became the first Bahamian head coach in an NCAA Division I basketball programme when she was announced as the Dolphins head coach in April 2013.

#Prior to her time at Jacksonville, McPhee-McCuin was an assistant at Clemson from 2011-13, where she was recognized as one of the top assistants in the nation by National Women’s Basketball Insider. While with the Tigers, McPhee-McCuin solidified her reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country, spearheading the No. 16 class in the nation in her final year at Clemson, which included five McDonalds All-America nominees.

#Before her stint at Clemson, McPhee-McCuin was on staff at Pittsburgh for two seasons in 2009 and 2010. She was part of a pair of postseason appearances with Panthers, who rose to No. 14 in the national rankings and advanced to a Sweet 16.

#Her coaching career also includes stops at Portland, Frank Phillips College and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where she earned her master’s degree in physical education with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

#McPhee-McCuin received her bachelor’s in business management and administration from Rhode Island in 2004, playing in 56 games over her junior and senior years at URI and helping the Rams advance to the 2003 A-10 title game. She played her first two seasons at Miami-Dade Community College.

#She achieved another first in 2013 when she was named the Bahamas’ women’s national basketball team head coach, and McPhee-McCuin immediately set out on her path to seek Olympic qualification for the country at the Tokyo games in 2020.

#Most recently, the team turned in a fifth place finish at the 2017 Women’s Centrobasket Championships. Under McPhee-McCuin’s leadership, the Bahamas finished with the gold medal at the 2015 Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship and automatically qualified for the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Columbia.

#When the Bahamas Basketball Federation chose to revamp its national team programme and its coaching staff, its intention was to bring greater focus and organisation in the sport for the country on the international stage.

#“Yolett McPhee-McCuin was born to teach and coach,” Bjork said. “As the daughter of legendary Bahamian basketball coach Gladstone Moon’ McPhee and her mother a teacher,Coach Yo’ has coaching and leadership running through her DNA. Throughout our search process, it became clear to us: Coach McCuin is a star in the making, and we better secure her leadership before another program does.

#“With her perspective as a collegiate point guard, we know she sees the big picture of what it takes to be successful in the SEC and on the national stage. Coach McCuin’s leadership, style of play, recruiting prowess, energy and passion is exactly what we need right now in order to re-establish Ole Miss Women’s Basketball back to competing for and winning championships. We want to welcome Yolett, Kelly, Yasmine and Yuri to the Ole Miss family.”

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Yolette McPhee-McCuin

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#COACH Yolett McPhee-McCuin hosted her first official practice as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball programme.

#Ole Miss opens the season with a home exhibition with LeMoyne-Owen on November 2, with the regular season slated to begin at home against Norfolk State on November 6.

#“I thought the energy of the group was great. I thought they came out and everyone was excited and locked in,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Obviously there is a lot we need to implement and work on but, for the most part, I felt like they controlled the controllables, which is their attitude and their effort.”

#She was named last April after turning around a Jacksonville programme that had only won 20 games twice in its history prior to her arrival.

#“In my opinion, everyone is a newcomer because everyone is trying to get better. This is a new system for all parties involved. I’m just looking forward to growing with them and getting them to build chemistry on the floor, and that will happen over time.”

#Ole Miss women’s basketball will be featured on national TV during six Southeastern Conference contests.

#All six games will be broadcast on SEC Network, with two coming at home at The Pavilion at Ole Miss on January 6 (Arkansas) and January 20 (Florida), with the other four coming on the road on January 13 (Kentucky), January 27 (Mississippi State), February 18 (Georgia) and February 24 (Arkansas).

#“Anytime there is a new programme, there is a curiosity that’s out there,” McPhee-McCuin said.

#“Ole Miss is a national brand, so a lot of people recognize it already. There’s not a place I go that I don’t hear Hotty Toddy,” she said during a recap of the summer months “I think success for me would be putting out a product on the floor that our fans will be proud of. When you come and watch us play, you can see that there is a new era, and where it is going. You’re going to see young women that enjoy playing the game. You’re going to see young women that enjoy playing with each other and for each other.”

#The Rebels ended last season with a 12-19 record and a second round loss in the SEC Tournament.

#The daughter of legendary Bahamian coach Gladstone “Moon” McPhee and educator Daisy McPhee, she became the ninth head coach in Rebels history.

#Valerie Nesbitt became the first local player signed by McPhee-McCuin in her tenure leading the Rebels. Nesbitt, a sophomore at Chipola College, committed to join the Rebels for the Fall 2019 campaign.

#Prior to her post at Ole Miss, McPhee-McCuin completed an historic tenure with the Jacksonville Dolphins where the programme accomplished several new feats.

#In her final game at JU, the Dolphins saw their season come to an end in the opening round of the WNIT when they were eliminated with a first-round loss to the University of Central Florida Knights.

#It was the second consecutive season the Jaguars came up just short in a bid for the NCAA Tournament but earned a berth to the WNIT. McPhee-McCuin also signed a Bahamian player – Shalonda Neely – to join the programme while at Jacksonville.

More like this story

• Nesbitt will become first local player signed by McPhee-McCuin and Rebels
• McPhee-McCuin ‘humbled’ as Ole Miss Head coach
• Nesbitt’s season with Rebels comes to premature end
• Long-term Rebel: Yolett McPhee-McCuin agrees to new deal
• McPhee-McCuin officially introduced as Ole Miss head coach

BAHAMIAN national team standout Valerie Nesbitt (in action above) will become the first local player signed by Yolett McPhee-McCuin in her tenure as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball programme.

Thursday, August 2, 2018

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BAHAMIAN national team standout Valerie Nesbitt will become the first local player signed by Yolett McPhee-McCuin in her tenure as the head coach of the Ole Miss women’s basketball programme.

#Nesbitt, a sophomore at Chipola College, committed to join the Rebels for the Fall 2019 campaign.

#As a freshman, Nesbitt was awarded a postseason accolade following her first season of collegiate basketball. She was named a Panhandle Conference first team selection as a freshman in the NJCAA ranks.

#The 5’6″ point guard averaged 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 46 per cent from the floor in 26 contests.

#She also totalled a team-leading 50 steals on the season. She finished with 18 points and five assists as the Lady Indians finished their season with a 69-65 loss to No.2 Gulf Cast State.Chipola finished the season 14-13.

#It was her second 18-point performance of the year following a 96-48 win Over Arkansas Baptist in December. She set a season high with 19 points in just her second game of the season, a 72-69 loss to Florida Southwestern.

#She dished a season high eight assists in an 87-51 win over Hillsborough Community College in November.

#Last summer, Nesbitt made her senior national team debut at the FIBA Women’s Centrobasket 2017 in the St Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.

#The Bahamas opened the tournament with a closely contested hard-fought loss to Mexico and went on to also drop decisions against Jamaica, the USVI and Puerto Rico before they won the finale against Guatemala.

#McPhee-McCuin was named the Rebels head coach in April.

#“I am extremely humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be the women’s basketball coach at the University of Mississippi,” McPhee-McCuin said at her appointment in April. “Once I stepped on campus, there was no doubt in my mind that Ole Miss had the potential to be a force to be reckoned with — not only in the SEC, but nationally as well. I’d like to thank Chancellor Vitter and Ross for their complete vote of confidence in me, and I look forward to getting started.”

#The Rebels ended last season with a 12-19 record and a second round loss in the SEC Tournament.

#The daughter of legendary Bahamian coach Gladstone “Moon” McPhee and educator Daisy McPhee, she became the ninth head coach in Rebels history.

#McPhee-McCuin will be publicly introduced during a press conference at Ole Miss on Friday.

#She completed an historic tenure with the Jacksonville Dolphins where the programme accomplished several new feats.

#In her final game at JU, the Dolphins saw their season come to an end in the opening round of the WNIT when they were eliminated with a first-round loss to the University of Central Florida Knights.

#It was the second consecutive season the Jaguars came up just short in a bid for the NCAA Tournament but earned a berth to the WNIT. McPhee-McCuin also signed a Bahamian player – Shalonda Neely – to join the programme while at Jacksonville.

Friday, April 5, 2019

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#The Ole Miss Rebels displayed their long-term commitment to head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her direction of the Women’s Basketball programme with a four-year contract extension.

#McPhee-McCuin, pictured, who became the Rebels head coach exactly a year ago, agreed in principle to the deal yesterday, which will run through the 2023 season.

#“I can’t believe it’s been a year already. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity last year, and to this date the feeling has not changed. I would like to thank vice chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletic Ross Bjork and chancellor Larry Sparks for their vote of confidence in my staff and myself as we take the necessary steps to build this program back into a national brand,” she said.

#“This year has not looked like success as far as wins and losses, but if you had a chance to watch us play this year it is evident that we are heading in the right direction. There is no doubt that with time and continued effort we will be a force to reckon with in the SEC.”

#Her first season as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels’ women’s basketball programme came to an end early in the postseason.

#The Rebels fell to the Florida Gators 67-54 in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.

#The Rebels finished 9-22, 3-13 in conference play. The season was highlighted by the first ranked road win for the Rebels since 2011 when Ole Miss defeated the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time since 2007.

#The team also improved their win total by two from the 2017-18 campaign.

#She also increased the team’s profile off the court throughout Oxford, Mississippi, through several community outreach efforts.

#“I sincerely appreciate everyone that has attended a game, reached out to us on social media and supported our programme,” McPhee-McCuin said.

#“It is my hope that we can continue to fill The Pavilion and make women’s basketball games the place to be in town. Let’s make it known to everyone that Oxford loves women’s basketball. If you haven’t been to a game, let me be the first to invite you to one next season. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.”

#McPhee-McCuin made the Dolphins a dominant team in the Atlantic Sun Conference and finished with a 94-63 record (50-24 in ASUN play) and three post-season appearances.

#She became the first Bahamian head coach in an NCAA Division I basketball programme when she was announced as the Dolphins head coach in April 2013.

#Prior to her time at Jacksonville, McPhee-McCuin was an assistant at Clemson from 2011-13, where she was recognised as one of the top assistants in the nation by National Women’s Basketball Insider.

#While with the Tigers, McPhee-McCuin solidified her reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country, spearheading the No. 16 class in the nation in her final year at Clemson, which included five McDonalds All-America nominees.

#Before her stint at Clemson, McPhee-McCuin was on staff at Pittsburgh for two seasons in 2009 and 2010. She was part of a pair of postseason appearances with Panthers, who rose to No 14 in the national rankings and advanced to a Sweet 16.

#Her coaching career also includes stops at Portland, Frank Phillips College and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where she earned her master’s degree in physical education with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

#McPhee-McCuin received her bachelor’s in business management and administration from Rhode Island in 2004, playing in 56 games over her junior and senior years at URI and helping the Rams advance to the 2003 A-10 title game. She played her first two seasons at Miami-Dade Community College.

#She achieved another first in 2013 when she was named The Bahamas’ women’s national basketball team head coach, and McPhee-McCuin immediately set out on her path to seek Olympic qualification for the country at the Tokyo games in 2020.

#Under McPhee-McCuin’s leadership, The Bahamas finished with the gold medal at the 2015 Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships and turned in a fifth place finish at the 2017 Women’s Centrobasket Championships.

Friday, June 26, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#COACH Yolett McPhee-McCuin continues to use her platform as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels Women’s Basketball programme to lobby for social justice in her adopted home state of Mississippi.

#McPhee-McCuin was one of several coaches and officials from the Mississippi’s public universities to visit the state legislature and voice their support to making changes to the state flag.

#The group that represented Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alcorn State, Delta State, Jackson State, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley State and Southern Mississippi seek to remove the confederate flag from the Mississippi state flag.

#“When my daughters ask me where I was June 25, 2020, I want to be able to look them in the eyes and tell them about this moment,” she tweeted with a photo of the group of coaches. “I’d like to thank our university leaders for supporting me and the rest of my colleagues during this time. We stand United.”

#There has been a growing sentiment from players, coaches and NCAA officials to remove images of the confederate flag from campuses and events.

#Last week, the NCAA officially banned the state from hosting any NCAA championship games until the state flag is changed. It was an expansion of the organisation’s “confederate flag policy.” Mississippi is currently the only state to have the confederate flag as apart of its state flag.

#Also, in the SEC, which includes both Ole Miss and Mississippi State, conference commissioner Greg Sankey said his organisation could also place a postseason ban on the state for use of the current flag.

#“Our students deserve an opportunity to learn and compete in environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all,” he said. “In the event there is no change, there will be consideration of precluding Southeastern Conference championship events from being conducted in the state of Mississippi until the state flag is changed.”

#Last month on the Ole Miss campus, McPhee-McCuin was one of several leaders of Rebels student athletics to lead a Unity Walk on the Oxford, Mississippi campus as protests against police brutality continued across the globe.

#The Grand Bahama native is the school’s first black female head women’s basketball coach. Her programme joined athletic administrators, coaches and student athletes from various sports.

#It was a show of solidarity for Ole Miss athletics as their unity walk coincided with protests across the globe in the wake of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently George Floyd.

#“As athletes and coaches we know how important it is to be believed in. Whether we are cheered on by a sold out stadium or looked up to by one small child-the belief of others in us, their support of us, and their love for us makes a huge difference in the scoreboards that push us to be great. We are here today, realising that a handful of minds, and only a little more than a handful of our time cannot just be a photo op,” McPhee-McCuin.

#“We, black and white are the beneficiaries of the struggle for black freedom – a struggle born generations ago by black people who loved a nation that long considered them at best, second class citizens.

#“And whether through generations of tilling the soil of this state, or through mid 20th century boycotts, sit-ins, or voter registration, generations of black Mississippians sacrificed their own freedoms not just for Freedom Summer, but for the freedoms we enjoy when as athletes and coaches, we run onto the gridiron in the fall, when we hit the hardwood in the spring, and when we blaze the track in the summer too.”

#In her two years at the helm leading the Rebels, McPhee-McCuin has undertaken a rebuilding project.

#At 16-45, Rebels have gone up against 13 nationally ranked squads, 12 of which have come in SEC play.

#Headed into next season, the Rebels will have the No.1 recruiting class in the SEC and No.13 class in the nation for the 2020-2021 campaign.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

YOLETTE McPhee-McCuin

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#YOLETTE McPhee-McCuin was one of several leaders of Ole Miss Rebels student athletics to lead a Unity Walk on the Oxford, Mississippi campus as protests against police brutality continue across the globe.

#The Grand Bahama native is the school’s first black female head women’s basketball coach. Her programme joined athletic administrators, coaches and student athletes from various sports.

#It was a show of solidarity for Ole Miss athletics as their unity walk coincided with protests across the globe in the wake of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently George Floyd.

#“As athletes and coaches we know how important it is to be believed in. Whether we are cheered on by a sold out stadium or looked up to by one small child, the belief of others in us, their support of us, and their love for us makes a huge difference in the scoreboards that push us to be great. We are here today, realising that a handful of minds, and only a little more than a handful of our time cannot just be a photo op,” McPhee-McCuin. “We, black and white are the beneficiaries of the struggle for black freedom – a struggle born generations ago by black people who loved a nation that long considered them at best, second class citizens. And whether through generations of tilling the soil of this state, or through mid-20th century boycotts, sit-ins, or voter registration, generations of black Mississippians sacrificed their own freedoms not just for Freedom Summer, but for the freedoms we enjoy when as athletes and coaches, we run onto the gridiron in the fall, when we hit the hardwood in the spring, and when we blaze the track in the summer too.”

#McPhee-McCuin was one of several speakers to address the rally alongside athletic director Keith Carter, football head coach Lane Kiffin and Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill.

#“As athletes and coaches, we who believe in freedom cannot rest on the euphoria of history making seasons or even championships. Banners and rings, while wonderful, do not keep black athletes or coaches, our families or our friends, safe from the fear of race based discrimination. They most certainly do not keep us safe from the threat of race-based emotional and physical violence. Black sporting achievement, and black coaching achievement, whether as the first best, regularly but point to scoreboards across the nation and world,” she said.

#“Today we gather here, to put a point on the scoreboard for justice. Today we gather here to honour freedom seekers past in solidarity with those justice seekers present. Today, we gather here to say unapologetically, Black Lives Matter.”

#Participants wore t-shirts with the word “UNITY” on the front. Others carried signs ranging from “BLACK LIVES MATTER” to “SILENCE IS NOT OK” to “I AM GEORGE FLOYD.”

#In her two years at the helm leading the Rebels’ McPhee-McCuin has undertaken a rebuilding project. At 16-45, the Rebels have gone up against 13 nationally ranked squads, 12 of which have come in SEC play.

#Headed into next season, the Rebels will have the No.1 recruiting class in the SEC and No.13 class in the nation for the 2020-2021 campaign.

#The state of Mississippi and the Ole Miss campus has been a flashpoint of racial tension during the Civil Rights movement and beyond.

#In 1962, James Meredith was the first black student admitted to a then segregated Ole Miss. Riots ensued between white segregationists and federal and state forces. Two civilians, one a French journalist, were killed during the night, and over 300 people were injured. In 2002 Ole Miss honoured the 40th anniversary of Meredith’s admission with numerous events. A statue of him was installed on campus in his honour.

#The Ole Miss campus is also home to a Confederate monument that has recently become the source of controversy. The statue, which has been on the campus since 1906, was vandalised on May 30 with the words “spiritual genocide” spray painted on each side.

#According to the Associated Press, “the state College Board has delayed acting on a recommendation by university administrators, student leaders and faculty leaders to move the statue from a central spot on campus to a Civil War cemetery that is still on campus but in a secluded location.”

hursday, September 3, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#DESPITE the uncertainty of NCAA basketball, this winter, Ole Miss Women’s Basketball head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin made the most of the opportunity to get her team prepared during summer workouts and to adjust to the “new normal” of sports amid COVID-19.

#The Rebels returned to practice this summer at the Touhey Center in Oxford, Mississippi with new pandemic protocols in place.

#“To say that they’re getting a D1 experience as athletes, as far as amenities are concerned, they’re not,” she told Sports Illustrated. “But we’re not complaining. These kids haven’t complained once about anything. They’re just really grateful to have a place to come and do something that they love.”

#There were no player lounges or locker rooms and open spaces were converted for multi-functional purposes.

#Team meetings took place via Zoom. Players and coaches all wore masks.

#“It’s been tough but they really want to play and they really want to compete,” McPhee-McCuin said. “There haven’t been a lot of complaints, really just reminders. ‘Hey pull your masks up.’ Stuff like that, but that’s something we’ve all had to adjust to.”

#The Rebels are tentatively scheduled to open their season in November as McPhee-McCuin welcomes No.1 recruiting class in the SEC and No.13 class in the nation for the 2020-2021 campaign. The team will also see the return of Bahamian recruit Valerie Nesbitt to the programme for her senior season.

#“We’ll play in some type of capacity. When? That I don’t know. I will say I have a lot of confidence in our leadership,” she said. “Obviously we’re an indoor sport, and that changes some things. But really, I’m glad they’re dealing with football now and we’re not the first ones out of the block.”

#Off the court, McPhee-McCuin continues to use her platform to lobby for social justice in her adopted home state of Mississippi. She was one of several coaches and officials from the Mississippi’s public universities to visit the state legislature and voice their support to making changes to the state flag.

#She was one of several leaders of Rebels student athletics to lead a Unity Walk on the Oxford, Mississippi campus as protest against police brutality continued across the globe.

#The Grand Bahama native is the school’s first black female head women’s basketball coach. Her programme joined athletic administrators, coaches and student athletes from various sports.

STEVEN GARDINER

Friday, May 4, 2018

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#STEVEN Gardiner’s much anticipated race with Botswana’s Isaacs Makwala was a “no contest” as he opened his 2018 400 metre campaign with a record breaking and world leading time of 43.87 seconds in Doha, Qatar.

#In one of the marquee events on Friday to kick off the 2018 IAAF Diamond League, Gardiner erased his national record of 43.89 that he ran in the semifinal of the IAAF World Championships last year on his way to winning the silver medal. He also broke the previous meet record of 44.19.

#As one of three Bahamians competing in the meet, Gardiner, 22, finished the one-lap race well ahead of Qatar’s Abdalleleh Hardoun, who did 44.50 to hold off Makwala, a third place finisher in 44.92.

#Gardiner, the 6-feet, 2-inches native from Abaco, also surpassed Makwala’s previous world leading time of 44.35 that he ran for victory at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia – an event that Gardiner missed because of his travel documents.

#“Based on training and how this year has been going, the 200 is a bit faster now,” said Gardiner, who holds the second fastest time in the half-lap race in his new Bahamian national record of 19.75 that placed him behind Republic of South Africa’s Clarence Munyai with 19.69.

#“Just before I came here, I did a race model and so I’m right on pace. My coach (Gary Evans) told me I would run 43 and I didn’t know if I was going to come through, but he was correct.”

#The two other Bahamians competing in the meet were Donald Thomas and Jamal Wilson in the men’s high jump as the two met for the first time since the Commonwealth Games.

#Thomas, coming of his fourth place finish at the Commonwealth Games, took third place with a leap of 2.30 metres or 7-feet, 6 1/2-inches, while Wilson, the silver medalist in the Gold Coast, was ninth with 2.20m (7-2 1/2).

#Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim, the reigning IAAF World Outdoor and Indoor champion and Olympic silver medalist, soared to victory before the home crowd with a leap of 2.40m (7-10 1/2).

#Next up on the series of 14 meetings in the Diamond League will be Shanghai, China on Saturday, May 12 where Gardiner will be back for a repeat performance in the 400m. He will be joined by Bahamian twin tower Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the women’s 200m.

#Miller-Uibo, 24, will be competing in her first meet since winning the gold medal in the 200m in the Gold Coast. She will face the challenge from two-time world champion Dafne Schippers from the Netherlands.

#See Monday’s Tribune for a comprehensive report.