Wednesday, May 31, 2017

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BALLIN’ By Da Beach Basketball Camp returns to the courts this summer with several new initiatives in place for the 2017 edition. This year’s weeklong event is all set to be hosted June 26-30 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

#The programme was created by Jurelle Nairn in 2010 when she saw a need to place a greater focus on the development of women’s basketball at the youth level.

#Previously a camp exclusively for girls, this year’s event will also be open to boys as well, facilitating players ages 5-18, with packages ranging from $50 to $125. The two camps will be held at the same time but will remain separate.

#SJ Lennon, game operations coordinator for the Toronto Raptors and founder of BallUp Academy, alongside Tim Lewis of Montreat College, Assistant Coach (Ashville, North Carolina) and Crossover Athletics, will conduct the boys’ segment of the camp.

#Familiar camp conductor, Charisse Mapp, will again host the girls’ segment for the eighth time. She is currently the head coach at Charlotte Latin High School (Charlotte, North Carolina) and Founder of Queen City Athletics.

#Mapp, a former player for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was coaching at Salisbury University where she first met Nairn, who served as her assistant coach. When Nairn decided to start theBallin’ By Da Beach Camp, the first person she turned to for assistance was Mapp.

#The 2016 camp was cancelled because of issues with the facilities but Mapp still made the trip to the Bahamas and assisted with summer programmes hosted by Sherelle Cash and Pattie Johnson.

#Camp organisers are expecting both local and international attendees.

#A press release issued by the organisation said: “Our mission is to take a personal interest in every basketball player and coach to help them become game changers on and off the court. Our vision is to build a movement of passionate basketball players by delivering excellence through the game. Our vision inspires us in our daily work. We create a diverse, collaborative, encouraging environment where teamwork and openness are the cornerstones.”

#Since 2010, the camp has featured hundreds of underserved, aspiring student athletes.

#In addition to serving as an assistant at Salisbury University, Nairn has coached the Queen’s College Comets and was an assistant on the women’s national basketball team. “This movement was birthed from my passion to serve and inspire change in the Bahamas through basketball. Since I started playing basketball, God has just graced me with His favour over and over again,” she said during previous editions of the camp. “I can truly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for basketball,” she said. “It has opened doors that would have never been opened had I not played for the right people, in the right place, at the right time.”

#Interested persons can register at www.BBDBCamps.com., with further information via Twitter – @BBDBCamps, Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbdbcamps or E-mail – hello@bbdbcamps.com 

Thursday, August 13, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BALLIN’ By Da Beach Basketball Camp continues its effort of engaging with its participants virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

#The organisation will host a virtual basketball camp, August 24-28, via Zoom.

#The camp is open to both boys and girls ages 5-19 and is free to all registered participants – all that is needed is reliable internet access and a basketball.

#Registration is open at BBFbasketball.com/VBC while interested persons can contact the organisation at 429-7170 for more information.

#The camp promises to feature “five days of high quality training from some of the Bahamas’ best national team, college and high school coaches.”

#Day one will be led by the University of the Bahamas Mingoes men’s basketball head coach – Bacchus Rolle; day two features Bahamas senior men’s national team head coach and Golden State Warriors assistant coach – Chris Demarco; day three will be led by Under-17 Skills Challenge assistant coach – Sanchez Moss, day four features the University of Houston Cougars Assistant Director for Player Development – Mikhal McLean, and the camp will close out on day five with U-17 Skills Challenge head coach and CSA Basketball Founder – Marvin Henfield.

#The schedule from 10:30-12:30 will include skills and drills, themed video fundamentals, mental skills training, leadership development, building basketball IQ and fundamentals in action.

#With its traditional camp cancelled for the summer, BBDB partnered with Global College Access to host the “Student Summer Success Series” – sponsored by the University of the Ozarks.

#The series included nightly Zoom sessions, featuring university presidents, athletic directors, coaches and college admissions leaders. Geared toward high school students, student-athletes, parents, coaches, guidance counsellors, and educational stakeholders, all sessions were free of charge.

#BBDB was created by Jurelle Mullings in 2010 when she saw a need to place a greater focus on the development of women’s basketball at the youth level. She is also the coordinator of the Student-Athlete Resources and Support (STARS) Programme in the Ministry of Education.

#Since 2010, the camp has featured hundreds of underserved, aspiring student athletes.

#In addition to the camp, the organisation also hosts a Recruitment Exposure Showcase to aid aspiring players in their college recruitment process.

#“Our mission is to take a personal interest in every basketball player and coach to help them become game changers on and off the court. Our vision is to build a movement of passionate basketball players by delivering excellence through the game. Our vision inspires us in our daily work. We create a diverse, collaborative, encouraging environment where teamwork and openness are the cornerstones.”

Friday, August 28, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BALLIN’ By Da Beach Basketball Camp’s new venture has been a resounding success over the course of the week as it engaged with hundreds of participants virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

#BBDB, in conjunction with the Bahamas Basketball Federation, hosted its first virtual basketball camp which concludes today via Zoom. Free to all registered participants the camp has featured five days of high quality training from some of the Bahamas’ best national team, college and high school coaches.

#BBDB was created by Jurelle Mullings in 2010 when she saw a need to place a greater focus on the development of women’s basketball at the youth level. She is also the coordinator of the Student-Athlete Resources and Support (STARS) Programme in the Ministry of Education.

#“I feel that we accomplished our goals which are for the kids to have fun, grow and learn something new to get better,” she said.

#“We will have to take it day-by-day to see how this gradual reopening evolves and how we are able to co-exist with COVID-19 and hopefully sports will return soon.

#“Maybe it will not return in the way we know it, but return in another fashion where kids can compete and still be safe and healthy.

#“As far as regular play is concerned, our definition is going to have to change – that is the way I see it. It leaves the door open for innovation in sports.”

#The camp is scheduled to close out today.

#Under-17 Skills Challenge head coach and CSA Basketball Founder Marvin Henfield is the lead coach for the Skills and Drills segment.

#The schedule each day began with a warmup session led by Macfit 360 personal trainer – Kayle Fox.

#Following Henfield, Dr Simeon Hinsey – founder of the iYes, will lead the mental skills training; Geno Bullard Jr – Head Coach at San Antonio Prep Community Middle School, will head leadership development; Rashad McKenzie – Head Coach at CH Reeves will cover building basketball IQ while Sunland Baptist Assistant Coaches Denzel Knowles and McDonald Jean Louis will conduct themed video fundamentals.

#Other coaches over the course of the camp included University of the Bahamas Mingoes men’s basketball head coach – Bacchus Rolle, Bahamas senior men’s national team head coach and Golden State Warriors assistant coach – Chris Demarco, University of Houston Cougars Assistant Director for Player Development – Mikhal McLean and many others.

#The camp represented the second virtual initiative for BBDB during the COVID-19 pandemic.

#With its traditional camp cancelled for the summer, BBDB partnered with Global College Access to host the “Student Summer Success Series” – sponsored by the University of the Ozarks.

#The series included nightly Zoom sessions, featuring university presidents, athletic directors, coaches and college admissions leaders.

#Geared toward high school students, student-athletes, parents, coaches, guidance counsellors, and educational stakeholders, all sessions were free of charge.

#Since 2010, the camp has featured hundreds of underserved, aspiring student athletes.

#In addition to the camp, the organisation also hosts a Recruitment Exposure Showcase to aid aspiring players in their college recruitment process.

#“Our mission is to take a personal interest in every basketball player and coach to help them become game changers on and off the court. Our vision is to build a movement of passionate basketball players by delivering excellence through the game. Our vision inspires us in our daily work. We create a diverse, collaborative, encouraging environment where teamwork and openness are the cornerstones.”

As of Wednesday, September 5, 2018

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#After watching the success of its beach soccer programme take off over the last few years, the Bahamas Football Association will now switch its attention back to its once vibrant grass soccer programme.

#The first step back to prominence will begin this weekend when the federation sends the men’s national soccer team off to Belize today to participate in the first game of the CONCACAF League of Nations.

#It’s a new national team competition platform designed to maximise the quality, quantity and frequency of competitive matches for all member associations and they are based on a league structure in which the national teams of the Confederation’s 41 member associations will be included.

#The teams will be divided into three different leagues – based on their sporting level – with a champion to be crowned at the end of each edition. Over the next six months, the Bahamas will eventually play a total of four matches, two of which will be at home.

#However, they will begin the League of Nations on the road this weekend and Larry Minns, the ambassador for football in the island nation, who has been selected as the manager of Team Bahamas, said they are ready for the journey.

#“This gives the smaller countries to bridge the gap against the bigger countries,” Minns said. “Normally we would go for 3-4 days and play a match and it’s over. This Nation’s Cup is every year. So it gives the smaller countries a chance to develop.”

#Team Bahamas will play Antigua and Barbuda in October and then they will play Anguilla, both here at home. Next year, the Bahamas will play their fourth game on the road in Guadeloupe against Dominica, who unfortunately won’t be able to host the game because of the effects of a hurricane.

#Team Bahamas will have a relatively young team, coached by Dion Godet, but Minns said they have some veterans who they will lean on to steer the ship as they play in the series of games.

#Making up the team, comprising of at least eight players who are playing overseas, are Chadwick Russell, 19, Mario Johnson, 16, Ian Lowe, 15, Valin Bodie, 23, Lesly St Fleur, 29, Marcel Joseph, 21, Terry Delancy, 24, Johnathan Miller, 20, Troy Pinder, 21, Isaiah Collie, 21, Jaelin Williams, 20, Duane Beneby, 25, Chris Rahming, 19 and Ethan Willie, 19.

#Beneby, making his third appearance on the men’s national soccer team, said the tournament is good for Team Bahamas because they haven’t played a game since 2015 when they faced Bermuda in the World Cup qualifier.

#“We’re looking at four matches over the next four-five months so that is really great for us,” Bodie stated. “I don’t think in our history of playing soccer that we would have played that much games in such a short space of time. So it’s giving us a lot of chances to get a lot more exposure, a lot more experience. This is a really young team with the average age being about 21 with the oldest player being 28 and the youngest at 15.”

#Beneby, however, said they have a solid core of players that should represent the Bahamas very well and put up a good performance in Belize.

#“We have a handful of veterans, but the majority of the players are very young,” he said. “Some of their nerves might be on them, but we have a good mixture of veterans and youth to be able to pull us through and give a good representation of the country.”

#Bodie said they are looking at developing this team in a four-year programme, which should pay off dividends for them down the road for the growth of football in the Bahamas.

#“For the past four years, we haven’t had a game,” Bodie said. “So we usually play a game, wait for four years and play another game. But this brings more growth to the sport.

#“Personally, I like how the federation is using the younger players but, at the same time, they are bringing in the more experienced players to help us out. It’s going to be important for us to grow up fast, not just for us, but for the country.”

#With players like Sturrup and St Fleur, the team captain, Bodie said they will be relying on their strength which is their defence and once they can hold their own, he feels that their offence will come through.

#And Rahming, who is home on a break from England, said based on the training that they have gone through in preparation for the games, they will do very well, despite being such a young team.

#“I think over the summer we have grown together,” he said. “We will be playing to our strength, which is our speed and defence. So if we play to our advantage, I feel we will do very well.”

#Although they have a number of players overseas, Rahming said they can assure the Bahamian public that they should “not sleep on us.”

#Garry Markham, the BFA’s technical director, said they have spent the past three months putting the team together and with this being the Bahamas’ first game in three years, it will be a challenge, but one that he’s confident that they will overcome.

#“We’re in an ironic position in that a lot of our guys are away in college and the beauty of that is that they are on scholarships and that is because they are playing soccer,” he said.

#“So bringing them back is a short-term process, but we have four games coming up and this one first will be a test. But they have been working hard and are fitness tough to do very well in Belize.”

#As a young team, the expectations are not as high as it would be if it was a more experienced team. But Markham said the good thing is that they will get to gel together from the bottom and move up to the top as a uniformed group, which is good for the Bahamas.

#Through this tournament, Markham said they hope to get better and the players are aware of that and once that all comes together, the Bahamas will be able to resurge to the top of the chart again.

#“You can’t deny the fact that beach soccer has really helped to boost the sport in the Bahamas,” Markham said. “But our aim now is to get grass soccer back and we hope this is a step in the right direction with this young team that we have assembled for the CONCACAF League of Nations.

#“We can compete on both beach and grass, but we want to get the whole nation to start playing football as a whole and we know that we will be able to achieve that, once we can get both playing at a high level on the international scene.”

Friday, March 8, 2019

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bahamas Football Association has announced that their men’s and under-17 boys teams will be heading off next week to compete in two different tournaments.

#The men’s team, now under the supervision of talented player Nesly Jean, will head to Jacksonville, Florida, to take part in a preparation camp geared towards their participation in two international events.

#On March 16, the team will take on the Turks and Caicos men’s national team in a friendly match to get the team prepared for their next Nations League match.

#On March 23, the Bahamas will take on Monaco in an away game in their Nations League match.

#The Bahamas is coming off a 6-0 loss and a 1-1 tie to Antigua and Barbuda as well as a 4-0 loss to Belize.

#Jean, who played on the team, will be moving up to supervise the coaching staff as he takes over from Dion Godet, who previously coached the team.

#Godet had said last year that he felt he had taken the national team as far as he could and he would meet with the BFA to discuss his replacement.

#Jean nor Godet were available for comments on the changeover.

#During the camp, Jean is expected to select the players who will go on to play in the National League Cup. A number of players from various schools in the United States are expected to join some of the locally based players in the camp.

#Meanwhile, the BFA also released the names of the players who will represent the country on the under-17 boys’ team that will head to Bradenton, Florida for the CONCACAF Under-17 boys championship qualifying round.

#The team will leave on March 15. They will play four matches out of Group C against Guadeloupe, Aruba, Saint Martin and Bonaire.

#Larry Minns is the team manager, the head coach is Paul James, assisted by Carlton Adderley. The team’s physician is Dr Laurette Isaacs-Brown.

#The team members are Mario Johnson, Ian Lowe, Elijah Mitchell, Dereck Ferguson, Kenaz Swain, Kyle Ferguson, Luke Lockhart, Camrawn Cox, Reon Davis, Carlysle Brown, Terrance Chisholm, Dominic Archer, Mason Lowe, Alonzo Smith, McLean Goodfellow, Michael Strachan and Daylan Russell.

#The team will continue their nightly training at the Roscow Davies Soccer Field in preparation for their departure next week.

#On March 17, the team will play its opener against Aruba. Their second game will be played on March 21 against Bonaire. The third game is set for March 23 against Guadeloupe and the final game March 25 against Saint Martin.

As of Wednesday, October 3, 2018

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#THE UB Mingoes men’s soccer team defeated the Dynamos Football Club 3-0 in a preseason scrimmage Sunday as the Mingoes look to defend their Bahamas Football Association (BFA) championship title.

#Stuart Hanna, the team’s leading scorer last season, scored twice – once on a penalty and in the 80th minute.

#Tevin Lewis scored the other goal for the Mingoes in the 65th minute in the match at The Roscow AL Davies Soccer Field.

#“This was a good first local preseason game where a lot of the new players on the team were able to get their feet wet,” Hanna said. “We were able to see where we fall short and where we need to improve in order to remain the top club in the country. We need to improve on accurate passing in the final third as well as we need to move the ball faster.”

#The Mingoes won the BFA A-Division last season. The BFA season is scheduled to open on October 21.

#The scrimmage also gave coach Dion Godet a chance to try out some players in different positions and in different combinations heading into the season.

#“In the first half, I played not necessarily my strongest squad and they held their own and they earned the right to be on the pitch,” he said. “Then we put on the stronger squad in the second half and being a team that’s very fit we were able to get into a groove and we played some good football today.”

#Coach Godet pointed out that the Dynamos Club is no pushover and the fact that the team held its own gave him a good feeling for the season.

#“I saw a lot of maturity from my players and I was pleased with the start,” he said.

#“Hopefully we continue to grow on this as we continue into the season.”

#The Mingoes ended last BFA season with a 8-1-0 record and the league championship.

Chris Godet and Cristiano Ronaldo at the One & Only Ocean Club, Paradise Island.

As of Tuesday, June 23, 2015

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#By RASHAD ROLLE

#Tribune Staff Reporter

#rrolle@tribunemedia.net

#AN ordinary Saturday at the beach for 17-year-old Christopher Godet turned unforgettable over the weekend when he met his idol, soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, in the crystal clear waters at Paradise Island.

#His first trip to the Bahamas, the Real Madrid star was frolicking on the One & Only Ocean Club beach with his young son, Cristiano Jr, in celebration of his fifth birthday.

#Christopher discovered Ronaldo while cooling down following an intense gym workout.

#An aspiring footballer himself, the 6ft 2in centre back who plays for the Bahamas national team was nervous about approaching the world’s best player, but threw caution to the wind and came away happy.  

#“I saw him with his son and I figured he was on vacation,” Christopher told The Tribune. “(He wasn’t unapproachable) but I did have to think for a second before I went over there. I swam out and spoke to him for a little while. It wasn’t a long conversation. I introduced myself, said who I was, said I played a little soccer for my national team and asked him about his stay in the Bahamas, to which he said he’s enjoying it and that he loved the water. He said the Bahamas is a very beautiful place.”  

#As if meeting his idol once wasn’t enough, the 17-year-old met Ronaldo again at the Ocean Club gym yesterday morning; and this time he brought a gift with him.

#“When I spoke to him (yesterday morning) he said he remembered me from Saturday and I thanked him for signing a ball and a shirt of mine by giving him one of our (national football team) shirts as a thank you gift for his time.”

#For Christopher, Ronaldo represents the pinnacle of excellence in his sport. “Seeing him face-to-face is surreal,” he said. “You could always look online and see pictures of him shirtless and all that. But up and close you see the incredible work he puts into his body. “The way he plays, he’s so quick and powerful and I was able to see that this morning when he was in the gym working out. The effort that goes into being the best player in the world, like riding the bike for about six miles straight and finishing after about 24 minutes doing that is what I got to see. My goal is to try and get to that level.”

#Christopher was graduated from Queen’s College last week and will head to Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, Pennslyvania, in September on a soccer scholarship to major in Information Technology.

#He is the son of Dion Godet, the Bahamas national team coach and Director of Sales at Tribune Radio. His mother, Rionda, is a prominent lawyer and a former journalist.

#Having represented the Bahamas at all age group levels, Christopher made his debut for the country’s senior team in the World Cup qualifying match against Bermuda in March.

#“I’ve always loved the game,” he said, adding: “It was around 2012 that I really decided this is what I want to do.” Such has been his dedication that he was a youth referee in addition to being a player and level D badge coach.

Friday, September 9, 2016

LEFT: Darlington School boys NPL soccer champions. RIGHT: Darlington School under-19 champions with their medals.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#TERRY Joseph Mosko has been leading by example for the Bahamian soccer connection at Darlington School Academy in Rome, Georgia.

#Affectionately called “TJ,” Mosko has not only been named the co-captain of the boys’ under-18 team this year, but he has been one of their leading scorers in the three years he has been on the team.

TERRY JOE MOSKO in action against Shorter University.

#“I’ve been here for three years now and with the new guys coming in, I’ve been trying to set the bar high at the beginning of the season, so that we can go into the season very strong,” Mosko told The Tribune.

#As the leader of the team that includes fellow 12th grader Chris Rahming and 11th grader Ethan Willie, Mosko said there’s still a lot of work for them to do, but they have a very good group of young players that are capable of performing very well this year.

#“We’re moving forward as a team. We have a little rocky path right now, but as the season progresses, we will work through them and will only get better,” said Mosko, who along with Rahming is 17 years old.

#When he first enrolled at Darlington School, Mosko admitted that it wasn’t an easy transition, but he managed to get through it and now he’s trying to pass on as much of his knowledge to his teammates before he makes the next step to the collegiate level.

#Assistant coach Kevin Ray said Mosko and the rest of the Bahamian players have been a welcome addition to Darlington School because of the high level of performance that they brought to Georgia.

#“This is my fifth year in the programme but our academy director, Chad Little, is in his 13th year. He’s had a number of kids coming from the islands when he first started the academy,” said Ray, who also serves as the director of soccer academy operations.

#“Every year, Chad will go to the Bahamas and he’s worked with the (Bahamas Football) Association and the local coaches there and he’s encouraged them to send their players to Darlington so that they can be seen and get ready to play at the next level, which is college football.”

#Little, the soccer head coach, normally makes his annual trip to the Bahamas for the Darlington School Fair in November and they’ve had an opportunity to develop a solid working relationship with the Bahamas and the BFA.

#“TJ has evolved from a young player into a very mature player on our team,” Ray stressed.

#“He’s now in his senior year and he’s one of our captains and he came in ready to play. He played exceptionally this weekend in the CASL Qualifier as Darlington won all four games they played in Raleigh, North Carolina.

#Mosko clinched Darlington’s opening 1-0 win on a penalty shot and he came through with one of the goals in their 3-0 victory in their final game.  While they finished in a 0-0 tie in their second game, Willie struck for one of the goals in their 3-1 win in their third game.

#“Ethan is a new kid to me, but he came in this year as a very strong and powerful kid and so we are expecting some great things from him,” Ray stated.

#“Chris has been with us for the four years and he has also blossomed into an accomplished player and he should be getting some good looks from colleges as will TJ.”

#Ray said they also have high expectations for Anthony Dias, a 10th grader on their under-16/17 boys team.

#“He’s growing every day. He stepped up playing in the centre back or full back role and he’s been an exceptionally gifted defender,” Ray said. “I think there will be a lot of good things to come from him as well.”

#Last year, Mosko and Rahming helped Darlington School to capture the Gulf State National Premier League regular season as the number one team in their group before they went on to win the tournament against the top four teams.

#The NPL Finals is US Club Soccer’s league-base national championship.

#This year, Darlington has already gotten their season started with a 4-2-2 win-loss-draw record and next weekend they will be back in action when they travel to Gulfport, Mississippi to officially start their US Club Soccer League.

#In total, over the 10-month period, Darlington will play about 40-50 games, including a few friendly games like the one they did on August 29 against Shorter University where they won 1-0 at home.

#With the way the Bahamian connection, led by Mosko, has been performing, Ray said they are hoping that at the end of the season, Darlington School will repeat as the NPL champions.

#And when they’re done, Mosko said he and Rahming are looking forward to taking their talent to the next level in college as they are still looking at all of the options ahead of them.

Friday, August 28, 2020

CHRISTOPHER Godet

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#CHRISTOPHER Godet, one of the Bahamas men’s national soccer team players, is leaving town today to return to Rome, Italy to take up an assistant coaching job and resume his semi professional career as a player.

#Godet, 22, left today to assist with the coaching staff at the American University of Roma SMI programme, a job he secured during his past season in Rome.

#“When I was doing my classes, we did coaching courses, coaching theories and we had to demonstrate it on the field,” Godet said. “I got a chance to put what I learned into practice, so I jumped right at it.”

#Having spent the past year in Rome, Godet said he also learned to speak the Italian language fluently, but unfortunately since returning home in March, he didn’t put it into use because he was isolated at home in the coronavirus pandemic.

#However, he said he can formulate a conversation that will enable him to get his point across as he interacts with the players on the team he will be assisting as a coach and those he will be joining as teammates on the team he will eventually sign up to play with professionally. “When I go back there, I will get a chance to play with one of the club teams in one of the leagues in the city,” Godet said. “When the clubs open practice, they will make it known what positions they need and once you are available, you can take advantage of it. So I hope to get a spot on one of the teams.

#“These are legitimate clubs in the league. Unlike here (in the Bahamas Football League) where we only have one league, there are at least 10 leagues in Rome, so there’s sufficient opportunity for me to get a chance to play on one of them. You’re just not under any big contract.”

#In preparation for his return to the field, Godet did some individual training due to the fact that the country was locked down for the majority of the time he was home with his parents, Dion and Rionda Godet.

#Prior to heading to Rome, Godet played for the Mount Aloysius Mounties in Cresson, Pennsylvania after he graduated from Queen’s College in 2015.

#“I’ve been doing the zone training (implemented by the BFA’s national team) and running on my own,” Godet said. “I’ve also been lifting weights to ensure that I stay fit.”

#While the economy is expected to start to reopen on Monday, there has not been any indication of what will happen to the landscape of sports in the country.

#Godet advised local soccer players to not rush into anything, but to gradually get back on the soccer field when they get the go ahead. “I know the players are eager to play, but as with everything, they will have to ease back into it,” said Godet, in offering some advice as a league player/coach with the Bears Football Club and also as a referee in the youth programme.

#“You know that you haven’t worked out in three months, so you don’t want to just rush into it, but rather take your time doing it, knowing where you were before the break and what it will take to get you back there.”

#Like his father, Dion, who was a previous coach of the men’s national team, Godet intends to not only come back and make his continued contribution as a member of the team, but hopefully in the long run he will use his expertise as a coach when he returns home from Europe.

#“I’m looking forward to coming home and playing on the national team, if I get the call,” said Godet of the men’s national team that will play in the CONCACAF Qualifying Round for the World Cup later this year.

#“I’d like to also use my coaching experience to give back to the BFA because they invested in me at no monetary cost to me. So whenever and whatever I can do to help, I want to be able to do it.”

#Through his participation on an under-15 and two under-17 national teams, Godet said he was able to secure his athletic scholarship to Mount Aloysius Mounties.

#Last year, he made his first senior national team against Dominica (although he didn’t play because he was injured) and he hopes to be back for the CONCACAF team.

#“We have a good team and anything could happen when the tournament comes around,” said Godet .

#“A lot of the teams have been training. We may not have been together as a team because of our situation here with the coronavirus, but the players have been working out on their own.

#“So I am confident that they will be ready when the team comes together.”

#As he gets set to travel, Godet said he will have to provide a negative COVID-19 test result, which he has secured and he will have to be quarantined for at least two weeks when he gets into Rome.

#“I’ve done my COVID testing and my housing is waiting on my arrival,” said Godet, who will be right in time for the start of school at American University of Roma on September 21.

#Godet said he’s just as eager to get back to Rome to pick up where he left off before he returned home in March, despite all that is going on with the coronavirus.

Monday, August 31, 2020

LUCIUS Fox

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#LUCIUS Fox had a simple message for the Kansas City Royals fan base after he was traded to the team last week:

#“Ready to work,” Fox said via Twitter, “KC you’re getting my all.”

#Fox is now listed at No. 26 in the Royals organisation among its minor league prospects. “We talked to Tampa about Fox for quite some time, not necessarily about Brett Phillips,” Royals assistant general manager Scott Sharp told reporters on a Zoom call. “[Fox] is just a really interesting athlete. He has three options left. He is using one this year.”

#Fox was traded for the second time in his career when the Tampa Bay Rays sent him to the Royals in exchange for outfielder Brett Phillips.

#Fox, 23, has been listed at shortstop for the duration of his career but saw time at centrefield, secondbase and thirdbase during Spring Training. He was listed as an infielder/outfielder for the Rays’ 2020 player pool.

#“He is a switch-hitter,” said Sharp. “He plays shortstop. He can play second base. Some people have talked about him possibly playing centre field because of his speed element. He has played at the upper levels of the Minors at a young age.”

#The Rays’ loaded prospect list at shortstop includes the No.1 player overall in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 – Wander Franco, No. 49 overall Vidal Brujan (second base/shortstop) and No.77 overall Xavier Edwards (secondbase/shortstop).

#Fox immediately joined the Royals’ 40-man roster and was assigned to the Royals’ alternate site at T-Bones Stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.

#He was a member of the Rays’ taxi squad this season and was assigned to the club’s alternate training site this season.

#He saw playing time during MLB Spring Training and Summer Camp, most recently in a pair of intrasquad scrimmages ahead of the regular season opener.

#The Royals are currently 13-20 on the season, fifth in the American League Central.

#Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox was set to make his 2020 debut in AAA baseball with the Durham Bulls of the International League.

#He spent 15 games last season with the Bulls, but spent the bulk of the year with the Montgomery Biscuits in the AA Southern League. He went on to lead the Southern League with 39 stolen bases. In 119 games last season across both leagues (104 with the Biscuits) Fox hit .221 with a .331 OBP and a .657 OPS. He totalled 90 hits including 16 doubles, nine triples, three home runs, 34 RBIs, and scored 66 runs.