Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard signals from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Elon on November 15 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#COMPLETE Sports Management’s Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis tips off another edition today as the Atlantis hosts the premier early season NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

#The 2019 B4A, which runs through November 29, will feature another outstanding field, headlined by the North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC), the Gonzaga Bulldogs (WCC), the Seton Hall Pirates (Big East) and Oregon Ducks (PAC 12).

#The remainder of the field also includes the Michigan Wolverines (BIG 10) Iowa State Cyclones (BIG 12), Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC) and Southern Mississippi Eagles (C-USA).

#Four members of the field are currently ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, including No.6 North Carolina, No.8 Gonzaga, No.11 Oregon and No.13 Seton Hall.

#Former Wolverine and NBA player Juwan Howard is in his first year at the helm as head coach of the programme.

#“Overall we are really excited about being here in The Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis. This is Michigan’s second time and my first and we are looking forward to the match-up. Overall this will be a great experience for our team to compete in some high-level competition.

#“We know it’s a very high level and tough competition, but we are built for the competition. We prepared for this,” he said. “This is a beautiful island and the people here are so warm and inviting and they have done an excellent job of just opening up their island and just showing us how special this island is. I think it’s beautiful that the Michigan family has embraced this opportunity and we are just looking forward to each and every day and I know on Saturday there will be some sad faces, not because we are going back to a colder Michigan, but because we are leaving a beach and ocean – thank you Bahamas!”

#Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm said: “We are here this year at one of the best pre-season tournaments in the country but we are here because of the guys that played before us. All these great guys before us led the way to put us in this tournament so we really challenge our guys to honour them and honour Iowa State while we are down here. So we are excited to be here. We’ve got an unbelievable field, four of the top 15 teams.”

#Sophomore guard Tyrese Haliburton noted the adjustment to shooting in the Imperial Ballroom.

#“At first it’s just like you’re on a long flight so you’re just getting to shooting but it’s the same as any gym and it’s just a little bit different because of depth perception and things like that but you get used to it,” he said.

#Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner said he considered it a privilege for his programme to be featured among the great schools playing in the B4A.

#“Southern Mississippi University is excited about being a part of the Battle 4 Atlantis. We feel it’s the most prestigious holiday tournament there is, and for us to be able to participate is a great honour. We have an extremely young team. We’re certainly new in our programme, myself and our staff, taking over in the beginning of May last year so we’re still in a learning process with our team, and excited with the progress that we’ve made so far,” he said. “We’ve got a long way to go and this is a huge step up in competition for us. It’s a great opportunity for our programme and for our young guys to experience where we want to be eventually with our programme, and that’s at the level of the competition that’s here.”

#Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard said the tournament will be an effective early season test for his team.

#“This will be the test of where we are and where we have to go because the teams we are playing, they all play different styles,” he said. “Oregon is extremely fast-paced and push the pace but then defensively they try to muck it up a little bit and slow you down and do a lot of switching and then your next opponent will be totally different so I think for moving forward it’s a lot like you see in the Big East or a Big East tournament where you have three different styles on three different nights so it prepares the players and the coaches to kind of adapt very quickly and that is what I love about these tournaments.”

#Several programmes have participated in community outreach efforts, including Alabama’s visit to the Ranfurly Home, North Carolina’s visit to the Bahamas Children’s Emergency Hostel and Oregon’s visit to Sandilands Primary school.

#“I’d like to see that get a little more attention, it was really a neat deal,” Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams said on his team’s donation drive to support hurricane relief. “That was almost an emotional experience going over there and doing those kinds of things.

#“We very seldom give enough attention to the good things that college basketball players do, and this was really a neat deal.”

#Tar Heels senior guard Brandon Robinson also spearheaded a communication and no-profit senior project where he raised money and awareness for the post-Dorian relief. They donated the items to the Children’s Emergency Hostel on Sunday.

#“It was over 1,000 pounds of items, a lot of stuff. [We delivered it] the first day we got here, Sunday, so we went straight there and delivered it,” Robinson said.

#Alabama head coach Nate Oats said his team’s community service efforts at the Ranfurly Home also had a great impact on the players.

#“It was actually great,” he said. “The guy that ran it explained to our guys that their numbers basically doubled after the hurricane, because they brought so many kids in from Freeport so it’s kind of overcrowded now. I thought our guys did a really good job with interacting with the kids there. It was 11-17 year olds, and now with the Freeport kids coming in they’ve got some 7-, 8-10-year-olds. It shows you what kind of high-character kids you have when guys go out of their way to help people that will never really be able to help them. I thought it was great, and pretty moving, the struggles these kids have gone through, so if we win or lose a basketball game it’s really not that big a deal compared to what these kids have been through.”

#The Tar Heels participated in the 2014 tournament where they finished fifth.

#Gonzaga and Michigan were both in the 2015 event where they finished third and fifth respectively.

#TODAY’s

#Schedule

#Game 1 – Michigan vs Iowa State, 12pm (ESPN)

#Game 2 – No. 6 North Carolina vs Alabama, 2:30pm (ESPN)

#Game 3 – No. 8 Gonzaga vs Southern Miss, 7pm (ESPN)

#Game 4 – No. 13 Seton Hall vs No. 11 Oregon, 9:30pm (ESPN2)

Monday, November 26, 2018

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis will look to continue its momentum and build on its brand with another tournament played at a high level, featuring some of the best teams in America.

#The 2019 tournament will feature another outstanding field, setting the stage for the Gonzaga Bulldogs (WCC), North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC) and Michigan Wolverines (BIG 10) to headline the 8-team group.

#The remainder of the field also includes the Oregon Ducks (PAC 12), Seton Hall Pirates (Big East), Iowa State Cyclones (BIG 12), Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC) and Southern Mississippi Eagles (C-USA).

#The tournament will again be hosted at the Atlantis resort’s Imperial Arena, November 27-29 during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

#Three members of the field are currently ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 Poll including No.4 Gonzaga, No.7 North Carolina and No.9 Michigan.

#Those three teams will also make their return to the Bahamas for their second appearance at the B4A.

#The Tar Heels participated in the 2014 tournament where they finished fifth.

#Gonzaga and Michigan were both in the 2015 event where they finished third and fifth respectively.

#This 2019 field includes five teams that advanced to the previous NCAA Tournament (North Carolina, Gonzaga, Michigan and Seton Hall) and advanced to the round of 32.

#Gonzaga also advanced to the Sweet 16 and Michigan advanced to NCAA Tournament title game where they finished as runners-up.

#The most recent edition of the tournament featured the title-winning No.4 Virginia Cavaliers, No. 25 Wisconsin Badgers, Florida Gators, Butler Bulldogs, Dayton Flyers, Stanford Cardinal, Oklahoma Sooners and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.

#The tournament is known for being the richest Division I Men’s pre-season college basketball tournament. Schools are awarded $2 million in exchange for their participation in the event.

Friday, November 29, 2019

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#COMPLETE Sports Management’s Battle 4 Atlantis brand is set to expand in 2020.

#The inaugural B4A Women’s Tournament will be hosted November 21-23, 2020 at the Atlantis resort’s Imperial Arena, featuring an eight-team field of elite Division I programmes.

#The field will include the Marquette Golden Eagles (Big East), Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big 10), Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12), Oregon Ducks (Pac 12), South Carolina Gamecocks (SEC), South Florida Bulls (American Athletic Conference), Syracuse Orangewomen (ACC) and Central Michigan Chippewas (Mid American)

#The announcement was aired live on ESPN during halftime of the men’s tournament matchup between No.8 Gonzaga and No.11 Oregon.

#The 2020 men’s tournament, presented by Bad Boy Mowers, is set to feature another star-studded field in 2020 with one former tournament champion and one of the most recognised names in NCAA Division I basketball.

#The Duke Blue Devils (ACC) will headline the field along with the Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10), Texas A & M Aggies (SEC), West Virginia Mountaineers (Big 12), Utah Utes (PAC 12), Creighton Bluejays (Big East), Wichita State Shockers (AAC) and Marshall (C-USA).

#Duke won the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis and will be one of several returning teams along with Texas A & M, Utah and Wichita State.

#West Virginia, Ohio State and Creighton will make their tournament debut.

Monday, April 27, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#WHILE the COVID-19 pandemic continues to force the rescheduling of sporting events around the world, plans continue for The Bahamas to be a major sports tourism destination and home of Complete Sports Management’s Battle 4 Atlantis.

#The field for the 2021 edition of the tournament was recently revealed featuring several returning programmes.

#The UConn Huskies (American Athletic Conference) will make their third tournament appearance while the Syracuse Orange (ACC), Michigan State Spartans (Big 10), and Virginia Commonwealth Rams (A10) will make their second appearance.

#The remainder of the field includes the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12), Arizona State Sun Devils (PAC 12), Auburn Tigers (SEC) and Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (Missouri Valley Conference) making their B4A debut in the 2021 field.

#The Orange previously won the tournament in 2015 and went on to advance to the NCAA Final Four that season.

#Despite the COVID-19 pandemic creating an aura of uncertainty, the B4A brand is set to expand in 2020. The inaugural B4A Women’s Tournament will be hosted November 21-23, 2020 at the Atlantis resort’s Imperial Arena, featuring an eight-team field of elite Division I programmes.

#The field will include the Marquette Golden Eagles (Big East), Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big 10), Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12), Oregon Ducks (Pac 12), South Carolina Gamecocks (SEC), South Florida Bulls (American Athletic Conference), Syracuse Orangewomen (ACC) and Central Michigan Chippewas (Mid American)

#The 2020 men’s tournament, presented by Bad Boy Mowers, is set to feature another star-studded field in 2020 with one former tournament champion and one of the most recognised names in NCAA Division I basketball.

#The Duke Blue Devils (ACC) will headline the field along with the Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10), Texas A & M Aggies (SEC), West Virginia Mountaineers (Big 12), Utah Utes (PAC 12), Creighton Bluejays (Big East), Wichita State Shockers (AAC) and Marshall (C-USA).

#Duke won the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis and will be one of several returning teams along with Texas A & M, Utah and Wichita State.

#West Virginia, Ohio State and Creighton will make their tournament debut.

By Renaldo Dorsett

Thursday, September 17, 2020

#The Bahamas’ sports tourism product continues to suffer from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic with several major events on the local calendar relocated or postponed.

#The latest casualties were Complete Sport Management’s Battle 4 Atlantis presented by Bad Boy Mowers and bd Global’s Islands of the Bahamas Showcase. Both events will be relocated to respective locations in the United States.

#The Battle 4 Atlantis, the longest running of the two events, has become one of the heralded in-season tournaments in college basketball.

#According to a report by CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, the 2020 edition tournament will now be hosted in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

#It marks the first time since its inception in 2011 that the event will be held outside of The Bahamas and the Atlantis resort.

#Games will be played at the Sanford Pentagon which opened in September 2013 and has a seating capacity of 3,250 spectators. It hosts the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League.

#The Atlantis resort delayed its reopening in July. However, no new date has been identified.

#The 2020 tournament is set to feature another star-studded field in 2020 with one former tournament champion and one of the most recognised names in NCAA Division I basketball.

#The Duke Blue Devils (ACC) will headline the field along with the Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10), Texas A & M Aggies (SEC), West Virginia Mountaineers (Big 12), Utah Utes (PAC 12), Creighton Bluejays (Big East), Wichita State Shockers (AAC) and Memhis (AAC).

#The Battle 4 Atlantis brand was also set to expand in 2020 with the inaugural B4A Women’s Tournament featuring an eight-team field of elite Division I programmes.

#The field will include the Marquette Golden Eagles (Big East), Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big 10), Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12), Oregon Ducks (Pac 12), South Carolina Gamecocks (SEC), South Florida Bulls (American Athletic Conference), Syracuse Orangewomen (ACC) and Central Michigan Chippewas (Mid American).

#The field for the 2021 edition of the tournament was recently revealed featuring several returning programmes. The UConn Huskies (American Athletic Conference) will make their third tournament appearance while the Syracuse Orange (ACC), Michigan State Spartans (Big 10), and Virginia Commonwealth Rams (A10) will make their second appearance.

#The remainder of the field includes the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12), Arizona State Sun Devils (PAC 12), Auburn Tigers (SEC) and Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (Missouri Valley Conference) making their B4A debut in the 2021 field.

#The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase was set to enter its fourth edition. In 2017 and 2018 it was hosted at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium and shifted to the Baha Mar Resort in 2019.

#According to Rothstein, the 2020 edition of the tournament will be relocated to Naples, Florida.

#The field includes Austin Peay, Drake, Drexel, Iona, Loyola Marymount, and Toledo.

#The tournament is a product of BD Global, an event management and public relations firm, and one of the largest providers of college basketball content in the United States.

#Its previous work in the Bahamas has included two Web.com Tour events, the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay and the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club on Winding Bay.

#The partnership between bd Global Sports, the Baha Mar Resort and the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation produced an initiative to relocate its events to Baha Mar following Hurricane Dorian.

#Baha Mar recently issued a statement further delaying the opening of its resort.

#According to Tribune Business, the Cable Beach mega resort, and its Melia Nassau Beach property, hinted strongly they may not re-open until Christmas at earliest – and possibly not until 2021.

Teleos Cherubims in action against Zion Academy. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune staff

\ Tuesday, March 5, 201

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Temple Christian Suns and Teleos Cherubims controlled the outcome of the opening games in their respective best-of-three Bahamas Scholastic Sports Association’s best-of-three championship series at the DW Davis Gymnasium yesterday.

#In their mini-boys matchup, the two-time defending champions Suns moved one game closer to a threepeat with a 18-7 win over the Queen’s College Comets.

#The Cherubims, however, made the most noise as their fans cheered on their teams as three other divisional finals got underway.

#However, Zion Baptist Academy was able to silence them with a 31-26 decision in the senior boys’ finale after Teloes’ senior girls knocked off Freedom Baptist 24-14, while their intermediate boys got past San Pedros International 33-29 and their primary took care of Jordan Prince Williams Falcons 17-13.

#• Here’s a summary of the games played:

#Suns 18, Comets 7

#Zion Thompson single-handedly outscored Queen’s College mini-boys by himself with a game high 10 points, including five as they opened a 7-3 margin at the half.

#“Game one was closer than I expected,” said Temple Christian’s coach Keno Demeritte. “It was a challenge. I love the way they came out and played from the break. All season, we battled with that team so I knew it was going to be a good game.

#“I’m just glad that my boys came out and executed at the end of the game to pull away. Hopefully we will come back on Wednesday and try and finish it off.”

#Talon Higgs scored all seven points for the Comets in a losing effort.

#“A lot of our guys are just learning, but they like the game of basketball,” said Eugene Horton, of the Giants’ coaches. “The whole idea is to let them have fun. Win, lose or draw, we are just going to have fun. But we will have to be more aggressive in game two.”

#Cherubims 24, Warriors 14

#Ladesha Johnson came up with eight points, G’Ashanique Finlay had seven, Brenelle Colebrook six and Erin Wilson three to lead a potent offensive attack for Teleos’ senior girls.

#“We need a lot of work. We had a lot of errors, but hopefully tomorrow we can pull it all together and win it in two straight,” said Teleos’ coach Tanisha Joseph. “We have to work on our fast break, getting the passes off and hitting our free throws.”

#Both Keitrah Duncombe and Tatianne Russell had four and Brinique Wilson three in a losing effort. Teleos opened a 5-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended it to 13-5 at the half. They stayed ahead for a 17-7 margin at the end of the third, but Freedom Baptist matched them with seven in the fourth to close the gap a bit.

#“The girls just need to stick to the fundamentals and slow the game down,” said Freedom Baptist coach Josiah Major. “We were rushing a lot of our possessions and not trusting each other. Once they can calm down and do that, the sky is the limit for us.”

#Cherubims 17, Falcons 13: Andrew Bethel scored a game high nine points, including four in the first half as Teleos opened a 9-5 advantage and never looked back.

#Mortino Butler chipped in with three, all coming in the first quarter.

#“We are a bit banged up, but we will be okay,” said Teloes’ coach Yves Pierre. “We just have to come out and play. Hopefully with a little bit of rest, we will be ready for game two on Wednesday.”

#Philip Robinson had five in the loss for Jordan Prince Williams.

#“The guys came out a little sluggish at the beginning. We started to fight later in the half, but unfortunately it was a bit too late,” said Falcons’ coach Philip Hanna,

#For game two, he said they will have to “rebound” because their opponents have some “great talent” for primary boys.

#Cherubims 33, San Pedros International 29

#In a keenly contested intermediate boys showdown, Shamar Wallace poured in a game high 19 points to set the stage for Teleos.

#Rico Wallace added seven and Jermaine Coakley chipped in with five.

#Omarion Wallace scored 11, Andrew Capron had seven and Tanarjeo Moss finished with four in the loss.

#Zion Academy 31, Teleos 26

#In putting a stop to Teleos’ dominance on day one, Mark Charles produced 11 points to pace Zion Academy to their victory.

#Chadwick Gills also had 11 in a losing effort for the Cherubims.

#Today’s schedule,

#starting at 4pm:

#Freedom Baptist vs

#Teleos Academy

#(Senior girls)

#Temple Christian vs

#Hillcrest Academy

#(Primary girls)

#Teleos vs

#Akhepran International

#(Junior boys)

As of Wednesday, January 16, 2019

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Temple Christian Suns retained their mini boys and primary girls titles as the Freedom Baptist Academy’s sixth annual Majority Rule Basketball Tournament concluded over the weekend.

#And at the end of the two-day tournament on Saturday at the Anatol Rodgers Gymnasium, the Teleos Cherubims and DW Davis Pitbulls faced each other as they split the mini and junior boys’ crowns. There were no teams entered this year in the junior girls’ division.

#Temple Christian’s head coach Keno Demeritte commended Jerome Lucas and Mikhilo Strachan for guiding the Suns to their repeat performances in the primary divisions.

#“Both teams remained poised and focused throughout the tournament,” Demeritte said. “They worked together as a unit from players 1-10 with good ball movement, tight defence and they followed instructions to the T.

#“We did not have any selfish ball play, but everyone looked for one another on offence and covered their teammates’ back on defence. It was a complete team effort.”

#Suns 7, Genesis 2

#Coach Strachan gave his team the wake up call message at the half and they responded, breaking away from a 2-2 tie to surge to victory.

#Terelle McCoy and Danielle Moore provided three and two points respectively in the second half. Danielle Nixon scored their only two points in the first half.

#Suns 14, Freedom Baptist 10

#After they played to a 4-4 tie in the half, coach Lucas got his Temple Christian mini boys to step it up in the second half as they clinched the victory.

#Tavion Farrington scored all of his four points in the second half to preserve the win. Jahiem Pennerman had five, including three in the first quarter, to help out.

#In a losing effort, Lionel Rolle canned a game high 10 points, including six in the second half on three free throws and a three-pointer to try and keep Freedom Baptist in the game.

#Cherubims 28, Royals 27

#For the second time in the two days of the tournament, Teleos got the better of DW Davis as they repeated as the primary boys’ champions.

#Martino Butler hit the game winning free throw as he finished with nine points, but it was Andrew Bethel who paced Teleos with a game high 13 points, including six in the second half.

#The game was tied 14-14 at the half. “This one felt even better than the last one, beating DW Davis,” said Teleos’ coach Yves Pierre, referring to their victory on day one of the tournament on Thursday. “It felt like a chess match. It was a grudge match. It was a challenge. My boys are not as experienced as DW Davis. This was actually a test for us for whatever is left for us for the remainder of the season.”

#It was the third title this season for Teleos, who added to the Father Marcian Peters Invitational and the Pinewood Gardens Homecoming victories they got in December. Tayshan Butler and Jansley Lewis scored 10 and seven respectively in the loss.

#Royals 37, Cherubims 16

#There was no way that coach Mark Hanna was going to leave the tournament without a title. After his DW Davis primary boys lost a close encounter, he got his junior boys to apply the pressure against Teleos.

#The Royals held a slim 13-10 margin at the half, but in the second half, the combination of Keith Forbes, with six points, Daniel Joseph with five and both Philip Dawkins and Santino Sawyer with four apiece, got the job done.

#Sawyer finished with 10 points, Forbes had eight and both Joseph and Dawkins came up with seven as they sealed the deal.

#Michael Albury and Ricardo Riley all had eight and six points apiece in a losing effort.

#“This was a good mid-season tournament,” coach Hanna said. “This gave me a chance to evaluate the team and find out who my core eight guys are going into the final run in the GSSSA.”

#The Royals are currently 4-0 and are poised to secure their fourth straight title. Hanna said it was good for them to get some competition from the CH Reeves Raptors, one of their arch-rivals to gauge where they are at this point in the season.

#DW Davis knocked off CH Reeves in what could have been the championship in the matchup to get to the final. In that game, Frederick King scored a game high 20 points, Dawkins had six and Sawyer five for the Royals.

#For the Raptors, coached by Rashad McKenzie, Donte Saunders scored nine and both Jadyn Farrington and Backley Cadet had five each.

#Pastor Vincent Major, the administrator at Freedom Baptist, said the tournament turned out to be one of their best ever. “I think this tournament was exciting and tremendous. It was great to see the young people from the schools come out and participate,” Pastor Major said. “I was very impressed with Genesis Academy because even though they didn’t have the best teams, they made an effort in bringing two teams to compete.”

#Unfortunately, Pastor Major said his Freedom Academy didn’t win any of the titles, but their players learned the value that it is not all about winning, but rather participating.

#For the past three years, Stanford Davis has helped to organise the tournament and serve as the head coach referee.

#“I really appreciate this opportunity because I see a lot of new friendships being formed and the children’s attitude are changing,” Davis said. “I think they are understanding what is Bahamian because most of the kids know that it’s not about winning or losing, but developing that friendship and getting to know Christ.”

#He commended Pastor Major and his wife for following the vision that God has given them to go out and reach the young people through the basketball tournament in their unique outreach programme.

#Norleen Henfield headed the team of statisticians, who kept record of the games played.

Wednesday, January 16, 2020

The Teleos Cherubims.

The DW Davis Royals.

THE Temple Christian Suns.

#THE Temple Christian Suns retained their mini boys and primary girls titles as the Freedom Baptist Academy’s sixth annual Majority Rule Basketball Tournament concluded over the weekend.

#And at the end of the two-day tournament on Saturday at the Anatol Rodgers Gymnasium, the Teleos Cherubims and DW Davis Royals faced each other as they split the mini and junior boys’ crowns. There were no teams entered this year in the junior girls’ division.

#Temple Christian’s head coach Keno Demeritte commended Jerome Lucas and Mikhilo Strachan for guiding the Suns to their repeat performances in the primary divisions.

#“Both teams remained poised and focused throughout the tournament,” Demeritte said. “They worked together as a unit from players 1-10 with good ball movement, tight defence and they followed instructions to the T.

#“We did not have any selfish ball play, but everyone looked for one another on offence and covered their teammates’ back on defence. It was a complete team effort.”

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Members of Temple Christian Suns with their awards won in the mini division.

The Temple Christian Suns and coach Keno Demeritte receive their primary girls awards.

Coach Keno Demeritte (right) with his Temple Christian Suns’ championship primary boys team.

#THE Temple Christian Academy’s 10th annual pre-season basketball tournament ended last week with the Suns completing a clean sweep of three titles on their home court at the Temple Christian Auditorium.

#Temple Christian, coached by Nekeno ‘Keno’ Demeritte, captured the mini divisional title with a 6-4 win over the Queen’s College Comets as Ralph Burrows was named the most valuable player.

#In the primary girls’ division, the Suns knocked off Freedom Baptist 10-0 as Azzaria Marshall earned the MVP honours and in the primary boys, Tyler Fraiser got the MVP as they nipped the Jordan Prince Williams Falcons 18-17.

#This year’s tournament, according to Demeritte, was one of the most competitive with 12 teams entered in the primary boys, eight in the primary girls and four in the mini divisions.

#Teams entered were from Queen’s College, Kingsway Academy, St Francis & St Joseph, Teleos, Genesis Academy, Freedom Baptist Academy and host Temple Christian.

#“The tournament was very good. The games were really exciting,” Demeritte stated.

#In the mini championship game, both teams traded baskets for the lead until Temple Christian secured the game-winning shot.

#In the primary girls, the Suns shined from start to finish as they shut out Freedom Baptist Academy.

#And in the primary boys, the Falcons led 8-2 at the half, but the Suns rallied in the second half to clinch the title.

#“It was a very competitive tournament this year and we are looking forward to next year,” Demeritte said.

#“We hope that we can come back next year and repeat as champions.”

Extreme Athletic Basketball Club, in its 10th consecutive year, has moved from Temple Christian Academy auditorium to the DW Davis gymnasium. Photos by Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

As of Tuesday, August 13, 2019

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#For the 10th consecutive year, coach Nekeno Demeritte has hosted the Extreme Athletic Basketball Club. This year, however, he has had to move the venue from Temple Christian Academy auditorium to the DW Davis gymnasium.

#Now into its third and final week, Demeritte said yesterday that it was originally designed for the students and players of his Temple Christian Academy Suns basketball team, but they’ve had requests from players from other schools and they have accommodated them.

#“This is the first year where the numbers were not as we normally would have, but we thank God for the average of about 45 kids a week who have been attending,” Demeritte said.

#During the camp, Demeritte and his instructors took the campers through a dribbling exercise in week one.

#Week two was geared to form shooting, passing and defence. This final week, the campers will get to put it all together in a fun environment.

#Among the instructors assisting Demeritte are Candice Smith, a physical education teacher from Mangrove Cay, Andros, Kyle Alcine, Ryan Roberts and Maikail Strachan.

#Having been a part of the camp since its inception, Smith said she enjoys coming to New Providence every year to assist Demeritte.

#“I think it’s good to teach the younger ones and even some of the older ones, the fundamentals of basketball,” Smith stated. “It’s been good. I think every year it gets better. So it’s good that we can get them at such an early age.”

#And when some of her students come from Andros to spend their summer vacation in New Providence, Smith said she makes it a point to encourage them to attend the camp to further develop their skills.

#“This is something that is needed and I hope that we can get it into our Family Islands,” stressed Smith, who has been on the island for the past five years. “We have a lot of talent on those islands that need exposure too.”

#Azarria Lashley, an 11-year-old, said she has been a part of the camp since she was in grade one at Temple Christian and she loves it.

#“It feels amazing,” said Lashley, who will be entering grade six at Temple Christian and plays the guard position for the Suns girls’ team. “This helps me to get better so that we can beat the other teams when we play them.”

#As for her coach, Lashley said Demeritte is “okay.”

#Samuel Aquino Jr, also 11, is making his first appearance at the camp. He will also be entering Temple Christian Academy for the first time this year in grade seven, so he wanted to get acclimated to the programme.

#“My dad sent me here so that I can improve my game,” Aquino Jr said. “I’m doing okay. My dad wants me to play on the basketball team, so this is a good opportunity for me to be here.”

#The camp will wrap up on Friday.