As of Monday, December 13, 2021

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE National Sports Authority has a new board and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg has mandated them to go out around the world and bring the “Sports in Paradise” brand to the various facilities under the jurisdiction for the 52 weeks of the year.

#Bowleg introduced the new board during a press conference on Friday in the foyer of the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

#Calling them a “new, energetic board,” Bowleg announced the members, which include Greg Burrows Sr as the chairman, Grafton Ifill Jr as the deputy, Director of Sports Timothy Munnings (statutory member) and NSA general manager Quinton Brennen (statutory member), along with Bahamas Basketball Federation representative Moses Johnson, basketball Hall of Famer Keith ‘Belzee’ Smith, volleyball Hall of Famer Margaret ‘Muggy’ Albury, Felice Albury and Nicole Pratt.

#“This board is made up of a diverse group of young men and women, who believe have the necessary resources and assets and mindset to take this National Sports Authority to the next level,” said Bowleg, of the board he said is made up of former bankers, businessmen and women and CPAs.

#“The whole idea in the lounge of Sports in Paradise is to ensure that these facilities are occupied within the 52 weeks of the year by bringing the various disciplines and events to our shores that would also impact us economically through sports tourism.”

#Without going into any details, Bowleg said having read the controversial report of the previous board where the auditor general Terrance Bastian discovered some irregularities that took place financially, he’s concerned about what transpired.

#But while he assured the public that where any legal action is warranted, the Bahamas Government will pursue that course for those guilty. He stated that as the leader of this board appointed by himself, he will take responsibility for any infractions.

#He also revealed that very shortly, he intends to release the names of those persons appointed to the Sports Advisory Board that will be mandated for sports policies and how to assist the various federations and associations.

#As it further relates to the NSA Board, Bowleg said they will not sit back and wait for events to come to them.

#“The mandate of this board is to go around the world and seek events and bring them back to this country,” said Bowleg, referring to the collegiate Final Four and the various professional league’s playoffs and championships where they will set up booths to sell the facilities to entice people to want to host their events in Sports in Paradise.

#Without letting the “cat out of the bag,” Bowleg said his ministry will also engage our elite athletes as sports ambassadors as well as persons in culture as culture ambassadors to assist in the promotion of the Bahamas.

#On Friday, the new board will get its first taste of competition when they oversee the seventh edition of the Bahamas Bowl football game between the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the Toledo Rockets at 1pm Friday at the TAR National Stadium.

#The game, Bowleg reminded the public, is free of charge and will be carried live on ESPN.

#From July 7-11, the inaugural Babe Ruth Region Caribbean Championship and International Baseball Tournament will be staged here.

#Bowleg, however, said the new Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium may not be ready, but they hope to have the two adjacent fields prepared for the event. “Myself and the Minister of Works, Alfred Sears, are scheduled to meet with the contractor next week to get an update and get a timeline on when the work will be finished,” Bowleg said.

#“There’s some funding that is owed to the contractor, which we hope to get sorted out. Once that is sorted out, we will see more work being done to get it completed in a timely manner.”

#Additionally, Bowling said his ministry has put in a bid to have the World Athletics’ World Relays returned to the Bahamas for the seventh edition in 2025.

#The first three editions took place here in 2014, 2015 and 2017 before losing the fourth bid in 2019 to Japan.

#This year’s fifth event was staged in Poland and China has already secured the hosting of the sixth edition in 2023.

#“We are in competition with other countries, but it’s our intent to have it return here,” Bowleg said.

#Burrows, in expressing his gratitude to Bowleg on behalf of his members for the opportunity to serve on the board, said there are events on the drawing board that they will be reviewing.

#With venues including boxing, softball, baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, athletics, swimming, tennis and hotrod under their portfolio right now, Burrows said they have to seek out and find the international events and other cultural and social events to take place here in the Bahamas.

#For those venues that are shared by sports and cultural and social events, Burrows said they will have to find a way to co-exist on a first-come, first-serve basis to ensure that they maximise the use of all of the facilities.

#Burrows, by the way, serves as the Babe Ruth Caribbean Region Commissioner. He is also the founder of the Freedom Farm Baseball League where many of the players in the under- 12 divisional championship and 15-and-under divisional invitational will be selected to represent the Bahamas.

Sheldon LongleySend an email56 mins ago 111 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Not since Osbourne Moxey at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, has The Bahamas had someone compete in the men’s long jump at a global meet in athletics.

That is about to change this summer as former St. John’s College standout LaQuan Nairn booked his ticket for the 18th biennial World Athletics (WA) Championships in Eugene, Oregon in the United States (US), qualifying with a massive leap of 8.22 meters (m) – 26’ 11-3/4” – in April.

The qualifying standards for the athletics world championships are a bit more stringent this year as opposed to years past, but Nairn didn’t let that stop him from going out there and doing what he needed to do to ensure he competes in Eugene. He will become the fifth athlete from The Bahamas to compete in the men’s long jump at a senior global meet this summer, joining national record holder Craig Hepburn, Moxey, the late Joey Wells and former junior sensation Raymond Higgs.

Nairn won the long jump competition at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Golden Games Meet at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, California, in April, with that 8.22m effort. He obliterated his previous personal best of 8.04m (26’ 4-1/2”) and catapulted himself into the number two position on The Bahamas’ all-time list, trailing just national record holder Hepburn.

Hepburn remains the only Bahamian to ever soar over 27 feet legally, setting the national record of 8.41m (27’ 7-1/4”) at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ (BAAA) National Championships in 1993. Nairn is now just a fraction under the 27 feet mark.

Earlier in April, Nairn won the men’s long jump competition at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, leaping a wind-aided 8.12m (26’ 7-3/4”). Indoors, he has leapt as far as 8.18m (26’ 10”).

A total of seven Bahamians have now qualified for the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, this summer. They are Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the women’s 200 and 400m, Steven Gardiner in the men’s 400m, Devynne Charlton in the women’s 100m hurdles, Anthonique Strachan in the women’s 100 and 200m, TyNia Gaither also in the women’s 100 and 200m, Samson Colebrooke in the men’s 100m and Nairn in the men’s long jump.

For the first time in 20-plus years, ever since the eighth edition of the world outdoor championships in Edmonton, Canada, that event is headed to this side of the world. Postponed for an entire year due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world championships are now set for July 15-24, in Eugene, what is known in the athletics family as Track Town, USA.

The world’s best stars in athletics will gather in Eugene for 10 days this summer to display their talents in the various disciplines at the newly renovated University of Oregon Hayward Field, which has a capacity of 30,000 and has hosted the 2021 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the 2020 US Track and Field Olympic Trials. So far, seven Bahamians will be among them. The event is being organized by USATF with technical assistance from World Athletics officials.

COVID-19 has certainly had its toll on sports in the region, but, like the Olympics of 2021, there has been no word of withdrawal of any of the major athletic powerhouses in the world from the championships.

Apart from the stringent qualifying standards, athletes can also qualify for the world championships by their WA rankings, by wildcard entry (reigning world champion or 2021 Diamond League Champion), or as the current area champion from his or her respective area championships.

The Bahamas has won at least two medals at each of the past three world championships – silver and bronze in 2015 in Beijing, China; silver and bronze again in London, England, in 2017; and gold and silver in Doha, Qatar, in 2019.

Gardiner is the reigning world champion in the men’s 400m from Doha, and Miller-Uibo is the 400m champion.

As mentioned, this is the first time the world championships are being held in the western hemisphere since the 2001 edition in Edmonton, Canada. Coincidentally, that was also the year The Bahamas had its biggest medal haul – three gold and a bronze for a total of four. On two other occasions, The Bahamas won three medals at a single world championships and two medals on three other occasions.

In the history of the meet, The Bahamas has won 25 total medals – eight gold, nine silver and eight bronze.

Bahamians take to the track in Doha; Miller-Uibo, Charlton and Strachan to compete

Simba FrenchSend an email54 mins ago 106 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian track and field athletes Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Devynne Charlton and Anthonique Strachan will kick off their 2022 Wanda Diamond League competition today, taking part in the Doha Diamond League competition at the Qatar Sports Club in Doha, Qatar.

Miller-Uibo will be running in the 400 meters (m), Charlton will compete in the 100m hurdles and Strachan will run in the 200m. All three women ran in the World Athletics Indoor Championships in March with Miller-Uibo winning the gold medal in the 400m, Charlton winning silver medal in the 60m hurdles and Strachan reaching the semifinals of the 60m dash.

Strachan, who is arguably in the best shape of her career, is coming off a season’s best time of 22.55 seconds in the 200m in Kingston, Jamaica, last weekend – her best time in eight years in that event. Earlier in the season, she ran a personal best of 10.99 seconds in the 100m – becoming just the seventh Bahamian in history to ever run under 11 seconds in the women’s 100m. Strachan was a guest on Guardian Radio’s ‘Talking Heads with Naughty’ on Wednesday and spoke about her performance over the weekend.

“I feel good overall. I am extremely confident in myself, and I want to see what I would be able to do in a big field,” Strachan said.

The Maximising Velocity and Power (MVP) Track and Field Club athlete will be running in a star-studded field today that will feature 2020 Olympic bronze medalist American Gabrielle Thomas. Also in that race is Strachan’s MVP teammate Jamaican Shericka Jackson, American Tamara Clark and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith.

The women’s 200m is scheduled for 1:36 p.m. local time today, 6:36 a.m. in The Bahamas.

Miller-Uibo, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics 400m gold medalist, will hit the track to run her second 400m outdoor race this season after running 49.91 seconds in Clermont, Florida, last month. She enters the race as the favorite to win it. She will go up against 2020 Olympic 400m silver medalist Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic. Also in the field are Jamaicans Stephenie Ann McPherson and Candice McLeod – the fourth and fifth place finishers from Tokyo, Japan, respectively.

That race is scheduled for 12:04 p.m. local time – 5:04 a.m. in The Bahamas.

Charlton ran two 100m hurdles races for the season with her season’s best of 12.89 seconds coming in April in Lexington, Kentucky. The national record holder in that event will line up against the 2020 Olympics 100m hurdles silver medalist American Kendra Harrison. Jamaicans Britany Anderson and 2020 Olympics bronze medalist Megan Tapper will also be in that race.

They will take to the track at 1:02 p.m. – 6:02 a.m. (ET) in The Bahamas.

The Wanda Diamond League is a season long competition that features the world’s top track and field athletes vying to become Diamond League Champions.

After this meet is over, athletes will head to Birmingham, England, on May 21, where the Commonwealth Games will be held, for the second meet on the Diamond League calendar. This year, athletes will compete on the Diamond League circuit in cities such as Eugene, Oregon; Rabat, Morocco; Paris, France; Lausanne, Switzerland; Brussels, Belgium; and Zurich, Switzerland just to name a few. The season wraps up September 7-8 in Zurich.

As of Wednesday, May 11, 2022

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Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Devynne Charlton.

ANTHONIQUE Strachan in action. (File photo)

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#World indoor champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, silver medallist Devynne Charlton and semifinalist Anthonique Strachan are expected to compete in the first meeting of the World Athletics’ 2022 Wanda Diamond League in Doha, Qatar, on Friday.

#Miller-Uibo, the world indoor 400 metre champion in Belgrade, Serbia in March, will headline the list as she is entered to compete in the 400m alongside Jamaican Stephenie Ann McPherson and Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino.

#Charlton, the silver medalist in the women’s 60m hurdles in Belgrade, is listed to compete in the 100m hurdles. American world record holder Kendra Harrison and Jamaican duo of Megan Tappin and Britany Anderson are among the list of participants.

#And Strachan, who is having a great outdoor season so far following her semifinal appearance in the women’s 60m in Belgrade, is listed to compete in the 200m with her Jamaican MVP Track Club training partner Shericka Jackson and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith.

#The Wanda Diamond League is a showpiece event of track and field’s premier international one-day circuit and features the biggest stars of the sport.

#Athletes compete for points in 11 different Wanda Diamond League meetings throughout the season, with the most successful qualifying for a place in the final and a shot at the iconic Diamond Trophy, the most prestigious title in athletics beyond the major championships.

#Following Doha, the series will continue in Birmingham, England on May 21, Eugene, Oregon on May 28, Rabat, Morocco on June 5, Rome, Italy on June 9, Oslo, Norway on June 16, Paris, France on June 18, Stockholm, Sweden on June 30, Chorzow, Poland, to be announced, Monaco, on August 10, Lausanne, Switzerland on August 26 and Brussels, Belgium on September 2.

#While the finals are set for Zurich, Switzerland from September 7-8, World Athletics has also confirmed that the 2023 finals will be moving out of Europe for the first time in the series’ history, to the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene in 2023.

#Additionally, hosting rights for the two-day season finale – at which all 32 Diamond League champions are crowned – have been awarded to the Allianz Memorial van Damme meeting in Brussels for 2024 and 2026, and to Weltklasse Zurich for 2025 and 2027.

#The Wanda Diamond League is also being used as a prelude to World Athletics’ 2022 World Championship that will be staged in Eugene, Oregon, July 15-24. Miller-Uibo, Charlton and Strachan are expected to represent on Team Bahamas.

MIAMI Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr, right, celebrates his three-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks with Marlins’ Jacob Stallings, middle, and Bryan De La Cruz, left, during the ninth inning of a baseball game last night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D Franklin)

As of Thursday, May 12, 2022

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MIAMI Marlins’ Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr watches the flight of his three-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D Franklin)

#PHOENIX (AP) — Jacob Stallings hit a go-ahead single in the ninth, Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr followed with a three-run homer and the Miami Marlins used an eight-run final inning to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-3 yesterday.

#Miami controlled most of the game until the eighth, when pinch hitter Jordan Luplow connected for a tying two-run homer against Marlins reliever Steven Okert.

#Miami responded quickly — and decisively — off Mark Melancon. Stallings came into the game hitting just .183 but came up big in the ninth, hitting a single that put the Marlins back in front.

#Chisholm then drove a low pitch out to left-centre, barely clearing the wall for a three-run blast that pushed Miami’s lead to 7-3.

#It has been a rough stretch for Melancon (0-4), the veteran closer who signed a $14 million, two-year deal with the Diamondbacks during the offseason. He has surrendered eight runs over his last three outings.

#Avisaíl García capped the ninth with another three-run shot off J.B. Wendelken. It was García’s second at-bat of the inning — he started the rally with a walk.

#Joey Wendle got the Marlins on the board in the first with a two-run shot down the right-field line that landed in the visitor’s bullpen.

#Miami tacked on another run in the second on an RBI single from Stallings.

#Luplow’s homer denied a win for Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara, who permitted one run and two hits over seven innings.

#D-backs rookie Alek Thomas hit his first career homer in the third, a solo shot over the 413-foot sign in centre, but that was the team’s only hit until the seventh. The Marlins avoided a three-game sweep and won for just the second time in their past 11 games.

#The D-backs had their three-game winning streak snapped.

#Arizona starter Merrill Kelly gave up three runs over five innings. The right-hander has been one of baseball’s best pitchers through the first five weeks of the season with a 1.22 ERA, but he struggled in his first two innings.

#FINALLY, BEER PREVAILS

#D-backs designated hitter Seth Beer snapped an 0-for- 37 streak with a single in the seventh.

#Beer got off to a great start this season — hitting a game-winning homer on opening day — but has been in a prolonged funk. It was his first hit since April 22.

#TRAINER’S ROOM

#Marlins: Wendle left in the third inning with right hamstring tightness.

#UP NEXT

#Marlins: Return home for a nine-game homestand starting Friday with a three-game series against the Brewers. The Marlins will start RHP Pablo Lopez (4-1, 1.00 ERA) in the first game. The Brewers will counter with RHP Corbin Burnes (1-2, 1.86 ERA).

#Diamondbacks: Open a three-game series against the Cubs on Friday. RHP Zach Davies (1-1, 3.34 ERA) will be on the mound for the first game. The visiting Cubs will start LHP Drew Smyly (1-3, 3.04 ERA).

Meet to serve as a CARIFTA and Commonwealth Games qualifier

Simba FrenchSend an email1 day ago 275 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Triathlon Association (BTA) will host its national championships on Sunday, May 15 at Jaws Beach, and the first portion of the nationals, which encompasses swimming, gets underway at 6 a.m.

The meet is a CARIFTA and Commonwealth Games qualifying event. The 2022 CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships is slated for September 23-24 at Clearwater Beach, Southside, Bermuda. The Commonwealth Games will be held from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England.

BTA President Dorian Roach said he is happy the national championships are returning – for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced a disruption in sports two years ago.

“We are excited because it is not only our national championships but it’s our second qualifier for the CARIFTA Games and the Commonwealth Games. We are going to have some competition in both the youth and the senior groups, and even among the younger athletes which may be the 

highlight of the day,” Roach said.

There is a sprint distance for the open division (16-years-old and above). That includes a 750 meters (m) swim, a 20 kilometers (km) bike ride and a 5km run. For the juniors (13-14 years), they will swim for 400m, bike ride for 10km and run for 2.5km. There are two age categories among the youth: 11-12-year-old athletes swimming for 200m, bike riding for 5km and running for 2km; and the 9-10 age category doing a 100m swim, a 5km ride and a 1km run. For the 8-and-under category, those participants will do a 50m swim and 1 km bike ride.

Up to yesterday, there were about 60 persons registered and organizers are expecting about 80 to 100 participants. The deadline to register is Thursday.

So far, there have been 21 CARIFTA qualifiers and there are nine spots left as the association looks to field a 30-member team. While in Bermuda, they will also be competing in the aquathlon, which is swimming and running, in addition to the triathlon. The CARIFTA boys and girls age groups are 11-12, 13-15, 16-19 and there is a new age group, under-21.

“Our only triathlon to date since COVID was the Potcakeman, so between that competition and this competition, we use combined points,” Roach said. “Persons who competed in the last triathlon got some points already, and now it is up to those folks who are on the border to qualify for CARIFTA and get some more points to make that team in this championship.

“For the Commonwealth Games, competitors are fighting for one spot. That spot will go to the winner in the open men’s category once that person is a Bahamian and has a Bahamian passport. For those who are eligible, the winner of that age group will be the qualifier for the Commonwealth Games,” Roach added.

Amid the pandemic, Roach said the clubs were able to train and the juniors were looking forward to CARIFTA competition.

“A lot of the children have been training and are looking forward to competition. After the Potcakeman, everyone is geared up to go. This competition is the last chance to make the CARIFTA team, but they have been training for two years. This has been their goal – to make the CARFITA team. It is the same drive for the older guys, to make the Commonwealth Games team,” Roach said.

Unlike other sports, Roach said there is not a lot of trash-talking among the competitors, but rather they support and encourage each other.

He said he is happy to see that sponsors came on board to support the championships and make it possible for the association to put on a first-class event.

 Home|Sports|Harvey heads to the Big South ConferenceSports

Simba FrenchSend an email2 days ago 273 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian collegiate basketball player Ahmard Harvey has left the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers program and is now headed to High Point, North Carolina, to play for the High Point University Panthers after using the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer portal.

Harvey spent the last three years playing for the Chanticleers in the Sun Belt Conference of NCAA Division I basketball and will now be taking his talent to the Big South Conference in division one.

The Grand Bahama native made the announcement on social media this past weekend. Harvey joins Bahamians such as Sammy Hunter and Lathaniel Bastian who took the bold step for a change of scenery through the NCAA transfer portal.

The Panthers finished last season with a 14-18 win/loss record and were 7-9 in the Big South Conference. Their season ended with a 68-51 quarterfinal loss to Winthrop University in the Big South Tournament. While at High Point, Harvey will be playing for Panthers’ Head Coach G.G. Smith who has been there since 2017.

The 6’7” forward played in just seven games last season due to an injury and not being in Head Coach Cliff Ellis’ rotation some games. He averaged just 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Harvey was able to score a season-high six points in two games. This highlight of his season was him playing here in New Providence at the Baha Mar Convention Center in the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship. Although he played sparingly, just two minutes in one game and a minute in the other, he said he was happy to be home, seeing and spending time with his family members.

In his sophomore season, Harvey played in 21 games – his most in a season. He averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game and shot 55 percent from the field. In his freshman season, he was on the floor 17 times. He averaged 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game that season.

Last season, the Chanticleers finished with a 19-14 win/loss record, 8-8 in the Sun Belt Conference.

Harvey played locally for Coach Darrell Sears at St. George’s Senior High School in Freeport, Grand Bahama. After playing there, he went on to complete his high school studies in Louisville, Kentucky, playing for the Aspire Basketball Academy.

In his final year at Aspire, Harvey averaged 13.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Sports

Simba FrenchSend an email14 hours ago 155 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After two lackluster games from Bahamian DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns, a two-game losing streak was snapped on Tuesday as they easily took care of the Dallas Mavericks. Now, they are just one win away from advancing to what would be their second straight trip to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Western Conference Finals. They blew out the Mavericks, 110-80, on Tuesday night, to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

The Suns have a chance to close out the series tonight in Game Six at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. That game tips off at 9:30 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPN. That arena has not been good for the Suns as they are still trying to figure out how to win there this postseason, having lost games three and four there.

Ayton touched 20 points for the second time in the series after combining for 30 points in the previous two games. He poured in 25 points in Game One. He chose his shot selection wisely in Game Five, and went 9-for-13 from the field, shooting 69.2 percent. That was his best shooting performance of the series. He was also able to grab nine rebounds in 22 minutes on the floor, and added two assists in the contest.

He credited his team’s defense with the win.

“Defense, that’s what got us going,” Ayton said. “We were running when we got stops, closing out possessions and, today, I felt like we were on the offensive boards a lot. Our guards were getting in there, getting some tap-outs. Bismack Biyombo got his hands on a few, and all that stuff generated so much energy and momentum plays.”

It was a tale of two halves in this matchup as the Suns put on a defensive masterpiece in the second half. They held the Mavericks to just 11-for-31 shooting from the field, equivalent to 35.5 percent. The Mavericks only made two of their 16 attempts from deep and turned the ball over 14 times in that half. Over the two final periods, the Mavericks combined for just 34 points after scoring 46 points in the first two quarters. The Suns outscored them 61-34 in the second half.

On the offensive side, the Suns shot a blistering 51.1 percent from the field in the second half. They finished with eight made three-point shots and had eight steals and 16 assists on 23 made field goal attempts.

This came after a closely contested first half in which the Suns led 49-46 heading into the intermission. The Suns’ first lead of the game was 3-2, but after the Mavs went ahead, the Suns didn’t lead again until they went up 44-42 late in the second quarter. The Mavericks took the lead again before Cam Johnson hit a shot from deep with under two minutes left in the second quarter to give the Suns a 47-45 lead. They never trailed again.

The Bahamian came alive in the second half as he and guard Devin Booker tied for 12 points each in that half. Ayton missed just one of his seven second-half field goal attempts as he played a major role in the Suns’ dominance. He scored eight points in the third which was part of a dominating 33-14 third quarter edge for the Suns. The Suns opened the third quarter on a 19-4 scoring run to go up 68-50. During that run, Ayton and Booker accounted for 17 of their 19 points.

In Game Five, the Mavericks shot 8-for-32 from deep – a far cry from their 20-for-44 performance from deep in Game Four.

In this Western Conference semifinal series, Ayton is averaging 16.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 57.5 percent from the field this series and has not shot below 50 percent in any game this postseason. The big man is shooting 75 percent from the free-throw line which is a tick above his regular season average.

 Home|Sports|Table tennis tourney set for next week SaturdaySports

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In an effort to encourage longevity and competitiveness in the sport of table tennis locally, the Nassau Youth Table Tennis Club will host a tournament on Saturday, May 21 at the L.W. Young Junior High School on Bernard Road.

The tournament is sanctioned by the Bahamas Table Tennis Federation. It will feature under-12, under-16 and under-19 divisions for both boys and girls. The tournament is free of charge, and water, light snacks, paddles and table tennis balls will be provided. There will be ample tables for the matches to be played on.

Organizer of the event Sudan Khalfani said the table tennis community is finally getting itself back on its feet as they look to resume training and tournaments following the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This tournament is a very important one because this is where I get a good idea of the level of skills that we have with the youth in The Bahamas. There will be a series of tournaments in short order that will be produced so that we can have a good temperature of the skill level of the children,” Khalfani said.

Khalfani said he has been working with some juniors for the past few months, teaching them the game at L.W. Young. Prior to COVID-19, Khalfani was already working with some of the juniors. After the restrictions were loosened and action resumed, he welcomed some newer children to the training sessions.

“The children who were there prior to COVID maintained their skill level and have improved. I have seen the biggest improvement in the new kids where they are developing at a much faster rate thanks to the federation and sponsors. It allowed me to facilitate their progress. I am very proud of the newer children because of their ability to learn. All are enthusiastic,” Khalfani said.

Khalfani said he was not surprised at the interest from the junior players for the sport.

“The more kids I see playing, it gives me hope that there is a big future for table tennis,” Khalfani said. “It also helps the federation because the more children who are participating, the more they can lend their support, the more champions that we can develop, and the more scholarship opportunities they can get.”

The federation is planning to have about three tournaments like the upcoming one, plus a national event, and they are looking to build a national team.

Khalfani is in the process of going into the inner city to teach the sport through the Urban Renewal Program.

Interested persons who want to play in the upcoming tournament can contact Khalfani at (242) 426-5153 or at e-mail address coachella.bahama@gmail.com.

Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 – 1:45:37 AM

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Mychal Thompson Foundation launched in Grand Bahama By Bahamas Information Services Jul 22, 2015 – 6:13:50 PM

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Pictured along with Mychal Thompson (centre) are officers, and advisors of the foundation along with community builders. (BIS Photo/Vandyke Hepburn)

Freeport, The Bahamas – Well-known Bahamian basketball player Mychal “Sweet Bells” Thompson launched the The Mychal Thompson Foundation at the Eight Mile Rock School Gym on Saturday, July 18, to assist Bahamian youth in achieving academic and athletic dreams.   

Speaking on behalf of Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville,  Mr. Harcourt Brown, Undersecretary of the Ministry for Grand Bahama encouraged young people to take advantage of this awesome opportunity.  

Waltiea Rolle,  former WNBA player, was the special guest at the launch.  She told the young people to stay focused and never give up on their dreams.

TOP: Patron of the Foundation, Mychal “Sweet Bells” Thompson; BOTTOM LEFT: Brief remarks by Harcourt Brown; BOTTOM RIGHT: Special guest Walteia Rolle. (BIS Photos/Vandyke Hepburn)