As of Monday, May 23, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AS the track and field season intensity as athletes prepare for the major international meets this year, a quartet of Bahamian athletes competed at the Duval County Challenge at the University of Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.

#Exuma native Samson Colebrooke continued his preparation for the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July with a 13th place in the men’s 100 metres on Saturday in a time of 10.53 seconds.

#Colebrooke has already produced the 13th best time of the season, running 10.01 on April 9th at the Cheney Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. He surpassed the World’s qualifying standard of 10.05.

#Brandon Cranes of Adidas won the straight away race in 10.19, while American Elijah Hall- Thompson was second in 10.,23 and Isiah Young, competing for Nike, was third in 10.30.

#Competing against a pretty good field, led by a host of Americans, Grand Bahamian TyNia Gaither had to settle for 15th place in the women’s century in her time of 11.46. Gathier has the second fastest time this year of any Bahamian of 11.11 behind Anthonique Strachan’s mark of 10.99 as both have surpassed the World’s qualifying standard of 11.15.

#Aleia Hobbs took the title in 11.28 for the American sweep as Kayla White got second in 11.30 and Brittany Brown representing adidas, was third in 11.30 as well, but beaten out in the photo finish.

#American Sha’Carri Richardson got fifth in 11.37 behind compatriot Twanisha Terry, who did 11.34. Richardson, however, came back and redeemed herself by winning the women’s 100m exhibition race in 11.27 over Terry in 11.29.

#In the men’s 400m, Grand Bahamian Alonzo Russell posed an 11th place finish out of a field of 24 competitors, who competed. His time was 47.78. Russell has a season’s best of 45.65 that he clocked on April 16th at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida.

#World and Olympic champion Steven Gardiner of Abaco, still hold onto the world’s leading performance of 44.22 that he established on April 23rd at the LSU Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which surpassed the World’s qualifying standard of 44.9.

#Winning Saturday’s event in Jacksonville, which saw a diversity of competitors from around the world, was American Trevor Stewart in 45.91. Jamaican Nathon Allen was second in 46.17 and Kenya’s Emanuel Korir was third in 46.22.

#Rounding out the field of competitors was Grand Bahamian Holland Martin in the men’s long jump. He placed tenth out of a field of 11 competitors with a best leap of 22-feet, 5 2/4- inches or 6.85 metres, his only legal mark in three attempts. He scratched his first and final got on the scoreboard in his third and final try.

#Holland has not cracked the top 50 list of performers in the event, which has Laquan Nairn sitting in ninth place with a leaping feat of 26-11 ¾ (8.22m) on April 16 at the USATF Golden Gala to match World’s qualifying standard.

#Tajay Gray of MVP cleared 28-8 1.4 (7.83m) on his fourth attempt to win Saturday’s event in Jacksonville. Tristen James of DMA got second with25- 8 (7.82m) on his sixth and final try and American Tariq Evans was third with 24-9 ¾ (7.56m) on his opening leap.

FROM left, Sierra Rodgers, Simone Pratt, Perry Newton, Kevin Major Jr and Baker Newman.

As of Monday, May 23, 2022

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KEVIN, Baker, Simone and Sierra in action.

#A SUPERB weekend of competition has resulted in Kevin Major Jr and Baker Newman qualifying for the final two spots on the Davis Cup and Simone Pratt and Sierra Rodgers qualifying for the final two spots for the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup.

#From a field of eight men and seven women consisting of former Davis and BJK Cup players along with top tennis juniors, a wonderful display of talent was showcased at The National Tennis Centre. Kevin and Baker will join Spencer Newman (National Champion) and Marvin Rolle who qualified at The Giorgio Baldacci Open Nationals.

#Pratt and Rodgers join Sydney Clarke (National Champion) and Elana Mackey who also qualified at the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) Nationals in December.

#On the final day of competition at the BLTA trials, Simone Pratt won over Sierra Rodgers 6-1,6-2 and Kevin Major won over Baker Newman 7-5,6-1. Kevin and Baker are former Davis Cup members and Simone Pratt is also a former BJK Cup player. This will be a first-time appearance for Sierra Rodgers who turned 16 recently.

#President Perry Newton congratulated the four persons (Simone, Sierra, Kevin and Baker) who qualified for Team Bahamas and welcomed them to the 2022 Bahamas BJK and Davis Cup teams. He said: “It is indeed an honor to represent the country at this high level of competition.”

#The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men’s tennis. It is described by organisers as the World Cup of Tennis and is contested annually between teams from competing countries. Similarly, the Billie Jean Cup formerly the Fed Cup is the premier international team competition in women’s tennis, the competition was launched in 1963 and features over 100 countries annually.

#The stage is set, and the Davis Cup Group III Americas Competition will take place in Escazu, Costa Rica June 22nd-25th 2022 at the Costa Rica Country Club on hard courts. Countries competing are The Bahamas, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

#Three teams will be promoted to the World Group II Play-offs and two teams will be relegated to Americas Group IV.

#The 2022 BJK Cup Group II Americas will take place at the Centro Nacional De Tenis Parque Del Este In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The surface venue is also hard court.

ANTOINE ANDREWS, Lacarthea Cooper and Paige Archer have all qualified for the World Athletics’ Under-20 Championships. Photos: Christopher Saunders

As of Monday, May 23, 2022

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Photo Gallery

Oak Tree Sonja Knowles Track Classic

Photos: Moise Amisial

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#SPRINTERS Antoine Andrews, Paige Archer and Lacarthea Cooper were the latest athletes to qualify for the World Athletics’ Under-20 Championships scheduled for Cali, Colombia from August 1-6.

#The trio all attained the qualifying standards in the 200 metres during Sunday’s final day of the two-day Oak Tree Sonja Knowles Track Classic, hosted by the Red-Line Athletics at the Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

#Andrews, representing the Bahamas Speed Dynamics, clocked 20.96 seconds to surpass the under-20 boys 200m qualifying standard of 21.40. His teammate Adam Musgrove fell short of the standard with his second place time of 21.48. Fast Forward’s Keanu Ferguson was third in 21.80.

#“I’m grateful. Through all of the trials and tribulations that I went through, I did it. My principal always told me to keep the faith,” said Andrews, a 19-year-old 12th grader at St John’s College.

#It’s the second consecutive year that Andrews qualified for the championships. Last year, he did it in the 110m hurdles

#“I’m just going to train hard and keep myself mentally and physically ready for the championship,” Andrew said.

#In the under-20 girls 200m, Paige Archer took the title for Fast Forward in 23.96, holding of Lacarthea Cooper of Red-Line Athletics, who got second in 24.27. In the process, the duo surpassed the World Junior’s qualifying standard of 24.40. T-Bird Flyers’ Melvinique Gibson fell short in third in 25.31.

#“I’m extremely happy with the results. This meet was for me to test my fitness, so I give God all praise and honor,” said Archer, a student of Queen’s College. “My goal is to run faster at the Junior Nationals and then get ready for the World Juniors.”

#Archer, however, said she needed the competition from Cooper and that was what pushed her as she came off the bench and took control of the race on the home stretch.

#“I was waiting for this type of competition,” stated Archer, who on Saturday claimed the 100m title in 11.94 ahead of Asya Stanislaus of the Bahamas Speed Dynamics in 12.14 with Swift Athletics’ Sherinique Sears third in 12.68.

#For Cooper, it was a relief to get back to the level she was before she suffered an injury that prevented her from competing at the Carifta Games in April in Jamaica.

#“It feels great. I was waiting for this moment. I knew that when I come back I was going to run fast,” said Cooper, a 12th grader at St Augustine’s College. “I qualified for the events that I wanted to qualify for. I did it in the 200m. The 400m is my next move.”

#Now that she’s proven that she’s back, Cooper said she can continue her training towards being a medal potential at the World Juniors.

#Already qualified for the championships is strongman Keyshawn Strachan. The world’s top ranked competitor in the under- 20 boys javelin, won his specialty with a heave of 75.35m. The qualifying standard is 69.00m.

#“It wasn’t how I expected, but I will take it,” said Strachan, whose ultimate goal at the championship is to erase the world junior record of 86.48m that was established by Neeraj Chopra of India at the 2016 World Juniors’ in Bydgoszoz, Poland. “I can’t wait to get there and do my thing.”

#Although it wasn’t a qualifier for any international meet, Nia Wright of Ted-Line-Athletics won the under-17 girls 200m in 25.6 over Jamiah Nabbie, unattached Thompson, who did 25.37 for second. Bayli Major, also of Red- Line Athletics, took third in 26.01.

#“It really wasn’t what I expected, but I’m glad that I won it, considering that I just came off an injury,” said Wright, a 15-year-old 10th grader at St Augustine’s College. “It was goof. I think I performed exceptionally well.”

#Tumani Skinner, also of the Red-Line Athletics and another SAC student, doubled up as the under-17 boys’ 400m champion on Saturday in 49.,77 over Fast Forward’s Berkley Munnings, who did 50.15 and SAC and Red-Line’s Quinton Rolle, who was third in 52.11.

#Skinner, admitting that he wasn’t at full strength because of the flu, managed to pull of the 200m on Sunday in 22..20 with 100m champion Ishmael Rolle of Swift Athletics taking second in 22.54. Caldon Whyms of Core Athletics was third in 23.02.

#“The double feels great. I want to thank God. I had the fever. But I just went out there and did my best,” Skinner said. “I did what my coach (Tito Moss) told me and I left it all up to God. I knew the competition was going to be tough.

#“I had the 100m champion, who was a fierce competitor. All respect to him. At 13, he was tough to beat. He is bad . I expect some great things from him in the future. Today was just my day.”

#In a couple other performances of note, Javonya Valcourt of Fast Forward took the under-20 girls 400m in 57.29.

#“I wasn’t pleased with my time, so I’m still glad I finished my race injury-free,” said Valcourt. Who just graduated from Mt Verde Academy in Florida, but haven’t decided on what college I will be attending yet. “I think there was a lot of wind pout there, especially on the back stretch.”

#Red-Line Athletics’ Shimar Bain took advantage of the wind to easily win the under-20 boys 400m in 49.02, followed by a pair of his teammates with Jaydin Plakaris second in 49.55 and Jamal Flowers third in 49.94.

#“It was great. I had the mindset to go out there and the best of my ability. I followed my race plan, which was to get out off the blocks and finished strong,” Bain said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of God, my famjly and my coach and teammates.

#“The competition was there. I was hoping for that all season long and I finally got it.”

#There were a number of other performances produced during the two-day meet, which according to Red-Line’s head coach Tito Moss, was the biggest to be held in New Providence this year with close to 700 competitors entered.

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailMay 23, 2022 143 6 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Passionate leaders within the sport of boxing met on Saturday during a conclave.

The conclave, which was spearheaded by Bahamas Boxing Commission (BBC) Chairman Fred Sturrup, facilitated members of various boxing organizations. They met at the Castaways Resort in Grand Bahama to seriously discuss ways to revitalize and elevate the sport of boxing in the country.

In attendance along with Sturrup were Bahamas Boxing Federation (BBF) President Vincent Strachan, BBC member Deacon Wellington Miller, YMCA Executive Director Karon Pinder-Johnson, YMCA Boxing Director Nathan Davis, Retired Boxing Association (RBA) President Pat Strachan, BBC Treasurer Alvin Sargent and BBC Secretary Calvin Greene.

Sturrup called for comments to move the sport forward, advocating that it was best to leave all grievances behind and work together under the overall leadership of sports minister Mario Bowleg.

He pointed out that the minister expressed a desire for boxing leaders to make a joint effort to revitalize the sport.

“I can tell you that it is Minister Bowleg’s wish that the government’s arm of boxing, the commission, lead the initiative for the single focus of propelling boxing. He appreciates the difficult task ahead, but indicated that he stands committed to assist a united development effort,” said Sturrup who also heads the Grand Bahama Sports Promotion Association.

The conclave took place following a successful boxing show staged for students Friday. District Superintendent Ivan Butler, who coordinated the attendance of the students, called the event innovative and ideal for showing the youngsters that there are wholesome sporting options to help with their mental and physical growth.

On Saturday morning, Sturrup opened the floor with the question: “How do we revitalize the sport?”

Deacon Miller, a past federation president and former chief of the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC), was first up. He expressed that locking in support from the government and private entities is vital. He added that lack of monetary support from the government and private sector in the past played a huge role in the sport taking a turn for the worse.

“When you look at it, when you give track and field, swimming, soccer, all those sports $60,000 a year, we give boxing only, I think, $10,000 a year. I must give the honorable Neville Wisdom credit. When he was there (Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture), he went beyond and gave boxing $25,000. Then when he came out of office it went back down to $10,000. We always start off with our Dominican Republic trip in February. That costs about $6,000 or $7,000; that’s our budget gone and from there we have to scrap,” said Miller.

He added that a commitment from coaches is also important, and throwing in a stipend for the coaches is warranted; not only for the hard work they put in with their fighters, but for the other ways the coaches go above and beyond the call of duty for the growth of the sport locally.

Davis, who has become a stalwart in coaching over the years, passionately agreed with Miller’s comments on coaching.

“We (coaches) make sacrifices and we all in here make sacrifices, which is good. I’m here today for the kids. Boxing is one of my first loves in sports. To look at myself being around boxing from when I was 13 years old and still being here, there must be something I love about it,” said Davis. “I was becoming entirely discouraged and yesterday’s boxing exhibition showed me how far we can go from here. If we can pull off events, we can go somewhere; but it takes commitment and sacrifice. It also takes money and time and no one wants to labor for free. I want to see something different and something to encourage me to go on. It’s important to give something to the coaches and the people putting in the time to make these things happen.”

As president of the BBF, Vincent Strachan reminded everyone that boxing is an international sport. He noted that there are 18 BBF-affiliated associations that span across the country, currently. It is challenging for the federation to do what it needs to do in terms of training and development without money, and Strachan noted that there are personal sacrifices that have to be made from time to time.

Using his recent trip to the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) Extraordinary Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, as an example, where money was scarce, Strachan noted that making that sacrifice was important to the betterment of the federation. He added that one of his chief priorities as president of the federation is the certification of coaches and officials. Strachan strongly feels that getting more judges, coaches and officials certified will help to bolster the national boxing product.

“I had no money but I went. Getting back into Miami, one of my children who lives in the United States had to pay for my hotel room and my Uber to get me to the airport. These are the sacrifices I had to make,” said Strachan. “I can tell you that one of the things I prioritize as president is the training of coaches and officials. I can say today that we have 15 certified referees and judges. We had a number of online courses where I reached out to a number of people within the boxing diaspora and those who responded took advantage of it. There are more to come. If you’re not equipped with the tools to train your athletes according to the standard that is being laid out for everybody, if you’re not a certified coach, you cannot go in your boxer’s corner at any internationally certified or IBA event. So, now there’s a three-level course for coaches and referees and judges – star one, star two and star three. In order to enter into any of those programs, you must be certified locally, which will give you regional certification in the Americas, which The Bahamas is a part of.”

To the fellow leaders present, Strachan stated that once a national program is put together there is a possibility of receiving financial support from IBA.

“Once we can have a wholesome program for the entire Bahamas, I can get IBA to give us $20,000. That’s the amount they give to every member of the association,” said Strachan. “We would have to put together a plan to present to them. At the end of the day, IBA would be willing to go further. We need to plan how we’re going to do some things.”

Pinder-Johnson noted that it would take strategic planning to achieve success without funding, something she said the YMCA has faced for years.

“How do we still offer programs when we don’t have funding? What we’ve done was start small and with starting small you have to remain consistent – strategic planning, exposure, and knowledge,” she said. “I’ve always loved boxing and this is the most I’ve known about the sport since we’ve been brought on. There are people who just love to watch the sport, so we need to tap into that domain as well. Then, we must upgrade. I’m looking at a wealth of knowledge in here and if we don’t do all we can to capture what’s in this room, boxing will not see the light of day past a certain point. We have to take advantage of this knowledge.”

As RBA president, Pat Strachan recalled 52 years ago, the glory years of boxing which included The Bahamas having numerous champions in the various divisions and bouts every month. Over time, he felt that boxing began to lose its audience due to the crime factor, and the cost of promoting fights. He echoed the sentiments of securing strong financial backing, but he also would like to see proper training facilities come on stream.

“The lack of proper training facilities, when you look at the accomplishments professional and amateur boxers have made to the development of sports in The Bahamas and you look at the facilities we have, it’s really a disgrace,” he said. “We have what they call a national boxing gym on Baillou Hill Road. I wouldn’t refer to it as a national boxing gym but I don’t know of any other place you can go and train in New Providence. I believe those things in a nutshell is what has caused the downgrade of boxing. If the minister of sports can put money into amateur boxing and we begin to build Freeport and the other Family Islands, we can bring the sport back.”

While financing was the major concern raised, Sargent shared that getting parents to see boxing in a different light is important. The BBC treasurer also shared that getting the media to convey a much more positive spin on the sport would be beneficial.

“At the end of the day, we need parental involvement. They need to get fully involved in their activities, and boxing is one of those sports we need them involved in,” he said. “The media – boxing has not gotten its full coverage as the kind of sport we can get kids involved in. It’s important to have the media on our side. For years, the media has demonstrated, taken a stance that boxing isn’t good for the kids. It’s barbaric. How does that help your program if the media is saying such things? We need them fully on board.”

At the end of the day, the conclave was said to be refreshing and a step in the right direction. It’s just up to the leaders now to put those plans in motion.

 Home|Sports|Team Bahamas finalized for Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup tournamentsSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailMay 23, 2022 120 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas’ Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams for 2022 were finalized after the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) held its trials for the final two spots on the two teams at the BLTA National Tennis Center over the weekend.

Clinching their spots on the Davis Cup team were Kevin Major Jr. and Baker Newman. They will team up with Spencer Newman and Marvin Rolle, who qualified at the Giorgio Baldacci Open Nationals in December 2021. On the women’s side, Simone Pratt and 16-year-old Sierra Rodgers booked their spots on the Billie Jean King Cup team. They will team up with Sydney Clarke and Elana Mackey, who also qualified at the Giorgio Baldacci Open Nationals.

The Davis Cup team will play in Group III Americas competition that will be played at the Costa Rica Country Club in Escazu, Costa Rica, on hard courts. Competition is set for June 22-25. Other countries participating in the tournament are Costa Rica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

The Billie Jean King Cup team will compete in the Americas Group II at the Centro Nacional de Tenis Parque Del Este in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (DR). They will also play on hard courts. No date has been set as yet for that tournament.

Major and Baker Newman played in the finals yesterday with Major winning a competitive first set 7-5 and winning the second set 6-1.

Pratt, who hails from Grand Bahama, easily took care of Rodgers, 6-1 and 6-2, to win that match.

Rolle, Major and Baker Newman will be making their second consecutive trip to Davis Cup competition. This will be Major’s sixth year playing Davis Cup. He has played 15 matches and has a 7-8 win/loss record overall, including 6-8 in singles. Rolle has played on the Davis Cup team for 17 years and has played in 58 matches – the most for The Bahamas. He has an overall record of 40-34 – 14-15 in singles and 26-19 in doubles. Baker competes in his fifth Davis Cup competition. He has an 11-6 overall record – 9-4 in singles and 2-2 in doubles. Spencer will be competing in his third Davis Cup. He has played seven matches. He has a 7-5 overall record, 4-4 singles and a 3-1 doubles record.

Rodgers is the only player making her Billie Jean King Cup debut. Clarke has played in three tournaments and in eight matches. She has a 5-5 overall record that includes a 3-4 singles record and a 2-1 doubles record. Pratt has experience under her belt, having played for five years on the team. She has played 20 matches and sports a 12-11 overall record – 8-8 in singles and 4-3 in doubles. Mackey has represented The Bahamas in three Billie Jean King Cup tournaments. She has played in two matches and has an 0-2 record. Both losses were in doubles.

NBA guard set to suit up for the country in third window of qualifiers

Simba FrenchSend an emailMay 23, 2022 116 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas’ senior men’s national basketball team will get a boost at the shooting guard position for its upcoming fixtures as Indiana Pacers sharp shooter Chavano “Buddy” Hield will play. He confirmed that he will suit up for The Bahamas in July.

Hield made the announcement after tryouts for his Buddy Buckets Bahamas AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team this past Saturday. He kept it short when reporters asked him about playing this summer.

“Oh yes. I will play this summer,” he simply said.

The last time Hield played for The Bahamas was in the third window of the 2019 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers back in June 2018. The Bahamas split two games.

It is unclear if the other two Bahamian National Basketball Association (NBA) players – Charlotte Hornets’ Kai Jones and Phoenix Suns’ DeAndre Ayton will play on the team this summer.

The Bahamas is set to play in the third window of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers in July.

They will play against the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) on Friday, July 1 at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Sports and 

Fitness Center in St. Thomas, USVI. The two teams met in February of this year with The Bahamas beating the USVI 86-74. Willis Mackey led The Bahamas with 25 points in that game.

The Bahamas is in Group C with Canada, the Dominican Republic and the USVI. After four games, The Bahamas sports a 1-3 win/loss record with its only victory coming against the USVI. Canada leads the group with a perfect 4-0 record while the Dominican Republic has a 3-1 win/loss record. The USVI is still looking for its first win of the tournament.

Following the USVI game, the team will fly home to play the Dominican Republic at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs Gymnasium on Monday, July 4. The last time these two teams faced each other, back in February, the Dominican Republic won 90-65. Travis Munnings led the way for the Bahamians with 16 points in that game.

The Bahamas finished its two-game series against Canada in November 2021. It was a rough start for the Bahamian squad as they lost the first game 115-73, and lost the second game 113-77.

The top three teams from this group will advance to the second round of the Americas Qualifiers. They will join other teams to create two six-team groups. The Bahamas needs to hold off the USVI to lock up the third position.

In the second round, each team in a group will play home-and-away series against the three new teams in the group over three windows. The second-round windows are scheduled for this year August and November with the final window to be held in February 2023. Each team will play two games in each window.

At the end of these additional six games per team, the top three teams in each group, plus the best fourth placed team, will qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 is set to be held in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia – August 25 to September 10, 2023.

THE Bahamas in action against the Turks and Caicos at the weekend.

As of Friday, May 20, 2022

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#COMING off the two-game split of their friendly matches against the Turks & Caicos Islands over the weekend, the Bahamas Football Association has selected its men’s national team that will represent the Bahamas at the CONCACAF National League.

#The Bahamas will host St Vincent & the Grenadines on Thursday, June 3 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium and head coach Nesly Jean said the matches against the Turks & Caicos Islands were used as a tune-up to see what is needed for a competitive men’s team.

#Although the team selected is slightly different from the one that played in the friendly, Jean said he’s confident that the Bahamas will prevail.

#Selected to the team are the following:

#Lesly St Fleur (defender), Jean Francois (defender), Julio Jemmison (goalkeeper), Troy Pinder (defender), Evelt Julmis (defender), Wood Julmis (defender), Ian Lowe (goalkeeper), Alexiou Cartwright (midfielder), Roen Davis (midfielder), Vance Wheaton (goalkeeper), Kenaz Swain (defender), Michael Massey (midfielder), Derrick Ferguson (defender), Jordin Wilson (forward), Nathan Wells (midfielder), Christopher Rahming (midfielder), William Bayles (midfielder), Omari Bain (forward), Quinton Carey (defender), Marcel Joseph (midfielder), Logan Russell (midfielder) and Ncolas Lopez (midfielder).

#“We have a different team from the one that just played. We added some veteran players who didn’t play,” Jean said. “We feel these guys will help us out tremendously in regards to what we’re looking for as we move forward.”

#While he declined to comment on any weaknesses on the team, Jean said they have a strong team that can play all over the field, which is a plus going forward.

#“We will have a very competitive team,” he said. “It all depends on how well they adjust to the plans that we have presented to them. If they stick to the game plan, we should do very well.

#“I expect like any coach out there, for our team to go out there and win.”

#The Bahamas has been placed in League B in Group C, which includes St Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago and Nicaragua. Following their home match, the team will travel to Trinidad to play on Monday, June 6. Their match against Nicaragua has not yet been determined.

#As they prepare for their first match, Jean said they just need to be patient and ride the wave of having the fans in the stands at the stadium to cheer them on.

#“It’s always important to have that third man in the stadium because whenever we travel, we face teams that have so many fans cheering for them,” Jean said. “So we are encouraging the Bahamian fans to come and cheer the team on.”

#This is going on his third year as the head coach of the national team, but the former national team player said it’s been a challenging one ensuring that the players buy into the system that he and his coaching staff, including Kevin Davies, has instituted.

#“It’s good to see the different side of the field,” Jean said. “Going out there and training these guys every day has helped me to understand what coaching is all about.

#“For the last year or so, I think I have improved and the players are getting a better understanding of what we are trying to implement. So as long as they do that, it makes the job that much easier. But it’s a learning process and I’m glad to have the opportunity to coach them at this time.”

#The team, which according to Jean could change in player personnel from match to match, will be managed by Larry Minns.

As of Friday, May 20, 2022

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SAMSON Colebrooke

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AS he prepares for his professional stint, Exuma native Samson Colebrooke is trying to blaze his own destiny among the world’s elite male sprinters.

#Colebrooke, who ran a season’s best of 10.01 seconds in the 100 metres on April 9 at the Cheney Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, came back on Wednesday night and clocked 10.28 for fourth place at the Emory Final Qualifier at the Emory University Track in Atlanta.

#Representing the Atlanta Track Club, Colebrooke trailed Chris Royster of Altis, who won in his season’s best of 10.07; Atlanta Track Club’s Mario Heslop, second in 10.15 and Ojie Dayo Edoburun of Adidas, who got third in 10.28.

#“I was happy with my time,” Colebrook said. “Other than my opener, all season long, my body hasn’t been working with me. I had some minor glitches here and there.

#“Over the past few weeks, I wasn’t able to run at top speed without feeling pain in my leg. In this race, I actually ran without feeling anything. I got off to a bad start. I was actually in seventh place, but I am able to move and catch the pack.”

#Colebrooke, a graduate of Purdue University, is now training with the Atlanta Track Club with coach Oneil White. He said while he’s making the adjustment from the collegiate to the pro ranks, he is just trying to get his body in sync with the vigorous training he’s getting.

#“This was just a race to see where I’m at after not racing in four weeks,” Colebrooke said. “This was just to see if we need to accelerate our speed or we need to slow it down.

#“I actually messed up at the start of the race. So there’s a lot of room for improvement, but I’m happy about where I’m at and what I need to do to prepare for the rest of the season.”

#This weekend, Colebrooke is expected to be back in Jacksonville, Florida in an American Track League meet at the North Florida University where he considers them to have the best “track facility” and where he “loves competing there”.

#So far this year, Colebrooke has run the fastest of any Bahamian male sprinters and was followed closely by Grand Bahamian Terrance Jones, a freshman at Texas Tech, who posted his season’s best of 10.09 on April 16 at the Percy Beard Track in Gainsville, Florida.

#At the same meet that Colebrooke ran 10.01, Ian Kerr clocked his seasons best of 10.14 to set the stage for what could be an exciting showdown at the Bahamas Associations of Athletic Association’s National Championships next month.

#Colebrooke, having qualified for the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July, said he hopes to chase after his first major international medal on the global stage, but he also wants to pursue the Bahamian national record of 9.91 that Dixie State University women’s track and field head coach Derrick Atkins established as a silver medalist at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan in 2007.

#“There are a lot of guys chasing that record, so we will see who will get it first,” said the 25-year-old Colebrooke, who encouraged everybody to stay healthy and get their bodies in the right gear to compete.

#“It’s going to be a dog fight. You have Ian and Terrance both running well and with me in the mix, the competition is growing in the Bahamas with the male sprint, so I believe the record will fall quickly.”

#And, between the three and any other male competitors, Colebrooke said the Bahamas should be able to field another 4 x 100m relay team that could contend for a medal as well.

PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) looks away after being fouled during the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball Western Conference playoff semifinal against the Dallas Mavericks. The Suns were eliminated. (AP Photo/Matt York)

As of Friday, May 20, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Deandre Ayton’s contract situation and status with the Phoenix Suns next season was one of the main talking points as the franchise’s staff conducted exit interviews for the 2021-22 season.

#Suns general manager James Jones and head coach Monty Williams both addressed the upcoming offseason for the franchise, highlighted by Ayton’s impending restricted free agency.

#“Deandre had an amazing season and he’s progressed every year and improved every year. He’s been here and so he’s a big part of what we do. His future with us is something we will address at the proper time which is in the future,” Jones said in appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 show “Burns and Gambo” on Wednesday, “He’s a free agent and I’ve said all along, he’s about the same things we’re about which is winning. We’ll address it at the proper time.”

#In his fourth season, the 23-year-old centre averaged 17.2 points on a career high 63 percent from the field and 10.2 rebounds per game in 58 appearances.

#As an restricted free agent, Ayton is free to sign an offer sheet with another franchise but the Suns would still have the ability to match the deal and retain his rights if they choose to do so.

#“Deandre had a great season, a really productive season. I think across the board, when you look at what he did, he improved. That’s a testament to him and the hard work. That’s what you expect from a player of his caliber,” Jones said in his exit interview. “As far as free agency and those things, we’ll address them at the proper time. That happens in July, end of June, but we want to continue to keep our consistency and continuity and keep the guys that we have and continue to help those guys improve upon the things that we did this year.”

#Contract negotiations between Ayton and the Suns reached an impasse last April after both sides failed to reach an agreement on a rookie contract extension.

#He was eligible for a five-year, $172.5 million extension that could have reached as much as $207 million if he reached benchmarks and incentives.

#“The Deandre situation is something that we’ll deal with this summer,” Williams said, “I don’t want to say anything in regards to that. [General manager] James [Jones] and I are going to have conversations about the team in general.”

#Ayton appeared in only 17 minutes of the Suns’ 123-90 elimination loss to the Dallas Mavericks in game seven of the Western Conference semifinals last Sunday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

#He finished with just five points, four rebounds and two assists. Williams told reporters postgame that Ayton’s limited playing time was the result of an “internal” decision and did not expand on the matter.

#Days later at his exit interview, Williams said the two have yet to speak about the incident.

#“I’ll keep the internal stuff internal but it was just a decision that I made,” he said, “No, we haven’t talked. I’ve talked to the team [today] but I have not talked to DA personally.”

#Several players in Ayton’s 2018 NBA draft class have received max contract extensions including Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jaren Jackson Jr of the Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Huerter of the Atlanta Hawks, Michael Porter Jr of the Denver Nuggets.

AWARDS will be presented to all divisional winners and runners-up, most outstanding awards to the winners in all age groups and all master winners will get trophies and medals will be presented to the first three finishers in each category.

As of Friday, May 20, 2022

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SONJA Knowles

WILLIAM ‘Knucklehead’ Johnson

TITO Moss

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#ALL systems are set for what organiser Tito Moss has predicted will be the biggest track and field meet held in the Bahamas this year: The Oaktree Sonja Knowles Track Classic this weekend.

#The meet, designed for athletes from ages under-7 to the masters, will get started on Saturday at 1pm and Sunday from 2pm.

#This year’s honouree will be William ‘Knucklehead’ Johnson, the Bahamas men’s national 1,500m record holder and a coach of the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine’s track and field team.

#“It’s a pleasant surprise anytime you are selected to be honoured and remembered for something that you would have done in the past,” Johnson said. “When you set out, you don’t think this far in terms of recognition and what comes down the road.

#“You just go out and perform to the best of your ability as you represent the country. So it’s a pleasant surprise and very nice of coach Moss and the Red- Line Athletics Track Club to recognise me for what I’ve done.”

#Johnson, however, said that after 40 years, he’s more surprised that no one has broken his national record of three minutes and 45.72 seconds that he established on May 17, 1983 in Austin, Texas where he competed for the Texas Christian University (TCU), graduating in 1983.

#“I’ve seen middle distance runners who were far more talented than myself, people like David Bell, who is really talented,” he said. “But in order to perform the way I did, you have to be persistent and consistent. Success doesn’t come overnight in distance running.

#“It’s not like the sprinters where you can hear them out there setting records. Distance running takes a little longer because it takes a lot of perserverance. Success doesn’t come overnight.”

#Moss said Red-Line Athletics is excited about hosting their second version of the Track Classic, being named in honour of Sonja Knowles, the past long-time principal of St Augustine’s College.

#With over 700 athletes and more than 45 clubs from New Providence, Grand Bahama and Andros registered, Moss said they are looking forward to some keen competition.

#“We will have heats and finals in the 100, 200 and 400m and so we are looking forward to some keen competition,” Moss said. “We will have competitors of all ages competing in all events on the track and the field.”

#Awards will be presented to all divisional winners and runners-up, most outstanding awards to the winners in all age groups and all master winners will get trophies and medals will be presented to the first three finishers in each category.

#With all of those awards being presented, Moss said Red-Athletics will go beyond the budget of any normal meet by presenting the overall male and female athletes as well as the club winners of the meet.

#“It’s expensive, but we just want the clubs who prepare these athletes to go home with something tangible that they can add to their mantle,” he said. “They can have bragging rights until the next meet next year.”

#This year, however, Moss said they are delighted to continue to recognise Knowles for her contribution to the club since its formation out of Club Monica Track Club and St Augustine’s College.

#And he added they are excited to be able to pay tribute to William Johnson, the manager of the Physical Plant at St Augustine’s College.

#“We feel proud and very excited to be able to honour him for his contribution to track and field,” Moss said. “I had an opportunity to coach under him when he served as the head coach for SAC and I got to learn a lot from him.”

#To the athletes competing in the meet, Johnson encouraged them to embrace the opportunity that is being afforded to them.

#“Not everyone will go on and become an Olympic champion, but if you are talented enough, you can go on and get an athletic scholarship,” he said.

#“I know the school that I attended, TCU, you’re talking about over a quarter of a million dollars for a college education at the bachelor’s level. So if you are able to save your parents that big chunk of change, it would be worth it.”

#Johnson gave thanks to God for blessing him with his talent and people like the late Winston ‘Gus’ Cooper and Bernard Nottage as well as his coach Frank ‘Pancho’ Rahming for preparing him to compete.

#While the coronavirus pandemic is still in high gear, Moss said they are encouraging both athletes and spectators to wear their masts, sanititise and ensure they adhere to the social distance protocols that will be in place this weekend.

#For those spectators coming in, there is a two-day pass for $16 for adults and $8 for children under 11. But for those who only intend to come for one day, there is an entry fee of $9 for adults and $5 for children.

#“We want to see everybody come out for the two days because it’s going to be action-packed each day,” Moss said. “So we expect to see the stadium rammed packed as we support the athletes as they compete.”