MYCHEL THOMPSON JR speaking at yesterday’s press conference. Thompson Jr is expected to be one of the 12 players to suit up for Team Bahamas when they take on Venezuela 8pm Thursday at Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. Photo top: Moise Amisial/Tribune Staff

As of Wednesday, August 24, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WHILE his father, Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson, paved the way as the first Bahamian to play in the National Basketball Association and the first foreign-born to be drafted number one, Mychel Thompson Jr said he’s excited to be able to continue to make his contribution as the first member of his family to play for Team Bahamas.

#Thompson Jr, a former player in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2011-2012, is expected to be one of the 12 players to suit up for Team Bahamas when they take on Venezuela 8pm Thursday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium in the first game of the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifier.

#“It’s something I always wanted to do, even though I’ve been doing it for eight years now,” said Thompson Jr about competing for the Bahamas on the national team.

#“It’s always great to come home and play in the Bahamas. I love playing in front of the home crowd and with my team-mates. It means the world to me and I’m hoping that I can continue to help take this programme to the next level.”

#Meanwhile, his father had a flourishing career that started at the Miami Jackson Senior High School Generals, coached by Jake Caldwell.

#Thompson teamed up with three other Bahamians – Cecil Rose, Osbourne ‘Goose’ Lockhart and Charles ‘Cowheeler’ Thompson – and Cuban refugee Julio Gonzalez during their senior year in 1974 to form what was called the “Jackson 5” as they went to a perfect 33–0 record and winning the Class 4A state championship over Winter Park High School.

#Thompson went on to play for the University of Minnesota Gophers where he excelled to the point that he was the number one draft by Portland in the NBA, playing for eight years before he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 1987, the same year that he was then shipped to Los Angeles where he earned his two NBA titles.

#During his era, Thompson Jr said his father didn’t get to play on a national team for the Bahamas, so the 34-year-old, 6-foot, 6-inch swingman is glad to live that experience for his 67-year-old father, who was a 6-10 centre.

#“I’m glad to be able to put the Thompson name on a Bahamian jersey,” said Thompson Jr, who played collegiately for Pepperdine from 2007-2011. “It means the world to my dad. My brother, Klay Thompson (of Golden State) didn’t get to do it because he played for the United States.

#“When he sees me doing it, it means a lot to him as well because he never got to play for the Bahamas. So, I’m happy to represent the Thompson family on the national team.”

#While he longs for the day that Klay Thompson could get his release from USA Basketball and they could combine their skills on Team Bahamas, Thompson Jr said he’s delighted to be on the same court with Hield, another sharpshooter in the NBA.

#“Buddy has a lot of pride. Seeing how much he cares means a lot to me,” said Thompson Jr, who watched as Hield worked with the junior players in a camp and a touring team he takes to the USA to compete.

#“He really loves this country and the things he does for this country is just remarkable. He’s a great guy and a great player. I’m just so happy that he’s decided to come home and play for the team while I am playing on it.”

#He encouraged the Bahamian public to come out and cheer on Team Bahamas on Thursday night.

#The team then heads off to face Argentina in their second game of the window on Monday night.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/24/mychel-thompson-jr-excited-be-playing-his-country/?news

Sports

Host country won one gold, two silver and four bronze

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 23, 2022 359 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama — The Bahamas ended up sixth at the 4th Anita Doherty North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) Track and Field Championships which wrapped up Sunday night at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

With four medals in the final session, Team Bahamas finished with seven medals in total – one gold, two silver and four bronze.

Winning the three-day regional meet was the United States of America (USA) with 29 gold, 22 silver and 12 bronze for a total of 63 medals. Jamaica, led by World Champion Shericka Jackson, was a distant second with six gold, nine silver and nine bronze for a total of 24 medals, and Canada rounded out the top three nations with two gold, three silver and nine bronze for 14 medals.

Cuba and Guadeloupe also finished ahead of The Bahamas. Cuba won two gold, one silver and three bronze for six medals and Guadeloupe secured two gold and a bronze for three medals.

The order of finish at the NACAC Championships is based on quality of medals as opposed to quantity.

Managing Director of the local organizing committee (LOC) of the meet, and president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Drumeco Archer said they are very pleased with the results of the meet and the overall running of the entire event.

“I would believe that we would have accomplished our goal, both on and off the track,” said Archer. “Led by Shaunae, TyNia and Devynne, our athletes turned in exceptional performances and we are very proud of all of them. Off the track, the general consensus of our 

international guests was one of joy, enthusiasm and complete satisfaction. They all had a good time. I believe that this will go down as the best NACAC Championships to date.”

Winning the gold for The Bahamas was Shaunae Miller-Uibo in a new championships record time of 49.40 seconds. The two silvers came from TyNia Gaither in the women’s 200 meters (m), matching her personal best time of 22.41 seconds, and the women’s 4x100m relay team of Printassia Johnson, Anthonique Strachan, Devynne Charlton and Gaither, in that order, in 43.34 seconds. Charlton won a bronze medal in the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.71 seconds, Donald Thomas won a bronze in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 2.25m (7’ 4-1/2”), Rhema Otabor won a bronze medal in the women’s javelin with a toss of 57.91m (186’), and the men’s 4x400m relay team of Kinard Rolle, Alonzo Russell, Shakeem Smith and Wendell Miller, in that order, won a bronze medal in 3:06.47.

NACAC is one of six area associations under World Athletics that caters to athletes in the North American, Central American and Caribbean region. It is the governing body of athletics in the area.

Some of the greatest athletes in the world hail from the NACAC region, and the area usually produces the most medals and global champions at the world championships or the Olympics.

The seven medals won by The Bahamas is the most by a national team at the NACAC Championships. In 2007 in San Salvador, El Salvador, The Bahamas did not participate. In 2015 in San José, Costa Rica, The Bahamas finished with two silver and three bronze for five medals. At the 2018 NACAC Championships in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, The Bahamas won two bronze medals.

This year, in Freeport, The Bahamas won a gold, two silver and four bronze for a total of seven medals as the host nation. It’s the highest finish ever for The Bahamas in the medal standings at the NACAC Championships.

Also, with more 420 athletes in action, this was the largest NACAC Championships in terms of participation.

A total of 23 championship records were set at the three-day meet.

Ronald Cartwright served as the Head Coach of the team and he was assisted by Tito Moss, Robert Ayton, Jason Larimore and Corrington Maycock. The Team Manager was Renee “Sunshine” Davis.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-finished-sixth/

Sports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailAugust 24, 2022 596 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

There were 16 members of the team who represented The Bahamas in swimming at the recently concluded 2022 Goodwill Games, and the squad managed to place fourth overall with 553 points.

Competition began on Friday and wrapped up on Sunday at the National Aquatics Center in Balmain, Couva, Trinidad and Tobago. It was the first time the Goodwill Games was held since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 and 2021 editions.

Placing first was the host country Trinidad and Tobago with 1,442 points. Jamaica scored 1,002 points for second and Barbados was third with 723 points.

In the medal count, The Bahamas finished with 52 total medals that included swimming away with a whopping 21 gold medals – the third most at the meet. They were also able to secure 17 silver and 14 bronze medals on the weekend.

Trinidad and Tobago ended with the most gold medals with 50, while Jamaica finished behind them with 33.

It was a strong improvement for The Bahamas who placed fifth at the last Goodwill Games with 414 points. The 19-member team that year had 32 medals that included five gold.

Bahamian Skyler Smith powered her way to win the 9-10 girls category high point award with 57 points. The 10-year-old won five individual gold medals in the seven races that she scored points in. She won the 200 meters (m) freestyle, 50m backstroke, 100m back, 100m butterfly and the 200m individual medley (IM). She won silver in the 100m free and placed fourth in the 50m fly.

Taylor Marchan from Trinidad and Tobago was second with 57 points. Jamaica’s Kia Alert was third with 42 points.

Bahamian Launy Duncombe captured the high point award in the 13-14 boys age category with 53 points. He edged Suriname’s Hasan Holtuin who scored 52 points. Duncombe won gold medals in the 50m free, 200m free and the 50m back. He picked up silver medals in the 50m fly and the 100m fly. The 14-year-old then picked up bronze medals in the 100m back and the 200m IM.

Scoring the third highest points in that age category was Trinidad and Tobago’s Quillon Leera with 44 points.

The Bahamas’ Christon Joseph missed out on the high point award by four points in the 9-10 boys category. He had to settle for second place with 62 points. He was able to secure three gold and five silver medals individually. He won the gold medal in the 50m free, 100m free and the 50m fly. The silver medals came from the 200m free, the 100m back, the 50m breast, the 100m breast and the 100m fly.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Kyle Leera was the high-point winner in that age category, scoring 65 points. Suriname’s Jairo Oldenstam was third with 55 points. The Bahamas’ Nitayo Knowles was fourth with 46 points.

The Bahamas was strong in the 9-10 boys age category as they were able to finish with the top three medal positions in some of the races. While they were all eligible for medals, only two were able to score points.

They were brilliant in the relays as they swept all three of the 9-10 boys relays. They won the 400m medley, the 400m free and the 200m free relays. All three of the relays featured Joseph, Knowles, Harold Simmons and Blake Comarcho.

Adaiah Smith was able to come away with the second most points in the 11-12 girls category. She scored 49 points and won five silver medals for The Bahamas. The silver medals came in the 50m free, the 100m free, the 200m free, the 50m fly and the 100m fly.

Winning the high point award in that age category was Trinidad and Tobago’s Netania Edwards who finished with 68 points. Edwards’ teammate, Harmoni Nelson, was third with 37 points.

Bianca Johnson scored 44 points to finish second in the 15-17 girls category. She won a gold medal in the 200m free and silver medals in the 100m free and the 200m free.

Winning that category was Jamaica’s Lia Forrester who scored 51 points. Her teammate Giani Francis was third with 41 points.

Making up the rest of Team Bahamas were Ayden Bain, Logan Comarcho, Angel Curry, Caellum Darville, Siann Isaacs, Rafael McBroom, Kristen Rolle and Cameron Walkes.

The head coach of the team was Shirley Mireault. The team manager was Celestial Darville and the chaperone was Therrell Smith.

Making a surprise appearance at the meet on Saturday was Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper. He greeted the team and presented medals during one of the medal presentation ceremonies.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-places-fourth-at-the-goodwill-games/

Sports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailAugust 24, 2022 320 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) has named a 20-member team for the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Under-17 Qualifiers (CU17Q) set to take place from August 30 to September 8 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

They were in action in a scrimmage game against the Dynamos at Roscow A.L. Davies Soccer Field on Saturday, as they looked to work on chemistry and positioning.

Named to the team are James King, Toby Cartwright, Claudius Curtis, Kai Perez, Kristan Watchorn, Luca Chiacchiari, Jaxon Bethel, Matthew Holst, Conry Raine, Nahum Johnson, Cameron Pratt, Ahmaad Smith, Jack Massey, Jordan Cheetham, Reuben Edgecombe, William Gardiner, Robert Holcombe, Atarri Moss, Dylan Archer and Deron Ferguson.

Nesly Jean is the head coach, and he is assisted by Kevin Davies. The goalkeeper coach is Avery Kemp.

“We want them to perform well and enjoy themselves,” Jean said. “Go on the field and produce what we do in training. I told them that there is no pressure, but they need to go on the field and express themselves. We want everyone to do well.”

Against the Dynamos on Saturday, Jean said that he saw the players using what they taught them in practice.

“What I have seen from the guys is that the stuff we have been working on in training, they are producing it on the field. There is a lot more work to be done before we leave for competition. They are getting a hold of things and we see what we like,” Jean said.

There are 19 teams participating in the tournament which will be playing in three different countries. They are split into four groups. The Bahamas is in Group A which also includes Bermuda, Guyana, Bonaire, Saint Martin and the British Virgin Islands. The Bahamas will kick off the tournament on Tuesday August 30 against Saint Martin. That game will get underway at 9 a.m.

The Bahamas will be playing five games in seven days. Jean said that he has tried to get in some scrimmage matches to mirror those quick turnaround matches.

“What we tried to do in the last few weeks is to get a game in every week. However, before that, we try to mimic how the tournament would be based on the schedule that they have. It helps to understand and see how far along the guys are in terms of their fitness,” Jean said.

The team started tryouts back in June and Jean said that there has been huge improvement from all of the players.

“We have seen improvement from guys individually and collectively as a team,” Jean said. “When they came here at first, there was a lot of work to be done in terms of positioning. We explained to them how we want them to play. It was something that they were not used to, so it is progressing day by day. They are now having an understanding.”

After the round robin play, the four group winners will advance to the 2023 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship (CU17C). They will be joining the top 16 ranked nations that have been seeded directly into the group stage of the championship. That tournament will be played during the first quarter of 2023.

https://thenassauguardian.com/under-17-boys-gear-up-for-qualifiers/

Sports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailAugust 25, 2022 187 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

It’s a wrap.

The Bahamas Sailing Association (BSA) has completed its summer sailing program which took place over the past six weeks at the Nassau Yacht Club.

Almost 60 children between ages of eight to 16 participated. The majority of them were students from a number of New Providence’s government schools and most of them had never sailed before. The feedback received from them was positive.

The summer camp is an introductory two-week course, teaching newcomers all the basic skills required to handle a sailboat. Each child was designated a boat which they sailed and looked after for the duration of the course. Once they acquired a basic level of competence, they were allowed to race against each other out in Montagu Bay, which is always a popular highlight of the course. The only entry requirement was that participants have basic swimming skills.

Several of them had so much fun, they repeated the course and had almost an entire summer of sailing, with many commenting that it was the best summer experience they ever had. They said they would certainly recommend it to their friends.

“It’s been tremendous to finally run our summer schedule since the last couple of years which have been badly affected by COVID restrictions, and it’s great to welcome so many new sailors to our program” said program head coach Paul de Souza.

A presentation was held on Saturday, August 20, with each sailor receiving a certificate of completion for the course. Regatta desk manager at the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources Barry Wilmott presented the certificates.

The BSA thanked Wilmott and his team for their continued invaluable support of its sailing programs. They also thanked LGM Maritime Academy, the Bahamas Charitable Giving Foundation and a host of private individuals who, through its ‘Sponsor a Child’ initiative, have made this and the year-round programs accessible to so many children who would otherwise be unable to afford the cost of attendance.

Quite a number of this year’s summer sailors have already signed up for weekly lessons with the BSA’s year-round program, which takes place after school and on Saturdays at the Nassau Yacht Club. The fall term commences on Saturday, September 3. Interested persons who want to register or receive further information are asked to contact the BSA at e-mail address bahjrsailing@gmail.com. Further information will be available on the BSA’s Facebook page and website www.bahsailingschool.org.

https://thenassauguardian.com/summer-sailing-program-was-a-tremendous-success/

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 25, 2022 287 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Triathlon Association (BTA) has ratified a 20-member team to travel to Bermuda for the 2022 CARIFTA Triathlon, Aquathlon and Mixed Relay Championships, set for September 24-25.

The event will be held at Clearwater Beach at the south eastern end of Bermuda and The Bahamas will be looking to improve from its fifth place finish in 2019. The press caught up with the team at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Swim Complex yesterday afternoon, after a swimming practice session.

The team comprises of Lauchlan Menzies, Sibby Potter, Jayden Smith, Callum Pritchard, Tristan Johnson, Taylor Knowles, Paityn Burrows, Ayden Bain, Enea Gervasini, Malcolm Menzies, Launy Duncombe, Erin Pritchard, Anjaleah Knowles, Issa Bournas, Lenin Hamilton, Jason Cates, Barron Musgrove, Sienna Culmer-Mackey, Kami Roach and Ralph Wood.

The head coach is Cameron Roach. He is assisted by Sylvia Bateman. The team manager is Lori Roach. The team doctor is Dr. Kathryn DeSouza. Grant Menzies and Orazio Defilippis are the chaperones.

Cameron Roach has a lot of confidence in the team as they head to Bermuda in a few weeks.

“Every year, we have moved up the standings. We are looking to improve more this time around. I believe we have a stronger team this year. The kids have improved. These training sessions have shown a lot of progress. These kids are getting excited as we get close. We have a big team with 20 athletes, although some countries may have bigger teams and there are some strong countries. We have a very good chance at being top three this year,” Roach said.

Participating in his second CARIFTA Triathlon is Malcom Menzies who said that he is looking forward to the meet. The 14-year-old Windsor Preparatory student said that he has been training hard over the summer.

“I think I will do well,” Menzies said. “I think everyone will do their best. I would like to get some points for The Bahamas. I am working a lot on my run because I was not my best in that the last time.”

Triathlon is a combination of three different sporting disciplines – swimming, cycling and distance running. Most of the team are strong swimmers so they have been working on the other two aspects.

“We are working on endurance for the length of race that they will be doing. We have been concentrating a lot on running. It is the end of the race and the most tiring, so there is a lot of distance work with that. We have also done a lot of offseason strength training. The fourth aspect of triathlon is the transition. It is where you can win or lose a race. Some athletes can go through transition in 20 seconds while some take a minute and 20 seconds. It all adds up. We are going to do a lot more these last few weeks to try and perfect that. Hopefully, they can put all their events together and have a good race,” Roach said.

The team will feature the Knowles’ sisters – Anjaleah and Taylor. Anjaleah is the older sister and is no stranger to the triathlon as this is the 15-year-old’s fifth CARIFTA team. She is looking to get to finish in the top five in the girls 13-15 category. She said she is happy to have her little sister on the team.

“It feels great that she is following in my footsteps. It is nice to have her with me,” Anjaleah said.

Anjaleah Knowles’ strongest portion of the triathlon is swimming. She is looking to work on cycling.

Her sister, 12-year-old Taylor, said she has also been working on her cycling also. Though she has butterflies, she said she is excited to have her older sister there.

“It is a good inspiration to have her with me on the team. She has won a lot of events and I look up to her. I will try to win a medal,” Taylor said.

Competing in his first CARIFTA is Jayden Smith. He is looking forward to performing for The Bahamas.

“I expect to do well because I have been working hard in practice and hard work pays off,” Smith said.

He added that his older brother Akeil Smith, who was on several CARIFTA teams, has given him some advice, especially in the swim portion.

According to Roach, the 13-15 boys division is one of the most competitive as there is always a stiff competition between the boys – Duncombe, Malcolm Menzies and Bain. Duncombe and Bain live in Grand Bahama and are coming off a spirited performance at the Goodwill Games.

The major sponsors for Team Bahamas are Atlantis, Westside Construction and Albany. There is a GoFundMe page, gofund.me/52318ebd, that has been set up to help with the remaining expenses of the team.

https://thenassauguardian.com/carifta-triathlon-team-named/

 Home|Sports|NPSA names its all-star rostersSports

League reaches its midway point; Stevens expects games to intensify

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 25, 2022 226 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The New Providence Softball Association (NPSA) has released the rosters for the all-star games which are set for this Saturday on Bankers Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

The night will begin with the ladies game that is set for 7 p.m. The men’s game is set to kick off at 9 p.m. Both divisions have been separated into two teams – the President’s and Vice President’s teams.

NPSA President Dwaine Stevens expects a good weekend that includes a back to school initiative by Sunshine Auto Sales.

“It is a weekend where we showcase those persons who have excelled during the course of the season. It is going to be a fun and festive atmosphere. We are expecting a high level of play even though we were off for two years. In the short period of time, our players have been putting in the work to try and get to a higher level. Fans will get to see national team players in action, so it will be fierce,” Stevens said.

Playing for the President’s team on the ladies side are Thela Stevens, Diva Burrows, Sophia Cartwright, Star Jones, Aaliyah Ferguson, Rayven Bethel, Kendalia Turner, Eilayah Johnson, Sheryl Evans, Lashonda Bethel, Iranique Roker, Michesia Davis, Vanessa Sawyer and Charlene Symonette. Richard Bain is the manager and Shayne Albury is the coach.

The Vice President’s team will be represented by Brendia Ferguson, Mia Turner, Vashawna Bastian, Dornette Edwards, Jeanette Hilton, Ciera Bowe, Larikah Russell, Melinda Bastian, Phillisia Major, Tyriece Curry-Davis, Latonia McPhee, Francheska McBride, Brianna Knowles and Shaquel Smith. The team manager is Anthony Bullard and the coach is Bobby ‘Baylor’ Fernander.

“We are looking to push ladies play and they are always fun to watch,” the NPSA president said. “We are trying to push that level of play because we are trying to encourage younger females to get involved in the discipline itself. There are numerous scholarship for young ladies in particular.”

The President’s team on the men’s side consists of Martin Burrows Jr., Angelo Dillet, Garfield Bethel, Natahj Miller, Sherman Ferguson, Tyrique Fowler, Stephen Russell, Lavaughn Ferguson, Chedi Ferguson, Richard Bain, Junel Bain, Lamar Watkins, Charles Major, Anthony Fowler, Winston Seymour and Jerome Wright. Darren Stevens is the manager and Robert Gilbert is the coach.

Representing the Vice President’s team are Thomas Davis, Deon Whyte, Kenneth Curry, Anthony Moss, Chris McPhee, Cardinal Gilbert, Marino Cartwright, Marc Pratt, Dino Sweeting, Canton Chase, Edron Knowles, Dylan Culmer, Rodney Forbes, Angelo Watson, Weymond Demeritte and Preston Clarke. The team manager is Marcus Pratt and Darry Dorsette is the coach.

With the upcoming all-star game, the season is approaching its halfway point. Stevens said that the season has been going well.

“We had our fair share of challenges, such as the weather which forced games to be rescheduled, but we had a steady stream of games. We are at the halfway point now and I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish. We are the only fast pitch softball league that is being played in the archipelago. We have been bringing softball entertainment to our fans,” Stevens said.

He expects some change in the standings in the final half of the season as teams look to make the playoffs.

NPSA action continues tonight with a women’s matchup at 7 p.m. and the men’s game following. The University of The Bahamas (UB) Mingoes will battle the Operators at 7 p.m. The men’s game will feature the Atlantis Titans going up against the Cyber Tech Blue Marlins.

https://thenassauguardian.com/npsa-names-its-all-star-rosters/

 Home|Sports|Jones help Sun advance to WNBA semisSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 26, 2022 207 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian women’s professional basketball player Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones finished with a double-double as the Connecticut Sun used a huge second half to pull away from the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, winning 73-58, to advance to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) semifinals. They ended the series 2-1.

Jones finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of play to help lead the Sun to victory and the crowd at College Park Center in Dallas, Texas, went quiet in the second half. Jones’ 11 rebounds helped her to reach a milestone. She is now third on the Sun’s all-time postseason list for rebounds with 171, passing Asjha Jones who has 162 total postseason rebounds for the Sun. Taj McWilliams-Franklin leads the way with 234 rebounds, and Alyssa Thomas is second in franchise history with 192 postseason rebounds.

In the game on Wednesday, Jones also had two steals. She was in foul trouble for most of the first half as she picked up her third foul at the 6:47 mark of the second quarter. That forced her to miss the rest of the first half.

This is the fourth straight trip to the WNBA semifinals for the Sun and the sixth straight season for them getting out of the opening round. They set up a second straight semifinals appearance against the Chicago Sky. The Sun will be looking to avenge a 3-1 series defeat last year. In the regular season, the Sun did not win any of the four games played between them and the Sky.

Leading the way for the Sun in points in the first-round clincher over the Wings was forward DeWanna Bonner who scored a game-high 21 points.

After coming away with just one steal in a loss in the second game of the series, the Sun came away with 14 steals in the third and decisive game and the Wings had 20 turnovers. There were six lead changes and nine ties in the game. The Sun took a 40-38 lead at the 7:13 mark in the third quarter and never looked back.

They went on a 15-6 run to start the third quarter, eventually taking a 49-40 lead. At the end of the first half, the game was tied at 34. The Sun shot poorly in the first half, 32 percent. In the second quarter, the Sun were held without a field goal for just over seven minutes. Jones had just five points in that first half.

The Sun held the Wings to just 12 points in the third quarter and they had 23 of their own. In fact, the Wings scored 12 points in the fourth quarter also. Those 24 points represented the Wings’ lowest second-half point total for the entire season.

The Sun had a great rebounding game, especially on the offensive glass, pulling down 17 rebounds compared to the Wings’ seven. Overall, the Sun finished with 40 rebounds while the Wings pulled down 31 boards.

Jones opened the fourth quarter with an offensive rebound and a putback layup that saw the Sun go up 59-46 with 9:43 left. The Wings’ first field goal in the fourth quarter came at the 5:49 mark as the visitors led 65-50 at that point.

Marina Mabrey led the home team with 20 points in the loss.

Game One of the Sun vs. Sky best-of-five semifinal series is set for 8 p.m. on Sunday, and will be televised on ESPN 2. The game will be played at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

The last matchup between these two teams, in the regular season, went down to the wire as two made free throws helped the Sky seal the win, 94-91.

https://thenassauguardian.com/jones-help-sun-advance-to-wnba-semis/

 Home|Sports|BFN Golf Tournament set for September 25Sports

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 26, 2022 233 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

In a little over a month, local golfers will get a chance to swing their golf clubs for a worthy cause as the Bahamas Feeding Network (BFN) will put on its inaugural BFN Golf Tournament, set for Sunday September 25 at Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island.

The announcement came at a press conference held at the course’s club house yesterday. The goal of the tournament is to raise $100,000, as the BFN which started in 2013, looks to keep its feeding program going.

The tournament is a two-man scramble event and has a $500 per team entry. To ensure that the tournament runs quickly, organizers are putting a cap on it at 124 golfers. Registration is open and forms are available at the website www.bahamasfeedingnetwork.org, and on Better Homes and Gardens MCR Bahamas Facebook page.

One of the attractions on that day is an opportunity to win a brand new Mercedes-Benz car by sinking a hole-in-one on the 12th hole.

Tournament host Mario Carey, a realtor who is also a director of the BFN, said he saw first-hand how deep and great the hunger problem is in The Bahamas. He was not at the press conference but spoke via video.

“ … I felt privileged to join the national initiative which is so much greater than anything that we can do individually. The volunteers, the organization, the management of administrative expenses makes it a model of how NGOs (non-governmental organizations) should operate and the cause tugged at my heart while the management appealed to my business sense,” Carey said.

Carey likes the response that they have gotten so far for the tournament.

Fidelity Bank is the title sponsor and has donated $10,000 to the BFN. Representative of Fidelity Creswell Gardiner was present and said it is their corporate duty to assist organizations such as the BFN with their initiative.

“Over the years, we have always been committed to physical and financial fitness. We understand that the needs are great now during these challenging times for most Bahamians. We know the program, we know the people, and we know their needs. Fidelity is here,” said Gardiner.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg supports the organization’s initiative to use the sport of golf to give back to the community.

“I applaud the BFN under the chairmanship of Felix Stubbs for the incredible work that they do. The food parcels you pack every week and distribute to nearly 100 churches, soup kitchens and feeding centers, is commendable. I commend you for providing well over two million meals since the inception of BFN,” Bowleg said. “Sports is a vehicle that teaches discipline and creates and molds character that allows them to get tertiary education … it is also time to give back. We use sports to give back and this is a form using golf as person like myself and others, that was given opportunities through sports, to give back to those who are less fortunate.”

BFN Chairman Felix Stubbs said that they are expecting a very successful tournament and that they needed to find a way to raise additional funds.

“In order to make meals, we needed to find additional resources. We thank all of our sponsors who supported us from day one. We need to have additional funding and we are looking at this golf tournament. We are looking to raise $100,000 and if we raise that money, we can feed 50,000 additional families,” Stubbs said.

The prize for the winning team is a seven-day Alaskan cruise on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. There will also be a silent auction with the top item being a three-part sports weekend to Dallas, Texas including box seats to a Dallas Cowboys’ game and golf at a course in Dallas.

Stubbs and his team are looking to have the tournament annually, but in October when it’s cooler. He is urging golfers to sign up early because of limited space.

The BFN currently distributes enough food supplies for 72,000 meals monthly through a network of churches, soup kitchens and feeding centers. Each outlet is responsible to report back to the BFN who parcels went to and how many members of families were fed, keeping track of distribution and ongoing feeding.

https://thenassauguardian.com/bfn-golf-tournament-set-for-september-25/

 Home|Sports|Gallant effort comes up short!Sports

Team Bahamas blows fourth quarter lead; fall to Venezuela

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 26, 2022 362 5 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas’ senior men’s national basketball team missed some key baskets, and had some costly turnovers when it mattered the most, thereby blowing a golden opportunity to get a leg-up in the second round of the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Americas World Cup Qualifiers and pull off a major upset over a higher ranked opponent.

Venezuela prevailed 86-81 over The Bahamas, giving the host nation a hurtful loss inside a packed Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium on Thursday night. The Bahamas led by as much as 13 points in the second half, but failed to execute when it mattered the most.

Led by two of its three National Basketball Association (NBA) players, Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield and Kai Jones, The Bahamas was in control for much of the game, but Venezuela came alive when they needed to the most – hitting 66.7 percent of their shots in the fourth quarter.

After The Bahamas went ahead 69-67 on a layup by Jones at the 6:37 mark of the fourth quarter, Venezuela responded with an 11-3 scoring run to take control of the game. They went ahead 78-72 with just 3:43 left in the game. The visitors kept the pressure on, taking an 82-74 lead with just 2:25 left on the clock, but Team Bahamas proved that it had one more rally in their legs.

A couple of free shots from Franco Miller, and another layup from Jones in which he was fouled on the play, pulled The Bahamas to within 82-78 with 1:43 left. After a couple of possessions came up empty, for both squads, Mychel Thompson found himself open from the right wing and nailed a three-point shot to pull The Bahamas to within one, 82-81, with just 17 seconds left on the clock.

An upset was brewing once again, but disaster struck as Hield was called for an intentional foul with just 8.2 seconds left on the clock, giving Venezuela two free shots and possession. Heissler Guillent missed one of two free shots for Venezuela, but they retained possession on the intentional foul call, and Team Bahamas was forced to foul again. This time, Gregory Vargas missed one of two free shots for Venezuela, and the host country had life again. However, Thompson forced the ball to Hield and a turnover led to Venezuela sprinting toward the other end of the floor with the basketball. They sealed the win with a layup at the buzzer.

“I thought we had a pretty good lead in the second half but a few plays didn’t go our way and they got some easy transition points,” said Team Bahamas’ Head Coach Chris DeMarco – an assistant with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

“I just think we have to learn how to close games. When things get tough, we have to find a way to still compete. Mistakes will happen, but they can’t be compounded. Also, we have to do a better job as a staff to make sure that we have the right combination out there and take it from there.”

Jones had 20 points to lead all scorers, and added 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks for The Bahamas. Hield contributed 19 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists. Thompson had 12 points and Kentwan Smith knocked down a pair of early three-point shots and finished with 10.

“It was the best day of my life to be honest – just coming in from the jump and seeing everyone there supporting us. It’s a major blessing. It was amazing,” said Jones afterwards.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win tonight but it’s still a huge blessing to be able to play home in front of such great people. We need to put this one behind us and learn from it – just take care of the ball and get good shots overall as a group. We just have to stay positive and have a sense of togetherness out there. I feel like we were able to grow together throughout the game but we just let it get away from us with some little things. We just have to get better overall and we’ll get it. We just have to keep progressing.”

For Hield, in particular, it was his first time playing meaningful basketball inside the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium since his high school days at Jack Hayward High School in Freeport, Grand Bahama. He had a good shooting night, going 6-for-13 from the field and 5-for-9 from distance. Jones was strong as well, going 8-for-12 from the field. Overall, The Bahamas shot 46.9 percent from the field (30-for-64) while Venezuela was at 53.8 percent (35-for-65). The Bahamas shot 12-for-37 from three-point range, while Venezuela went 7-for-27. In other stats, the game was pretty much even.

In scoring, Garly Sojo and Michael Carrera led Venezuela in scoring with 17 points apiece last night. Windi Graterol added 12 points and seven rebounds and Nestor Colmenares contributed 11.

The Bahamas couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game against the number 17 ranked team in the world, according to the latest FIBA World Rankings, presented by Nike. The Bahamas itself is ranked at number 63, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell based on how both teams played in the first quarter, and pretty much, for most of the first half.

The home country led by as much as 12 points in the opening quarter, and took a 29-21 lead into the second quarter. The Bahamas shot 5-for-10 from three-point range in the opening quarter led by Hield who was a 3-for-3 and Smith who was 2-for-2.

Venezuela got back in the game in the second quarter, taking a lead at one point, but The Bahamas closed the half on a 9-0 run to take a 42-35 lead at the break. Six straight points at the start of the third quarter, climaxed by a three-point shot from Hield, gave The Bahamas its biggest lead of the game, 48-35. However, a 10-0 run got Venezuela back in the game. Another 10-0 run a few minutes later gave the Venezuelans a 57-55 lead with 3:22 left in the third.

The Bahamas held a slim 60-59 lead at the end of three quarters but crucial missed shots and costly turnovers hurt them in the fourth. The Bahamas enjoyed their last lead at 69-67. They got to within one point, 82-81, on Thompson’s trey with just 17 seconds on the clock, but that would be the last time they scored.

It doesn’t get any easier for The Bahamas as they will face Argentina on the road as the second round of FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifiers continue on Monday. That game will be played at the Polideportivo Islas Malvinas in Mar del Plata, Argentina, starting at 9:40 p.m. on Monday.

Still, this is the first time that Bahamas Basketball has advanced this far – to the second round of FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifiers.

There are two groups of six teams remaining in the qualifying process, and the second and final round of qualifiers will conclude in February 2023. The process will determine the seven teams that will participate at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, as the top three teams in each group and the best fourth-place team will qualify. The 2023 FIBA World Cup is set for August 25 to September 10, 2023 in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

The Bahamas now has a 2-5 win/loss record in its group. There are six games in the second round of qualifiers and The Bahamas needs to win at least three of the six to have a realistic shot to qualify. In this final round of qualifiers, they will play Venezuela, Argentina and Panama twice – in home and away series.

https://thenassauguardian.com/gallant-effort-comes-up-short/