As of Monday, December 12, 2022

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BAHAMIAN tennis ace Mark Knowles in action.

JACOBI Bain and Michael Major Jr congratulate Americans.

MARK Knowles shares a moment with Donato Adderley, one of the youngsters at the Baha Mar Cup clinic.

AMERICAN Andy Roddick in action at Baha Mar.

MARCUS Samuelson is flanked by pro players Jessica Pegula, Olga Savchak and Milos Raonic.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE island nation’s most decorated tennis player brought the Baha Mar Cup back to the Bahamas for a third time with a line-up of some of the most accomplished male and female players in the world to the Baha Mar Tennis Club over the weekend.

#Five-time Olympian Mark Knowles, who was the world’s number one ranked doubles player with Canadian Daniel Nestor, showcased a star-studded line-up that included a pair of former world No.1 singles players in American Andy Roddick and Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

#Also adding to the dynamic feature were Americans James Blake, former No.4 ranked player on the men’s side and Jessica Pegula, currently the top American player ranked at No.3 in the world, along with Ukraine’s Olga Savchak, a retired player turned coach who is residing part-time in the Bahamas.

#Top Bahamian rising players collegian Jacobi Mitchell and high school sensation Michael Major Jr also got in a series of exhibition matches on Saturday at Baha Mar courts as a part of the charity events put on by Knowles to help raise funds for the development of the game in the country.

#Earlier in the day, they all participated in a youth camp for aspiring tennis players.

#First hosted in 2019, the Baha Mar Cup was postponed in 2020 because of COVID-19, but although it returned last year, Knowles was unable to stage the event because of the inclement weather.

#He was just glad that they were able to be back on the court this year. “It was awesome,” said Knowles, who was accompanied by two of his three children, 14-year-old Brody, a 6-foot, 5-inch tennis player and Presley. Graham, a football quarterback remained at home in Dallas, Texas.

#“We were troubled by weather last year, but we couldn’t ask for anything better today. The weather was great and the participation was awesome. The line-up might have been the best ever that we have assembled here.

#“To assemble this type of talent here at home was very special for me. I really appreciate the people who supported the event. We had a great crowd for the exhibition, which is why I do it. I want to bring some stars to our country, the Bahamas, which I love so much, for charity to give kids a chance to aspire the next generation of Bahamian tennis players.

#Through the Mark Knowles Foundation, Knowles said they were happy to support Bain, who is now one of the top collegiate players.

#He said he was delighted to see him and Major Jr match up in doubles against Blake and Pegula in a showdown.

#The Americans won 6-3, but it was an entertaining match. So were the other matches that saw Roddick and Hewitt outlast Knowles and Blake 6-2 in men’s doubles, while in mixed doubles, Blake and Pegula got the best of Knowles and Savchuk.

#For Pegula, she would prefer no better place to be than in the Bahamas competing in the Baha Mar Cup. “It’s been so amazing. Everyone has been so nice and friendly. I’ve been here before, but I’ve never been to Baha Mar. It was so nice,” she said. “To come out here and play with so much legends was just amazing.”

#She said she got thumbs up from Knowles’ mother, Vickie, a Bahamian legend tennis player in her own rights, so she’s looking forward to making a return to next year’s event as she makes the quick trip from South Florida where she resides.

#“It was an amazing couple years for me where I feel I have been improving,” said Pegula, who earned her Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings in singles and doubles on October 24 after she won two singles titles and five doubles titles on the WTA Tour, one WTA Challenger doubles title, and seven ITF doubles titles.

#“It gets harder and harder to move up, but I will continue to go after the big titles and just keep trying to have fun as I go through the journey. I love competing, so it’s fun for me.”

#Since the inception of the Baha Mar Cup, Roddick has graced his presence and the former No.1 player in the world in 2003 when he captured the US Open title. The three-time Wimbledon finalist in 2004, 2005 and 2009 as well as US Open in 2006, retired from professional tennis following the 2012 IS Open.

#He said it’s a lot of fun to be able to be a part of an event that provides the opportunity for the younger players to get to the next level.

#“Mark has always been passionate about the Bahamas and anytime you make kids tennis relevant, I’m all for it,” Roddick said. “But when it’s one of your closest friends doing it, it’s a no brainer to show up. I’m just humbled that I’ve been asked to do it.”

#Married to American model and actress Brooklyn Decker since 2009 in a union that has produced two children, Roddick said he’s just enjoying life and there’s no better place to do it than in the Bahamas.

#Also back for a third appearance at the Baha Mar, Blake said it’s good that the weather has cooperated so that they could put on the display of their skills to the crowd.

#The 2007 champion of the American Davis Cup team in 2007 got to showcase some of his renowned speed and powerful, flat forehand that elevated him to No.4 in singles in 2006 before he retired in 2013.

#“Mark is such a great guy for what he’s doing for his community,” said Blake, who now operates the Miami Open Tennis Tournament. “I know how hard it is to put on an event like this. We appreciate it and we’re happy to help in any way that we can.”

#Blake, a commentator for tennis for ESPN, was accompanied here by his wife, publicist Emily Snider and the parents of two daughters. He said that once invited, he will be back for an encore to the Bahamas.

#After posting her best accomplishment reaching the third round of the 2006 Australian Open and earning a career-high singles ranking of No. 79 on 19 May 2008, Savchuk has since retired and is one of the two coaches of top-ten player Karolina Pilskova, along with Daniel Vallverdu and since November 2020 along with Sascha Bajin.

#“I love being here. This is my first time playing here, but when he asked me to be a part of it this year, I couldn’t say no,” Savchuk said. “I now live here. I love everything here, especially the beach. I hope to be more involved in tennis here.”

#Among those in attendance in the stands was Bahamas sports ambassador Rick Fox, a two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association president Perry Newton and other BLTA executives.

December 12, 2022

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MARCUS Samuelson is flanked by pro players Jessica Pegula, Olga Savchak and Milos Raonic.

Stories this photo appears in:

Baha Mar Cup brings star tennis players to Bahamas

THE island nation’s most decorated tennis player brought the Baha Mar Cup back to the Bahamas for a third time with a line-up of some of the most accomplished male and female players in the world to the Baha Mar Tennis Club over the weekend.

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 Home|Sports|The Bahamas finishes fourthSports

Team fails to qualify for CAC Games

Sheldon LongleySend an emailDecember 12, 2022 92 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Team Bahamas gave a good effort on Sunday in the bronze medal game of the 4th Annual COCABE (Caribbean Baseball Confederation) Caribbean Baseball Cup at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium on Sunday, but just couldn’t get the key hits and outs when they needed them.

They fell to Curaçao, 4-2, thereby losing out on the bronze and an automatic qualifying spot for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games.

For a good portion of the week-long tournament, The Bahamas struggled to get key hits when they needed them. It proved to be no different on Sunday, particularly in the later innings.

The Bahamas struck first, taking a 2-0 lead on D’Shawn Knowles’ two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning, but Curaçao scored four runs in the bottom half of that inning to surge ahead. Neither team cracked the scoreboard the rest of the way.

Curaçao pitcher Nelmerson Angela went the distance for the win, striking out 10 and spreading six hits. He retired his first 15 batters before yielding a single to New York Mets’ prospect Warren Saunders in the top of the sixth. Saunders came around to score on Knowles’ home run to give The Bahamas the lead and fire up the crowd at the stadium.

The Bahamas’ lead was short lived as Curaçao responded in the bottom of the sixth.

Darren Seferina led off the inning with a single, and after the next batter flied out, Seferina advanced to third on a single from Raysheandell Michel. Ortwin Pieternella Vargas brought both runners home on a double to left center field, tying the score at two. Aldair Daal singled and stole second, and Pieternella Vargas scored on a wild pitch to give Curaçao the lead. A 

sacrifice fly brought Daal home and the next batter grounded out to end the inning.

The Bahamas stranded a base runner in both the eighth and ninth innings, leaving the runner at second base both times.

Relief pitcher Travis Ferguson suffered the loss for The Bahamas. Starting pitcher Giovante Tomlins pitched three innings of no-hit ball before being pulled in favor of Ferguson. McKell Bethel gave up a hit and an earned run in relief of Ferguson in the top of the sixth and Evan Sweeting pitched the final two innings for The Bahamas. Sweeting struck out two and walked one batter in two innings of no-hit ball for The Bahamas.

Offensively for The Bahamas, Saunders was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Lead-off batter Knowles had his two-run shot in four at-bats, and three other batters had a hit each.

The Bahamas out-hit Curaçao, 6-5, but failed to get the key and outs when they needed to.

Five batters had a hit each for Curaçao.

In the semifinals on Saturday, The Bahamas fell to Puerto Rico, 9-3, and finished the single round robin segment of the tournament with one win and three defeats. The Bahamas’ only win came over the U.S. Virgin 

Islands on the opening night of the tournament.

Puerto Rico and Curaçao booked their spots to next year’s CAC Games in San Salvador, El Salvador, joining Cuba.

Cuba played Puerto Rico for the gold medal of the 4th Annual COCABE Caribbean Baseball Cup last evening, and had previously qualified for the 2023 CAC Games.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-finishes-fourth/

 Home|Sports|King, Harvey see action in NCAA DI basketballSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 12, 2022 86 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

It was a tough weekend for Bahamian collegiate basketball players Frederick King and Ahmard Harvey on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball scene over the weekend. 

Taking the floor on Saturday night for the nationally number 21 ranked Creighton University Bluejays was King. The Bluejays ended up falling in a close 83-80 battle against the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The loss dropped the Bluejays to a 6-4 win/loss record on the season.

The freshman started and played for 18 minutes on the floor. He was able to come away with four points on 2-for-3 shooting from the field. He also had three blocks. 

The Bluejays started the first half hot from the field, taking a 19-11 lead, but the Cougars went up by as much as eight, 49-41, late in the first half. Four points in a row by the Bluejays at the end of the first half pulled them within four, 49-45. In the second half, the Cougars tied the game at 56 points with 15:53 left. The Cougars responded, taking an 11-point lead at 78-67 at the 3:56 mark.

The Bluejays didn’t go away. They came back and took an 80-79 lead with 26 seconds left. However, the Cougars were clutch when they needed to be, scoring the final four points of the game.

Next up for the Bluejays is a matchup against the Arizona State University Sun Devils at 9 p.m. tonight at the same arena in Las Vegas. 

Harvey and the High Point University Panthers also could not come up with a victory over the weekend as they fell 87-79 to the Queens University of Charlotte Royals on Friday night. Playing home at the Millis Center in High Point, North Carolina, the Panthers got seven points from Harvey on 3-for-3 shooting from the field, including a connection on his only attempt from deep. Like King, the redshirt junior played 18 minutes. He was able to grab six rebounds, dished out three dimes and had three blocks before fouling out.

At the 11:47 mark of the first half, Harvey made a layup that put his Panthers up 19-12. The Panthers led 44-38 at the end of the first half. The game was tied at 55 points with 12:34 left in the second half. The Royals took the lead to five points with 10:49 left in the second half. It was all Royals the rest of the way as they were dominant in the second half. 

With the loss, the Panthers dropped to an 8-2 win/loss record on the season and will look to go in the win column on Sunday, December 18 when they face the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Wilmington, North Carolina. 

It is the first year on their new teams for both players as they look to adjust. King is making the transition from high school and Harvey is a transfer from Coastal Carolina University after spending three years there where he battled injuries.+

https://thenassauguardian.com/king-harvey-see-action-in-ncaa-di-basketball/

 Home|Sports|Marvin Henfield’s ‘The Lab’ continues to growSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 12, 2022 89 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Looking to train young Bahamian basketball players, Marvin Henfield Basketball launched its training facility on Thompson Boulevard during the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2021, and just over a year later, the program is up and running and continue to grow.

Founder and lead instructor Marvin Henfield said that the first year has been exciting and he had to intensify training sessions.

“The first year just having to come out of COVID and go through that experience enabled us to be where we had to be – able to get through. All the protocols that we had with COVID and everything else that was happening here in the country was a challenge,” Henfield said. 

The indoor training facility that was officially opened on November 28, 2021, features two half-courts and nine rims. The facility known as “The Lab” works with kids from as young as three years old to adults. Henfield has worked with professional players as well as collegiate athletes. Over the past year, Henfield and his team started out with one class per week and now they are up to three classes per week, Monday through Friday. Saturday basketball features the younger kids from ages three to seven. 

Although they are known for shooting drills, Henfield said that they also work on other aspects of the game such as ball handling and passing.

“We’re a full-fledged basketball training facility,” Henfield said. “We specialize in shooting, but we also teach all the core skills. Kids can come in here and they can learn ball handling. They can learn how to pass. They can learn how to finish at the basket. We teach a lot of things in basketball – how to be able to come off screens, and how to penetrate and kick and other stuff. We’re a full-service basketball training facility.” 

Other than their after-school program, schools and night league teams have used the facility. 

“We have additional programs that we do where we rent spaces to other basketball clubs, some of the smaller school programs and then some of the night league teams. They also utilized our facility and then we also have private individual sessions that we do,” Henfield stated. 

Henfield is not surprised by the response that he has gotten over the year. He compared the sport to soccer in that everywhere there is an area where kids are playing. He knew that there was going to be a demand for a facility like his own where players can go and work on their skills.

Looking to expand and grow, Henfield is hoping to have a full court facility by the first quarter of 2023. He is hoping to have tournaments to provide games for juniors.

Henfield and his team have been able to offer virtual training sessions on their website, www.marvinhenfield.com.

https://thenassauguardian.com/marvin-henfields-the-lab-continues-to-grow/

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas falls to Puerto RicoSports

The Bahamas falls to Puerto Rico

Team will play Puerto Rico again in the semis on Saturday

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 9, 2022 291 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After The Bahamas took a 2-1 lead over Puerto Rico in the second inning, the visitors shut them out the rest of the way to win 14-2, as the 4th Annual COCABE (Caribbean Baseball Confederation) Caribbean Baseball Cup continued at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium last night.

The Bahamas finishes the opening round with a 1-3 win/loss record and locked up the fourth position in the standings. The team has advanced to the semifinals, set for Saturday. Friday is a rest day.

Puerto Rico got on the scoreboard first in the top of the first inning. They ended the night pouring in seven runs in the top of the ninth to take the convincing 14-2 victory.

In the second inning, The Bahamas’ left fielder Kristin Munroe hit a double to left field as the ball bounced off the wall. He then got to third base on a wild pitch to second baseman Adari Grant. Munroe came home when Grant singled to left field to pick up the run batted in (RBI). Grant stole second base, then shortstop Cherif Neymour singled to center field. Grant came home to give Neymour the RBI. The Bahamas led 2-1 at the end of the second inning.

Puerto Rico tied it up at two runs apiece in the top of the third inning, as centerfielder Miguel Garcia came home on Reynaldo Navarro’s sacrifice fly. After The Bahamas came up empty in the bottom of the third inning, catcher Ivan Navarro grounded out but first baseman Jose Ortiz scored the tie-breaking run as Puerto Rico led 3-2 after four innings.

Two more runs by Puerto Rico in the top of the sixth inning enabled them to take a 5-2 lead. Crossing home plate were designated hitter Kevin Luciano and Ortiz.

After three wild pitches by Mateo Ferguson and two runs conceded in the top of the eighth inning, The Bahamas’ manager pulled him and put D’Vaughn Knowles on the mound. It was 7-2 at the end of the eighth inning.

Grant finished the game 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored for The Bahamas. Puerto Rico’s second baseman Luis Mateo finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

The winning pitcher was Puerto Rico’s lefty Pinto Roldan. The losing pitcher was Bahamian Robin Haven.

Puerto Rico had eight hits while The Bahamas had seven hits, but they were not able to turn them into more than two runs.

Earlier in the day, Cuba gave up seven runs after three innings against the defending champions, Curacao. They shut them out the rest of the way to win 8-7.

The top two teams from the week-long tournament will qualify to compete at next year’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in San Salvador, El Salvador. If Cuba is among the top two, the top three will qualify for the CAC Games, as Cuba has previously qualified.

Puerto Rico ends at the top of the table with a 3-1 win/loss record. They hold the tiebreaker over Cuba, which has an identical record. Curacao finishes third with a 2-2 record. The Bahamas finishes fourth on tiebreaker rules. They and the US Virgin Islands both finished 1-3 in the opening round.

The Bahamas will return to action on Saturday night in the semifinals when they take on Puerto Rico at 7 p.m. The early game will pit Cuba against Curacao and that will take place at 2 p.m. The winners will advance to the gold medal game while the losers will play for bronze. The third-place game will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. The championship game is also on Sunday, set for 5 p.m.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-falls-to-puerto-rico/

 Home|Sports|Bahamian trio suffer losses in the NBASports

Bahamian trio suffer losses in the NBA

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 9, 2022 226 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

It was a rough night for the Bahamian National Basketball Association (NBA) trio on Wednesday as their respective teams were unable to get in the win column on a busy schedule in the league.

The Indiana Pacers (13-12) and shooting guard Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield were in action against the Minnesota Timberwolves (12-12) at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves won that game, 121-115. Hield finished tied with point guard Tyrese Haliburton for a team-high 26 points.

Center DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns (16-9) got bullied on their home floor when the league-best Boston Celtics (21-5) took them down, 125-98, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Ayton scored eight points and had seven rebounds.

Kai Jones experienced 10 minutes on the floor for the Charlotte Hornets (7-18) and they fell, 122-116, to the Brooklyn Nets (14-12) on the road at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Jones made the most of his time on the floor, scoring five points and grabbing three boards.

After reaching the 1,500 made three-pointers milestone on Monday night, Hield added seven more to that tally on Wednesday night. He now has 1,507 made three-pointers in his career. The Grand Bahama native shot the ball well from the field, going 9-for-15 for a 60 percent clip and he was even more efficient from beyond the arc as he made 7-of-11 attempts from that distance, shooting 63.6 percent.

The guard caught fire in the second quarter after they went down 35-17 after the first period. The seven-year player erupted for half of his total points in the second, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from distance. Haliburton had 10 points in that period and they went into the half down 63-61. The score was even at 90 points at the end of the third quarter.

Pacers’ big man Myles Turner made back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 115 points with 50.5 seconds left. Four straight free throws and a dunk by Rudy Gobert sealed a 121-115 victory for the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves’ D’Angelo Russell led all scorers with 28 points.

The Pacers will get a one-day rest and then head back home to take on the Washington Wizards at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. tonight.

Ayton and the Suns could not do anything about the Celtics who led by as much as 45 points. Ayton played just 24 minutes in this contest. All of his points and rebounds came in the first half. He finished 4-for-7 from the field and had five defensive and two offensive rebounds. At the end of the first half, the Celtics led 69-42.

It was all Celtics in the second half as they kept their foot on the gas pedal in the third quarter and cruised to the victory in the fourth.

The Suns were led by Josh Okogie who scored a career and game-high 28 points. Leading the Celtics were the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who both dropped in 25 points.

The Suns begin a four-game road stretch tonight when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans (16-8) at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m.

Jones finished the night shooting 2-for-4 from the field and connected on his only three-point attempt. He checked into the game with a minute and a half left in the first quarter. He made his presence felt as he hit a three-point shot with 18.1 seconds left in that quarter. The Nets led 36-28 at that point. The quarter ended with the Nets up by 10 points, 38-28.

At the end of the first half, the Nets led 77-53. The Hornets battled back in the third quarter, outscoring the Nets 32-23. The Nets took a 96-87 lead into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Hornets cut the lead down to one point, 113-112, with 3:23 left in the game. That was the closest they got as the Nets pulled away from them.

Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 29 points. Kyrie Irving paced the Nets with a game-high 33 points.

The Hornets host the New York Knicks (12-13) at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, tonight. That game gets underway at 7 o’ clock.

https://thenassauguardian.com/bahamian-trio-suffer-losses-in-the-nba/

 Home|Sports|Junior sailing talent showcased at Montagu BaySports

Junior sailing talent showcased at Montagu Bay

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailDecember 9, 2022 191 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Amidst the majestic sight of the ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Class sloops in Montagu Bay last weekend, there were two other boat fleets out on the water, most of which were being sailed by junior sailors aged 17 and under.

For the first time ever, the ‘Best of the Best’ Regatta included an all-junior line up in the ‘E’ Class which was spearheaded by Dallas Knowles of the Exuma Sailing Club. On Saturday and Sunday, the Sunfish Junior and Open National Championships took place, providing a colorful display of multi-colored sails out in the bay. Many of the junior participants showed off their sailing versatility in both class fleets.

Of the 11 ‘E’ Class boats, six were from Exuma, all of which made the seven-boat final. Despite their strong lead in the qualifiers, Joss Knowles and Keshaune Hutchinson in Lady Kayla came in second in Sunday’s final, to Andros boat Captain Peg sailed by Mary Jac Nash and Eliza Denning of the Lyford Cay Sailing Club. Alvington McKenzie and Trevor Brown Jr. came in third in Exuma’s Miss Agnes.

The sunfish nationals began on Saturday afternoon after the ‘E’ Class had finished its morning race, enabling the visiting sailors, nine from Exuma and three from Grand Bahama, and Craig Ferguson of the Bahamas National Sailing School to switch out their boats and rig up a sunfish.

A total of 23 headed out on the course, 19 juniors and four adults. Very breezy conditions, 16-18 knots, with higher gusts, made conditions tricky for the less experienced, a couple of whom had to retire early. Two races were completed that day and a further four followed on Sunday after the ‘E’ Class final had ended.

The overall winner in the Sunfish Open Championship was Paul de Souza, former Junior Sunfish World Champion, and Head Coach with the Bahamas National Sailing School. Turning in a fantastic performance, coming in second overall and first in the junior fleet, was 15-year-old Craig Ferguson, beating Donnie Martinborough of the Nassau Yacht Club, a multiple-time world champion in the class. Ellieanne Higgs, 14, of the Royal Nassau Sailing Club finished second and Alvington McKenzie, of Exuma, came in third in the junior fleet.

An awards presentation followed at the Nassau Yacht Club, from where both the ‘E’ Class and the sunfish had launched and where the sloops had been moored over the days of the event.

Director of the Bahamas National Sailing School Emma Tinkler spoke about the involvement of the visiting sailors.

“It has been wonderful to see our Family Island friends back in Nassau since the disruption to our programs due to COVID,” she said. “The Exuma Sailing Club has extended an invitation to all the Nassau junior sailors to join them next April for the National Family Island Regatta in George Town for some more exciting ‘E’ Class action.”

This past week has been a wonderful example of inter-island sailing camaraderie. It has also proven how, while all boat classes have their own unique traits and parameters, a basic understanding of sailing principles can be applied to sail many types of boats. Several of the current top Bahamian sloop sailors began their sailing careers in a little optimist training boat. Sailors such as talented Craig Ferguson, an accomplished optimist sailor, transferred his sailing know-how smoothly this weekend from sloop to sunfish. Also doing that were McKenzie, Tanaj Manos, Carmen Forbes, Aiden Musgrove and many other Exuma and Grand Bahama sailors.

For more information about junior learn to sail programs in Nassau, Exuma and Grand Bahama, interested persons are asked to please visit the Bahamas National Sailing School’s website at www.bahsailingschool.org and/or the Exuma Sailing Club’s website at www.exumasailing.club. The Grand Bahama Sailing Club can be found on Facebook.

https://thenassauguardian.com/junior-sailing-talent-showcased-at-montagu-bay/

As of Friday, December 9, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Team Bahamas concluded the opening round of the Caribbean Baseball Cup with a 1-3 record and the no. 4 seed in the playoffs.

#Last night the team suffered a 14-2 loss to Puerto Rico at the Andre Rodgers National Stadium.

#Adari Grant led the way offensively 2-4 with RBI, run scored and a stolen base, Kristin Munroe was 1-4, with a run and Cherif Neymour finished 1-3 with an RBI.

#Robin Haven pitched seven innings and surrendered two hits and seven walks with five strikeouts.

#It was a back and forth game throughout until Cuba broke the game open in the later innings.

#Haven got into early trouble walking two of his first three batters and giving up a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game.

#He fought back to retire the side and struck out the final batter of the inning with two left in scoring position.

#In the second, Munroe doubled down the left field line and was plated by a Grant RBI single.

#Neymour followed with an RBI single of his own to score Grant and tie the game 2-2.

#The Bahamas had an opportunity to go ahead in the third but squandered a runner in scoring position with no outs. Daunte Stuart led off the inning with a double down the line, and advanced to third on a Knowles sacrifice bunt. However, he was left stranded on third after a groundout and strikeout to end the inning. Puerto Rico went ahead for good in the fourth inning and scored 12 unanswered runs, including seven in the top of the ninth inning.

#The Bahamas is slated to face no.1 overall seed Puerto Rico in a rematch at 7pm on Saturday night. The winner will qualify two teams for the Central American and Caribbean Games 2023.

#The event is scheduled for June 23 to July 8 in El Salvador. Curaçao is the defending champion. They defeated Cuba in the final of the third edition. Cuba has already qualified for the Central American and Caribbean Games.

#Cuba and Curaçao will square off in the first semifinal on Saturday at 2pm.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/09/puerto-rico-defeats-bahamas-14-2/?news

As of Friday, December 9, 2022

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UAB Blazers’ Trent Dilfer.

REDHAWKS’ Chuck Martin.

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#The 2022 HomeTown Lenders’ Bahamas Bowl will have two very different head-coaching situations when the teams face off next weekend at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

#Miami (Ohio) RedHawks head coach Chuck Martin is in his eighth year at the helm while newly appointed UAB Blazers head coach Trent Dilfer will be in the midst of the transition process to begin his tenure with the programme.

#Martin said the December 16 matchup will be his second trip to The Bahamas and his team eagerly anticipates the opportunity.

#Kickoff is set for 11:30am in the first ever meeting between the two programmes and the game will be broadcast live by ESPN.

#“We’re super excited to go to The Bahamas, we’re super excited to go to any bowl game, they are a blast. It’s a great reward for having a good season,” Martin said.

#“I like going to bowl games where it’s warm, I don’t live where it’s warm. For a lot of these kids and a lot of these families, this will be a once in a lifetime experience. I’m sure some of our kids have been to The Bahamas but I’m sure the vast majority haven’t and a lot of kids will never go back there so this is quite the reward for all of their hard work the last 11 months.”

#Both teams enter the game with a 6-6 regular season record.

#“The first bowl game we went to, it was like Mardi Gras around here,” Martin said. “Now, we’re 6-6 and going to the Bahamas Bowl, and it’s not good enough, but the coaches and players stuck together and stuck together and stuck together and stuck together, and now we get what will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That’s quite a reward.”

#Dilfer was announced as the Blazers head coach on November 30. He plans to act in a supporting role while the programme is in transition away from former head coach Bryant Vincent.

#“I’m going to serve this coaching staff, until they’re gone, and I mean that. I told coach Vincent today, ‘You have a project, put me on it. You got something you need me to do to help you guys win this bowl game, I’m in.’ I’m here to support them.” Dilfer said. “I am going to be in The Bahamas for the bowl game. I plan on serving coach Vincent and this staff any way I can. I mean that. He is the head coach. I’m here to support him in the transition, to serve these young men, to serve this staff. I’m not joking, if they send me on coffee runs, I’ll go on coffee runs…I want to help them finish strong. I also hope to earn their trust as we go through this together, because great things are coming.”

#The RedHawks have seven All-MAC selections, including linebacker Matthew Salopek, who will make his second trip to The Bahamas. “I went when I was young, about 10-11 years old and we went there off a cruise ship,” Salopek said.

#“It’s a very beautiful place, very beautiful vacation destination for a lot of people. It was awesome from what I remember.”

#In the 2017 Bahamas Bowl, the Blazers suffered a 41-6 loss to the Ohio Bobcats.

#The Miami offence is led by dual threat quarterback Aveon Smith who threw for 1,137 yards with nine touchdowns and also ran for 503 yards and six touchdowns.

#Miami’s defence will be keen on stopping the Blazers’ DeWayne McBride, the nation’s leading rusher, who has been named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.

#McBride had the greatest single season in school history for a running back, setting multiple programme records for rushing yards (1,713), yards per game (155.7), rushing touchdowns (19), yards per carry (7.35), 100-yard games (10), 200-yard games (3), total points (114) and multi-rushing touchdowns games (5).

#UAB had 10 All-Conference USA selections.

#The 2022 HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl is one of 17 college bowl games owned and operated by ESPN. For more information on bowl week, visit: BahamasBowl.com

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