Home|Sports|Grenada ready for the challenge from The BahamasSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 20, 2023 44 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Grenada senior women’s national football team is in town and held its final practice yesterday before facing The Bahamas tonight. The two teams meet on the ‘Road to the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Women’s Gold Cup’, starting their qualifying campaign at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium tonight.

The CONCACAF Nations League Group C match between the two teams gets underway at 7 p.m. Head Coach for Grenada Jake Rennie said that his team is ready for the clash.

“We started training since February. The preparation has been good and I am satisfied with the level where they are at now. … Mentally and physically, we are there, knowing what we have gone through – the hard training and getting the team together. We are ready,” Rennie said.

The team comes into the tournament ranked at number 167 in the latest FIFA Rankings, which came out August 2023. They’re up one spot from the previous rankings. The team last played competitively in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers in 2022, and they came away winless against Bermuda, Dominica, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Dominica. Rennie said he is happy for the chance for his team to compete again.

“The players are very motivated to be here, knowing that they are anxious to play. Our expectation for this game is to do our best and, hopefully, we come out victorious,” Rennie said.

Grenada’s captain Roneisha Frank knows the importance of winning this first game on the road.

“This game is going to be a very hard game. It is key for us to win this game, being the first game of the tournament. Winning this game will give the team motivation for the next games,” Frank said.

The striker, who also plays left wing, believes that the team is strong and added that they need to do what their coach has taught them over the last few months.

According to Rennie, the team is a young one that is made up of mainly 25-year-old and younger players.

The team arrived in The Bahamas on Monday afternoon, and Rennie said that they have settled in nicely.

The two teams face each other again on Sunday at the Kirani James Stadium in St. George’s, Grenada. That match will take place at 4 p.m.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas’ women to play GrenadaSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 19, 2023 114 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian women’s football is reborn, set for regional action next week at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

For the first time in 30 years, The Bahamas will compete at the senior level in women’s football internationally. The first match of the major breakthrough is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. The following match will be played on Sunday September 24.

The Bahamas will face Grenada in both matches, the first at home and the second on the road in Grenada, as the 2023 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League competition gets underway.

Also in the three-team group with The Bahamas is the US Virgin Islands (USVI), and the home and away series with that nation, will be held in October and November.

“This is a new chapter for women’s football in The Bahamas, and I am thrilled to be a part of this journey. It’s a true honor and privilege,” said Anya James, in her fourth month as president of the Bahamas Football Association (BFA) – the first woman to serve in that capacity. “Our team stands as a beacon of hope, talent and perseverance. It resonates with our mantra of ‘women who win’. Every stride that they take, every goal they aim for and every challenge that they overcome, they do so as winners. This moment is not just about participating. It is about showcasing the tenacity, talent and spirit of Bahamian women. It is about breaking barriers, setting benchmarks and inspiring the next generation to dream even bigger. As we gear up, let us remember that we are more than just a team – we are a symbol of hope, inspiration and determination. We are the women who win.”

The BFA took a stance to return to competition in women’s football just a few months ago and is now just a couple days away from accomplishing that goal. They were drawn into the CONCACAF Nations League Group C with Grenada and the USVI and has to win the group in order to move on to the next stage of qualification for the 2024 CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup.

The price for admission on Wednesday is $20 for adults and $5 for children.

Set to represent the country are goalkeepers Raynia Russell and Melina McClure, and position players Diane Maillis, Brianna Capron, Tyra McKenzie, Samina Moss, Edissa Bain, Dalexis Huyler, Angel Williams, Liah Rae Tucker, Jada Thelamour, Demitra McClure, Kyrah Miller, Janeka Edey, Giselle Laing, Jodei Clarke, Karen Wert, Rachel Rolle, Megan Wood, Valtinique Simmons, Taleah Thompson, Hadassah Knowles and Kaitlyn Rolle.

Ricqea Bain is the head coach of the team. She said they are ready to play and ready to win.

“The team is really dynamic. We have seven high schoolers, two in the US, a core group of 20-23 year-olds and two seniors, around 28-29. I’m elated,” she said. “It’s awesome for us to start at home. I’m very confident that we could beat Grenada but the goal is to make Bahamians proud. We know what we could do. We have improved tremendously over the last few months. This is just the beginning of our journey. We feel no pressure to go out there and do what we’re capable of doing.”

Melina McClure, a 19-year-old sophomore goalkeeper for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said she is excited for the opportunity and grateful to be in position to help the team.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to represent this country,” she said. “We have been training very hard and we look forward to competing. I’ve seen improvement over the last few months. I think we’re strong and we could do well.”

The Mountain Lions compete as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II.

Rachel Rolle, 20-year-old sophomore defender for the Allen University Yellow Jackets in Columbia, South Carolina, said that she is more than excited to compete.

“I’m honored to play. We’re set to put our best feet forward, play our game and do our best,” she said. “We want to showcase our talent. We are our sisters’ keepers so we play as one. We’re very confident. We feel like we could dominate our group. Training is going well. It’s a lot of hard work and dedication, and the fact that we are able to pull through is a symbol of our perseverance.”

Rolle has spent four years on the national team as a junior player and is about to experience her first action as a senior national team player.

Sports Officer in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Adam Miller said that the ministry has thrown its full support behind the senior women’s national football team.

“We fully support the women’s national team in their journey to get to the Gold Cup,” he said. “It’s important to have them here competing at home to give Bahamians an opportunity to see women’s football at its highest level in The Bahamas, its growth and the future of the sport. One of the mandates of the ministry is to put mechanisms in place to ensure the growth of all sports and with women’s football coming on stream, we could see the growth. The BFA is setting the way forward for women’s representation and we support that.”

As mentioned, The Bahamas would have to win its group with Grenada and the USVI in order to move on to the next stage of qualification on the ‘Road to CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup’.

The first game is set for this Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Grenada at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas’ senior men’s basketball team drops one spotSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 19, 2023 144 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

It has been a few days since FIBA (International Basketball Federation) released its latest rankings and it has The Bahamas’ senior men’s basketball team dropping by one spot to 57. Bahamian basketball fans, in general, are puzzled by the drop-off in the rankings, given the accomplishments of Bahamian basketball in recent times.

The rankings were published on the FIBA website on Friday. President of the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) Eugene Horton said he is not letting the rankings stopping them from pursuing the federation’s mission.

“Our main concern is to make sure we continue to develop basketball in the country, concentrating on youth, Family Islands, and training,” Horton said.

The Bahamas has 199.4 points after being previously ranked 56th in the February 10 rankings. The Bahamas gained 12.7 points since the last rankings. The rankings take into account all games played by 164 national teams in official FIBA competitions and their qualifiers over an eight-year period. More points are given to teams depending on strength of the tournament, if they beat a higher ranked team, and also the margin of victory. To that, Horton said that BBF had no control over it.

It was anticipated that The Bahamas would move up the rankings after having a great showing at the FIBA Americas Pre-Olympic Tournament in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, in August. They won that tournament, defeating host nation Argentina twice, the number four ranked team in the world at the time.

The Bahamas won all four of their games and punctuated the tournament with a 82-75 victory over the host in the final. The win not only kept Team Bahamas’ hopes alive for the Olympics, but eliminated Argentina from contention for the Olympics.

The team was arguably one of the best Bahamian basketball teams ever assembled as it included National Basketball Association (NBA) players Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield, DeAndre Ayton and Eric ‘EJ’ Gordon.

Horton is looking ahead to future tournaments for all national teams.

“We plan to continue partnership with new and existing corporate sponsors. We are looking to put the most competitive national teams together (junior and senior male and female) to represent Team Bahamas and continue to make our country proud,” Horton said.

The next action for the senior men’s team will be the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers. The Bahamas was drawn into Group D that includes the United States of America, Puerto Rico and Cuba. The draw took place on August 9.

Each team will play each opponent in its group twice under a home and away format during three windows. They will take place in February and November 2024 and then in February 2025. The top three teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the FIBA AmeriCup 2025.

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 15, 2023 31 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian professional baseball player with the Miami Marlins Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr. is day to day after suffering from knee discomfort in the Marlins 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.

Chisholm was out of the lineup on Thursday, and the Marlins fell to the National League Central Division leading Brewers, 4-2, and dropped the series three games to one.

According to reports, Chisholm tweaked his right knee while trying to beat out a throw to first after grounding into a double play in the top of the fourth inning. He told reporters afterwards that it wasn’t anything serious, and was available to come off the bench on Thursday, but never entered the game.

The Marlins enter a huge weekend series on their home field against the National League East Division winning Atlanta Braves, and they will certainly need their star center fielder as they look to stay in the National League playoff race in Major League Baseball (MLB). Thankfully for the Marlins, two of the teams they are battling with for the final wild card spot in playoffs, the Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks, both lost yesterday. The other team, the San Francisco Giants, were idle as their game with the Colorado Rockies was postponed.

All four teams are separated by just a half game in the standings. The Giants lead the way with a 75-71 win/loss record, the Reds and Diamondbacks are both 76-72 and the Marlins have a 75-72 record.

With a little over two weeks remaining in the season, every game is vital. Following their weekend series at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, against the Braves, the Marlins will host the Mets and the Brewers before going on the road to end the season against the Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s disappointing for Chisholm, who has struggled with his health over the course of his MLB career, but when healthy, he is one of the most exciting and dynamic young players in the league. The 25-year-old center field is optimistic and there’s a chance that he could play against the Braves this weekend.

Through 82 games this year, Chisholm has maintained a .252 batting average with 16 home runs, 40 RBIs (runs batted in) and 39 runs scored. He also has 19 stolen bases.

Chisholm’s injury is the latest on a growing list of injured stars for the Marlins. The list includes reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, hard-hitting outfielder Jorge Soler, veteran Avisail Garcia, and young starter Trevor Rogers.

 Home|Sports|Strachan signed to Panthers practice squadSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 15, 2023 27 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian professional American football player Michael Strachan is no longer with the team that drafted him into the National Football League (NFL), the Indianapolis Colts. He was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad on Wednesday.

Strachan was released from the Colts practice squad on Tuesday along with running back Jason Huntley and tight end Johnny Lumpkin. They added center Jack Anderson, running back Tyler Goodson and tight end Jordan Murray. The wide receiver was signed to the Colts practice squad on August 30 after being waived the previous day.

Strachan was picked in the seventh round of the NFL Draft in 2021.

The Grand Bahama native reunites with his former coach Frank Reich who drafted him. He joins a Panthers team that has a 0-1 win/loss record so far this season. The Panthers finished second last season in the National Football League South Division with a 7-10 record. They have four wide receivers signed to their 53-man roster – Adam Thielen, DJ Clarke Jr., Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr.

Strachan suited up for 13 games last season but only had three receptions and 59 receiving yards. His best game came in a game against the Houston Texans in which he had two receptions for a total of 36 receiving yards with the longest being 20 yards. His third reception of the season came in a 24-0 loss by the Colts to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That catch was for 23 yards.

In his rookie season, Strachan started out promising, coming away with two receptions for 26 receiving yards in his debut against the Seattle Seahawks. His longest catch in that game was for 16 yards but the Colts lost, 28-16. He has 85 receiving yards and five receptions in his career and is still looking for his first receiving touchdown in the NFL.

Strachan was a standout receiver for the University of Charleston (UC) Golden Eagles in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II before being drafted.

Strachan played in all 11 games for the Golden Eagles in 2019, his final season in college, totaling 19 touchdown receptions. He had 78 receptions for a total of 1,319 receiving yards. In his first three games that season, he had at least 145 receiving yards in each one. The speedster scored at least one touchdown in 10 of those 11 games that year and caught a touchdown in all 10 of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) games.

Those 19 touchdowns and 78 receptions were UC single-season records. The previous touchdown record was 13, which was set by Charlie Hubbard all the way back in 1950. The previous receptions record was 60, set by Terrance Spencer in 2006.

On October 12, 2019, Strachan set the Golden Eagles’ single-game record for most receiving yards with 207 against Notre Dame College.

 Home|Sports|Archer running for vice president at BOC electionsSports

He feels that track and field needs a presence around the decision-making table of Olympic sports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 14, 2023 121 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The track and field community in The Bahamas is throwing its support behind Drumeco Archer in hopes of having some representation on the new executive board of the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC). The election of officers is set for this Saturday at 7 p.m. inside the Paul Farquharson Building at the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) Headquarters.

For the first time in the Olympic movement in the country, athletics didn’t have a representative on the board of the last administration – primarily because four from athletics vied for the same position at the last elections, and after a post-mortem, it was determined that they split the vote. This time, Archer will be the only candidate, in any of the positions, from athletics.

Archer, the president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), is vying for one of six vice president spots on the BOC. There are 17 candidates who have offered themselves, including all six incumbents. Archer said this is an opportunity for track and field to sit at the decision-making table for Olympic sports in the country, and it is an opportunity that he is not taking lightly.

“I think that track and field should be given the opportunity to participate in the development of the universality of sport. While there has been a measure of success from this federation, the focus of being a part of the Bahamas Olympic Committee extends far beyond the limits of track and field,” said Archer. “The impact of making strong representation on the BOC through the lens of track and field opens up deeper discussions and opportunities that may be available to young kids at every age group. If I should be successful, I look forward to seeing young Bahamian athletes from every sporting discipline having the best opportunity for advancement in their personal lives and to further the development of themselves as individuals to experience the world in a way that they might have had an opportunity to do so before, and to be able to take advantage of educational opportunities.”

The BAAA has endorsed Archer as its candidate of choice for one of the vice president spots, as the executive team threw its full support behind Archer at that body’s conclave over the weekend. The other candidates for vice president are Gina Rolle from golf, Robert Butler from taekwondo, Brian Cleare and Moses Johnson from basketball, Joseph Smith from volleyball, Algernon Cargill from swimming, Theodore Sweeting and Shane Albury from baseball, Cora Hepburn from gymnastics, Catherine Ramsingh-Pierre from equestrian, Sean Bastian from handball, Clarence Rolle from wrestling, Lori Roach from triathlon, Roy Colebrook from cycling, Vincent Strachan from boxing and D’Arcy Rahming Sr. from judo.

Each of the member federations of the BOC carry a vote. Archer feels that his body of work in athletics speaks volumes for the contribution he is able to make to the executive team of the BOC.

“The BOC is comprised of 23 member federations, and in this instance, there are 17 positions for vice president. While it is my hope that people will identify the best candidates, I appreciate the tribalistic approach to elections of this kind where everyone will seek to protect his or her own interest. However, at the same time, we must be conscientious of one fact, and that is when we reflect, we should consider persons who will provide the continued growth and development of the Olympic movement,” he said. “It is my hope that our counterparts and other member federations accept the contributions of track and field as being a major contributor to the Olympic movement. Having just one person from track and field this time around, it is our hope that support can be channeled in one direction.”

Archer is in his second term as BAAA president and has never served on the executive board of the BOC. He was unsuccessful in his bid four years ago and is comfortable and confident in his candidacy this time around.

“Our engagement in sport makes it possible for persons, rich and poor, to all compete on a leveled playing field. This invariably gives us an opportunity to change the lives and circumstances of a very large demographic of Bahamians, whether they be people who live in grassroot communities or persons who might not have an opportunity to pay for college education,” said Archer. “Personally, I would like to see more funding be made available to all member federations, not necessarily from the BOC, but a collective effort where we could impress upon international organizations or local corporate communities and the local citizenry to deposit more into the development of sport. This could only happen through an aggressive approach by the leaders of this movement.”

Mike Sands, president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC), one of six area associations under World Athletics, has also thrown his support behind Archer, so much so that he said he would have withdrawn his name if it was offered for nomination. Sands is a former vice president of the BOC. He is in his second term as NACAC president, and is the only Bahamian to lead an area association of a global body in sports.

Archer said he wishes all of the candidates the best, and win, lose or draw, collectively they must find a way to continue the work of a strong Olympic movement.

“I’ve seen a lot of stability and growth from the current Olympic committee – one that shows an increase in financial bottom line, and within the season we have seen large returns as it relates to results at the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and other events,” said Archer. “There is much to brag about, but as we continue to grow, the expectations will expand greatly. I am hopeful that I could be a part of the ambitions of this new administration, uniting all member federations. It only bodes for a stronger Olympic movement.”

A total of 17 are vying for six vice president spots, but the positions of president, secretary general and treasure will be unchallenged as Romell Knowles, Derron Donaldson and Dorian Roach, run unopposed for those positions respectively. Jennifer Isaacs Dotson, Ramsingh-Pierre and Oria Wood-Knowles are running for the assistant secretary general’s position, and Isaacs Dotson, Adam Waterhouse and Vincent Strachan will contest the assistant treasurer’s position.

Archer has received an overwhelming amount of support from the track and field community, and is now looking for support from the membership of the BOC as well.

For years, athletics has been the most represented sport for The Bahamas at the highest level of sport in the world – the Olympics. The last Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, was no different as 13 of the 15 members of Team Bahamas were from athletics. The other two were swimmers.

Given that backdrop, and with the continued success of Bahamian athletics regionally, internationally and worldwide, Archer said it’s imperative that the sport gets some representation on the board of the governing body of Olympic sports in the country.

The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the 33rd Olympiad, is set for July 26 to August 11, 2024, in Paris, France. Share

Home|Sports|Team Bahamas optimistic after first windowSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 14, 2023 81 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

GEORGETOWN, Guyana — The Bahamas’ senior men’s national soccer team just completed its first window of the 2023-2024 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League.

The Bahamas lost both matches in that opening window, with a 6-1 result against Puerto Rico at home and a 3-2 loss to Guyana on the road in League B Group D action.

The aim for The Bahamas’ Head Coach Nesly Jean is for them to win their four remaining matches.

“The performance is promising, from the second half of the first game to the second game. We are looking to keep on improving and we are only looking forward from here, and try and win some games,” Jean said.

The Bahamas has shown improvement in its offense, coming away with three goals from the country’s first two matches. They scored two goals in six games at the last Nations League campaign. Jean and his staff will look at the players available for the next window, which will be against Antigua and Barbuda, October 14 and October 17.

“There has to be improvement,” Jean said. “A lot of guys are in college and could not get released because they just entered college, but they will be back for selection for these other games. We will take a look at it and see how we could improve the team.”

Team captain for the game against Guyana Christopher Rahming has been a mainstay on the field, playing the center midfield position.

“I hope that we can build off the momentum from the first two games. We will be looking to score more goals and get a win,” Rahming said.

Wood Julmis scored both goals for The Bahamas against Guyana and he is optimistic that the team will get better.

“From my first cap against St. Kitts and Nevis in 2021 to now, I see the team progressing. This is not our best team, we have important key players who were not able to make it due to school or club commitments. Heading into those remaining games, we are confident knowing what we can do with this team. It will be something special with our strongest team,” Julmis said.

Puerto Rico leads the group on goal difference with six points and a 2-0 win/loss record. Guyana is in second place with six points with a 2-0 record. The Bahamas is in third with zero points, ahead of fourth place Antigua and Barbuda on goal difference.

The match against Antigua and Barbuda at home is set for October 14. The Bahamas will play in Antigua and Barbuda on October 17. Both are key matches for The Bahamas before the third and final window in November.

Home|Sports|Wells, Sawyer step up in new role with Team BahamasSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 14, 2023 83 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The term “next man up” is popular in sports, and after making their international debut for the senior men’s national soccer team on Saturday, Nathan Wells and Walter Sawyer were thrust into the starting lineup against Guyana in the 2023-2024 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League match on Tuesday.

Wells is a student-athlete at the University of The Bahamas (UB) and is gearing up for their upcoming season. He described being called up to the starting lineup as a major breakthrough.

“I have been working hard. It was a dream of mine to start. It was a great opportunity to play against professional players. It gave me the opportunity to see what I need to do,” said Wells.

Wells added that when Team Bahamas Head Coach Nesly Jean told him that he was starting at the center mid position, it gave him more motivation to go on the field and give it his all.

Sawyer, who plays for the Dynamos Football Club, said that it was good to go out there and represent his country.

“It was a great experience but I got injured and was substituted out. I wanted to keep going but I did not want to cause further damage. I was surprised when the coach told me that I was starting. I knew I had to focus,” Sawyer said.

The St. Leo University student’s start was dampened by a rib injury that he suffered. He was forced to exit the game in the 32nd minute.

“I was a little nervous at first, but as the game went on, we saw that we could hold them and come out with a win. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that win,” Sawyer said.

The left winger is looking forward to competing for a spot on the team for the next window.

Wells played for 65 minutes before he was substituted out. He is hoping to translate his national team play to his play at the University of The Bahamas.

“It is not the same level of play, but I should be able to translate what I learn from playing with the national team to playing at the University of The Bahamas. I just want to go and do my job and ensure that my teammates and I fight for each other,” Wells said.

Wells will be looking to secure a spot on the team for the next window in October. He said he is looking forward to the challenge.

Jonquel Jones in action for the New York Liberty. (AP)

As of Friday, September 15, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#Jonquel Jones and the New York Liberty wrapped up one of their best regular seasons in franchise history and will now battle against the seventh-seeded Washington Mystics tonight to start their postseason run.

#The New York team ended the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) regular season with a franchise best 32-8 win/loss record. Jones’ team concluded their season atop the Eastern Conference and was second in the overall league. The 32-8 regular season team is now set to face off against the Mystics, who they are tied 2-2 with in the season series, tonight at the Barclays Center.

#One of masterminds behind the successful Liberty season is none other than Johnathan Kolb, the team’s general manager. Kolb was recently awarded the 2023 WNBA Executive of the Year after putting together a formidable women’s roster.

#In the offseason Kolb acquired Grand Bahamian Jones from the Connecticut Sun in a three-team deal that also involved the Dallas Wings. Following the multi-team deal, former 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and All-Star Courtney Vandersloot joined the star studded roster.

#The acquisitions were pivotal to the Liberty’s success this season. Stewart was a bright spot for the team. She was most recently selected as the 2023 Associated Press player of the year. The forward finished second in the league in scoring with 23 points per game (ppg) and dropped more than 40 points on four separate occasions.

#Vandersloot was key to the team’s ball movement and was awarded the 2023 WNBA Peak Performer Award in Assists for the seventh time in her career. She averaged 8.1 assists per game.

#The former WNBA MVP Jones’ averages took a slight dip this season but she was also integral to the team’s overall success. She pumped in 11.3 ppg, 8.4 rebounds, and shot 52.7 percent for the season.

#Despite the individual successes of New York’s newest acquisitions, the team collected accolades as a unit as well. The Liberty earned bragging rights after their team won the Commissioner’s Cup in-season tournament over long-time rivals and last season’s winners Las Vegas Aces. The 32-8 team not only defeated the Aces 82-63 but Jones also took home the MVP honours in the win.

#The Aces are considered the WNBA championship favourites after ending the regular season with a league’s best 34-6 win/loss record. As the league’s second best team, the Liberty split their four games 2-2 against the defending champions. Despite neither team gaining an outright advantage in the rivalry, the Aces are vying to two-peat as champions to join the 2001-2002 Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA history books.

#Meanwhile, Jones and the Liberty are on a quest to bring home the franchise’s first WNBA title in their 26 years of existence.

#With both the Aces and Liberty expected to clash in the finals, Jones’ team will look to handle business against the Mystics starting tonight.

#Despite finishing with a 19-21 record, the Mystics ended the Liberty’s eight game winning streak to leave the Eastern Conference team with a 8-2 record in the final ten games of the regular season.

#The game gets underway at 7.30pm.

As of Friday, September 15, 2023

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Gina Gonzalez-Rolle

Oria Wood-Knowles

Catherine Ramsingh-Pierre

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WITH the Bahamas Olympic Committee’s election of officers all set for Saturday at the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s headquarters at 7pm, there will be three positions not contested – the presidency, secretary general and treasurer.

#Romell Knowles, Derron Donaldson and Dorian Roach have all secured those positions by acclamation as there will be no opposition based on the list of nominations submitted over the weekend.

#However, all of the other positions will be keenly contested, including the seven spots for vice presidents, with a record 17 candidates challenging each other. Among them are four women, three of whom are running for the first time, while one is seeking re-election.

#The BOC, under it’s amended constitution, under article VIII – Electoral General Assemblies, number two and point F indicates that “at least two of the elected Officers shall be a female.” Those changes come under the amended constitution that was previously dominated by an “all boys club” with only men elected to serve.

#Gina Gonzalez-Rolle, who has served on the board of the Bahamas Golf Federation for the past four years, said she decided to put her name in the hat because she felt that both men and women are both needed for various reasons.

#“I think women have compassion and care and there’s a little more so than men,” she stated. “We have to reach out to our athletes when they travel and congratulate them, let them know we are looking out for them to do well and if they don’t place, or get in, we need to let them know that we still hold them high in esteem. I think all of that would have the country’s athletes to move forward.”

#Additionally, Gonzalez-Rolle said she’s fighting for some of the smaller sports that don’t get the kind of recognition big sporting bodies such as track and field, swimming and basketball do.

#“I have no issues with track and field, swimming,” she said. “I just feel like that we need to ensure that every sport is given the opportunity to bring a gold medal home just like we would with track and field or basketball and we see a great example of that in baseball.

#“We have produced major leaguers and it puts a smile on our faces when we see what they have done. I feel that is what is needed. We look at every sport and consider it as good or give it the opportunity that we do to any of the other sports.”

#Another candidate is Catherine Ramsingh-Pierre, who is the founding president of the Bahamas Equestrian Federation (2016). She said she decided to run in the elections for the post of vice president as well as assistant secretary general because this is the era of change and progress.

#“The BOC plays a vital role in the development of sports in our country and as such requires progressive and inclusive governance that is best achieved through multiple viewpoints,” she stated.

#Ramsingh-Pierre, who has been riding since the age of nine, said she believes that as a woman and the representative of equestrian, a relatively small, but growing federation, she can make a difference in the landscape of the BOC.

#“I have the opportunity to bring the new voice to the table and energy and passion to the BOC’s initiatives as it fulfills its mandate for the development of Bahamian sport,” she said.

#Three other women are vying for a position in the BOC: Jenny Isaacs-Dotson, president of the Bahamas Softball Federation; Lori Roach, the secretary general of the Bahamas Triathlon, and incumbent vice president Cora Hepburn, were not available for comments.

#But Oria Wood-Knowles, the incumbent assistant general secretary, who will be seeking office in the same position, said she enjoyed helping and assisting the young Bahamian athletes and help to give them all of the encouragement that they need.

#“We need people who are willing to humble themselves and go sometimes in some very uncomfortable places and encourage them and be there to ensure that they have every advantage to succeed,” Wood-Knowles said.

#“I’ve given most of my life to sports and I am honoured and privileged to have been grouped with a set of persons who are very kind and extremely generous, persons who have worked extremely hard to push the growth and the development of our athletes, both locally and internationally and to be behind our athletes to ensure that they achieve out there.”

#As a former versatile athlete, who represented the Bahamas in various sporting disciplines, Wood-Knowles said it’s important to encourage the developing athletes, especially when they are away from home. Making a phone call and providing an encouraging word helps to make a world of a difference.

#“I’m just humbled to have been nominated again by the Bahamas Baseball Association,” said Wood-Knowles, who served as a long-time executive. “I’m going to do my best to more.

#“In the first time around, I had lots to learn – the language I have come to understand and the purpose and the reason behind what I’m doing. And to have to leave my family and to go be in these small villages, uncomfortable beds and climbing steps for days, just to ensure that things are in place for our athletes who are striving to do their best.”

#With a vibrant president in Romell Knowles and a young and energetic secretary general in Derron Donaldson, Wood-Knowles said she’s learned a lot. She hopes that she can continue the path they have taken as the Bahamas remain “numero uno” as a “small, but mighty” nation on the global stage.