Month: January 2024

The Nassau Guardian’s Senior Male Athlete of the Year

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Swimmer Lamar Taylor holds off a trio of professional basketball players for the top honor

  • Sheldon Longley and Simba French
  • Jan 2, 2024 Updated 1 hr ago
  •  0
lamar taylor r
Lamar Taylor.By The Nassau Guardian

It was a tough task for a three-member panel to select The Nassau Guardian’s Senior Male Athlete of the Year, but in the end, it was senior men’s national team swimmer and collegiate Lamar Taylor who came away with the honor with 44 points.

Taylor held off senior men’s national team basketball players Eric Gordon who was second with 40 points and DeAndre Ayton and Chavano “Buddy” Hield who were tied for third with 36 points. All three are in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Taylor kept lowering his 50 meters (m) free record all season and left it at 22.13 seconds going into 2024. He set the new mark at the Pan Am Games, winning a bronze medal. Only

Americans Curtiss David, who won in 21.85 seconds, and Johnathan Kulow, who was second in 21.90 seconds, finished ahead of Taylor in that race.

Taylor came away with a gold and a bronze in the 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle events at the CAC Games. He won the gold medal in the 50m back with a personal best and national record time of 25.08 seconds. He swam for the bronze medal in the 50m free in a time of 22.51 seconds.

Taylor, who attends Henderson State University, won three NCAA Division II swimming titles this year, becoming the first Henderson State Reddies swimmer to win three national titles at one meet. At the NCAA Division II Swimming Championships back in March, the Bahamian was able to touch the wall first in the 50-yard free with a time of 19.24 seconds. He then won the 100-yard back with a time of 46.42 seconds. Taylor wrapped up his competition with a time of 42.30 seconds in the 100-yard free.

Apart from winning those three titles, Taylor was named the Great American Conference (GAC) Male Athlete of the Year, the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference (NSISC) Male Swimmer of the Year, the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division II Male Swimmer of the Year and also the Henderson State Male Athlete of the Year.

Taylor is looking to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Gordon was instrumental in helping the senior men’s national basketball team advance to the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Olympic Qualifying Tournament when they won the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Americas Tournament in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, in August, 2023. Gordon was instrumental in the championship game of that tournament when he came alive in the fourth quarter to help The Bahamas take down host nation Argentina, 82-75. He scored 11 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter and went 8-for-13 from the field. The Phoenix Suns’ guard went 6-for-7 from deep for the game including three in the fourth quarter. He led The Bahamas with an average of 20.3 points per game.https://dd1b891b36f03c463e8fbb252001e0ae.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

On the NBA scene, Gordon is averaging 13.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game and the Suns sport a 17-15 win/loss record.

Ayton averaged a double-double in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Americas Tournament with 15.5 points and a team-high 13.8 rebounds per game. Hield averaged 19.8 points and 4.8 rebounds to go along with 3.3 assists per game.

The trio will look to make history again when they come together for a chance to get The Bahamas to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament is set for July 2-6, 2024, in Valencia, Spain. The Bahamas has to win that tournament in order to move on to the Olympics in men’s basketball.

Mixed results for Bahamians in NCAA action

  • Simba French
  • 1 hr ago
  •  0

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Deyton Albury.

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  • By The Nassau Guardian

Bahamian collegiate athletes were in action over the weekend as they ended the calendar year for their respective schools with mixed results.

Deyton Albury put on an offensive show for the unranked Queens University of Charlotte Royals (6-9), but they fell to the number 16 nationally ranked Duke University Blue Devils (9-3), 106-69, on the road at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday

The Royals finished their non-conference play with a second consecutive against a top-25 team.

Duke never trailed in the game as the Royals’ got overpowered with Duke making a blistering 58 percent of their shots. Duke’s offense and transition game punished the Royals as they scored 33 points off of the Royals’ 19 turnovers.

The only tie in the game came when Albury notched the score at 2-2 just a minute and a half into the game. The Bahamian tried to keep his team in the game as they trailed 6-4 early on after an Albury jump shot with 17:09 left in the first half.

That two-point lead quickly turned to a 15-point lead. Albury got the lead down back to single digits when he stole the ball and made a jump shot on a fast break at the 10:16 mark in the first half. Duke led 25-18 at that point. It was all Duke the rest of the way in the first half as they led 46-33 at the break. Duke outscored the Royals, 60-36, in the second half to run away with the win.

Albury and the Royals return to action on Saturday with a game against Kennesaw State University (9-5) at 5 p.m. at the KSU Convocation in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Franco Miller Jr. helped the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (6-9) take care of Florida Atlantic University Owls (10-3), 72-68, for their third consecutive win, on Saturday.

Miller scored 10 points and had five rebounds in 23 minutes on the floor on their home court at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida. He went 4-for-11 from the field including a made shot from three-point territory.

The Eagles shot the ball well as they shot at a 48.3 percent clip from the field and held the Owls to 41.4 percent shooting.https://b7931602969c44941dbe4b597331c6b6.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Miller’s first points came from a three-pointer, putting his team up 14-10 at the 13:18 mark of the first half. They went into the intermission up 39-30. The Owls played them tougher in the second half, tying the score at 68 points with 1:27 left in the game. The Eagles broke the tie with a shot from deep with 1:12 left in the game to go up 71-68. Miller split a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left to seal the victory.

The Eagles will stay at home and welcome the Jacksonville University Dolphins (9-5) on Thursday for their first game of the calendar year. That game gets underway at 7 p.m.

On the coaching side, Yolet McPhee-McCuin was in action with the Ole Miss Rebels (10-3) women’s basketball team hosting the Alcorn State University Braves (2-9) at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi. They won easily, 76-37. Playing for McPhee-McCuin in this game was Bahamian Rhema Collins. Collins had three points and four rebounds in six minutes.

The Rebels shot the ball at a 51.1 percent clip and held the Braves to 30.4 percent shooting from the field.

After opening the game with a 20-9 advantage in the first quarter, the Rebels did not take their foot off the gas as they went up 39-21 at the intermission.The Rebels had a dominant second half, outscoring the Braves, 37-16.

The Rebels return to action on Thursday when they kick-off conference play against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide (12-2) on the road at the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.

Greene elected to regional volleyball board

Kurtwood Greene, third vice president of the Bahamas Volleyball Federation (BVF), was elected as treasurer of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) during the electoral congress held at the BRIX Hotel on Coblentz Avenue, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in December, 2023.

The congress was attended by 12 of 14 national federation members and was held under the supervision of North, Central American and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz.

Mushtaque Mohammed, of Trinidad and Tobago, was re-elected as president and Kennedy McGowan, of the Cayman Islands, was re-elected as first vice president.

Also re-elected were Bonaire’s Gisette Emer as second vice president, Jamaica’s Jacqueline Cowan as secretary general and board member Filomena Daniel-Curiel, of Aruba. Mark Lewis, of Barbados, was elected as a board member.

Greene is the first Bahamian CAZOVA board member since former BVF President Don Cornish in 2002.

“I am truly grateful to the BVF for nominating me for this position,” said Greene. “My focus is to provide full transparency, especially with all financial matters while improving the conditions of volleyball within the region and to represent The Bahamas with pride.”

Greene, who is vying for the presidency of the BVF this month, indicated that he will do everything on his power to implement a strategic plan that includes among other things, improving good governance, building partnerships with all stakeholders, and providing a consistent development environment for athletes.

“At the end of the day, my focus is to leave volleyball in a better state and to make my beloved Bahamas the envy of the region,” said Greene.

As mentioned, Greene has offered himself for the presidency of the BVF during its election of officers that is scheduled for later this month.