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Miami Heat’s training camp at the Baha Mar resort. Photos: Austin Fernander/Tribune Staff

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#VETERAN forward Udonis Haslem said there was no better way for the Miami Heat to begin the National Basketball Association’s 2022/23 season than hosting their training camp in The Bahamas.

#It’s the third time that the Heat came to the Bahamas and Haslem was a part of the team in 2013 and 2016 when they stayed at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. This time, they spent the past week at the Baha Mar resort.

#For Halsem, this will be his 20th and final year, all in Miami, as he completes the longest tenure by any player in the league right now. “Great way. Great way to finish my last training camp in Paradise,” Haslem told the media on Saturday following an open house workout session for the residents and visitors to the Bahamas.

#“It’s always much love whenever I come to the Bahamas. It’s just like being in Miami. The love is unmatched. I appreciate it a lot. It’s a dream come true to start off my last year the right way.”

#As an undrafted player in Miami, the team’s captain said the Heat has a tremendous organisation to play for.

#“It’s not easy putting together a playoff or championship calibre team every year,” he pointed out. “You go through your ups and downs and you will always have draft picks. “Some teams up the tank and do it the other way. “We did it to find those needles in the haystack and those diamonds in the rough.”

#Last year, the Heat clinched the eastern conference title and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before they got eliminated by the Boston Celtics. The Heat, coached by Erik Spoelstra, returns with basically the same team with the exception of defensive specialist PJ Tucker, who has gone to the Philadelphia 76ers.

#During the week, Spoelstra and his staff have been watching their rookies and a couple of players out of their D-League developmental programme to help fill in the void.

#The core of their team will include Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Victor Oladipo, Dewayne Dedmon, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jovic, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Omer Yursev and Haslem.

#They’re looking to add to their roster from a list that includes Marcus Garrett, Darius Days, Jamaree Bouya, Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson.

#Haslem, the team’s captain, represented the club during the press briefing. He said if the players all buy into the programme presented by the coaches, they too can have a long career in the league like he does.

#The 42-year-old Haslem noted that they are preparing for the start of the pre-season on Tuesday at home at the FTX Arena in Miami against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have added Rudy Gobert to play with Anthony Towns.

#The Heat’s 35th regular season will also open at home on October 19 when they will entertain the Chicago Bulls.

#“Last year we didn’t lose much. Everybody is basically back,” he said. “Health issues is going to be our major thing. But right now, we’re here in the Bahamas in Paradise. We’re bonding, so it’s been a great trip here so far.”

#As for the expectations for the team, Haslem said the goal as usual is to win another championship title.

#“We always have championship expectations. We don’t come into the season thinking about anything else,” he pointed out. “But we know it’s a long road before we get there. There are steps that we have to get there. The championship is always our expectations.”

#Haslem said the trip here was just like a home game, so they enjoyed playing in front of the Bahamian crowd. The Heat also hosted a children’s clinic on Thursday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

#“It’s been a great week. We got some work in,” he said.

#“We had a little bit of rain, but we held on pretty good. Some of the younger guys got on the water slides and some of the older guys played some golf.

#“So it was good to be here. We had everything here to be successful to get ready for this season.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/oct/03/great-way-finish-my-last-training-camp-paradise/?news

 Home|Sports|Ayton prepared to put last season behind himSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 30, 2022 425 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian DeAndre Ayton, the starting center of the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA), said this week that he hasn’t spoken to Suns’ Head Coach Monty Williams since the conclusion of Game Seven of last season’s Western Conference semifinals, raising speculation as to the relationship between the two and the response he will give on the court this coming season.

In an attempt to soften the blow, Williams said he hasn’t spoken to a lot of players since their season ended abruptly to the hands of the Dallas Mavericks in last season’s playoffs, giving them a chance to recover from the devastating loss and refocus their energy toward this season.

The Suns were the number one seed in the Western Conference of the NBA, finishing with a 64-18 win/loss record – a full eight games ahead of the second-place Memphis Grizzlies. They were favored to beat the fourth-seeded Mavericks and advance to the Western Conference Finals for a second year in a row.

However, they had arguably their worst game of the season in that Game Seven against the Mavericks.

Ayton played just 17 minutes on the floor. He was 2-for-5 from the field for five points and added four rebounds, coming off a season in which he averaged a double-double for a fourth year in a row. He was benched during that stunning Game Seven loss, falling out of favor with Williams.

Trade rumors surfaced again in the offseason, and Ayton eventually signed a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers. However, with him being a restricted free agent, the Suns had 48 hours to match the offer, and they did, locking down their former No. 1 overall draft pick for four years.

Following the Suns’ media day, Ayton said he hasn’t spoken with Williams since the benching.

“I haven’t spoken to him at all, ever since the game,” Ayton told reporters after the team’s first practice of the season on Tuesday. “I can show him better than I can tell him. It’s life. Nobody cares about the uncomfortable nature of it, it’s how you perform and what you bring to the table. What’s said is already said.”

Ayton worked out at the Suns facility for weeks leading up to training camp, but Williams said he purposely decided to leave players alone a little this summer.

“I think one-on-one’s are always needed between guys I’ve been around for awhile,” Williams said. “Some guys need it and some guys don’t. I’ll identify that as the season progresses. I’ll talk to everybody as I always do during camp and it won’t be an issue at all.”

Be that as it may, Ayton says it’s all business for him this season as he tries to solidify himself as one of the better centers in the league, thereby justifying the investment made in him.

“When I’m in between those lines, man, I work,” Ayton said. “I know I’m not playing for myself. I have an organization across my chest and a name on my back I have to represent, I’m just here to work.”

The Suns were blown out on their home floor, losing by 33 points to the Mavericks in Game Seven of their Western Conference semifinal series. The previous year, they came within two games of winning the NBA title, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.

On Monday, Williams said he believes Ayton could put any lingering issues behind him.

“He’s just too good of a player, and he’s a good dude,” Williams said. “There’s times where you bump heads on certain issues, but that doesn’t define a person in totality, and I think sometimes that stuff just gets blown out of proportion and rightfully so, when you don’t know all the facts.”

Ayton averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in 58 games last season. As mentioned, he has averaged a double-double in each of his four years in the league.

https://thenassauguardian.com/ayton-prepared-to-put-last-season-behind-him/

 Home|Sports|Bahamian collegiate tennis players get their seasons underwaySports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailSeptember 30, 2022 416 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian collegiate tennis athletes are getting prepared for the 2022/23 season, and a number of them have experienced preseason action with their respective teams.

There are approximately nine athletes who are on the tennis college scholarships in the United States. The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) congratulates each of them on their hard work thus far, and wish them the very best in their upcoming seasons.

Jacobi Bain, a member of the Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) Gold Rush men’s tennis team, was awarded the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) South Region Rookie Award for his performance for the 2021/22 season. Bain finished with a 20-7 win/loss record in singles and was 26-9 in doubles last year.

Bain started his 2022/23 season at the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) National Tournament. In singles, Bain who was seeded third, played well but lost against Jonasz Dziopak, of Tennessee State University, 6-3 and 6-0.

Bain obtained success in doubles with partner VanDer Woody. They captured the doubles title, 6-3, over Ruan Du Preez and Sam Bajracharya of Alabama State University.

Competing for the Hampton University Pirates, Donte Armbrister and his doubles partner Emiliano Jorquera won the title at the Elon Fall Invitational Powell Doubles Tournament. In the championship match, Armbrister and Jorquera won over Naresh Bharathy and Neiman Sneed from North Carolina Central University, 7-5. In singles, Armbrister lost to Eder Blanco of North Carolina A&T State University, 6-2 and 7-6, in the second round.

At the Christopher Newport University (CNU) Fall Invitational the week prior, Armbrister was a perfect 4-0 in singles and doubles.

Elana Mackey and the Mars Hill Lions competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) Division II Southeast Regional Championships. In singles, Mackey lost in the round of 16 to the sixth seeded Dana Heimen of Flagler College, 6-4 and 6-4. In doubles, Mackey partnered with Amanda Kadiri and they lost 8-4 to Evgeniya Pugina and Lucy Whelan of Lenoir-Ryne University.

Sydney Clarke and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers competed in the Samford Fall Round-Robin Tournament.

In singles, Clarke won over Karen Yibirin of Middle Tennesee State University, 6-0 and 6-1, and Sean Mullen of Tulane, 6-4 and 6-0. In doubles, Clarke and Enya Ratkic came back from being down 5-0 to win over Tulane’s Mullen and Lily Walther, 7-5.

Clarke and UAB opened up their fall season at the Austin Peay Tournament where Clarke won over Arbelaz Maria of Cumberland University, 6-0 and 6-2, and had some well-fought matches where she lost against Emma Honore of Murray State, 6-1 and 6-4, Coco Bosman of UT Martin College, 6-3 and 6-2, and 1-6, 6-0 and 10-7, to Melody Hefti of Austin Peay State University. In doubles, Clarke and partner Mackenzie White won over Denise Torrealba and Lucy Lascheck of Austin Peay, 6-4. Clarke also teamed up with Annalisa Smith and they defeated Coco Bosman and Callie Billman of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 6-2. Clarke would rack up another doubles win with Alexandra da Silva as they defeated Elina Sungatullina and Juanita Mendez of Cumberland University, 6-1.

Abigail Simms and the Indiana Tech Warriors are coming off a 2022 season in which they repeated as Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Champions. They started the season, playing at Goshen College. Playing in the number two position in singles, Simms won over Carmen Aliaga of Gosher, 6-0 and 6-0. Simms won in doubles as well and the Warriors won the matchup, 6-0.

At the Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) Fall Classic, Simms and partner Criss Echavaria lost to the host’s France Antezana and Sofia Loren Munoz in doubles, 6-2.

Kofi Bowe and the Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls are expected to experience action when they take on Elana Mackey and the Mars Hill Lions. Bahamian Shaytonya Missick also plays for the Golden Bulls.

Bahamian Anthony Burrows Jr. plays for the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons. Burrows is in his freshman year. They will face Missouri Baptist on October 7.

Peyton Anderson plays for the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs. Playing in the number five position in singles, Anderson, a freshman, played against Claire Nemmers of Minnesota State University at Moorhead and won, 6-4 and 7-5. In doubles, Anderson and partner Roz Oye won, 6-0, in the number three doubles position.

Against the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Anderson teamed up with Roz Oye in doubles and they fell, 6-2. In singles, she lost, 6-0 and 6-3, to Plachy Clare.

“We are excited for our returning athletes and our new athletes who will be adjusting to the college scene. We pray that you all are successful on the courts and in the classroom,” the BLTA stated in a press release. “We congratulate Joshua Turnquest, Sierra Donaldson, Hannah-Joy Simms and Afrika Smith who graduated last season and wish them well as they undertake their various pursuits.”

The collegiate tennis season continues for a number of the Bahamians players in the coming weeks.

https://thenassauguardian.com/bahamian-collegiate-tennis-players-get-their-seasons-underway/

 Home|Sports|Sands non-committal on another runSports

He said he will decide in due time whether or not he will run again for NACAC president

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 30, 2022 407 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Going into an election year, Bahamian president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Mike Sands said he is satisfied with the work that they would have done, and when the time comes, the body’s membership will judge him and his executive team on their four years in office.

As to whether or not he will offer himself for reelection, Sands remains non-committal, simply stating that he will make the decision in due course. He said that the regional body enjoyed another successful year in 2022, despite the challenges brought forward with the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he is optimistic about what lies ahead in 2023.

“There are always thoughts in my head, but I really don’t look that far ahead,” said Sands in terms of offering himself for re-election in 2023. “There is a lot of work to do, and you would hope that the work you already did, speaks for itself. If you are consistently doing what you were elected to do, then there is no need to scurry later on when it comes times for re-election. I do what I do and I like what I do. As long as persons believe I am capable of making a contribution, then the choice is theirs.”

Sands further said that he’s thankful to be occupying the position of NACAC president and he hope to continue for as long as they would have him, thereby hinting that he would indeed run again in 2023.

“I feel reasonably satisfied with what we in the NACAC executive have done in our term in office. I feel as if we did an amazing job,” said Sands. “We have not received any negative feedback as to our performance and we are in constant communication with our members. I have a personal one-on-one relationship with each and every one of the members. We have open communication on a regular basis and there has been no negative feedback that we’re not doing what they expected us to do. We also have sessions with them to find out exactly what is happening and how we in NACAC can help. It speaks to the platform that we have developed,” he added.

There are 31 full fledged members of NACAC including The Bahamas, the majority of the Caribbean, and North and Central America. There are five other associate members.

In terms of some of their accomplishments in their time in office, Sands said participation at global meets remains above board and stellar, there have been the continuance of the NACAC Senior Championships, the implementation of a kids’ athletic program, and the staging of technical courses, coaching seminars and multi events camps just to name a few.

“NACAC had a very strong year in 2022. Our participation at the world athletic championships, and at other global meets, was top notch as usual. There were several world records broken in 2022 and NACAC athletes certainly had its share in that,” said Sands. “There was the return of the NACAC Senior Championships despite the challenges that we would have faced with COVID-19, and then there is the just completed kids’ athletic program in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in which 19 member federations took part. Also, there are five women from the NACAC area taking part in the gender leadership workshop in Poland.

“We continue to be at the forefront with what is happening in our sport. While there were challenges throughout the year, with COVID and everything else, NACAC never stopped working and recording top performances. We continued to move forward.”

The CARIFTA Games, which is owned and managed by NACAC, will be coming to The Bahamas in 2023 to coincide with the country’s 50th Golden Anniversary Independence celebrations and the 50th anniversary of CARICOM.

Sands said they expect a grand cultural display in the hosting of the 50th CARIFTA Games next year.

Sands said he is looking forward to representing the region at the next World Athletics Council meeting in Rome, Italy, where he will continue to beckon on behalf of the NACAC region at the highest level of world athletics.

“I am pleased to sit at the table and represent the NACAC region and lend my expertise and views to the decisions that will be made,” said Sands. “All of the views that I will present are done on behalf of NACAC, so it’s not my position but it  is a representation of the views of the member federations.”

The 2023 NACAC elections are set for next summer, prior to the staging of the 2023 World Athletics Championships, the 19th edition of that global meet, which is set for  August 19-27 in Budapest, Hungary.

NACAC produces a weekly newsletter, designed to keep the 36 member federations informed as to what is taking place at an administrative level on a regular basis as well as updates on competitions, meetings, seminars and negotiations for contracts to name a few of the items on the agenda. The information is also posted on the NACAC website, and is distributed to the member federations on a regular basis, making them totally aware of every event and item that is on the table.

https://thenassauguardian.com/sands-non-committal-on-another-run/

 Home|Sports|Tomlinson wins title at Fidelity Opti NationalsSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailOctober 3, 2022 302 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

A number of Bahamian junior sailors were on the waters at Montagu Bay this past weekend, competing in the 2022 Fidelity Optimist National Championships.

Emerging with the top finish among the local sailors was Patrick Tomlinson. He sailed for the Lyford Cay Sailing Club and finished with 53 net points in the Championship Fleet, placing sixth overall, but first among the local sailors. Tomlinson’s highest finish was third place in the second race on Saturday.

There were 64 entries in that fleet as they sailed six races. Sailors from the United States of America and Puerto Rico were also on the water.

American Isabel Veiga, who sailed for the Lauderdale Yacht Club, was the overall winner with 30 points.

Placing as the second-highest Bahamian sailor was Craig Ferguson II from the Nassau Yacht Club. He finished with 60 net points, placing ninth overall. He won the fifth race which was yesterday.

Zane Munro finished as the third-highest local sailor with 71 net points, finishing 13th overall. His best finish was a seventh-place finish in the third race which was the first race on Sunday. Munro will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this week, for the Optimist South American Championships that start on Saturday.

In the Green Fleet, which were for the novices, Tyreese McKenzie from the Exuma Sailing Club won with eight net points. He won three of the six races. Hope Town’s Preston Thompson, of Abaco, was second with 19 points. Finishing third in that fleet was the Nassau Yacht Club’s Mateo Theberge with 20 net points.

Chairperson of the regatta Emma Tinkler said they were able to pull through despite inclement weather.

“Saturday saw very little wind,” Tinkler said. “We had postponements but we were able to have two races in the championship fleet and three races in the green fleet. Sunday saw a little bit more wind and a total of six races completed over the two days.”

She added, “Any large-scale regatta is a great experience for all of our sailors when you compare them with the American kids who are used to sailing in a huge fleet on a weekly basis. This is a great experience for Bahamians. We are five weeks away from the OPTINAMs (Optimist North American Championships) that takes place in November, so this is a great training ground for the OPTINAMs. That will see about 160 sailors from around the world competing.”

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Fidelity Bank Bahamas, the title sponsor, Gowon Bowe, said it is key to have young persons involved in sports and they are glad to be a part of it.

“We need to encourage the younger generation to start to be a part of sports, so this is a part of our heritage and it is a part of what we are as an identity as a country. When we see this opportunity here, not only for Bahamian participants, we have participants coming from all across the region; it is a huge thing. They were just recently proud that they had Grand Bahama and Abaco again along with Exuma and Eleuthera. When we talk about national events having all islands participating in that regard, it is a proud moment and we are happy to be a part of it,” Bowe said.

Bowe was out on the water on Sunday watching the races and was impressed with how the sailors performed. He is hoping more corporate sponsors get on board to support the junior athletes and sports in general.

“Going out and having an opportunity to be up close and personal with them – I can tell you the agility of these young kids, I wish I had that again. Seeing them spiral underneath the sails and pull up and have tactics to tackle the wind is a good thing. The discipline, training and instructions are aspects we do not appreciate as to why sports is so important to youth development,” Bowe said.

There were 101 registered sailors and 98 who raced overall. Tinkler said she was happy to see sailors from Grand Bahama and Abaco sailing, particularly after Hurricane Dorian destroyed their equipment three years ago, and the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their participation in competitions.

The Bahamas Sailing Association (BSA) will host the 2022 Optimist North American Championships (OPTINAMs) from November 13-20. It was also hosted in The Bahamas in 2019.

https://thenassauguardian.com/tomlinson-wins-title-at-fidelity-opti-nationals/

 Home|Business|Heat wrap up training camp in The BahamasSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailOctober 3, 2022 303 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Miami Heat completed a five-day training camp with an open practice in front of local basketball fans on Saturday in the Grand Ballroom at Baha Mar.

The five-day camp began on Tuesday with closed practices through Friday. The team also got the youth involved with its Jr. Heat clinic.

For team captain and veteran Udonis Haslem, this is his final year as a player in the NBA. He said it was a dream come to The Bahamas to start off his final year in The Bahamas.

“It was a great week,” Haslem said. “We got some work in. There was a little bit of rain. It held up pretty good. The young guys went out on the water slides while the older ones were able to get in some golf. It was a good balance of hard work and a mental break. There was a little solitude where you can go to your room and be by yourself, and tap in, or whatever. We had everything here that we needed to be successful and get a good start to the season.”

FTX Digital Markets, a partner of the Heat, facilitated the trip. The Heat also held training camps in The Bahamas in 2013 and 2016. Making the trip to The Bahamas this year were star players Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro, among others.

Haslem, who was at the first two training camps here, came suited up for the open practice session but did not go through the drills. However, he was vocal. At 42 years old and entering his 20th season, he said that some small injuries come with the age. As local fans watched and cheered them on as they went through fast break drills, half-court set plays and a full-court mini game, Haslem said that the atmosphere felt like a home game.

“When we come to The Bahamas it is so much love. They know our backgrounds, our history, my history with the Heat. They know my history of coming to The Bahamas and just spending time with the locals and hanging out under the dock (bridge). Also, doing the local things and enjoying the city and being a regular person, not separate myself, and always being able to be touched by the people, is something I embrace. They embraced me and I embraced them – its a match made in Heaven for both of us,” Haslem said.

Vice President of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for FTX Digital Markets Valdez Russell spoke about the community efforts by the Heat.

“Young people experienced an incredible opportunity as they participated in the Jr. Heat clinics,” Russell said. “The clinic’s coaching staff spoke highly of the talent they saw and expressed optimism about future collaborations in The Bahamas. At FTX, we recognize and commend individuals who give of their time and talent to harness and nurture Bahamian student-athletes.”

Haslem said their main goal this season is to win an NBA title. They lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals last season – one game away from advancing to the NBA Championship.

“We always have championship expectations. We do not come into a season thinking about anything else. We understand there is a long way to go before we get there. There are steps we have to take, and we have continued to bank that equity to stay healthy. Championship is always the goal for us. We don’t come with any other expectation – we don’t like to waste our time,” Haslem stated.

Russell stated that FTX Digital Markets will continue to do their part in collaborating with international partners and local stakeholders in developing sports in The Bahamas.

In the 2021-2022 season, the Heat finished with a 53-29 win/loss record. The team, which is coached by Erik Spoelstra, secured the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, but lost to the number two seeded Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Heat left The Bahamas on Saturday afternoon after its open practice session. They returned to Miami to get their preseason underway. They will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. at the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday.

https://thenassauguardian.com/heat-wrap-up-training-camp-in-the-bahamas/

 Home|Sports|Joseph wins open division at UB InvitationalSports

Inaugural cross country event for UB deemed a complete success

Simba FrenchSend an emailOctober 3, 2022 184 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

University of The Bahamas (UB) had 700-plus athletes participate in its inaugural UB Cross Country Invitational at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre on Saturday.

The meet featured races between one to four kilometers with the courses starting and ending at the sports center. The open division encompassed a four-kilometer course. The under-17 division featured a three-kilometer course. The under-15 and under-13 athletes had to push through a two-kilometer course and the under-11 athletes ran a one-kilometer course.

Head coach at UB Ednal Rolle was happy with the great showing from the high schools, primary schools and the clubs.

“Cross country is the new thing, and we are trying to develop distance runners here in The Bahamas. I have a cross country team and I am looking for new recruits and looking for the best just like other colleges. This is a great showing,” Rolle said.

The open men’s division title was won by UB’s Lhevinne Joseph in a time of 13:59. The freshman won over decathlon national record holderKen Mullings, and Ramon Miller – a member of The Bahamas’ ‘Golden Knights’ from 2012.

“My goal was to win. Coach told me that I should win this race, so I came out with the mindset of winning. I came here mostly to have fun but on the other hand, it is competitive, so I had to keep that competitive aspect. The whole plan of the race was to get out as comfortable as possible. As the race go on, you pick up the pace until time to finish,” Joseph said.

Miller from Unique Athletics was second in a time of 14:36. Joseph’s teammate Kenold Jean was third in a time of 14:59.

Joseph had previously run cross country in the United States this season but, this time, he got to run in front of family and friends.

“It was fun to run at home because you get family support – my mom was here. When you are abroad, you only have one or two people cheering you on. I also had other persons cheering me on because they like what they see. I like the environment and the energy. I would do this next year and as much as I could,” Joseph sad.

UB also secured a victory in the open women’s category as freshman Lakeicia Lewis crossed the finish line first in 18:49.

“I’m happy with the victory,” Lewis said. “This morning, I started to get a little down because of the slight late start. All I kept telling myself was not to pick the pace up too much and stay in it. Coming around the first kilometer, I started to slip and fall behind. I had to motivate myself and push through.” Lewis’ teammate Nancy Joseph was the only other competitor in that division, finishing in a time of 22:13.

The event started with the open runners, so the younger athletes could observe them and hopefully gain motivation.

“I allowed my team to run first, so the kids could see the collegiate athletes run. We won the open men and women, so that is a good showing for my team. They are used to running eight kilometers and they are running four kilometers here, so it was like a walk in the park for them,” said Rolle.

Lewis said running abroad prepared her for the meet on Saturday.

Red-Line Athletics’ Daveigh Farrington ran a brilliant race, jumping ahead of the pack in the under-13 girls division. She never relinquished the lead, and won in 8:31.

“I was very surprised because it was my first cross country race and I placed first. I got out first at the beginning of the race and I just kept the same pace. I am very happy, and it is an accomplishment that I will remember,” she said.

Neveah Mackey from 3PA Stallions was second in 8:31. Shakinah Lewis from A.F. Adderley Junior High School was third with a time of 9:07.

Farrington, a seventh-grade student at St. Augustine’s College (SAC), said she is looking forward to running more cross country races.

Assistant Athletics Director at UB Sean Bastian said the meet was in the making for quite a while.

“This is our first cross country meet, but this is something that we have been planning for the last five years,” said Bastian. “Coach Rolle put on a well-organized meet. We are happy and pleased to have over 700 entries who participated in this meet. It is an awesome start.”

Bastian added, “It was a good support from what I saw and from what I heard from the other physical education instructors, they are excited to have this because they use these cross country meets as a mean of conditioning for their athletes for the remainder of the track and field season. This is something very positive for UB Athletics Department.”

Ezthza Maycock from Red-Line Athletics won the under-20 girls division with a time of 13 minutes flat. Swift Athletics’ Chris Salaslis convincingly won the under-20 boys division in 14:50.

The under-13 boys winner was Velocity Track Club’s Cordell Munroe, clocking 7:28. C.R. Walker Senior High School’s Aden Taylor won the under-17 boys title in a time of 5:55. It was 3PA Stallions’ Jasmine Mackey who finished first in the under-17 girls division when she crossed the finish line in 13:21.

Rolle is already looking at expanding the meet for next year as he looks to give athletes more exposure.

“I am looking for this to grow. Next year, we intend to bring in some colleges to be able to come in and compete against us as well as watch the high school athletes compete. It’s an opportunity for them to get scholarships as well,” he said.

UB’s cross country season is just about over, and they will gradually turn their attention to the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.

https://thenassauguardian.com/joseph-wins-open-division-at-ub-invitational/

 Home|Sports|Miller, Wallace-Whitfield back in the poolSports

Both Bahamian collegiate athletes were in action in water polo this past weekend

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 29, 2022 212 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian collegiate water polo players Saequan Miller and Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield were once again competing in the pool in the sport of water polo for their respective schools this past weekend.

Miller was in action for his team, the Salem University Tigers at the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Crossover on Saturday and Sunday. They finished with a 1-2 win/loss record.

Wallace-Whitfield competed for the Mount St. Mary’s University Mountaineers. He had a busy weekend as he played in four games. They were 

perfect, going 4-0. They also had a mid-week game against Navy on Tuesday, and their five-game winning streak was snapped as they lost 16-13.

Both Miller and Wallace-Whitfield played in Erie, Pennsylvania. Miller was in action at the Prep-Villa Event Center while Wallace-Whitfield was in action at the Junker Center Pool.

On Friday, the Mountaineers took down the Pennsylvania State University Behrend Lions 28-14 with Wallace-Whitfield coming away with two goals. The 28-goal outburst was a new school record for goals in a game.

They then played two games on Saturday, taking down Mercyhurst University, 18-8, and Gannon University, 24-21. On Sunday, they pummeled McKendree University, 22-14. All three of these matches were conference games.

On Tuesday, against Navy in Annapolis, Maryland, Wallace-Whitfield scored another goal for his team, but they could not pull off a comeback in the conference game despite scoring five goals in the fourth quarter. They put themselves in a tough position in the second quarter when they gave up six goals to go into the half down, 9-4.

The Mountaineers sport an 8-4 win/loss record on the season, including a 3-3 record in conference play.

Miller, who plays defense, had four shots in their first game over the weekend which was against Bucknell University, but they were all saved and Bucknell won 15-8. He had two exclusions in the match.

The Tigers regrouped, went back in the pool and were able to get a favorable outcome in their next game. They took down Johns Hopkins University, 18-15. Miller had a shot on goal and one steal in that contest.

On Sunday, the Tigers fell to George Washington University, 23-9. Miller had three shots but could not find the back of the net.

All three games were conference games for the Tigers. They now have a 5-6 record on the season and a 2-2 record in conference play.

The Mountaineers head to the west coast to play in the Gary Troyer Tournament in La Verne, California. Their first game is tomorrow against Chapman University.

Salem University returnS to action this weekend at the Penn State Behrend Invite in Erie, Pennsylvania. This time, they will play at the Junker Center Pool. Action for them starts on Saturday when they take on Washington and Jefferson College.

https://thenassauguardian.com/miller-wallace-whitfield-back-in-the-pool/

 Home|Sports|Bahamian ‘JTalon’ advances to IESF World ChampionshipsSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 29, 2022 383 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian Johnathon Lucius, whose username is “JTalon”, qualified to represent The Bahamas at the International ESports Federation (IESF) World Esports Championships, set for December 1-12 in Bali, Indonesia. He will be competing in Tekken 7. Lucius will have a chance to compete for the IESF Tekken title and a $25,000 prize pool.

To get to this point, Lucius had to compete in the IESF Pan American Regionals. In the end, he finished fourth overall with a 6-4 win/loss record in the competition to land a spot in Bali.

“When we got the news that we were able to qualify, I was shocked because when I lost I was down on myself because I know I could have played much better in my final match. I was ecstatic that I qualified because I saw it as a second chance. It feels good to represent The Bahamas because I never got a chance to do so in my entire time gaming,” Lucius said.

President of the Bahamas Esports Federation (BESF) Michael Armogan said that Lucius is a hard worker, and he has been for years.

“We’re ecstatic about how far we made it, with even the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg calling it ‘great works’ for the country. Lucius has been putting in the work for years now, even ranking in the highest tier of players in the world for Tekken,” Amorgan said.

The 24-year-old Lucius wins came against countries such as Colombia, Guadeloupe, Ecuador, Jamaica, Costa Rica and Panama. His losses came against Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. He said his easiest win was against Jamaica and his toughest victory came against Guadeloupe.

“I was a little saddened because I was expecting to place a little higher than that,” Lucius said. “I normally play much better than how I did but I am still happy with the overall results. My easiest match was Jamaica because he used characters that I was knowledgeable about. Guadeloupe was my most difficult victory because the way he used the character that I had knowledge on forced me to get a deeper analysis on how to take him down. I had to change character to take him down.”

His primary character to use in the game is Ling Xiaoyu while his secondary character is Zafina.

To qualify for the IESF Pan American competition as the representative from The Bahamas, Lucius had to win a local tournament. Normally, the winner of the regionals would be the person or persons to represent the region against the other regions around the world. This year, the IESF had to host them online, so even though the regionals happened, all players for our region in select titles like Tekken and eFootball will get a pass directly to the World ESports Championships.

Lucius plays Tekken 7 on the computer. The computer platform is not his first platform as his Tekken journey began with Tekken 3 on PlayStation 1. He said he was introduced to it from when he was five years old. When Tekken 7 was released in 2017, Lucius said he decided that he wanted to be good at it so he can be competitive internationally.

“I never saw myself at this point competing. I competed before in another competition Combo Breaker in Chicago, Illinois, and there were people from around the world competing, but my results were not as good as in the IESF Pan American competition. It was my first big event and I enjoyed it,” Lucius said.

He said he will look to sharpen his skills between now and December by playing online or against his friends. Lucius will head to Bali at the end of November.

https://thenassauguardian.com/bahamian-jtalon-advances-to-iesf-world-championships/

 Home|Sports|ORU hires Andretti Bain as an assistant coachSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailSeptember 29, 2022 275 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

TULSA, Oklahoma — Oral Roberts University (ORU) Golden Eagles Athletics Head Coach Alick Musukuma has announced the addition of Bahamian Andretti Bain to the track and field/cross country staff as an assistant coach. In his role with the Golden Eagles, Bain’s main responsibilities will include recruiting and evaluating talent.

“We are proud to have Andretti Bain be a part of the track and field/cross country programs,” said Musukuma. “We are rebuilding the programs and need someone like Andretti to be on board. Andretti has done amazing things for ORU as he is the only track and field athlete from ORU to win an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Indoor and Outdoor Championship and an Olympic silver medal in the same year, 2008. This will inspire other alumni to see that the ORU track and field/cross country programs are going to be great.”

A 2014 ORU Hall of Fame inductee, Bain is the most decorated track athlete in program history. He claimed the program’s first national championship, winning the 400 meters (m) title at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships. Later that year, Bain captured the title in the same event at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships. During his career at ORU, Bain was a three-time All-American, 11-time conference champion and a nine-time Summit League Athlete of the Week.

After his career with the Golden Eagles, Bain went on to win a silver medal as a member of The Bahamas’ men’s 4x400m relay team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The other members of the team were Michael Mathieu, Andrae Williams and Chris Brown. Avard Moncur and Ramon Miller were the alternates.

Bain, 36, has personal best times of 21.15 seconds in the 200m, 44.62 seconds in the 400m, and 50.83 seconds in the 400m hurdles. He is yet to officially end his career, but is listed as the fourth fastest in Bahamian history in the men’s 400m, trailing just national record holder Steven Gardiner, and former national record holders Brown and Moncur.

Bain has won medals at CARIFTA in the open 400m, the 400m hurdles and the relay, medals at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships and the CAC Games in the 400m and the relay, a gold in the men’s 4x400m relay at the Pan American Games, and a silver in the men’s 4x400m relay at the Commonwealth Games to go along with the Olympic silver medal.

Additionally, Bain was a member of The Bahamas’ men’s 4x400m relay team at the 2004 World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The team of Bain, Brown, Timothy Munnings and Dennis Darling finished fifth in the final.

https://thenassauguardian.com/oru-hires-andretti-bain-as-an-assistant-coach/