Wednesday, January 20, 2016

#GEORGE Washington Colonials senior Jonquel Jones was named one of 30 women’s basketball candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.

#An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

#To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

#The 2015 Atlantic 10 Player and Defensive Player of the Year and an honourable mention All-American, Jones is a candidate for several national player of the year honours in 2016, including the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the Naismith Trophy.

#The Freeport, Bahamas, native currently leads the NCAA in rebounding (15.4 rpg) and double-doubles (15), and she ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (17.4 ppg) and blocked shots (3.0 bpg).

#Jones ranks third all-time at GW with 902 rebounds as a Colonial and sixth with 156 blocked shots, and her 982 career rebounds (including 80 at Clemson) rank eighth among active Division I players.

#In addition, the 6-6 forward’s 277 rebounds this season rank as the ninth-highest single-season total ever by a Colonial. Jones has been named A-10 Player of the Week five times this season and 13 times in her career.

#In the classroom, Jones boasts a 3.04 grade-point average as a criminal justice major. She was recognised on the GW Athletics Academic Dean’s List for the Fall 2014 semester and on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honour Roll for Fall 2013.

#Jones is a Legacy Leader in GW Athletics’ Leadership Academy. In addition, while the women’s basketball team does not pick captains, she is a member of the team’s leadership council, which performs responsibilities normally handled by captains.

#Finally, Jones is one of the most popular figures not just within GW’s Department of Athletics and Recreation but across campus. She can be seen at most home sporting events supporting her fellow Colonials.

#Along with her teammates, Jones has visited a number of local elementary schools to talk to the students about what it takes to be a Division I student-athlete. She also participated in a canned food drive and helped deliver the collection to the food bank, and she helped prepare meals at a homeless shelter.

#Moreover, she and her teammates hosted a youth clinic for the children in her hometown of Freeport, Grand Bahama, during their trip to the Bahamas for the Junkanoo Jam last fall.

#Jones is the second Colonial in as many years to be named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award after Chakecia Miller was selected last season, and she is the only candidate from the Atlantic 10 Conference.

#The class of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot, which will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

VALERIE Nesbitt

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#VALERIE Nesbitt continues to be the model student athlete since she has reacclimated herself to the Ole Miss Rebels’ women’s basketball programme.

#Nesbitt, a general business major, was recently named to the SEC First Year Academic Honour Roll and was also an M-Club Student of the Month for July.

#The senior guard was one of five women’s basketball players and 67 Ole Miss student-athletes on the 2019-20 First-Year SEC Academic Honour Roll.

#Each month the FedEx Student-Athlete Success Center staff selects five student-athletes for the M-Club Student-Athlete of the Month Award. Students are nominated by staff based on observed effort that goes above and beyond normal expectations and results in personal or academic achievement.

#In April, Nesbitt addressed the issues surrounding her dismissal from the programme last season alongside head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.

#McPhee-McCuin hosted a series of conversations on social media and Nesbitt was one of her guests, discussing changes in her behaviour since the surprising announcement last January, just 15 games into her tenure with the team.

#Nesbitt once again appears on the team’s official roster for the upcoming 2020-21 season.

#“Where I went wrong was not being able to understand my flaws and weaknesses. I wasn’t open enough to people that wanted to help me. I just knew within myself, I just wanted to do it my way and discipline is important, especially at this level and you need that structure. I didn’t allow the people that were trying to help me to better myself, I was like trying to do it on my own so that’s where I went wrong,” Nesbitt said. “I was just comfortable in mediocrity, I just wanted to be comfortable all the time so when I got removed from the team I was in a bad place and I just wanted everything to change. I was tired of the same results all the time.

#“I always used to blame my coaches and I never saw I was the problem so I had to do a lot of self check. Self checking, that helped a lot so now that I know where I go wrong and where I went wrong I’m able to change it and allow people to help me.”

#She was in the midst of making what appeared to be a seamless transition to NCAA Division I basketball following two years at the JuCo level. She led the Southeastern Conference in steals at 3.2 takeaways per game and had six games this season with at least four. She was the Rebels’ second-leading scorer at 11.3 points a game and was also second in minutes played at 24.3 per game.

#At the time of January’s announcement, McPhee-McCuin called it one of the toughest decisions she has made in her career.

#Nesbitt was the first Bahamian player signed by McPhee-McCuin in her tenure as the head coach of the Rebels. She has successfully recruited Bahamians to her programmes in the past – Jonquel Jones to Clemson and Shalonda Neely to Jacksonville.

#The Rebels will have the No.1 recruiting class in the SEC and No.13 class in the nation for the 2020-2021 season.

Thursday, July 5, 2018

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BAHAMIAN track and field coach Rolando Lonnie Greene has accepted a new post at another elite Division I programme.

#Greene was introduced as the new track and field/cross country head coach at the University of Kentucky by Wildcats athletic director Mitch Barnhart earlier this week.

#Greene joins the Wildcats in the SEC after a successful six-year stint with the Purdue Boilermakers in the Big 10.

#At his introductory press conference, Greene – a graduate of Murray State in Murray, Kentucky – said his return to the Commonwealth would be a welcome opportunity for the next stop of his coaching career.

#“I became a man in the state of Kentucky, this place has a special place in my heart, I’m excited about this opportunity to lead this programme. I think we can continue to do some great things.”

#“I came to the state of Kentucky in the fall of 1984 as a freshman attending Murray State University. Just to give you a quick bit of how I got there, I was at the Junior Pan-Am Games in The Bahamas.

#“Jay Flanagan at the time, I had just gotten done running the 400m hurdles, he walked up to me and he said, ‘hey young man, where are you going to college?’

#“About three weeks later, I was on a plane headed to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend school,” he said.

#Greene immediately noted that his ultimate goal is to bring a national championship to the programme.

#“I like to win, I’m very competitive. I try to remain as humble as I can, but for me, humility is just strength under control. I believe in being aggressive and trying to win at this level.

#“My ultimate goal is to win the National Championship. That’s one of my career goals. As long as I’ll be here, that is going to be the objective of this programme.” He said: “We’re going to do it the right way, we’re going to graduate young men and women. They’re going to have the complete college experience. I believe you can do both. You know, sometimes you have the experience where a young man or woman is a great student and then you have those great athletes, and they struggle with the balance in between. I believe you can do both.”

#At Purdue he recruited several Bahamian standouts during his tenure including reigning Big 10 Track athlete of the year Deyvnne Charlton, Carmeisha Cox, Keannu Pennerman and Kinard Rolle.

#The Wildcats will already have Bahamian talent on the track this fall with incoming freshman sprinter Devine Parker on the roster. “I think in the Southeastern Conference, it’s got to be an international team. You’ve got to find the best kids in the United States, and then you got to go find the best kids around the world if you want to be competitive. The NCAA is the international NCAA.

#“The NCAA of today is not the NCAA of old in the 1980s when I was competing in college. So if you want to be competitive, you have to spread your wings a little bit. I have those connections. I have those connections around the world, the Caribbean, where you can go out and find the best kids,” Green said.

#“My objective is to go out and find the best student-athlete who can handle the rigours academically here at Kentucky and who can handle it athletically in the SEC at the national level. That’s my objective. But yes, recruiting will be all-encompassing.”

#Greene’s tenure at Purdue was marked by some of the best seasons in programme history, culminating in an eighth-place finish by the women’s track and field team at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last month.

#Under Greene’s leadership, the women’s team also won the team title at the 2017 Big Ten Outdoor Championships for the first time since 1999 and finished 14th at each of the last two NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

#The men’s team is just two years removed from a 2016 season in which the Boilermakers finished 15th at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships – best since 1972 – and 13th at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships – second best in school history. “I had an opportunity to watch the team from Purdue and their coaching staff, and specifically Lonnie and the way he interacted with his team,” Barnhart said.

#“It was maybe the best interview I’ve ever done without ever talking to anybody. To watch how he – the energy coming from their tent and the camaraderie in their team. Just the enjoyment of participating in a National Championship from his student athletes, the coaching staff, and the way they interacted was incredible. I walked away from the meet not knowing if that would be something we need to look at later on down the road.”

#“He was the first one we talked to, he took the lead and never gave it up,” Barnhart said.

#Greene has coached standouts across the board, with 21 different Boilermakers earning 60 First-Team All-America honours across 24 events in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field over his six seasons. Greene’s Purdue teams have also been named USTFCCCA Academic All-America.

#Greene came to Purdue from the University of Arkansas where he worked with the women’s programme for 16 seasons. Most recently, he was the associate head coach in charge of sprints, hurdles, horizontal jumps and multi-events. He was named the USTFCCCA South Central Region assistant coach of the year in 2011 and 2012.

#Prior to his stint at Arkansas, Greene was an assistant coach with the University of Minnesota women’s programme in 1995-96. He was a men’s and women’s assistant, at what is now Missouri State University, from 1991 to 1995. Born in Nassau, Greene is married to former Razorback LaTayna Stewart. The couple have a daughter, Charisse, three sons – Cameron, Isaiah and Jacob – and two grandchildren, Tylan and Caleb.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Jermaine Rolle

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Bahamian administrator Jermaine Rolle has been appointed to a major post at an NCAA Division I programme.

#Rolle was named the Deputy Director of Athletics for the University of Wisconsin Green Bay Phoenix, with responsibilities for “compliance and student-athlete service.”

#The Phoenix compete in the Horizon League and fields six men’s teams, eight women’s teams, and one coed NCAA sanctioned sport (cross-country skiing).

#“I am thrilled to be joining the Phoenix. I’d like to thank Chancellor Mike [Alexander], AD [Charles] Guthrie and the search panel for providing me this opportunity and having the confidence that I’ll be an asset to Green Bay athletics. I was highly impressed with the search panels’ enlightenment on the culture and supportive environment at Green Bay. I look forward to hitting the ground running and serving the student-athletes, coaches and University community to the best of my abilities.”

#According to the Phoenix Athletic Department, Rolle will head all aspects of D-I and Horizon League rules and regulations. He will also work alongside the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and sports oversight in cross country, golf, nordic ski and swimming and diving.

#Rolle previously served as assistant director of athletics for compliance for the Holy Family University Tigers which featured 14 D-II teams. He then moved to the Minot State Beavers, also a D-II programme, where he served as the associate director of athletics for Compliance and Student Life.

#“Green Bay Athletics is pleased to welcome Jermaine to the Phoenix family as Deputy AD,” said Guthrie.

#“Jermaine is highly regarded as being proficient in NCAA compliance and is well-known across the country for his integrity and valour in providing an exceptional student-athlete experience.

#“While Jermaine’s focal point will be on the compliance and student service operations of the department, he will be a key member of our small but mighty leadership team and will be counted on to make many of the day-to-day decisions.”

#The Phoenix has been widely recognised for the success of their women’s basketball programme. From 2008-2013 season, the Phoenix had the third highest winning-percentage in the NCAA Division I with a 175-21 mark, trailing only Connecticut and Stanford. The Phoenix has the fifth-most wins in Division I during that same stretch.

#The Phoenix entered the 2017–18 season on a string of 40 consecutive winning seasons, with only Tennessee having a longer such streak in women’s college basketball. They have also won or tied for the Horizon League regular-season championship since 2000, the longest active streak in Division I NCAA women’s basketball. They have been to the NCAA tournament 18 times, advancing to the second round five times and to the Sweet 16 once. The men’s basketball programme reached the NCAA Tournament in 2016.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BALLIN’ By Da Beach Basketball Camp returns to the courts this summer with several new initiatives in place for the 2017 edition. This year’s weeklong event is all set to be hosted June 26-30 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

#The programme was created by Jurelle Nairn in 2010 when she saw a need to place a greater focus on the development of women’s basketball at the youth level.

#Previously a camp exclusively for girls, this year’s event will also be open to boys as well, facilitating players ages 5-18, with packages ranging from $50 to $125. The two camps will be held at the same time but will remain separate.

#SJ Lennon, game operations coordinator for the Toronto Raptors and founder of BallUp Academy, alongside Tim Lewis of Montreat College, Assistant Coach (Ashville, North Carolina) and Crossover Athletics, will conduct the boys’ segment of the camp.

#Familiar camp conductor, Charisse Mapp, will again host the girls’ segment for the eighth time. She is currently the head coach at Charlotte Latin High School (Charlotte, North Carolina) and Founder of Queen City Athletics.

#Mapp, a former player for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was coaching at Salisbury University where she first met Nairn, who served as her assistant coach. When Nairn decided to start theBallin’ By Da Beach Camp, the first person she turned to for assistance was Mapp.

#The 2016 camp was cancelled because of issues with the facilities but Mapp still made the trip to the Bahamas and assisted with summer programmes hosted by Sherelle Cash and Pattie Johnson.

#Camp organisers are expecting both local and international attendees.

#A press release issued by the organisation said: “Our mission is to take a personal interest in every basketball player and coach to help them become game changers on and off the court. Our vision is to build a movement of passionate basketball players by delivering excellence through the game. Our vision inspires us in our daily work. We create a diverse, collaborative, encouraging environment where teamwork and openness are the cornerstones.”

#Since 2010, the camp has featured hundreds of underserved, aspiring student athletes.

#In addition to serving as an assistant at Salisbury University, Nairn has coached the Queen’s College Comets and was an assistant on the women’s national basketball team. “This movement was birthed from my passion to serve and inspire change in the Bahamas through basketball. Since I started playing basketball, God has just graced me with His favour over and over again,” she said during previous editions of the camp. “I can truly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for basketball,” she said. “It has opened doors that would have never been opened had I not played for the right people, in the right place, at the right time.”

#Interested persons can register at www.BBDBCamps.com., with further information via Twitter – @BBDBCamps, Facebook – www.facebook.com/bbdbcamps or E-mail – hello@bbdbcamps.com 

Friday, March 22, 2019

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BALLIN’ By Da Beach Basketball Camp looks to make another progressive initiative in local girls’ basketball.

#The camp will host a series of “Run ‘n’ Shoot” events to give local student athletes an opportunity to play organised pick-up basketball.

#The series will be hosted on March 30, April 6, April 13 and April 20 at the Anatol Rodgers Gymnasium with an entry fee of $10 – $15 with shuttle pickup.

#Open for 9th graders to recent graduates, the girls’ segment will run from 10am to 3pm while the boys will follow from 3pm to 8pm.

#Shuttle service locations include South – Dairy Queen at the Southwest Shopping Plaza (Girls: pickup at 8am/drop off at 3:30pm, Boys: pickup at 1pm/drop off at 8:30pm); East: Wendy’s Mall at Marathon (Girls: pickup at 8:30am/drop off at 4pm, Boys: pickup at 1:30pm/drop off at 9pm); West: Sir Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (Girls: pickup at 9am/drop off at 4:30pm, Boys: pickup at 2pm/drop off at 9:30pm).

#Event organisers said the series is designed to benefit student athletes in a number of ways, giving them an opportunity to compete in a relaxed atmosphere, help conditioning in the offseason, physical and mental player development, and exposure through filming and streaming that will be made available to their network of college coaches for all divisions.

#The series will be offered to adult women 6am to 10am March 30 and April 13 and adult men April 6 and April 20.

#For more information, contact 804-0621, 429-7170 or email: bbdbcamps@gmail.com

#Ballin By Da Beach was created by Jurelle Nairn in 2010 when she saw a need to place a greater focus on the development of women’s basketball at the youth level.

#Since 2010, the camp has featured hundreds of underserved, aspiring student athletes.

#In addition to the camp, the organisation also hosts a Recruitment Exposure Showcase to aid aspiring players in their college recruitment process.

#A press release issued by the organisation said: “Our mission is to take a personal interest in every basketball player and coach to help them become game changers on and off the court. Our vision is to build a movement of passionate basketball players by delivering excellence through the game. Our vision inspires us in our daily work. We create a diverse, collaborative, encouraging environment where teamwork and openness are the cornerstones.”

Thursday, August 13, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BALLIN’ By Da Beach Basketball Camp continues its effort of engaging with its participants virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

#The organisation will host a virtual basketball camp, August 24-28, via Zoom.

#The camp is open to both boys and girls ages 5-19 and is free to all registered participants – all that is needed is reliable internet access and a basketball.

#Registration is open at BBFbasketball.com/VBC while interested persons can contact the organisation at 429-7170 for more information.

#The camp promises to feature “five days of high quality training from some of the Bahamas’ best national team, college and high school coaches.”

#Day one will be led by the University of the Bahamas Mingoes men’s basketball head coach – Bacchus Rolle; day two features Bahamas senior men’s national team head coach and Golden State Warriors assistant coach – Chris Demarco; day three will be led by Under-17 Skills Challenge assistant coach – Sanchez Moss, day four features the University of Houston Cougars Assistant Director for Player Development – Mikhal McLean, and the camp will close out on day five with U-17 Skills Challenge head coach and CSA Basketball Founder – Marvin Henfield.

#The schedule from 10:30-12:30 will include skills and drills, themed video fundamentals, mental skills training, leadership development, building basketball IQ and fundamentals in action.

#With its traditional camp cancelled for the summer, BBDB partnered with Global College Access to host the “Student Summer Success Series” – sponsored by the University of the Ozarks.

#The series included nightly Zoom sessions, featuring university presidents, athletic directors, coaches and college admissions leaders. Geared toward high school students, student-athletes, parents, coaches, guidance counsellors, and educational stakeholders, all sessions were free of charge.

#BBDB was created by Jurelle Mullings in 2010 when she saw a need to place a greater focus on the development of women’s basketball at the youth level. She is also the coordinator of the Student-Athlete Resources and Support (STARS) Programme in the Ministry of Education.

#Since 2010, the camp has featured hundreds of underserved, aspiring student athletes.

#In addition to the camp, the organisation also hosts a Recruitment Exposure Showcase to aid aspiring players in their college recruitment process.

#“Our mission is to take a personal interest in every basketball player and coach to help them become game changers on and off the court. Our vision is to build a movement of passionate basketball players by delivering excellence through the game. Our vision inspires us in our daily work. We create a diverse, collaborative, encouraging environment where teamwork and openness are the cornerstones.”

Thursday, August 13, 2020

#THE Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) launched its new website today, aiming to keep pace with a technologically advanced world in order to better serve athletes and sport supporters.

#BOC President Romell Knowles pointed out that BahamasOlympicCommittee.org was in need of an overhaul, as the original website was more than a decade old.

#The revamped website features a modern look and enlists a series of technology tools to advance Olympism in The Bahamas.

#“We are attempting to make use of the type of media that a modern audience demands,” said Knowles.

#“So people who visit the site will notice that it is rich in graphics and other audio/visual media.

#“We need to remain progressive in advancing our messages, which will give the athletes the messages they need and the platform they deserve in order to meet their goals.

#“Finally, we are doing this to make it easier for the entire nation to follow Team Bahamas because every single person has a part to play in our national success.”

#Through an agreement with the International Olympic Committee, a feed from the Olympic Channel has a permanent home on the latest version of the BOC’s website.

#Year-round, 24 hours per day, viewers are able to tune in to the Olympic Channel through the Bahamas-based website.

#This allows audiences to keep track of events and the Olympic movement around the world in addition to following local athletes, Knowles said.He also pointed out that the new BahamasOlympicCommittee.org is a launching pad for all the BOC’s social media platforms.

#He said the BOC will place more emphasis on making use of tools such as Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and Instagram to reach the audiences who have become accustomed to gathering news and information through social media.

#Although the site is virtually brand new, featuring a large amount of new material, the executive committee of the BOC maintained one original component of BahamasOlympicCommittee.org.

#The comprehensive history of the BOC – a composition by the late Sir Arlington Butler while he served as president of the BOC – remains on the site.

#“I want to thank the team of BOC executive officers who worked diligently over a period of several months to design the website, gather its material, and forge the partnerships that brought it to reality,” Knowles said.

#“Our secretary general Derron Donaldson and his team of Clarence Rolle and Dorian Roach did an amazing job, and the site will have ongoing transformation as it will be a dynamic and evolving work.”

#Knowles said the BOC could not have produced the website without the significant and generous contributions of Team Bahamas supporter and resident of The Bahamas, Andrew White, whose business network assisted with substantial resources.

#He also acknowledged the meaningful contributions of Integrated Business Solutions and 5Oceans Partnership.

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THE preliminary draw has been set as CONCACAF continues to reveal its restructured qualification process for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

#The first round draw, featuring 35 member federations, will be hosted August 19 in Zurich, Switzerland and streamed live on FIFA.com

#The Bahamas will be placed in “Pot Five” along with Aruba, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and Anguilla.

#Pot One includes El Salvador, Canada, Curaçao, Panama, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago. Pot Two will feature Antigua and Barbuda, Guatemala, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Nicaragua and The Dominican Republic. Pot Three features Grenada, Barbados, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Bermuda and Belize. Finally, Pot Four includes St Lucia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Montserrat, Dominica and The Cayman Islands.

#The Qatar 2022 qualification will feature three rounds vying for three and-a-half World Cup spots.

#The First Round (30 teams) will feature CONCACAF teams ranked 6-35 based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings as of July 16, 2020.

#The Bahamas is currently ranked No. 30 based on the aforementioned rankings. The draw will feature six groups of five teams in a single round robin format. Each team will play every other team in their group once, playing a total of four matches – two home and two away.

#At the end of the first round the six group winners will progress to the Second Round. The second round (six teams) will be played between the group winners from the First Round in a home-and-away in a direct elimination format.

#The three winners will progress to the Final Round. The final round (eight teams) of the qualifiers will feature the three winners from round two and teams based 1-5 on the FIFA rankings.

#The top three teams will advance to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the fourth placed team will qualify for the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff, scheduled to be played in June 2022.

#The Bahamas returned to regional competition at the senior men’s national team level last year in the CONCACAF Nations League and emerged as the top group team in League C, Group B.

#The Bahamas finished as group winners with 10 points, and earned a berth in both League B and the 2021 Gold Cup qualifiers.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Jermaine Rolle

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Bahamian administrator Jermaine Rolle has been appointed to a major post at an NCAA Division I programme.

#Rolle was named the Deputy Director of Athletics for the University of Wisconsin Green Bay Phoenix, with responsibilities for “compliance and student-athlete service.”

#The Phoenix compete in the Horizon League and fields six men’s teams, eight women’s teams, and one coed NCAA sanctioned sport (cross-country skiing).

#“I am thrilled to be joining the Phoenix. I’d like to thank Chancellor Mike [Alexander], AD [Charles] Guthrie and the search panel for providing me this opportunity and having the confidence that I’ll be an asset to Green Bay athletics. I was highly impressed with the search panels’ enlightenment on the culture and supportive environment at Green Bay. I look forward to hitting the ground running and serving the student-athletes, coaches and University community to the best of my abilities.”

#According to the Phoenix Athletic Department, Rolle will head all aspects of D-I and Horizon League rules and regulations. He will also work alongside the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and sports oversight in cross country, golf, nordic ski and swimming and diving.

#Rolle previously served as assistant director of athletics for compliance for the Holy Family University Tigers which featured 14 D-II teams. He then moved to the Minot State Beavers, also a D-II programme, where he served as the associate director of athletics for Compliance and Student Life.

#“Green Bay Athletics is pleased to welcome Jermaine to the Phoenix family as Deputy AD,” said Guthrie.

#“Jermaine is highly regarded as being proficient in NCAA compliance and is well-known across the country for his integrity and valour in providing an exceptional student-athlete experience.

#“While Jermaine’s focal point will be on the compliance and student service operations of the department, he will be a key member of our small but mighty leadership team and will be counted on to make many of the day-to-day decisions.”

#The Phoenix has been widely recognised for the success of their women’s basketball programme. From 2008-2013 season, the Phoenix had the third highest winning-percentage in the NCAA Division I with a 175-21 mark, trailing only Connecticut and Stanford. The Phoenix has the fifth-most wins in Division I during that same stretch.

#The Phoenix entered the 2017–18 season on a string of 40 consecutive winning seasons, with only Tennessee having a longer such streak in women’s college basketball. They have also won or tied for the Horizon League regular-season championship since 2000, the longest active streak in Division I NCAA women’s basketball. They have been to the NCAA tournament 18 times, advancing to the second round five times and to the Sweet 16 once. The men’s basketball programme reached the NCAA Tournament in 2016.