Wednesday, July 8, 2020

COACH Norbert Elliott shares a special moment with Tamar Greene (left) and Samson Colebrooke.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THERE has been much concern about the effect of student athletes travelling to the United States to continue their education in the COVID-19 pandemic.

#On Monday, the US Department of Homeland Security announced temporary exemptions for non-immigrant students for the fall 2020 semester, which indicated that students currently enrolled in schools and/or programmes that are fully online will either have to depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in person instructions to remain in lawful status.

#When contacted to get their take on these new requirements, at least one coach, Bahamian Norbert Elliott at Purdue University, said the rule will not affect the Bahamian athletes currently enrolled there.

#“Those students, who don’t have a visa, they can’t come in the fall (August), they will have to come in the spring (January),” said Elliott, a former Olympic triple jumper who competed for the University of Texas at El Paso following his graduation from St Augustine’s College.

#At present, Elliott has three Bahamians on athletic scholarships with the Boilermaker track team at Purdue. They are sprinter Samson Colebrooke and jumpers Tamar Greene and Vinajah Adderley.

#“Since they are currently enrolled as international student athletes, they are not affected,” Elliott said. “Vinajah and Tamar are both home on vacation in the Bahamas and they will be allowed to return without any interruption and join Samson on the team. Samson is already here. He stayed for summer school.

#“For our international students, we’ve never advised them to take online courses. The university is not resorting to that. I know some schools are doing it. Harvard University is doing it for the fall for all online courses, but Purdue is going to do some partial online and some face-to-face classes. So those international athletes wont be affected by those new US Government regulations.”

#Elliott, however, said those athletes who have not yet received their student visas will definitely be affected this fall.

#He noted that they were trying to get an athlete in from Trinidad & Tobago for their freshman year this fall, but that won’t happen until the spring because of the new restrictions.

#“These restrictions are changing every day as regards to COVID-19,” Elliott noted.

#“Right now, we are having some online classes and some face-to-face classes, but I think we will be okay with the international students that we have on our roster.

#“We are really monitoring that very closely, but it shouldn’t be a problem for them. They are not issuing any new student visas and I think that is probably the case with most schools. The US Government is not issuing any new visas for student-athletes. So that will pose some difficulties.”

#With so many student-athletes looking at the scholarships available to colleges and universities in the United States, not just in track and field, but across the board, Elliott said it’s going to be difficult to comply to the social distancing and the wearing of the mask. “We have a new study out that shows that this COVID-19 is affecting more of the younger generation,” Elliott said.

#“So it’s going to be hard to keep them in place, especially those who are attending colleges and universities because they are more adventurous. So if those students can’t come on campus and train, this will really modify what we do this season in all sports across the board. Right now, they are looking at pushing the start time for basketball and football, the bigger sports, further back to the spring as opposed to the fall.”

#Athletic directors in all of the schools are on pins and needles as they work from home trying to figure out how to make the adjustments to their programmes and when this pandemic will end.

#Purdue University is scheduled to open up on August 24 and their fall semester will actually end on November 24, which means that all of their holidays and regular breaks will be cut out this year.

#“What they don’t want is to take a break and having students going to parties and coming back with the virus,” Elliott stated. “So they are really condensing the school year to compact anything into a shorter space of time.

#“In that way, the schools will try to eliminate the spread and the contact tracing of the virus because once the students are in school, there will be no need for them to have to do all of the things that they did off the campus like they did in the past.”

#In Lafeyette, Indiana where Purdue is located, Elliott said they have contained the virus so far, but a lot of the southern states around them are not so fortunate. So he’s encouraging his athletes to do their part to try and control the spread of the virus by following the guidelines and the protocols that are in place.

#While there has been a vast increase in cases of the coronavirus in Florida to more than 214,000 and over 3,000 deaths, there are about 49,000 cases in Indiana with over 2,000 deaths.

#The United States has confirmed more than three million cases and over 133,000 deaths.

#Worldwide, there are over 11 million cases and more than 539,000 deaths.The Bahamas has 104 cases, 89 of which were recovered, with 11 deaths.

Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene (left) is shown with athletes Devyenne Charlton and Carmiesha Cox and coach Norbert Elliott.

f Friday, October 12, 2018

#ROLANDO ‘Lonnie’ Greene is grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to move from one head coaching job in college track and field to another.

#In his transition from Purdue University to the University of Kentucky, Greene intends to continue to strengthen his Bahamian connection with his coaching staff and the athletes on the team.

#Over the weekend while here to participate in the Bahamas Athletic Foundation’s Coaches Professional Development Conference at SuperClubs Breezes, Greene shared a passionate interview on his road to success from a sub-par jumper at AF Adderley High School to one of the elite coaches in the NCAA Division One ranks.

#“When I went to college at Murray State University, I was a bio-chemist major out of AF Adderley,” Greene said. “When I went there, the biological science and physics was great. I never took chemistry in high school, so it ran me out of the bio-chemistry class. I realised that I couldn’t be successful there.

#“So I ended up not knowing what to do and so I went into career planning and placement and they gave me this multi-talented test to do. I took it and the professor said with the talent that I have, I need to be working with people. I looked at this dude and I said I wanted to be a doctor. That was my flesh, but God had something else in plan and in store for me.”

#At grad school at Southwest Missouri State University, Greene said he called Patrick Bailey, who was at Central State Missouri, and he encouraged him to pursue his new found dream of becoming an athletic coach and after he engulfed himself in everything that had to do with the sport, he finally got his first break as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas.

#“For me, did I ever think I would be a college coach, ‘no,’ but I know I’m in the place where God would have me to be,” he said. “I know that, so I’m just going to continue to be a good steward of what he has blessed me with, holding people to the highest expectations.”

#Trying to hold back the tears in his eyes, Greene said he could not have had a better experience than he did for the past six years as the head coach at Purdue where he transformed the Boilermakers’ athletic team as the toast of the Big Ten Conference where he earned a number of individual accolades.

#“I’m grateful for that opportunity,” he said. “They gave me a shot, they gave me an opportunity when I knew I was ready. I went there for the interview and after I got the job, I was ‘Lord, why did I get this job. Why couldn’t I get a Texas or Florida or a programme that was banging.

#“But I think when I looked back at it all, he did it that way because of the impact that he was going to allow me to make. I think it was great that way. I interviewed for the Texas job. Notre Dame wanted me to come this year, but I told them I wasn’t interested. Then Kentucky and the way they orchestrated it, I just had to work on some things from a professional standpoint.”

#That came as a result of the journey that he went through at Purdue. “I would not have done it any other way,” Greene reflected. “I thought we were successful, I thought we were making an impact, I thought we were graduating kids with some engineering degrees, business degrees and we had kids that were 10, 12, 16 times All-America.

#Bahamian Devynne Charlton, just to name one, was 12-time Big Ten champion, 12-time first team All-American, Athlete of the Year on numerous occasions.

#One of the highlights during his tenure in Purdue, according to Greene, was not winning titles or helping his athletes to shine, but it was when one of his former athletes returned and introduced his son, whom he named Rolando after him.

#“When he said coach Rolando, I want you to meet Rolando, I just broke,” Greene stated. “He could have named his son after his dad, but he named his son after me. And this was a Caucasian kid, this wasn’t a black kid. After I pulled myself together, I asked him how is the kid going to go around with a black name and the father said to me, ‘he’s going to be fine.’ He lives in North Dakota as an engineer.

#“Watching Devynne run 7.8 for the 60m hurdles, watching her just barely losing the NCAA title in the 100 hurdles, knowing that she came to us running 13.8 and now running 12.6 and is one of the better hurdlers in the world and watching her make the World Championships as a student in college, knowing that she is getting a marine biology degree.

#Those were considered some of his highlights, coupled with watching another Bahamian Carmiesha Cox go to graduate school and work on her MBA and being a multi-time All-American. Those are the things that Greene said he will cherish for the rest of his life.

#If there was any low point on his pathway, Greene said he had to ask his wife, LaTayna Stewart-Greene, to give up a principal job and follow him to Purdue where he had to convince the athletes there not only to be the best they can be, but at the same token, try not to finish last in the conference.

#“The proof is in the puddling because Purdue is now a nationally respected institution ranked in NCAA division one track and field,” he pointed out.

#Looking back at all of the successes at Purdue, Green said he could not have done it without the coaching staff that he was blessed with. He attributed a lot of his successes to persons like fellow Bahamian Norbert Elliott and his wife, who served as assistant coaches. Now in his departure, Norbert Elliott has assumed the head coaching job at Purdue.

#“Norbert was one of my heroes in track and field. When Norbert came home from UTEP as a junior or senior, he came home for high school nationals and I was jumping with a hamstring injury and everybody was gravitating to Wendell Lawrence and Dudson Higgins,” Greene recalled.

#“Norbert saw me and he called me to the fence. He asked me what happened to my hamstring and I told him I pulled it. He said move your approach three feet back and run. He said tear the hamstring and jump. That simple advice allowed me to jump 49-feet, 2-inches to get a scholarship to go to college.”

#Surprisingly their paths crossed again in the United States where they were assistant coaches. In their conversations, they both agreed that if either of them got the call as a head coach, they would seek each other out to work as their assistant.

#“God just had it that I got the call first at Purdue and when I called him and asked him if he was ready to put his money where his mouth was, he said ‘let’s do it,'” Greene said. “It was great. But I was amazed at the end of my tenure at Purdue how God worked it out where he put all the cards in my hands and I was able to recommend Norbert Elliott to take over and I gave them all of the reasons why.

#“So that the programme don’t die, I recommended that they give him the chair. They might lose a body or two, but they won’t have a mad exodus out of Purdue. God just gave me a voice and I was able to use it for good and he was the one. Purdue got it right when they hired him to take over as the head coach after I left.They got it right. The men will be great. The women might take a step back, but they will get it together.”

#From one Bahamian assistant to another, Greene said it didn’t take rocket science for him to lure “Golden Girl” Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie from the University of Houston as an assistant to join him at Kentucky.

#“She’s a Bahamian. They told me I had to hire a woman. She’s a Bahamian, but I knew she was out there, so she would have had to tell me no,” Greene stressed. “Charity begins at the house. Charity begins at home. She’s a home girl. I’ve known Debbie from she was a little girl at St Andrew’s School and I tried to recruit her back then, but I was just too young for coach Pancho (Frank Rahming) to entrust her to me, so they sent her to Norbert, who was an assistant at the University of Georgia.”

#Whenever their paths crossed at meets, Greene said he always treated Ferguson to a “turkey leg” meal and so when the opportunity presented itself this year for her to work with him at Kentucky, he couldn’t resist and she quite naturally accepted the offer.

#“She’s doing an excellent job right now,” Greene said. “She’s the conduit between myself and coach Hall. So when you have an opportunity to help another Bahamian, who wouldn’t. I know I would. You tell me you’re from the 242, I would help you. It’s just the Bahamian pride, but I know she will do it in an excellent way.”

#Like he did at Purdue where he had some outstanding Bahamian talent, Greene believes that they have the next real deal in Bahamian sprints in Divine Parker, who is in her freshman year after competing for St Anne’s School.

#“That’s our next sprint queen,” Greene quipped without hesitation. “I don’t care what nobody says, I don’t care who you see holding the trophy, that’s the Bahamas’ next sprint queen, in my opinion. She works directly with coach Hall, but he’s excellent with what he does. She is buying in like there’s no tomorrow.

#“She’s going to be the next one. Shaunae Miller-Uibo is taking the Bahamas to great heights and will continue to do that, but I think Divine is the next one. We have some others out there doing some stuff, but I think Divine will be the next sprint queen in the country. I won’t be surprised if she’s not at the World Championships next year. She’s looking that good and she’s only been with us for about five weeks.”

#Although he’s living out one of his passions as a head coach, Greene believes that if he wasn’t coaching, he believes at age 51 years old, he probably would be in ministry preaching the gospel.

#“I probably would be in the pulpit somewhere. I don’t know if it would have been here or in the US, I would be in ministry,” he said. “But the way I look at ministry, I believe I’m doing it now because I remember when one of my athlete’s father was dying from cancer, I was able to pray with him and make him to understand that his father was healed because he went to a better place.

#“To have a kid walk into my office and ask me to pray for their mother, I believe I am in ministry. I don’t have to stand in the pulpit, but I know I can preach the word if I have to. So if I wasn’t coaching, I would be in people’s business preaching the word of God. I just want to be someone who wants to make an impact.”

#Motivated by a message on purpose he heard from the late Dr Myles Munroe while he was in college, Greene said he asked God to show him his purpose and it wasn’t medicine or law, two fields he was eager to pursue at the time. He said it was making an impact as a coach and that is what he is doing now.

#“I always wanted to retire at age 65, so I think I have about 13 years left to fulfil that,” he stated. “Five years from now, I hope to still be coaching, 10 years from now, I want to continue. 15 years, me and my wife will probably be trying to figure out what we will be doing with our grandchildren.”

#But, in the meantime as a Bahamian, Greene said if the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations calls him today to coach the national team, he will jump to the opportunity in a heartbeat.

#“I would be here tomorrow if they say ‘Lonnie would you be one of our coaches'”, he insisted. “Barring any emergency that would affect my wife or my children or one of my athletes, I would be there every day of the week and twice on Sunday. It will be an honour. Anytime you get to serve your country in any which way, it is an honour. I don’t care how simple or advanced, it is an honour.”

Nashad Mackey

Monday, March 4, 2019

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#NASHAD Mackey concluded his collegiate basketball career with the Embry-Riddle Eagles as one of the programme’s all-time leaders.

#The Eagles’ season ended with an 82-74 loss on the road to Eckerd College and they finished the season at 13-18, 6-14 in the Sunshine State Conference.

#Mackey finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in the finale.

#In the penultimate game of the season, Mackey played his last home game on the Embry Riddle campus on senior night and posted 27 points with 16 rebounds in a 90-81 win over Palm Beach Atlantic.

#In Mackey’s two-year run with the Eagles, he registered 39 double-doubles in 50 career games in an Eagles uniform, averaging 17.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

#Mackey’s 17.2 points per game ranks third all-time in Eagles history, while his 12.2 boards per outing is easily the top mark in 31 seasons of ERAU basketball.

#As a junior, Mackey produced a number of career milestones and postseason awards. He was named to the All-Conference second team as well as the All-Newcomer team when the Sunshine State Conference office announced the 2017-18 men’s basketball postseason awards. Mackey made school history when he became the first Eagles player to earn an All-Conference selection. He had an immediate impact on the programme as they transitioned to NCAA Division II with his record-breaking junior season.

#He averaged 17.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, both team leads. In 28 starts, he also set a new single-season double-doubles record with 23 on the year and ended the season with 13 such consecutive games. He posted a total of 350 rebounds, another school record, ranked second in NCAA Division II.

#He finished with nine 20-point games, including one 20-point, 20-rebound game in an upset of No. 10 Barry University. He also shot 88.8 per cent from the free throw line this season, ranked sixth among single-season totals in programme history.

#Mackey transferred to the Eagles and NCAA Division II level after he posted stellar individual numbers and garnered postseason awards at the JuCo level.

#During his stint with the Daytona State College Falcons, he was named the Mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year and was also named First team All-State in the conference as a sophomore.

#“I try to live in the moment and enjoy every minute of life, so I don’t necessarily have any plans but a few ideas. Some of my ideas beyond basketball this season is to work on my nutrition and working on my game, giving myself the best opportunity to play at the next level,” he said. “Career-wise I am thinking of playing professionally or attending graduate school and pursuing a corporate career.”

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Nashad Mackey

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#IN his first season of NCAA Division II basketball, Bahamian college basketball star Nashad Mackey produced a number of career milestones and postseason awards.

#The Embry-Riddle Eagles junior forward was named to the All-Conference second team as well as the All-Newcomer team when the Sunshine State Conference office announced the 2017-18 men’s basketball postseason awards.

#Mackey made school history when he became the first Eagles player to earn an All-Conference selection.

#Mackey had an immediate impact on the programme as they transitioned to NCAA Division II with his record-breaking junior season.

#He averaged 17.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, both team leads. In 28 starts, he also set a new single-season double-doubles record with 23 on the year and ended the season with 13 such consecutive games. He posted a total of 350 rebounds, another school record, ranked second in NCAA Division II.

#He finished with nine 20-point games, including one 20-point, 20-rebound game in an upset of No. 10 Barry University. He also shot 88.8 per cent from the free throw line this season, ranked sixth among single-season totals in programme history.

#The Eagles closed out the 2017-18 season last week with a 104-97 loss to Florida Southern to end the season at 11-17, 5-15 in the conference.

#Mackey ended the campaign strong with his final double-double of the season with 26 points and 14 rebounds. He transferred to the Eagles and NCAA Division II level after he posted stellar individual numbers and garnered postseason awards at the JuCo level.

#During his stint with the Daytona State College Falcons, he was named the Mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year and was also named First team All-State in the conference as a sophomore.

#Mackey played in over 850 minutes for the Falcons in his sophomore season, leading his team in time on the court. For the Falcons he averaged 15.1 points per game on the season, and 18.8 points in conference play. Mackey also averaged three times as many boards as his next teammate statistically, averaging 14.4 rebounds per game in conference contests.

#He said the educational opportunities at Embry-Riddle were at the forefront of his decision process. “I always valued my education. Being an engineering major, Embry-Riddle is one of the best programmes nationwide. The university and campus is growing rapidly.

#“Also Embry-Riddle is a winning programme under the leadership of Steve Ridder, who is father of the head coach at Daytona State.

#“I also developed a great relationship with the entire coaching staff through this recruiting process and I believe they had my best interest at heart,” he said.

#In his freshman season with the Falcons, he averaged 9.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 47 per cent from the field and 26 per cent from three-point range. He led the team in double doubles with several standout performances, including 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 105-78 win over South Georgia Technical College and 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 77-74 loss to Florida

Friday, November 9, 2018

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#JUST a week into his senior season, Nashad Mackey is already earning conference accolades for the Embry Riddle Eagles men’s basketball programme.

#Mackey earned the first Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Week as the Eagles got off to a 2-1 start to the year.

#He recorded three double-doubles in the Eagles’ first three games, averaging 20.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. He also recorded seven steals and turned away a pair of shots for the Eagles over the weekend.

#In the season opener, he posted 18 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in Embry-Riddle’s 72-69 win over Concordia.

#In game two, he finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in a 79-70 win over Azusa Pacific.

#In their first loss, Mackey finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two steals in a 94-81 loss to Lindenwood.

#The Eagles return to the court tonight and look to get back into the win column against Lee University.

#Mackey has 26 double-doubles in 31 career games with Embry-Riddle.

#As a junior, Mackey produced a number of career milestones and postseason awards.

#He was named to the All-Conference second team as well as the All-Newcomer team when the Sunshine State Conference office announced the 2017-18 men’s basketball postseason awards.

#Mackey made school history when he became the first Eagles player to earn an All-Conference selection. He had an immediate impact on the programme as they transitioned to NCAA Division II with his record-breaking junior season.

#He averaged 17.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, both team leads. In 28 starts, he also set a new single-season double-doubles record with 23 on the year and ended the season with 13 such consecutive games. He posted a total of 350 rebounds, another school record, ranked second in NCAA Division II.

#He finished with nine 20-point games, including one 20-point, 20-rebound game in an upset of No. 10 Barry University. He also shot 88.8 per cent from the free throw line this season, ranked sixth among single-season totals in programme history.

#The Eagles closed out the 2017-18 season last week with a 104-97 loss to Florida Southern to end the season at 11-17, 5-15 in the conference.

#Mackey ended the campaign strong with his final double-double of the season with 26 points and 14 rebounds. He transferred to the Eagles and NCAA Division II level after he posted stellar individual numbers and garnered postseason awards at the JuCo level.

#During his stint with the Daytona State College Falcons, he was named the Mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year and was also named First team All-State in the conference as a sophomore.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

NASHAD MACKEY

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#NASHAD Mackey has always been heralded for his scoring and rebounding, but we can now add improved defence to his skillset during his first season with the Embry Riddle Eagles.

#The junior forward was named the Sunshine State Conference defensive player of the week when the league announced its weekly honours yesterday.

#Embry Riddle recently got their first Sunshine State Conference win with an 86-77 triumph over No.10 Barry University for their first win over a ranked opponent this season.

#Mackey finished with 26 points and 20 rebounds on 8-10 shooting from the field, including 4-5 from three-point range and 3-4 shooting from the free throw line.

#He became just the second Eagle in school history to record a 20-20 game.

#En route to winning the weekly honour, Mackey led the Eagles to a pair of wins. Mackey scored 10 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while registering three assists, a block and two steals in the Eagles’ first ever conference win over NSU

#On the season, Mackey is averaging 16.1 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.

#He transferred to the Eagles and NCAA Division II level after he posted stellar individual numbers and garnered postseason awards at the JuCo level.

#During his stint with the Daytona State College Falcons, he was named the Mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year and was also named First team All-State in the conference as a sophomore.

#Mackey played in over 850 minutes for the Falcons in his sophomore season, leading his team in time on the court. For the Falcons he averaged 15.1 points per game on the season, and 18.8 points in conference play. Mackey also averaged three times as many boards as his next teammate statistically, averaging 14.4 rebounds per game in conference contests.

#He said the educational opportunities at Embry-Riddle were at the forefront of his decision process.

#“I always valued my education. Being an engineering major, Embry-Riddle is one of the best programmes nationwide. The university and campus is growing rapidly. Also Embry-Riddle is a winning programme under the leadership of Steve Ridder, who is father of the head coach at Daytona State.

#“I also developed a great relationship with the entire coaching staff through this recruiting process and I believe they had my best interest at heart,” he said.

#In his freshman season with the Falcons, he averaged 9.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 47 per cent from the field and 26 per cent from three-point range. He led the team in double doubles with several standout performances, including 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 105-78 win over South Georgia Technical College and 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 77-74 loss to Florida Southwestern.

#This season is ERAU’s third and final year of the NCAA II transition process after spending its entire history in NAIA.

#Mackey was a former standout for the CR Walker Knights with before he relocated to the US and the Champagnat Catholic School Lions programme in Hialeah, Florida, along with fellow Bahamians Jaron Cornish and Oswald Parker.

#He was named to the Miami Herald’s All-Dade first-team for 4A-2A schools in Dade County, Florida, and also named to the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) and Source Hoops 2014-2015 Boys Class 2A All-State Teams.

#He posted averages of 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game as a high school senio

Thursday, March 23, 2017

NASHAD MACKEY

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#HIS final season at the Junior College fell short of his ultimate team goal of a national championship, but Nashad Mackey’s stellar individual numbers continue to garner postseason awards.

#Mackey, the 6’6” guard/forward for the Daytona State College Falcons, was named the Mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year and was also named First team All-State in the conference.

#Mackey played in over 850 minutes for the Falcons this season, leading his team in time on the court. For the Falcons he averaged 15.1 points per game on the season, and 18.8 points in conference play.

#Mackey also averaged three times as many boards as his next teammate statistically, averaging 14.4 rebounds per game in conference contests.

#Falcons assistant coach Ian Gibson lauded Mackey’s effort this season.

#“Probably the best rebounder in the state. Great kid, great person, does everything right on and off the floor every single day. You can always depend on him to do everything that we ask,” Gibson said.

#Mackey is expected to continue his basketball career at the NCAA Division II level after he signed with the Embry-Riddle Eagles in November.

#He said the educational opportunities at Embry-Riddle was at the forefront of his decision process.

#“I always valued my education. Being an engineering major, Embry-Riddle is one of the best programmes nationwide. The university and campus is growing rapidly. Also Embry-Riddle is a winning programme under the leadership of Steve Ridder, who is father of the head coach at Daytona State. I also developed a great relationship with the entire coaching staff through this recruiting process and I believe they had my best interest at heart,” he said.

#In his freshman season with the Falcons, he averaged 9.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 47 per cent from the field and 26 per cent from three-point range.

#He led the team in double doubles with several standout performances, including 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 105-78 win over South Georgia Technical College and 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 77-74 loss to Florida Southwestern.

#“My time here at Daytona has been a blast, I’ve spent countless amounts of hours working on my game and making a body transition. It paid off quite fine. I became more athletic and agile, making the game a whole lot better for myself,” he said. “I think I’ll fit into the programme effectively. My skill set is sufficient to make immediate impact and, who knows, maybe an all conference player. At this level division two and with this programme I can play anywhere on the court from 1-5.”

#This season is ERAU’s third and final year of the NCAA II transition process after spending its entire history in NAIA.

#Mackey was a former standout for the CR Walker Knights with head coach Trevor Grant. He relocated to the US and the Champagnat Catholic School Lions programme in Hialeah, Florida, along with fellow Bahamians Jaron Cornish and Oswald Parker.

#Mackey was named to the Miami Herald’s All-Dade first-team for 4A-2A schools in Dade County, Florida, and also named to the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) and Source Hoops 2014-2015 Boys Class 2A All-State Teams.

#He posted averages of 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game.

#This offseason his attempt to make the men’s senior national team was seen as a learning experience and motivation to get better.

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Lathaniel Bastian (centre) in action for the Bahamas.

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#ANOTHER Bahamian basketball talent received an opportunity to further his academic and athletic career through basketball.

#Lathaniel Bastian is expected to join the Gillette Proghorns men’s basketball programme on a full athletic scholarship this fall.

#The 6’7″, 205-pound forward will join a programme with a rich tradition under head coach Shawn Neary.

#Located in Gillette, Wyoming, the Proghorns compete in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association’s Region IX.

#In just eight years since its inception, Gillete is a three time national tournament qualifier, two-time Region IX champion and has produced 15 All-Region players.

#Locally, Bastian spent his high school years with the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins under head coach Denycko Bowles and was also a member of Bowles’ International Basketball Academy – Bahamas.

#“Coach Bowles was the coach at Doris Johnson, he saw that I needed work, he saw that I was shaky in the game and he did all that he could to develop me into the player I am now,” Bastian said.

#“He saw potential in me. I used to be nervous, with the crowd watching me I really want to play well for the crowd. Going over there [the United States] no one really knew so I realised I don’t have to play for the crowd I can play for myself and that’s where my game really elevated and I became more dominant. That’s where I started developing. My time at IBA helped my confidence and it helped me be physical and develop my game.”

#Bastian participated in a pair of showcases this offseason – the Darrell Sears Showcase in Grand Bahama and the IBA/Get Me Recruited Super 60, Hot 100 Showdown in New Providence.

#Following his career at Doris Johnson, he spent a year with the Game on Rise Academy, a prep school in Ocala, Florida.

#Game on Rise Academy is a year-round basketball training, recruitment assistance programme. The organisation boasts “85 combined years of academic tutoring, athletic training, weight training, counselling, mentoring, life skill and time management teaching.”

#The format of the prep institutions academic and athletic regimen is marketed to appeal to international students.

#Bastian was afforded the opportunity to compete against other academies, junior colleges and prep schools.

#It gives players an opportunity to train another year if the offers to colleges were unavailable immediately after high school.

#“There is a small niche in basketball where these guys finish high school and they are not good enough to immediately play in college or they simply just haven’t been recognised,” Game On Rise founder Mike Kirkland told the Ocala Star Banner.

#“So we have provided an area where kids can come to train and gain a solid extra year to help them earn a scholarship playing basketball. We have a loaded database of coaches and scouts that we contact regularly and help get these players to the next level.”

Thursday, May 12, 2016

D’Andre Vilmar

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THIS summer will set the tone for Bahamian basketball star D’Andre Vilmar as he plans to announce his collegiate decision following a season of tournaments, showcases and national team play.

#Vilmar recently completed his junior season for the Roman Catholic High School Cahillites in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and said the attention now shifts to securing a scholarship offer over the course of the next few months.

#“I think I’m close to making a decision. I think I’m going to breakout in July. I’ve been in contact with a few schools but July is going to be where I really breakout and get looks from some high major schools,” he said.

#“The off-season is a big thing and that’s where you get most of your offers. AAU really started in the spring and for me that will continue in July when I’ll be playing with Coach [Darell] Sears on the AAU circuit. After that most likely I’ll be playing with the Bahamas national team in Panama at the CBCs.

#“But July will be busy in Atlanta, Louisiana and Las Vegas. The summer ball to me is more important. All the coaches come out and see you and you play in front of every coach you can think of. AAU ball is structured but you get to show your game more than you do in the regular season.”

#The 6ft 4in guard and Abaco native helped his team capture the 2016 PIAA Class 4A title with a 73-62 win over the Allderdice Dragons.

#After their second consecutive state title, Roman Catholic will lose three starters to graduation, thrusting Vilmar into the spotlight and a leadership role for his senior season.

#“The journey was crazy because a lot of people doubted that we would even win it the first time, but when we won it back-to-back it was amazing,” he said. “People don’t understand all the hours and sacrifices you have to put in to win a state championship – practicing every day. You can’t really have weekends to yourself you got to spend most of it with your team and travelling, and of course you have everyone trying to knock you down from that pedestal.

#“It’s a hard thing to do to get it once, but back-to-back that rarely happens so it was a great thing for me to experience and it was a great thing for my team.”

#Vilmar continues his improvement on the college recruitment circuit and is making his way toward the ESPN 60 rankings. Listed as a four-star recruit, he is now ranked fourth in the state and 27th nationally at his position.

#Vilmar has received one Division I scholarship offer so far, from the Colorado State Rams while other schools such as La Salle and Penn and Iona have all showed considerable interest.

#At the international level last summer, he was a part of the Bahamas team that finished fifth at the FIBA Centrobasket Under-17 Championship when led the tournament in scoring at 19.6 points per game and rebounding at 12.4 boards per game. He was also second in assists as he dished out 4.6 per game.

#“The first game I was bit nervous and I was messing up a lot. But coach Sears he left me out there and I made two baskets back-to-back and I gained confidence. After that I felt like nobody could really guard me and as the tournament went on I just kept getting better and better each game, I was able to produce and everybody starting relying on me.

#“When you’re playing that role and everyone expects you to be the main guy it can be tough, but I think I responded well to it,” he said. “When I got back to Roman I was less timid with the ball in my hands. Before, I was a real afraid to make plays but after I came back I was still on that high pedestal from playing in the FIBA.

#“That brought my confidence level up so I came in real confident in making plays. Its taught me about being under control in certain situations and not forcing the issue, knowing when to attack and when to get my teammates involved. I feel like I did a good job handling pressure and my shot selection was definitely better.”

#Vilmar left Abaco in the sixth grade when he moved to live with his uncle in Delaware for a better opportunity at excelling in the sport.

#He credits his family’s vision for the position he find himself in at the current moment.

#“It was in sixth grade, my mom sent me to live with my uncle in Delaware and he really showed me what it takes to get to the top. I went back home for a few months and my uncle was like ‘We’ve got to get Dre back out here if he’s going to make it out.’ 

#“Times were hard at that time but my mom saved and did whatever she could. She didn’t pay the light bill or none of that, she used the money on my ticket and living situation,” he said.

#“I was playing in Delaware for a couple years and then I got joined this AAU team, Team Final. My cousin was already there and when I started playing Roman saw me in seventh or eigth grade, I visited the school and made the decision to go. From there I left my uncle’s house and went to live with my AAU coach in South Jersey so I could be closer to Philadelphia.

#“Everything was so different. They were more serious. In the Bahamas we just played games and thought we were getting better. But when I got to Delaware we were working out two to three times a day. It was a big adjustment at first but I caught on eventually.”

#With Bahamian basketball players Buddy Hield and DeAndre Ayton garnering national attention, Vilmar said he expects to continue that momentum when he gets the opportunity.

#“I like the way that they have the spotlight on the Bahamian players like Buddy and DeAndre,” he said. “I feel like I’m next up to be in that spotlight and I feel like I’m ready for it.”

Elite Bahamian basketball prospect D’Andre Vilmar is expected to transfer to Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey, for the upcoming fall semester.

As of Tuesday, December 13, 2016

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#BASKETBALL prep superstar D’Andre Vilmar is expected to have an immediate impact with his new programme this fall as he heads into his senior year and final year of NCAA recruitment.

#The Philadephia Inquirer named Vilmar to the preseason All-South Jersey Second Team.

#The 6’4” senior guard is considered one of the top two-way players in the division and his Paul VI  Eagles squad has also been ranked No.4 in the South Jersey Preseason  top 25.

#“The Eagles will look to build on a strong finish to last season with a big boost from senior D’Andre Vilmar, a transfer from Roman Catholic,” the Inquirer said.

#“Sophomore El Khana Hidalgo, a transfer from Life Center who will sit 30 days. Senior guards Justin Ryder and Keenan Wise are experienced perimeter players and senior forward John Calvello is an active presence in the paint.”

#Last season, the Eagles finished 14-13 and lost in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament.

#With major Division I offers in his sights, Vilmar decided to relocate for the final season of his high school career and transfer to Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey for the upcoming fall semester.

#He joined the Eagles programme after spending the last two seasons with the Roman Catholic High School Cahillites in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

#“At Roman, our head coach retired, a lot of players left and it just wasn’t going to feel the same,” Vilmar said.

#“My host family I live with, their son is going to Paul VI with me, my parents think it’s a good move, my aunt and I have been talking about it a whole lot, my AAU coach thinks it’s a good fit so I’m ready. I feel like going to come there and with some new scenery.

#“I’m going to get to play my game and be more free to do the things I know I can do and the things everybody else in my circle knows I can do. It’s going to be a great year and I feel like we can make a ‘cinderella’ run. We can really make some noise in south Jersey.”

#With the Cahillites, the 6’4” guard and Abaco native helped his team capture their second consecutive PIAA Class 4A title.

#“I love Roman, I love the fans, I had great years there but I felt it was time for a change. I felt like this was something different and this was the right thing to do at this point,” he said.

#“I don’t feel like God would’ve opened this door if this wasn’t where he wanted me to go. This really came out of nowhere. This wasn’t something planned, he just opened this door and I feel like this is the right thing. I’ve been praying a lot about it and I just feel like this is what he wanted me to do.”

#Earlier this month, Vilmar announced via Twitter that he has recently received offers from the Oklahoma, Long Beach State and Buffalo.

#In the offseason he participated with coach Darrell Sears’ Jaguars at various tournaments, including the the Big Foot Hoops Las Vegas Classic presented by Hal Pastner in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Texas Hoops Great American Shootout in Duncanville, Texas.

#Prior to the summer circuit, Vilmar received one Division I scholarship offer from the Colorado St Rams while other schools such as La Salle, Penn and Iona have all showed considerable interest.

#Vilmar left Abaco in the sixth grade when he moved to live with his family in Delaware for a better opportunity at excelling in the sport.