As of Friday, December 30, 2022

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KADEEM COLEBY

DWIGHT COLEBY

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IT’S unusual to see two brothers playing together at the international level, but all things concerned, Kadeem and Dwight (Jr) Coleby are not your ordinary siblings.

#As the elder of the two, Kadeem Coleby played in a number of schools in the United States before he began his career on the professional rank in 2014 with stints in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Japan, his last stop in 2020 after he suffered an injury that sidelined him for a bit.

#Three months ago, 33-year-old Kadeem was back in action, suiting up to play for the men’s national basketball team in the FIBA Americas’ 2023 World Cup Qualifiers. However, his younger brother, Dwight Coleby Jr, 28, was also hit by the injury bug and had to sit on the sidelines watching.

#Both siblings, who stand at 6-feet, 9-inches and play the centre position, are home in Nassau awaiting on the call for their next assignment overseas.

#“Being injured, I had some time to sit back and reflect on my accomplishments and how well I have done for myself,” Kadeem said. “But you really never think about it until you are sidelined and you reflect on all the places you have been, all the things you have done, how far you came and so I’m very proud of where me and my brother have come.

#“I’m really proud of both of us and I’m looking forward to hopefully having another three years or so at it that will carry me well into my thirties and hopefully he can do at least another seven years or so to catch me up.”

#Recovering from a left hamstring injury he suffered when he was trying out for the men’s national team at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, Dwight Jr said he couldn’t play with the team, but he’s now recovering.

#“It was hard being on the bench knowing that you could help the team win two of the games and not just one,” Dwight said. “Everything happens for a reason in life, so you can’t take it too hard.”

#While Kadeem has recovered nicely from surgery in Boston, he said he’s feeling stronger, incorporating the weight room workouts in his training regimen to make sure that he gets back to full strength.

#“Being the older of the two, you never really think about having your younger brother following you,” Kadeem said. “It wasn’t until my father, Dwight Sr, told me that Dwight was starting to play basketball too and he’s looking up to me.

#“So it was really fun when we got to the age that we could play together. We didn’t go to the same colleges, but we played in Japan for a season and on the national team at the same time. So it’s great to have a guy that works so hard and understands how to play basketball the right way, is good.”

#Dwight said while he’s still waiting for his next deal to play overseas, he’s excited to be in the same position as his big brother, Kadeem.

#“It’s exciting. There ain’t that many guys who are doing it together, so we are really blessed to have this opportunity to play,” said Dwight, who has played in Belgium, Turkey and Italy where he gets to practice at least four days a week and play once a week.

#“I know when I was growing up, I had people who told me that I am not good. So every time I go out to work out, it motivates me to get better and to prove everybody wrong. I want to get a few more years out of this, but the most important thing is to stay healthy.”

#Looking ahead to the future, Kadeem said if they can stay healthy, they will try to finish off their careers strong, hopefully helping the national team to get to the next level, which is where they come in as big men.

#“We need our bigs to be dominant,” Kadeem said. “We have some superstars in Buddy (Hield). We’re still waiting on (Deandre) Ayton to join us, so we need our bigs to be dominant. We won our last game here because the bigs dominated.

#“As long as we can keep that going, the team is going to be good and we will definitely get to do some great things for the Bahamas.”

#Kadeem assured the Bahamas Basketball Federation, headed by Eugene Horton, that they just need to provide some of the same amenities that they experience when they play overseas and the players would be happy to come home and play for the country.

#“When we go overseas, we have everything that we need,” he said. “We have codes to get into the gyms to train, we have someone that follows everywhere, we have someone who can take us through a vigorous training session and we have spots where we get the right meals. We go to spa and get massages. So we need stuff like that.

#“The national team players need that when they come home. We also need to have a reserve team with the same amenities that the national team gets. Once we put those things in place, we will take off because the Bahamas has naturally0gifted athletes. Our players don’t get to lift weights until we get to the United States. But at age 16-17, we are flying and playing at a high level.”

#Kadeem said it was a pleasure to team up with Hield, whom he considers to be a team leader and one who “speaks” and gets the job done. “We just need more power behind him. We know Ayton is a seasoned guy and Buddy is a seasoned vet and Kai (Jones) is starting to grow. So we’re on the right track to get this team together for the future.”

#Although he didn’t get to play in the NBA, Kadeem said it all happened for a reason.

#“In life, you never understand why certain things happen and then realise that maybe it’s not for me,” said Kadeem, who got a chance to work out with a couple of NBA teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies in 2015 but it didn’t work out.

#Kadeem is a long-time fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and while he admitted that they are still trying to find the right pieces to pull it all together, he’s confident that before the season is over, they will turn things around. And while he’s home, Kadeem said he was glad to watch his One Family emerge as the winner of the Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade.

#“I grew up in Grants Town right around the corner from Taylor Street, so I’ve been a Warrior fan, so to see them come out

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/30/coleby-brothers-are-not-your-ordinary-siblings/?news

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis throwing out a pitch at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium. Photo: Austin Fernander

As of Friday, December 30, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#“LET’S play ball” was the familiar call of the umpire as the Bahamas Baseball Association finally got to play its first official game in the newly and long-awaited constructed Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.

#With the focus on the introduction of the first of its series of COPABE tournaments to be played here, Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg opened the stadium on December 4 for the fourth Caribbean Cup.

#It turned out to be the biggest sports story for The Tribune in a year that has been beset with some interesting twists off the playing field as sports returned to full blast in the aftermath of the two-year hiatus because of COVID-19 pandemic.

#Champions – Andre Rodgers opened for business

#Although they still had some cosmetic work to be done, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Davis-led government lived up to the promise of so many others to get the stadium ready by December for the first major international baseball tournament to be played in the Bahamas.

#It was a project designed by architect Michael Foster that started a decade away and seemingly ballooned in cost from double to triple the original price with so many delays that one just wanted to see the big white elephant in full operation.

#COPABE showed up to join in the celebrations with four teams to play in the initial under-23 or rather open tournament that also served as a qualifier for the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2023.

#But after giving it a gallant effort, the Bahamas national team, managed by Geron Sands and featuring the majority of the top players playing in the minor league or college, didn’t have the stamina to go all the way, finishing in fourth place with just one victory.

#Certainly not the start many anticipated considering that the players longed for the opportunity to come home and compete in front of the home crowd. But there’s many who argued why San Francisco Giants’ first base coach Antoan Richardson wasn’t invited to be a part of the coaching staff and other players were not in the pool selection.

#The tournament did provide one stipulation and that was the fact that neither Miami Marlins’ second baseman Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm and Washington Nationals’ shortstop Lucius Fox were eligible to play in the qualifier as they were on Major League rosters.

#Nonetheless, they missed the rare opportunity to display their skills at home, but there will be more homecoming celebrations for them to be a part of, according to BBA secretary general Teddy Sweeting, who served as the chairman of the Local Organising Committee.

#Runner-Up – World Relays back home

#As the baton left its original home in the Bahamas in 2019 and headed to its second leg in Yokohama, Japan and onto its third leg in Chorzow, Poland in 2021, World Athletics granted the Bahamas the rights in November to bring it home in 2024 back to “Sports in Paradise” as coined by former Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe.

#This was the mark of four years that the Bahamas has played host to the unusual track meet that features competition from the 4 x 100m to the 4 x 1500m and to include the mixed gender 4 x 400m and shuttle hurdles relays.

#While the Bahamas played gracious hosts in 2014, 2015 and 2017, it wasn’t until the last episode here in 2017 that the quartet of Steven Gardiner, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Anthonique Strachan and Michael Mathieu prevailed with the closing victory in that historic introduction of the gender relay that many were left disappointed when the previous Free National Movement (FNM) government opted not to host it again in 2019.

#It’s back and hopefully the rhythmic sound of junkanoo will propel and inspire so many athletes to attain the lofty goal of representing the Bahamas in relay teams in a bid to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

#Third place finishers – Bahamas Games is back

#Before all of the international hype is centred around the World Relays, the Bahamas will get a chance to showcase its own athletes in the seventh edition of the Bahamas Games.

#Although it has been in hibernation for more than two decades, many remember the fierce competition that was witnessed from teams from Grand Bahama in the north to Inagua in the south.

#Set in the framework of the country’s 50th Independence celebrations, the Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games is scheduled for July 6-14 and according to Minister Bowleg will serve as a tool of national integration and sports development.

#The games will return with vintage Martin Lundy and Sharon ‘the General’ Storr as the chairman and deputy chairman respectively of the Games Secretariat of the Olympic-style competition that was last held in 2001 with the previous events taking place in 1998, 1995, 1991 and 1989.

#Once again, athletes will represent teams from New Providence, Abaco, Acklins, Andros, Bimini and the Berry Islands, Cat Island, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma and Ragged Islands, Grand Bahama, Harbour Island and Spanish Wells, Long Island, Mayaguana, Rum Cay and San Salvador, either as individuals or combined in some cases.

#Athletes will get to display their skills in competitions in basketball, baseball, beach soccer, bodybuilding, boxing, cycling, golf, lawn tennis, powerlifting, softball, regatta sailing, youth Olympic sailing, swimming and track and field.

#There are also some sporting disciplines that will be used as demonstrations in their efforts to attract more athletes and officials to participate. But for the most part, the landscape is expected to be a grand one for all who participate this year.

#Fourth place finish – BLTA elections in court

#What’s sports in the Bahamas without some controversy in the air, especially when it comes to electing its officers.

#The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association, under the leadership of president Perry Newton, was all set to go to the polls to elect its new executive team for the next two years. However, former football great Ken Kerr, who was challenging Newton, got a court injunction that prevented the BLTA from going through with the elections.

#No new date has been set, but the BLTA has gone on to function as usual, only to be hit with another snag when some of the top players signed a silent protest by not participating in the 2022 Giorgio Baldacci National Open at the National Tennis Center.

#Top seed Kevin Major Jr also aborted completion of the men’s final when he broke Grand Bahamian rising star Denali Nottage and forfeited the rest of the match with a 1-0 lead.

#While Nottage went on to earn his first national title, there was a change in the role of the ladies’ finalists as No.2 seed Elana Mackey upset defending champion and No.1 seed Sydney Clarke in two sets.

#Fifth place finish – Archer returned as BAAA president

#Many would ask why has this gotten such a high priority? After losing in his bid to become the Member of Parliament for Fort Charlotte as a candidate for the Free National Movement, the argument started to swirl about his future tenure in office for Drumeco Archer as the Bahamas Association of Athletic Association.

#But on December 4, during the BAAA election of officers at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, Archer re-emerged as president for the next four years, beating out former president Rosamunde Carey and former athlete/coach/executive Dawn Johnson.

#After a vigorous campaign trail, Archer secured a resounding victory to continue the mandate that he left in place as he was chosen to head the BAAA going into the 50th anniversary celebrations of the CARIFTA Games here over the Easter holiday weekend.

#Additionally, Archer played a vital role on the committee that lobbied and was successful in convincing World Athletics that the World Relays should return to the Bahamas when the sixth edition takes place in 2024 after hosting the first three in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

#What a magnificent time for the BAAA, which also has the seventh edition of the Bahamas Games to oversee during the 50th Jubilee anniversary celebrations in July. Archer said he’s up to the task to get the job done with his newly elected executive board.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/30/top-sports-stories-year-2022/?news

PLAY ACTION: Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins and CI Gibson Rattlers senior boys clash yesterday during the Providence Storm Basketball Club’s Holiday Classic at CI Gibson gym.

As of Friday, December 30, 2022

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A CI Gibson Rattlers player at the charity stripe. Photos: Moises Amisial/Tribune Staff

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#The Providence Storm Basketball Club’s 2022 Holiday Classic will come down to one final day of competition today when the champions will be decided in the senior boys and girls and junior girls divisions at the CI Gibson Gymnasium.

#According to Mark Hanna, the tournament director, the senior boys have four pools to determine who will advance to the final, while the senior girls and junior boys will play their final four for their berths into the finals.

#In senior boys games played, Doris Johnson A def. Charles W, Saunders 36-24, CV Bethel def. Agape 24-15, Jordan Prince Williams High def. St George’s 26-15, Doris Johnson def. CI Gibson B 36-27, CC Sweeting def. Queen’s College 33-24 and Teleos def. Government High 34-12.

#In the junior boys division, St John’s College def. CH Reeves 23-11 and Jordan Prince Williams knocked off Agape Academy 21-13.

#And in the senior girls division, CI Gibson nipped St Augustine’s College 27-26 and CV Bethel got by Freedom Baptist 35-12.

• Here’s a summary of the games played:

#CI Gibson 27, St Augustine’s College 26: Philippa Ferguson’s only two points sealed the win for the Ratters in a nail-biting senior girls game. Jada Francis had 12, Alencia Brice seven and Trenea Greene added six.

#“We executed our defence by double teaming their star player (Astonic Moultrie) because we knew they were looking for her for the game winner,” said CI Gibson’s Shannon Williams, who coached the team along with Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnon. “We sent two players at her, one in the front and one in the back and hope that we can tap the ball away from her.”

#Moultrie, who had a game high 13 points, was the target, but couldn’t get around the Rattlers’ defence in the winding seconds. Dior-Rae Scott helped out with seven for the Big Red Machine, who held a slim 13-12 lead at the half.

#CV Bethel 23, Freedom Baptist 12: Towering sisters Terrell and Danielle McCoy scored 14 and 12 points respectively to pace the Stingrays senior girls to victory after they opened a 12-7 lead at the half.

#“I feel great about the way my team is playing. We are executing more,” said coach Shantelle Rolle. “We go into the playoffs tomorrow (today), but I am expecting us to get into the championship and hopefully win it.”

#Weddalinnesi Alexis scored eight points in the loss for the Warriors.

#CC Sweeting 33, Queen’s College 24: Jamerolston Vil had eight and Emmanuel Adams seven in the senior boys win for the Cobras, who led 17-7 at the half.

#“We started off good. I made some subs and that changed the momentum of the game,” said Cobras’ coach Darshtyn Baker.

#“We have some very good young guards and they are adjusting very well to playing at this level, so we expect to do very well.”

#Leo Burrows scored a game high 13 in a losing effort for the Comets.

#Jordan Prince Williams 26, St George’s 15: Kamari Minns poured in a game high 18 points for the Falcons to single-handedly beat the visiting Jaguars in the senior boys match-up.

#“We can be a great team. We’re still a bit sluggish condition wise, but with a little more work and a little more practice, we will be where we need to be,” said Jordan Prince Williams’ coach Ernest Saunders.

#“I have a good group of guys. I just need them to put in a little more work so that we can come out on top.”

#Hugo Nesbitt had four and Jarvis Cash three in a losing effort for the Jaguars.

#“We know we have a young team and coming into Nassau it would help us to get better,” said St George’s assistant coach Calvin McIntosh. “Despite the fact that we didn’t win, I think we got what we expected out of the trip here.”

#Doris Johnson A 36, CI Gibson B 27: Laterrio Young scored 15 points, including 10 in the second half as the Mystic Marlins senior boys built on their 22-12 lead at the half.

#“I feel good because we have grown by leaps and bounds since we started in October,” said CV Bethel’s coach Kevon Spence.

#“The guys are getting used to the system that I am trying to implement. As time goes by, I know they will get more comfortable and we will perform even better.”

#Cavalle Ferguson scored nine points and Prince Wheatley added six in the loss for the Rattlers.

#Doris Johnson A 36, Charles W. Saunders 24: Laterrio Young scored 10 points and Ryan Lynes, Fernando Lubin and Khyze Smith all scored six in the win for the Mystic Marlins, who led 18-13 at the half.

#Romial Strachan and Raymon Woodside both scored five and Leroy Gray, DeQuan Strachan and Treymon Wright all added four in the loss for the Crusaders. CV Bethel 24, Agape 15: Jahliel Minnis scored 10 and Mannie Dorely added eight points for the Stingrays in their senior boys win. They led by 7 at the half.

#Dashawn Smith scored seven and Anthony Mertil had six in the loss for the Eagles from Abaco.

#Teleos 34, Government High 12: Drew Bethel scored 10 points for the Cheriums’ senior boys, who led 20-4 agt the half. Darrol and Gerkai Stubbs both scored three points in the loss for the Magicvmen.

#St John’s 23, CH Reeves 11: Kymani Butler had 11 and Leonardo Rolle 10 to lead the Giants, who led 23-11 at the half in their junior boys game. Jamie Perez had seven in the loss.

#Jordan Prince Williams 21, Agape 13: Michael Munnings scored 11 points, including nine in the first half of their junior boys game as the Falcons surged ahead 13-8 at the half. Joshua Cornish had six, Tayshawn Clarke four and Judah McIntosh three in the loss.

• Here’s a look at today’s games:

#9am – CI Gibson (A) vs Doris Johnson (senior boys)

#9:30am – Jordan Prince Williams vs CI Gibson (senior boys)

#10am – CC Sweeting vs Queen’s College (senior boys)

#10:30am – D Johnson (A) vs CW Saunders (senior boys)

#11am – SJ College vs DW Davis (junior boys)

#12pm – Jordan Prince Williams vs Agape (junior boys)

#12:30pm – CV Bethel vs Freedom Baptist (senior girls)

#1pm – CI Gibson vs St Augustine’s College (senior girls)

• #Senior boys semifinal games
• #Championship games will follow.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/30/providence-storm-basketball-holiday-classic-champi/?news

 Home|Sports|The Nassau Guardian’s Senior Female Athlete of the YearSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailDecember 30, 2022 153 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The year 2022 was good to Shaunae Miller-Uibo as she was able to capture the final piece of her global collection – the World Athletics World Outdoor Championship title in the women’s 400 meters (m). She was able to add that to her long list of achievements in that discipline which can make her arguably one of the best female athletes in the history of the one-lap race.

That title came months after she was able to capture the World Athletics Indoor Championships women’s 400m crown. In Freeport, Grand Bahama, she was able to capture her first North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Track and Field Championships gold medal, doing it in a new championship record.

It is no surprise that she was also able to be unanimously voted as The Nassau Guardian’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year. This is her sixth time capturing this honor.

Running at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, back in July, Miller-Uibo powered her way to clock a world-leading time at that time of 49.11 seconds to win her first world outdoor championship title in the quarter-mile race. Marileidy Paulino, of the Dominican Republic, took the silver medal in 49.60 seconds. Sada Williams, of Barbados, held on for the bronze, finishing in a national record time of 49.75 seconds.

Miller-Uibo is just the second woman, and second athlete ever, to win all the global titles in an individual event in athletics, joining former great Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva in accomplishing that feat.

Back in March, the sprint sensation clocked 50.31 seconds at the Štark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, to win the women’s 400m title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. That time was just a hundredth of a second off the world lead, and a tenth of a second off her personal best, national and area record time. She now owns the two fastest times in the NACAC region in the women’s 400m indoors.

She is the only Bahamian to win an individual indoors and outdoors world title.

In Grand Bahama in August, Miller-Uibo put on a show in front of the home crowd in Freeport when she clocked 49.40 seconds to beat the previous championship record of 50.82 seconds.

Williams ran 49.86 seconds for the silver medal while Jamaican Stephenie Ann-

McPherson won the bronze medal, finishing in 50.36 seconds.

Next year, the Bahamian will be focusing on the 200m sprint race but will still dabble in the 400m, she said.

Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones had what some may call a down year, by her standards, but she was still able to help lead the Connecticut Sun to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Finals this past season. They ended up falling 3-1 to the Las Vegas Aces in the best-of-five-championship series.

The Grand Bahamian led her team in the finals in scoring with 16 points per game, shooting 56.5 percent from the field. She averaged 8.3 rebounds per game.

The Sun finished the regular season with a 25-11 win/loss record, ending up second in the Eastern Conference of the WNBA.

For her efforts in the regular season, Jones was able to earn All-WNBA second team and All-Defensive second team honors. The center finished seventh in the Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting.

Jones, 28, averaged 14.6 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting from the field this past season. She also had 8.6 boards per game to go with 1.2 blocks per game and 1.1 steals per game. She averaged the most points and rebounds for her team.

Jones was preparing to play in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg after the WNBA season but had to flee the country due to the Russian war against Ukraine. Instead, she went to play for CBK Mersin Yanisehir Belediyesi in Turkey. In the nine games she appeared in, she averaged 18.9 points and 12.4 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game. They lead the league, which is ongoing, with an 11-1 win/loss record.

Having lost for the second time in the WNBA Finals, Jones and the Sun will look to win it all in 2023.

Devynne Charlton had a long season but it was worth it for her. She had arguably one of the best seasons in her senior career in the hurdles.

Charlton bagged two silver medals in the hurdles at two major meets this year. She won those silvers in the women’s 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, and the women’s 100m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. The hurdler went on to win a bronze medal at the NACAC Track and Field Championship before running in the final of the Wanda Diamond League.

Charlton got her first global meet, the World Indoor Championships, out of the way in great form when she clocked a new national record time of 7.81 seconds in the final. She ran that time in the semifinals also. France’s Cyrena Samba-Mayela won the gold with a national record time of 7.78 seconds.

Charlton had a record-setting performance in Eugene when she clocked a blistering time of 12.46 seconds in the 100m hurdles semifinals for a new national record. She came back and finished seventh in the final with a time of 12.53 seconds. In the semifinals, Nigerian Tobi Amusan set the world record at 12.12 seconds.

At the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Charlton became the first Bahamian to win a medal in a hurdles at that event when she clocked 12.58 seconds to win the silver medal. Amusan won in a games record time of 12.30 seconds. Cindy Sember, of Great Britain, won the bronze medal in 12.59 seconds.

At home at the NACAC Championships, Charlton clocked 12.71 seconds to win the bronze medal. American Alaysha Johnson crossed the finish line first in a time of 12.62 seconds. Jamaican Megan Tapper won the silver medal in 12.68 seconds.

In the Wanda Diamond League Final in September, the Weltklasse Zürich at Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich, Switzerland, Charlton settled for fifth in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.66 seconds. That race was won by Amusan who clocked 12.29 seconds.

Charlton ran three of the fastest times of her life in the 100m hurdles this past season including the national record of 12.46 seconds. She owns the five fastest times ever ran by a Bahamian, and nine of the top 10, in that event.

Charlton will look to run even faster in 2023.

Sprinter Anthonique Strachan was fourth in the voting for The Nassau Guardian’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year honor with 35 points and TyNia Gaither finished fifth with 34 points.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-nassau-guardians-senior-female-athlete-of-the-year-5/

 Home|Sports|Men’s national team moves up three spotsSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 30, 2022 134 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas senior men’s national basketball team is on the move up on a global scale after climbing three places to number 57 in the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Rankings presented by NIKE.

The Bahamas leapfrogged Switzerland, Romania and Denmark, and they are now one place behind regional rival, the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). The Bahamas has a score of 188.9 points while the USVI has a score of 192.5 points at number 56. Switzerland is just under The Bahamas with a score of 188.9. The Bahamas is ranked 13th out of 37 countries in the Americas zone.

Leading the rankings is Spain who moved up ahead of the United States of America (USA) with 758.6 points.

The national team rankings were based on the latest matches from the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers November 2022 window.

The Bahamas made history in the summer when it qualified for the second round of the FIBA Americas world cup qualifiers for the first time. The team won convincingly, 97-80, over the USVI to earn that qualification.

The November window featured two nail-biting games that The Bahamas split but they were eliminated from qualifying for the FIBA World Cup.

They fell short 80-76 to the fourth-ranked Argentina team at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium. The previous game, which was also a home game for The Bahamas, ended in them winning 83-79 over Panama.

In the August window, The Bahamas fell to Argentina, 95-77, in an away game. In the first game, which was a home game against Venezuela, they fell, 86-81.

The Bahamas sport a 3-7 win/loss record and sit in fifth place in Group E of the qualifiers. Argentina leads the way with a 7-3 record. With two more games remaining, The Bahamas cannot finish higher than fifth place in the group. Only seven teams from the Americas will participate at the 2023 FIBA World Cup – the top three teams in each of the remaining two groups and the best fourth-place team.

The final window of qualifiers is set for February 24 and 27, 2023 – during the National Basketball Association (NBA) season which means Kai Jones, Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield and DeAndre Ayton will not be available to play. In the final round of qualifiers, The Bahamas will play Venezuela and Panama in away matchups.

Although they were not able to qualify for the FIBA World Cup, the upward movement of the program is a sign that Bahamas Basketball is on the move.

https://thenassauguardian.com/mens-national-team-moves-up-three-spots/

 Home|Sports|BLTA makes slight adjustment to its 2023 scheduleSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailDecember 30, 2022 131 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) has made a slight adjustment to its calendar of events for 2023.

Most of the events are still scheduled to take place in the respective venues as planned, but there are a couple of adjustments.

The Tim’s Refrigeration Doubles Tournament is still set for Eleuthera, but the date has changed for that tournament. It is now set for April 15-16, a week prior to the original date.

Also, in August, the AID Clay Court Championships, hosted by Gym Tennis Club on New Providence, will be held from August 12-26. All of the other events on the schedule are still set for the original dates and venues.

There is an under-14 and under-16 tournament in January to start the new year, set for January 7-10 at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre.

Following the completion of the under-14 and under-16 tournament, the BLTA will facilitate the Bahama Pure Water & Ice Juniors National Tournament and the 1st Senior Love Doubles Smash Tournament on Grand Bahama and Abaco, respectively. The Bahama Pure Water & Ice Juniors tournament will be held from February 9-12, and the Senior Love Doubles Tournament is set for February 11.

In March, the Jr. Davis Cup and Jr. Billie Jean King Cup tournaments will be contested. That is set for March 6-11. A World Juniors Boys and Girls event is set for March 20-25, and the BLTA Spring Classic will be contested at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre on New Providence from March 30 to April 2.

The BD Global Junior Classic for 12-and-under (12U), 14-and-under (14U) and 18-and-under (18U) players will be held on Abaco on April 8.

From May 3-6, the Bahamas High School National Championships are set for the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre on New Providence.

The junior nationals – 8-and-under (8U) to 18-and-under (18U) – is set for June 17-21. The Junkanoo Bowl ITF (International Tennis Federation) & COTECC (Confederation of Tennis of Central America and the Caribbean) Jr. Circuit (qualifying round) will be held from June 24-25 at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre, and the main draw of that tournament (14U and 18U) will be held from June 26 to July 1.

There will be a tennis segment at the Bahamas Games which is set for July 7-15 and an under-12 (U12) team competition is planned for July 17-22.

From August 5-7, the Abaco Junior Nationals (ranked tournament), featuring 12U, 14U and 18U players, will be held on Abaco.

From September 15-17, the Flawless Construction 14U and 16U (16-and-under) Junior National Tournament will be held on Grand Bahama.

In October, the senior nationals (35-and-older) will be held on New Providence. That event is set for October 6-9. The Sheri Roberts Memorial Open will be held on Abaco from October 21-22, and the FOCOL (Freeport Oil Company Limited) National Juniors Tournament is set for Grand Bahama from October 26-29.

The Goombay Splash ITF Jr. Circuit (qualifying round) for 18U players will be held at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre from November 11-12, and the main draw for that tournament will be held from November 13-18.

The BLTA Awards Banquet is planned for December 16, and finally, to complete the 2023 schedule, the Giorgio Baldacci Open Tennis National Championships will get underway in mid December at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre. The qualifying round is set for December 16 and the main draw will be held from December 18-21.

https://thenassauguardian.com/blta-makes-slight-adjustment-to-its-2023-schedule/

 Home|Sports|The Nassau Guardian’s Junior Male Athlete of the YearSports

World Junior Champion Andrews holds off his former high school teammate for the top honor

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailDecember 29, 2022 173 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Antoine Andrews had the kind of season that would make even the absolute best athletes in the world marvel, peaking at the right time to assert himself as the best in his discipline at the junior level.

The world’s top athletes all look to hit their best marks and times at major championships. Kudos has to be given to Andrews and his coach Darren Lightbourne as they were able to do just that, ensuring that he would rise to the top at the global meet for his age group.

Andrews climaxed his best season ever, winning gold medal for The Bahamas in the 110 meters (m) hurdles at the World Athletics Under-20 (U20) Championships in Cali, Colombia, in August, thereby cementing his status as the best under-20 athlete in the world across the 10 barriers in the sprint hurdles. He held off his former St. John’s College teammate Keyshawn Strachan to claim the title of The Nassau Guardian’s Junior Male Athlete of the Year. He finished with 44 points in the voting process while Strachan ended with 42.

Andrews clocked his three best times of the season in Colombia, 13.36 seconds in the heats, 13.39 seconds in the semifinals and a new personal best junior national record run of 13.23 seconds in the final. That blazing run in the final for the gold 

medal was also a world leading time for under-20 athletes and he ended the year tied for the number one spot on World Athletics’ Top Performance List for 2022.

World Junior Champion Andrews put together as good of a race as he had all season in the final in Colombia, defeating American Malik Mixon and CARIFTA Champion Matthew Sophia, of the Netherland Antilles, for the gold medal. Mixon was second in 13.27 seconds and Sophia was the early leader but settled for the bronze in 13.34 seconds.

At CARIFTA in Kingston, Jamaica, Sophia came out on top in 13.74 seconds into a strong headwind, Jamaican Demario Prince was second in 13.88 seconds and Andrews settled for the bronze in 13.91 seconds.

Also this year, Andrews showed his prowess in the short sprints, setting massive personal best times in the 100, 200 and 400m.

In the 100m, Andrews was less than a tenth of a second off the junior national record, running 10.39 seconds at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Star Performers Time Trials in February. A couple weeks later, he had a new personal best time of 48.25 seconds in the 400m at the Dianna-Lynn Thompson Time Trials, and in May, he turned in a personal best time of 20.96 seconds in the 200m at the Oaktree Medical Sonja Knowles Track Classic.

Andrews also experienced relay success this year, running on the 4x100m teams at the World Athletics U20 Championships and the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Championships, and the 4x400m relay team at the CARIFTA Games.

Strachan had a fantastic season as well, ending the year as the number two under-20 javelin thrower in the world on World Athletics’ Top Performance List for 2022. He had a massive personal best national record throw of 79.89m (262’ 1”) for the gold medal at the CARIFTA Games in Kingston, and climaxed the year with a heave of 72.95m (239’ 4”) for the bronze medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships on a wet, cold day in Colombia. He threw 76.87m (252’ 2”) in qualifying.

Also this year, Strachan won the gold medal in the High School Boys Javelin at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and signed a letter of intent to attend Auburn University where he will begin his collegiate career.

Strachan hosted the first Keyshawn Strachan Javelin Camp in his hometown of Nicholl’s Town, North Andros, at the end of November, helping to discover talent in the islands like how he was discovered four years ago. He just turned 19 one week before Christmas and is already the most prolific javelin thrower in Bahamian history. He has 12 throws over the 70m (229’ 8”) barrier and the best 11 throws in Bahamian history.

The Bahamian strong man is on the verge of cracking the 80m (262’ 5”) barrier, entering a new stratosphere in that event in Bahamian history.

Swimmer Lamar Taylor finished third in voting for The Nassau Guardian’s Junior Male Athlete of the Year honor with 38 points.

The Bahamian speedster in the water has really come into his own this year as the best in The Bahamas in a number of events in swimming.

Taylor established personal best times in the 50 and 100m free, the 50m and 100m back and the 50m fly, this year. The 100m personal best time of 50.25 seconds, in particular, which was done for the gold medal at the Bahamas Aquatics Federation’s Open National Swimming Championships, goes down as a new national record for Taylor. Short course, he set national records of 21.45 seconds in the 50m free, 47.76 seconds in the 100m free and 23.58 seconds in the 50m back at the 16th FINA (World Swimming Federation) Short Course (25m) Championships in Melbourne, Australia, earlier this month.

In 2022, the Bahamian also competed in swimming at the 22nd Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, and the FINA Swimming World Cup in Indianapolis, Indiana.

He is arguably the top Bahamian swimmer today and has no plans of slowing down.

Wanya McCoy, who ran the third-best time in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history in the men’s 300m indoors in his opener this season, clocking a new school and facility record of 32.53 seconds, finished fourth in voting for The Nassau Guardian’s Junior Male Athlete of the Year honor with 35 points. McCoy ran that blazing time at the Clemson Opener in Clemson, South Carolina, at the beginning of this month, and also won the 60m at that event with a time of 6.76 seconds. The 300m time is listed as fourth on World Athletics’ Top Performance List for 2022.

Outdoors, McCoy has personal best times of 10.33 seconds in the 100m and 20.48 seconds in the 200m, both done this year. His personal best time of 46.96 seconds in the men’s 400m was set last year.

Dakarai Turnquest, who was fourth at the 32nd VNEA (Valley National Eight-Ball Association) World Junior Championships in Erie, Pennsylvania, this year, and who advanced to the quarterfinals of the SVB (Shane Van Boening) Junior Open Championships in Atlantic City, New Jersey, finished fifth in voting for The Nassau Guardian’s Junior Male Athlete of the Year honor with 29 points. He is making a name for himself in billiards worldwide.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-nassau-guardians-junior-male-athlete-of-the-year-3/

 Home|Sports|Ayton, Suns snap three-game losing skidSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 29, 2022 148 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After getting slammed 125-100 by the Memphis Grizzlies at home last week, Bahamian DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns returned the favor, routing the Grizzlies, 125-108, on Tuesday night, on the road at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, to snap a three-game losing streak.

Ayton notched a double-double in this game and the season series between these two teams is tied at one apiece. Two more games are left in their in-season matchup with both being in January 2023.

The center was able to contribute 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win. He finished the game 6-for-12 from the floor and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Ayton was able to come away with a block.

The Suns sit in fifth position in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) with a 20-15 win/loss record. They are one game behind the third-place Grizzlies who have a 20-13 record on the season.

It was not the start that the Suns wanted as they quickly went down 8-0 in the first three minutes of the game. However, the Suns roared back, taking the lead with Ayton muscling his way down low for a reverse layup to put them up 18-13 with 3:30 left in the firs period. Suns guard Duane Washington Jr., who scored a team-high 23 points, pushed that lead to eight points when he connected on a shot from deep, giving the Suns a 23-15 lead with 2:30 left in the first quarter.

The Grizzlies closed out the quarter on a 7-0 run and the Suns held a slim 23-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.

It was in the second quarter when the Suns imposed their will on the game. They shot the ball at a 68.4 percent clip, going 13-for-19 from the field. They were red hot from deep, connecting on seven of their 10 attempts. They also had three steals in that quarter. The Suns held the Grizzlies to 30.8 percent shooting from the field and the Grizzlies were just 2-for-7 from deep in that quarter. The Suns went into the intermission with a 65-49 lead. The Grizzlies had only three made three-point shots in the first half.

The Suns did not allow the Grizzlies to get too close to them in the second half as they went on to comfortably win the game. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant led all scorers with 34 points on the night.

The Suns were without the services of Landry Shamet, Devin Booker, Cameron Payne and Cam Johnson. Despite that shortage, eight Suns scored in double figures.

This was their second game on a six-game road trip. They lost the first one to the Denver Nuggets 128-125 in overtime on Christmas Day. They were in action against the Washington Wizards last night but no score was available up to press time. The Suns will cross the border and head to Toronto, Canada, to play the Toronto Raptors tomorrow. That game tips off at 7:30 p.m. at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

 Home|Sports|Ayton, Suns snap three-game losing skidSports

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 Home|Sports|Ayton, Suns snap three-game losing skidSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 29, 2022 148 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After getting slammed 125-100 by the Memphis Grizzlies at home last week, Bahamian DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns returned the favor, routing the Grizzlies, 125-108, on Tuesday night, on the road at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, to snap a three-game losing streak.

Ayton notched a double-double in this game and the season series between these two teams is tied at one apiece. Two more games are left in their in-season matchup with both being in January 2023.

The center was able to contribute 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win. He finished the game 6-for-12 from the floor and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Ayton was able to come away with a block.

The Suns sit in fifth position in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) with a 20-15 win/loss record. They are one game behind the third-place Grizzlies who have a 20-13 record on the season.

It was not the start that the Suns wanted as they quickly went down 8-0 in the first three minutes of the game. However, the Suns roared back, taking the lead with Ayton muscling his way down low for a reverse layup to put them up 18-13 with 3:30 left in the firs period. Suns guard Duane Washington Jr., who scored a team-high 23 points, pushed that lead to eight points when he connected on a shot from deep, giving the Suns a 23-15 lead with 2:30 left in the first quarter.

The Grizzlies closed out the quarter on a 7-0 run and the Suns held a slim 23-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.

It was in the second quarter when the Suns imposed their will on the game. They shot the ball at a 68.4 percent clip, going 13-for-19 from the field. They were red hot from deep, connecting on seven of their 10 attempts. They also had three steals in that quarter. The Suns held the Grizzlies to 30.8 percent shooting from the field and the Grizzlies were just 2-for-7 from deep in that quarter. The Suns went into the intermission with a 65-49 lead. The Grizzlies had only three made three-point shots in the first half.

The Suns did not allow the Grizzlies to get too close to them in the second half as they went on to comfortably win the game. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant led all scorers with 34 points on the night.

The Suns were without the services of Landry Shamet, Devin Booker, Cameron Payne and Cam Johnson. Despite that shortage, eight Suns scored in double figures.

This was their second game on a six-game road trip. They lost the first one to the Denver Nuggets 128-125 in overtime on Christmas Day. They were in action against the Washington Wizards last night but no score was available up to press time. The Suns will cross the border and head to Toronto, Canada, to play the Toronto Raptors tomorrow. That game tips off at 7:30 p.m. at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

https://thenassauguardian.com/ayton-suns-snap-three-game-losing-skid/

 Home|Sports|Clarke pleased with donations made to hostelSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 29, 2022 121 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Two-time Bahamian Senior Women’s National Tennis Champion Sydney Clarke held a successful third donation drive for the Bahamas Children’s Emergency Hostel on Friday past.

This year, she said she did not have a lot of time to plan the event but it came off as a success.

“With the little time that I had to put it together, I felt that the support was there. A lot of people donated and I was able to get some new donors. That was very good and I appreciate everyone who made a contribution in helping to get the donation drive to get to where it is.”

The 21-year-old said there were a lot of Christmas presents and toys donated. Persons also donated food items such as macaroni and cheese, tuna, cereal, spaghetti and vienna sausage, she said. Disposable items were also donated.

“Everyone who got involved was very happy,” Clarke said. “Some are looking forward to donating next year and wanted to know how they can continue to make an impact throughout the year. It was great that I got to meet new people from this.”

Although this year was not as big as the others, she is looking forward for ways she can improve it, such as getting more hands on deck.

“For the fourth year, I plan on doing it bigger and better and like the first year, like have a drop off location. I will look to try and promote it even more to get the word out to the various media. I have done a great job running it myself but the more people to help me the better,” Clarke said.

Currently, Clarke is in her junior year at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where she plays tennis on a full scholarship. She said she feels good to be doing her part in helping out in the community.

“I do a lot of community service at school. It’s something I enjoy doing and I feel as though when I give back, it just transfers over. I just love helping people and it’s also because so much people help me. I feel as though it’s just my duty as a citizen – to do what I can and make an impact in some way,” Clarke said.

The junior is home for the Christmas holidays to be with family and friends. While here, she competed at the Giorgio Baldacci Open National Championships last week. She defended her national title but was unsuccessful in repeating as champion as she fell to Elana Mackey in the women’s championship.

The avid Junkanooer will return to school early next month as the UAB Blazers return to action on January 15, 2023, when they face the Mississippi State University Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi.

https://thenassauguardian.com/clarke-pleased-with-donations-made-to-hostel/