The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJuly 4, 2022 146 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The 34th edition of the Jeff Rodgers Basketball Camp will get underway today on the outside basketball courts of the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

Camp organizer Jeff Rodgers said that he is excited to launch the camp for a 34th year.

“I am happy for the parents who have a lot of faith and confidence in me to trust me with their children for four weeks, so I am just excited about that and our corporate sponsors. This is going to be a great camp this year and I am looking forward to it. Everyone was locked down for a few years,” Rodgers stated.

The four-week camp will wrap up on July 29. It is open for boys and girls from ages five to 18 and runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays. The highlight of the camp is the interaction between National Basketball Association (NBA) and former NBA players and the campers on July 28 on what is dubbed “Family Night”.

Some of the players making the trek to The Bahamas are Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, and Brooklyn Nets players Kyrie Irving and James Johnson. On the retired players list are Tyrone ‘Muggsy’ Bogues, Shelvin Mack and Bahamian and former No. 1 overall draft pick Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson.

“We do not use the professional players to tell the campers to be an NBA player. We use them to encourage them and share their information about what it takes for them to become a professional. So, we talk about the basic stuff like staying in school, how to conduct yourself and how to stay out of trouble. We use that part of the camp and if you become a professional, then so be it. The main focus is to educate and teach them how to be disciplined,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers is looking forward to ‘Family Night’ which will be held at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. On that night, the campers will get to show what they learned, then the exhibition game between the local players, camp instructors and the professional players will take place.

“I personally believe that everybody has a calling in life to give something back,” Rodgers said. “This is a way to give back to the community, making my sacrifice by taking my vacation time to work with the young people by keeping them busy for four weeks. We share information with them and invite other professionals from the community to come and spend time with them. It is a calling and, for me, I accepted my calling,” said Rodgers.

The camp is sponsored by South Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Church; the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture; the Royal Bank of Canada; Scotiabank Bahamas Ltd.; Bamboo Shack; Baha Mar; J.S. Johnson Insurance Ltd.; Bahamas First and Jewels Party Supply.

Jeff Rodgers camp gets underway today 

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJuly 4, 2022 146 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The 34th edition of the Jeff Rodgers Basketball Camp will get underway today on the outside basketball courts of the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

Camp organizer Jeff Rodgers said that he is excited to launch the camp for a 34th year.

“I am happy for the parents who have a lot of faith and confidence in me to trust me with their children for four weeks, so I am just excited about that and our corporate sponsors. This is going to be a great camp this year and I am looking forward to it. Everyone was locked down for a few years,” Rodgers stated.

The four-week camp will wrap up on July 29. It is open for boys and girls from ages five to 18 and runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays. The highlight of the camp is the interaction between National Basketball Association (NBA) and former NBA players and the campers on July 28 on what is dubbed “Family Night”.

Some of the players making the trek to The Bahamas are Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, and Brooklyn Nets players Kyrie Irving and James Johnson. On the retired players list are Tyrone ‘Muggsy’ Bogues, Shelvin Mack and Bahamian and former No. 1 overall draft pick Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson.

“We do not use the professional players to tell the campers to be an NBA player. We use them to encourage them and share their information about what it takes for them to become a professional. So, we talk about the basic stuff like staying in school, how to conduct yourself and how to stay out of trouble. We use that part of the camp and if you become a professional, then so be it. The main focus is to educate and teach them how to be disciplined,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers is looking forward to ‘Family Night’ which will be held at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. On that night, the campers will get to show what they learned, then the exhibition game between the local players, camp instructors and the professional players will take place.

“I personally believe that everybody has a calling in life to give something back,” Rodgers said. “This is a way to give back to the community, making my sacrifice by taking my vacation time to work with the young people by keeping them busy for four weeks. We share information with them and invite other professionals from the community to come and spend time with them. It is a calling and, for me, I accepted my calling,” said Rodgers.

The camp is sponsored by South Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Church; the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture; the Royal Bank of Canada; Scotiabank Bahamas Ltd.; Bamboo Shack; Baha Mar; J.S. Johnson Insurance Ltd.; Bahamas First and Jewels Party Supply.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas finishes fourth at CAJGCSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 4, 2022 295 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas’ junior golf team ended up with a fourth-place finish overall at the 34th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships (CAJGC) after three rounds of golf at the Palm Course at the Palmas Athletic Club in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Action wrapped up on Thursday afternoon.

The Bahamas came into the third and final round in fourth place with 69 points and finished with 107 points after the third round. Winning the tournament was the host country Puerto Rico with 168 points. The Dominican Republic (DR) finished second with 119 points, narrowly edging Jamaica who scored 117 to place third.

There were some high individual performances from Team Bahamas, coming from players Aidan Gorospe, Kerrington Rolle and Heathcliff Kane.

Gorospe finished tied for second in the 13-and-under boys division with a score of 20-over par 233. Puerto Rico’s Evan Peña won that division with a score of 15-over par 228. Rolle was fifth in that division with a score of 31-over par 244.

Gorospe shot 10-over par 81 in the third round, turning in his toughest round of the tournament. After shooting 17-over par 88 in the second round, Rolle dug down deep and tied his first-round score, of seven-over par 78, in the final round.

This was Kane’s last hurrah at the CAJGC tournament. He came away with the Izzy Marley Sportsmanship Award. Kane, who served as team captain, competed in the 18-and-under boys division. He finished sixth overall with a score of 18-over par 231. In the third round, he scored four-over par 75, tying his first-round score.

Bahamian Alexander Dupuch finished tied for 14th in that division with a final score of 31-over par 244. He saved his best round for last as he shot seven-over par 78 in the third and final round.

In the 18-and-under girls division, Tyesha Tynes struggled in the first two rounds and had her best round in the third round. In that final round, she finished 16-over par 87 to end with a final score of 58-over par 271. She ended up in 10th place.

In the 15-and-under boys division, The Bahamas had three competitors – Jackson Mactaggart, Camdyn Forbes and Rhan Miller. Mactaggart finished seventh with a score of 36-over par 249. Forbes was tied for 14th with a score of 62-over par 275. Miller was 17th as he finished 78-over par 291.

Chemari Pratt struggled as she finished ninth in the 15-and-under girls division. She had a final score of 65-over par 281. Rounding out the competitors for The Bahamas was Haley Hall who competed in the 13-and-under girls category. She was sixth out of eight competitors with a score of 58-over par 274.

The coaches of the team were Lemon Gorospe, Georgette Rolle-Harris and Frederick Taylor. The team manager was Gina Gonzalez-Rolle.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-finishes-fourth-at-cajgc/

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas advances in world cup qualifiersSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 4, 2022 357 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield scored a game-high 24 points on National Pride Day in The Bahamas to propel the senior men’s national team to a convincing win on the road, booking their spot in the second round of the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Americas World Cup Qualifiers, with a 97-80 victory over the US Virgin Islands (USVI) on Friday.

Hield led a balanced scoring attack for The Bahamas. Five other Bahamians scored in double digits in an away match-up at the UVI (University of the Virgin Islands) Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, USVI.

Also scoring in double figures were Kentwan Smith (17 points), Franco Miller Jr. (16 points), Mychel Thompson (13 points), Radshad Davis (12 points) and Travis Munnings (10 points). The 97 points were the most ever scored by The Bahamas in a world cup qualifying game.

The Bahamas joins Canada and the Dominican Republic (DR) as the three teams from Group C to advance to the second round. Canada leads the group with a perfect 5-0 win/loss record while the DR sits in second with a 3-2 record. The Bahamas is in third with a 2-3 record. The USVI holds the fourth and final spot in Group C action with a winless 0-5 record and did not advance to the next round.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg congratulated the team for moving one step closer to qualifying for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

“I watched the game with great pride and extend congratulations to the senior men’s national team, which was led by NBA (National Basketball Association) player Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield, Mychel Thompson and Franco Miller,” said Bowleg in a press release.

He encouraged Bahamians to come out and support the team in their game against the DR tonight.

“On this day of national pride, I ask every Bahamian to join me in celebrating tonight’s (Friday) feat. This critical win gives Team Bahamas momentum heading into Monday night’s (tonight) game, which will be played right here at home, against the Dominican Republic. I encourage all Bahamians to come out and cheer on our men’s national team,” Bowleg said.

It was clear that The Bahamas was on a mission against USVI to clinch that spot in the second round as they played with much pace early and had a strong defensive presence throughout. The Bahamas had 14 steals in total with Hield owning five of those steals. The Bahamas had just nine turnovers compared to their counterparts who had a whopping 20 turnovers. The Bahamas scored a jaw-dropping 26 points from those USVI turnovers compared to USVI scoring just three points from The Bahamas’ turnovers.

In the fastbreak points category, The Bahamas had 18 points in the open court compared to USVI’s 13 points. As a team, The Bahamas made 16 three-point shots out of 40 attempts from deep, shooting 40 percent from distance. Hield was responsible for five of those made shots from deep and Thompson made three shots from deep.

The team showed chemistry as they had 33 made shots on 20 assists.

Thompson scored nine of his 13 points in the opening period for The Bahamas. The home team managed to keep the score close early in the game as it was tied at 24 after the first quarter.

After the coaching staff gave the team their feedback at the end of the first quarter, the Bahamian players responded positively as they began to pull away from the home team. Davis gave The Bahamas the lead with 9:28 left in the second quarter and they never looked back.

In the second quarter, Florida Gulf Coast University guard Miller came to life. Miller scored some key buckets and played some stifling defense in that quarter to lead all scorers with 12 points at the half. Miller hit a shot from deep on a pass from Munnings with three minutes left in the first half to give The Bahamas its first double-digit lead, 44-34.

At the end of the first half, The Bahamas led 52-39 and was in control of the game after a 28-15 second quarter advantage.

In the third quarter, The Bahamas built its largest lead of the game, 23 points, leading 75-52 with 3:33 remaining. They got to that margin on an alley-oop layup to Davis from Miller. The Bahamas led 77-62 at the end of the third quarter.

Hield had 16 points at the end of the third quarter. For good measure, he scored eight more points before making his final exit with 56 seconds left in regulation. He made two shots from beyond the arc and made two free throws in the final quarter.

Walter Hodge led the USVI with 18 points.

The Bahamas’ team is back home, preparing to face the DR at the Baha Mar Convention Center tonight. That game gets underway at 7 p.m. The DR is coming off a 95-75 loss to Canada on Friday.

http://sportsinthebahamas.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4141&action=edit

 Home|Sports|New squash champions crowned at Four WallsSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJuly 5, 2022 170 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After five days of competition, new champions in five divisions were crowned at the inaugural Four Walls Squash Open Championship that took place last week. Sunday’s finals attracted old and new players, who were all excited to see the rebirth of the fun and competitive sport.

“The competition was a great success based on the level of participation on and off the court, and how much fun everyone had. Squash at Four Walls is recreational, but everyone loves a good competition every once in a while,” said Tournament Director Mike Fields, who was happy to see participation from members and non-members of Four Walls Squash & Social Club.

Winners in the amateur competition received over $2,000 in prizes. They included Ryan Reid (Division A), Andrew Hanna (Division B), Shawn Knowles (Division C), Bianca Lee (Women’s Novice) and Lavelle Symonette (Men’s Novice).

Justin Knowles won the Sportsmanship Award. He joined the club just one month prior to the tournament and had only 

participated in a few lessons.

“Just to get a feel for how other players play squash, I said I might as well enter it and have a bit of fun. It was a very welcoming and enjoyable experience. At no point did I feel pressure to perform beyond my abilities. Everyone was very welcoming and understanding of my skill level and willing to give me tips and pointers while not taking it easy on me, so I could get better. I really fell in love with squash during the tournament,” said Knowles.

Looking ahead, Four Walls is hosting a kids summer camp in July, and plans to launch a league in the fall along with its annual beginner’s tournament in October. Fields said he looks forward to the continued growth of the club’s popular group coaching program. This affordable, learn-to-play program for adults is introducing many new players to the sport.

Interested players can learn more and sign up for all of the sessions online at www.fourwallsbahamas.com.

https://thenassauguardian.com/new-squash-champions-crowned-at-four-walls/

 Home|Sports|Baha Mar Hoops returns in NovemberSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 5, 2022 202 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Baha Mar Hoops will be making a return to the shores of The Bahamas for a second consecutive year, set for November 18-27, at the Baha Mar Convention Center.

The journey started with eight basketball teams under a different tournament name and location in 2017. This November, there will be 20 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball teams in action during the event. They will play 28 games over the course of the 10 days. BD Global’s Vice President of International Affairs Josh Franklin said they want to keep growing sports tourism in The Bahamas.

“It is important to us that we continue to grow sports tourism here in The Bahamas and continue to drive heads in beds. We have a passion not only for basketball but for The Bahamas. We are excited to be here and to bring more teams,” Franklin said.

There will be eight women’s teams that will play in the Pink Flamingo Tournament, including four teams from the Southeast Conference (SEC). One of those teams, the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Rebels, is coached by Bahamian Yolett ‘Coach Yo’ McPhee-McCuin. Franklin said he and his team are always looking to bring Bahamian coaches and players home. The other three SEC teams are the University of Kentucky Wildcats, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the University of Missouri Tigers. The other four schools that will be in the Pink Flamingo Tournament are Dayton University, Virginia Tech, the University of Utah and Wake Forest University.

In the Bahamas Championship, teams like Oklahoma State University, the University of Central Florida, DePaul University and Santa Clara University will be in action.

The Nassau Championship will feature mid-major teams. Teams like the University of Vermont, Ball State University, Missouri State University, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the University of North Texas, San Jose State University, the University of Oakland and Long Beach State University will compete.

President of Baha Mar Graeme Davis said he is happy to see the event grow.

“It is thrilling for us to see it grow so quickly in popularity and, with the fan base, the players and the local community will have a tremendous opportunity to experience Baha Mar. It is a great opportunity to certainly showcase and grow the opportunity for sports tourism here in The Bahamas and certainly here at Baha Mar. We look forward to having this for many years to come,” Davis said.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg is hoping to see The Bahamas become a hub for Thanksgiving basketball.

“During the month of November, I do not know if persons are aware but The Bahamas is now becoming the greatest and the biggest sporting destination for basketball at Thanksgiving. There will be about 40 NCAA teams in The Bahamas between New Providence, Paradise Island and Bimini. The ministry will also be looking to have a Thanksgiving basketball tournament in Grand Bahama with American high school teams. We are going to continue to add to that. We are happy to advance and enhance our ‘Sports in Paradise’ brand through basketball,” Bowleg stated.

Senator Randy Rolle represented the Ministry of Tourism and thanked Jeff Rodgers for his efforts in helping to bring the event to The Bahamas.

“At the ministry, we are big on partnerships. There are 20 teams coming down and that means 20 different markets that will affect us at tourism. When college teams come down, they have large followings and that means a lot of heads in beds for us. We want to continue to grow those relationships and offer the marketing support that they bring along. We are excited about what is to come about this relationship,” Rolle said.

BD Global Sports also facilitated some summer tour events such as the University of Kentucky Wildcats playing exhibition games at Baha Mar from August 8-14. They will play national teams from Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and The Bahamas.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas falls to the DRSports

Hield comes home to score 29 points for The Bahamas; team to play Venezuela and Argentina in August

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJuly 5, 2022 286 6 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian NBA player Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield led a spirited effort from Team Bahamas with a game-high 29 points last night, but in the end, they were just overmatched as they fell 88-80 to the Dominican Republic (DR) at the Baha Mar Convention Center in Nassau, The Bahamas.

Still the team can celebrate tremendous success, advancing to the second round of the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Americas World Cup Qualifiers for the first time in history.

The Bahamas finished with a 2-4 win/loss record in Group C of the qualifiers, third behind Canada (6-0) and the DR (4-2). The top three teams in each group advanced to the second round which gets underway in August, and Canada, the DR and The Bahamas will be joined by three other nations in a new six-team group. It’s as high as Bahamian basketball has ever been on the senior side, and a major accomplishment for team sports in The Bahamas.

Bahamians knew no matter what the result of last night’s game would be, The Bahamas would be playing in the second round by virtue of its 97-80 win over the US Virgin Islands at the UVI (University of the Virgin Islands) Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, USVI, on Friday.

With that accomplishment in its back pocket, the senior men’s national basketball team went out there and tried to end the third window of the first round of the qualifiers on a strong note, but it just wasn’t to be. However, it still was an improvement for the national team. The last time The Bahamas played the DR, they fell by 25 points, 90-65, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

“I think when we started to find our groove, it was a little too late. I’m proud of the group and the way we fought and the progress that we made,” said Team Bahamas Head Coach Chris DeMarco last night. “Overall, we would have liked to get the win, but there is a lot of things we could take from this. I think we’re headed in the right direction. We found a real good core of players who understand what we need to do to win games and we could only build from this. I’m really excited for the future here.”

For Hield, it was his first time playing at the national level at home and the first time he played in a meaningful game in The Bahamas since his high school days at Jack Hayward High School in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

“It was fun. We started off slow, but the environment was good and it was good to be home playing basketball here at home,” said Hield. “We appreciate the crowd coming out and supporting us. We’re getting better and better. Hopefully, we could get DeAndre and Kai in August and go from there, and just keep building from this. We have a small window, and this is our chance to make it. We’re looking forward to it. It’s a blessing to be home and I looking forward to something like this continuing. I’m proud of the way we played and now we’re looking forward to the next round.”

Hield’s fellow National Basketball Association (NBA) players DeAndre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns and Kai Jones of the Charlotte Hornets were unavailable for Team Bahamas last night.

As for the game, on the strength of a 12-0 scoring run about midway through the first quarter, the DR stormed ahead of The Bahamas and never looked back. They went on to lead by as much as 15 points in the first half, and 19 in the second. The Bahamas got the lead down to single digits with a 13-4 run late in the game, but it was too little too late for the home country. They got no closer than seven points in the fourth quarter, and that came in the waning seconds of the game.

Hield was fantastic in the early going, hitting his first four shots from the field, but turnovers, bad interior defense and a lack of rebounding plagued Team Bahamas in the first quarter. They fell behind by as much as 11 and trailed 26-17 at the end of one.

Much of the same continued in the second, and The Bahamas fell behind by as much as 15. A 9-2 run, led by seven points from Hield, got The Bahamas to within 36-28 with 3:43 left in the first half, but the DR closed the half on a 10-5 run including a Gelvis Solano shot at the buzzer.

The DR led by as much as 19 in the third quarter and settled for 70-54 lead going into the fourth. The Bahamas scored eight in a row to get the lead down to single digits for the first time since the second quarter, but there was just 1:48 left on the clock. The closest The Bahamas got the rest of the way was seven points, 87-80, on a jump shot from Travis Munnings, but there was just eight seconds left on the clock. One of two free shots from Solano completed the scoring and time ran out on The Bahamas.

Hield was 11-for-16 from the field including 6-for-9 from three point range for his 29 points. Munnings had 14, and Danrad Knowles came off the bench to score 12 for Team Bahamas. Franco Miller came on late with three three-point shots in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough. He finished the game with those same nine points from the fourth quarter.

Team captain of the DR Victor Liz paced them with a side-high 26 points last night. Eloy Vargas dropped in 17 and Angel Delgado contributed 15.

Former NBA player, Bahamian Rick Fox, was in the stands supporting Team Bahamas and said it was a thrilling experience for him.

“Being in the stands and feeling this up close, you get to feel the energy. The Bahamas came out tonight to support its players and it’s a great feeling,” said Fox. “It’s good to see that players like ‘Buddy’ come home to help build Bahamas basketball. It’s going to encourage the youngsters out there on the basketball courts here at home and basketball in The Bahamas could only go up from here. We as a community have to continue to support ‘Buddy’ and the rest of Team Bahamas.”

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture and former Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) President and senior men’s head coach Mario Bowleg also spoke of the tremendous crowd support last night.

“What’s important tonight is that the guys put on a good showing,” said Bowleg. “I don’t think we shot the ball as well as we’re capable of shooting the ball. They were bigger and stronger than us, but at the end of the day, Team Bahamas accomplished what it wanted to in this round which was to qualify for the next round. I’m so happy that Bahamians came home and supported Team Bahamas tonight. This is what we want to continue to see because the future is certainly bright for Bahamian basketball.”

The DR shot 55 percent from the field (33-for-60) last night and out-rebounded The Bahamas 43-30. They also went to the free throw line 23 times and made 16 of those shots. The Bahamas shot 44.4 percent from the field (32-for-72) and went just 3-for-6 from the free throw line.

It doesn’t get any easier for The Bahamas as they now have to play home and away games against Venezuela, Argentina and Panama for an opportunity to advance to the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which is set for August 25 to September 10, 2023 in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

The second round for The Bahamas gets underway on August 25, 2022 when they will play Venezuela on the road. Four days later, they are scheduled to play Argentina at home.

The 12 teams in the second round of the qualifiers are divided into two groups of six teams – each formed from teams advanced from the first round groups.

All results from the previous round are carried over into the second round, and the three best placed teams in each group plus the best fourth-placed team will advance to the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The Bahamas is in the group with Venezuela, Argentina, Panama, Canada and the DR.

This is the first time in history The Bahamas has reached the second round of qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-falls-to-the-dr-2/

Sports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 4, 2022 357 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield scored a game-high 24 points on National Pride Day in The Bahamas to propel the senior men’s national team to a convincing win on the road, booking their spot in the second round of the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Americas World Cup Qualifiers, with a 97-80 victory over the US Virgin Islands (USVI) on Friday.

Hield led a balanced scoring attack for The Bahamas. Five other Bahamians scored in double digits in an away match-up at the UVI (University of the Virgin Islands) Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, USVI.

Also scoring in double figures were Kentwan Smith (17 points), Franco Miller Jr. (16 points), Mychel Thompson (13 points), Radshad Davis (12 points) and Travis Munnings (10 points). The 97 points were the most ever scored by The Bahamas in a world cup qualifying game.

The Bahamas joins Canada and the Dominican Republic (DR) as the three teams from Group C to advance to the second round. Canada leads the group with a perfect 5-0 win/loss record while the DR sits in second with a 3-2 record. The Bahamas is in third with a 2-3 record. The USVI holds the fourth and final spot in Group C action with a winless 0-5 record and did not advance to the next round.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg congratulated the team for moving one step closer to qualifying for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

“I watched the game with great pride and extend congratulations to the senior men’s national team, which was led by NBA (National Basketball Association) player Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield, Mychel Thompson and Franco Miller,” said Bowleg in a press release.

He encouraged Bahamians to come out and support the team in their game against the DR tonight.

“On this day of national pride, I ask every Bahamian to join me in celebrating tonight’s (Friday) feat. This critical win gives Team Bahamas momentum heading into Monday night’s (tonight) game, which will be played right here at home, against the Dominican Republic. I encourage all Bahamians to come out and cheer on our men’s national team,” Bowleg said.

It was clear that The Bahamas was on a mission against USVI to clinch that spot in the second round as they played with much pace early and had a strong defensive presence throughout. The Bahamas had 14 steals in total with Hield owning five of those steals. The Bahamas had just nine turnovers compared to their counterparts who had a whopping 20 turnovers. The Bahamas scored a jaw-dropping 26 points from those USVI turnovers compared to USVI scoring just three points from The Bahamas’ turnovers.

In the fastbreak points category, The Bahamas had 18 points in the open court compared to USVI’s 13 points. As a team, The Bahamas made 16 three-point shots out of 40 attempts from deep, shooting 40 percent from distance. Hield was responsible for five of those made shots from deep and Thompson made three shots from deep.

The team showed chemistry as they had 33 made shots on 20 assists.

Thompson scored nine of his 13 points in the opening period for The Bahamas. The home team managed to keep the score close early in the game as it was tied at 24 after the first quarter.

After the coaching staff gave the team their feedback at the end of the first quarter, the Bahamian players responded positively as they began to pull away from the home team. Davis gave The Bahamas the lead with 9:28 left in the second quarter and they never looked back.

In the second quarter, Florida Gulf Coast University guard Miller came to life. Miller scored some key buckets and played some stifling defense in that quarter to lead all scorers with 12 points at the half. Miller hit a shot from deep on a pass from Munnings with three minutes left in the first half to give The Bahamas its first double-digit lead, 44-34.

At the end of the first half, The Bahamas led 52-39 and was in control of the game after a 28-15 second quarter advantage.

In the third quarter, The Bahamas built its largest lead of the game, 23 points, leading 75-52 with 3:33 remaining. They got to that margin on an alley-oop layup to Davis from Miller. The Bahamas led 77-62 at the end of the third quarter.

Hield had 16 points at the end of the third quarter. For good measure, he scored eight more points before making his final exit with 56 seconds left in regulation. He made two shots from beyond the arc and made two free throws in the final quarter.

Walter Hodge led the USVI with 18 points.

The Bahamas’ team is back home, preparing to face the DR at the Baha Mar Convention Center tonight. That game gets underway at 7 p.m. The DR is coming off a 95-75 loss to Canada on Friday.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-advances-in-world-cup-qualifiers/

 Home|Sports|New squash champions crowned at Four WallsSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJuly 5, 2022 170 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After five days of competition, new champions in five divisions were crowned at the inaugural Four Walls Squash Open Championship that took place last week. Sunday’s finals attracted old and new players, who were all excited to see the rebirth of the fun and competitive sport.

“The competition was a great success based on the level of participation on and off the court, and how much fun everyone had. Squash at Four Walls is recreational, but everyone loves a good competition every once in a while,” said Tournament Director Mike Fields, who was happy to see participation from members and non-members of Four Walls Squash & Social Club.

Winners in the amateur competition received over $2,000 in prizes. They included Ryan Reid (Division A), Andrew Hanna (Division B), Shawn Knowles (Division C), Bianca Lee (Women’s Novice) and Lavelle Symonette (Men’s Novice).

Justin Knowles won the Sportsmanship Award. He joined the club just one month prior to the tournament and had only 

participated in a few lessons.

“Just to get a feel for how other players play squash, I said I might as well enter it and have a bit of fun. It was a very welcoming and enjoyable experience. At no point did I feel pressure to perform beyond my abilities. Everyone was very welcoming and understanding of my skill level and willing to give me tips and pointers while not taking it easy on me, so I could get better. I really fell in love with squash during the tournament,” said Knowles.

Looking ahead, Four Walls is hosting a kids summer camp in July, and plans to launch a league in the fall along with its annual beginner’s tournament in October. Fields said he looks forward to the continued growth of the club’s popular group coaching program. This affordable, learn-to-play program for adults is introducing many new players to the sport.

Interested players can learn more and sign up for all of the sessions online at www.fourwallsbahamas.com.

https://thenassauguardian.com/new-squash-champions-crowned-at-four-walls/

 Home|Sports|Baha Mar Hoops returns in NovemberSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 5, 2022 202 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Baha Mar Hoops will be making a return to the shores of The Bahamas for a second consecutive year, set for November 18-27, at the Baha Mar Convention Center.

The journey started with eight basketball teams under a different tournament name and location in 2017. This November, there will be 20 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball teams in action during the event. They will play 28 games over the course of the 10 days. BD Global’s Vice President of International Affairs Josh Franklin said they want to keep growing sports tourism in The Bahamas.

“It is important to us that we continue to grow sports tourism here in The Bahamas and continue to drive heads in beds. We have a passion not only for basketball but for The Bahamas. We are excited to be here and to bring more teams,” Franklin said.

There will be eight women’s teams that will play in the Pink Flamingo Tournament, including four teams from the Southeast Conference (SEC). One of those teams, the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Rebels, is coached by Bahamian Yolett ‘Coach Yo’ McPhee-McCuin. Franklin said he and his team are always looking to bring Bahamian coaches and players home. The other three SEC teams are the University of Kentucky Wildcats, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the University of Missouri Tigers. The other four schools that will be in the Pink Flamingo Tournament are Dayton University, Virginia Tech, the University of Utah and Wake Forest University.

In the Bahamas Championship, teams like Oklahoma State University, the University of Central Florida, DePaul University and Santa Clara University will be in action.

The Nassau Championship will feature mid-major teams. Teams like the University of Vermont, Ball State University, Missouri State University, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the University of North Texas, San Jose State University, the University of Oakland and Long Beach State University will compete.

President of Baha Mar Graeme Davis said he is happy to see the event grow.

“It is thrilling for us to see it grow so quickly in popularity and, with the fan base, the players and the local community will have a tremendous opportunity to experience Baha Mar. It is a great opportunity to certainly showcase and grow the opportunity for sports tourism here in The Bahamas and certainly here at Baha Mar. We look forward to having this for many years to come,” Davis said.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg is hoping to see The Bahamas become a hub for Thanksgiving basketball.

“During the month of November, I do not know if persons are aware but The Bahamas is now becoming the greatest and the biggest sporting destination for basketball at Thanksgiving. There will be about 40 NCAA teams in The Bahamas between New Providence, Paradise Island and Bimini. The ministry will also be looking to have a Thanksgiving basketball tournament in Grand Bahama with American high school teams. We are going to continue to add to that. We are happy to advance and enhance our ‘Sports in Paradise’ brand through basketball,” Bowleg stated.

Senator Randy Rolle represented the Ministry of Tourism and thanked Jeff Rodgers for his efforts in helping to bring the event to The Bahamas.

“At the ministry, we are big on partnerships. There are 20 teams coming down and that means 20 different markets that will affect us at tourism. When college teams come down, they have large followings and that means a lot of heads in beds for us. We want to continue to grow those relationships and offer the marketing support that they bring along. We are excited about what is to come about this relationship,” Rolle said.

BD Global Sports also facilitated some summer tour events such as the University of Kentucky Wildcats playing exhibition games at Baha Mar from August 8-14. They will play national teams from Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and The Bahamas.

https://thenassauguardian.com/baha-mar-hoops-returns-in-november/

TERELL McCoy in action during the bronze medal game against the Dominican Republic in the FIBA Centrobasket Under-15 Championships for women in Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

As of Friday, July 1, 2022

• Sign in to favorite this
• DiscussComment, Blog about
• Share thisEmail, Facebook, Twitter

Dwaynae Knowles

Savannah Turnquest

#IT was ultimately a fourth-place finish for Team Bahamas as they completed competition winless at the FIBA Centrobasket U15 Championships for women.

#The Bahamas lost 79-39 to the Dominican Republic yesterday in the bronze medal game in Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

#Terell McCoy led Team Bahamas with her second double double of the tournament – 13 points and 14 rebounds. Savannah Turnquest scored 11 with five assists, Geontae Simpson had five points and 10 rebounds, while Dwaynae Knowles added five points and seven rebounds.

#Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Dominican Republic will now qualify for the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship in 2023.

#On Sunday, the Bahamas opened up tournament play with a 101-20 loss to Puerto Rico, before a 79-45 loss in the first meeting with the Dominican Republic. They followed with a 119-19 loss to Mexico in the playoff round prior to the bronze medal game.

#McCoy led the team in scoring and rebounding at 9.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. Turnquest averaged 6.5 points per game while Knowles averaged five points, 2.5 steals and 3.3 assists per game.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/jul/01/u-15-girls-lose-bronze-medal-game/?news