FIBA Centrobasket Under-15 Girls Championship

GO TEAM BAHAMAS! – The Bahamas under-15 girls basketball team at the FIBA Centrobasket Under-15 Girls Championship at the Coliseo Fernando ‘Rube’ Hernandez in Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

As of Wednesday, June 29, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Head coach Varel Davis said the Bahamas junior girls national team is a very young team, but they are performing as best as they can at the FIBA Centrobasket Under-15 Girls Championship.

#The week-long championships, which follows the boys under-15 tournament played last week, is also being played at the Coliseo Fernando ‘Rube’ Hernandez in Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

#On Sunday, the Bahamas opened up play with a huge 101-20 loss to Puerto Rico, but bounced back on Monday and played much better despite suffering a 79-45 defeat at the hands of the Dominican Republic.

#Davis, who was assisted by Shakira Farrington and Anton Francis, said the team, comprising of players as young as 11 years and as old as 14, got a “good experience” and an “eye opener” in the two games played so far. “It’s not easy because the other countries didn’t experience what we did with COVID-19,” Davis said. “Sports is just opening up for us in the country and the little time that we had, we used to get the girls ready for this tournament.

#“They are in good spirits. They know that we have to work every game to get into the medal round. There are only four teams in the tournament, so our job is to play Mexico tomorrow (today) and hopefully we can get back into the medal round.”

#Dominican Republic 79, Bahamas 45: For the 2nd straight game, the Bahamas found themselves in a hole they couldn’t dig out of as they ended up losing again.

#The Dominican Republic, using its height advantage, took control of the game by outscoring the Bahamas 30-9. In that period, Geontae Simpson scored on a lay-up for a 2-2 tie for the Bahamas, but the Dominican Republic used a 10-0 run to fuel a 12-2 lead.

#Terrell McCoy scored on a lay-up and Dior-Rae Scott added another for a 13-6 deficit. For the rest of the period, the Dominican Republic clamped down on the defensive end, forced a few turnovers that they converted into baskets on the offensive end.

#After falling behind 37-9 to start the second quarter, Savannah Turnquest stepped back and canned the Bahamas’ first three-pointer and Scott followed with a lay-up to cut the deficit to 37-14.

#The Bahamas got another 5-0 run when Turnquest popped a three-pointer and McCoy got inside for a lay-up for a 47-21 deficit, but the Dominican Republic went on to snatch a comfortable 51-22 advantage at the half.

#Coming out of the locker room, Team Bahamas played with a lot more urgency and was only out-scored 17-15 in the period. But in the fourth quarter, the Dominican Republic managed to put the game out of reach with an 11-8 spurt to seal the deal.

#Karina Capellan led a balanced scoring attack for the Dominican Republic, who had four players in double figures. Capellan finished with a game high 22 points, eight rebounds and five steals.

#For Team Bahamas, Savannah Turnquest paced the way with 11 points. Dawynae Knowles was the only other player in double digits with 10 points to go along with six rebounds. Geontae Simpson contributed eight points with four rebounds and Terrell McCoy chipped in with seven points, seven rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot.

#Puerto Rico 101, Bahamas 20: Puerto Rico scored one less point in the first quarter than Team Bahamas did in the entire game as the week-long tournament got underway on Sunday.

#In the first half, Puerto Rico opened an impressive 19-3 rout and extended their margin to 49-9 at the half. Puerto Rico continued the onslaught, using an 18-6 spurt in the third for a 67-12 advantage at the end of the third and they closed out the door on the massacre with a 34-5 tear in the fourth.

#While Puerto Rico had five players in double figures, led by Desirek Pereira with a game high 23 points, Terrell McCoy was the only player for Team Bahamas in double digits with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

#Reyanah Green and Dwaynae Knowles were the only two other players to score a field goal.

#Savannah Turnquest, Tajhanique Morley, Dior-Rae Scott and Tichea James all added a free throw to their ledger.

#Team Bahamas was just 7-for-42 from the field and 6-for-16 from the charity stripe, but committed a total of 57 turnovers, compared to 13 by Puerto Rico.

#They held a 56-47 rebounding edge.

#The other members of Team Bahamas are D’Andra Sears, Andica Curtis and Takeithra Hanna.

#Today, Team Bahamas will take on Mexico at 5:15pm in their final round robin game before the playoffs get underway on Wednesday, concluding on Thursday.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/jun/28/junior-girls-hope-get-back-medal-round/

Team shut out Guatemala 2-0 to remain in the Americas Zone Group III

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 28, 2022 242 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Facing relegation to the Americas Zone Group IV, The Bahamas’ Davis Cup team responded, defeating Guatemala 2-0 to avoid relegation in group three action at the Costa Rica Country Club in Escazu, Costa Rica, on Saturday.

Baker Newman went up against Sebastian Dominguez and took him down in two sets in the number two singles slot. He dominated the first set and won in straight sets, 6-2 and 7-5. Dominguez played better in the second set as it almost went to a tiebreak.

The Bahamian won nine first serve points and five second serve points in the first set. He came away with four break points in the first set alone. Newman served one ace in the second set – his only ace of the game. He had 11 first serve points and 14 second serve points in the second set.

Kevin Major Jr. needed just over an hour to easily take care of Kaeri Hernandez in straight sets in his match. After injuring his foot earlier in the tournament, Major looked renewed, turning back Hernandez, 6-1 and 6-2.

Overall, Major had 18 first serve points and 17 second serve points. Major won 61 points and gave up 32 points in the match. He won four break points and had two aces.

There was no need for a doubles match as The Bahamas had already clinched the tie.

The Bahamas lost all three of their Pool B matches against Paraguay, Jamaica and Costa Rica. They lost all their matches 2-1.

On Friday, they lost to Costa Rica. Baker Newman played in the number two singles slot and easily won 6-2 and 6-0 against Julian Lozano. Spencer Newman moved to the number one slot as Major battled with an injury. He was up against Jesse Flores. Spencer Newman struggled as Flores won 6-3 and 6-2.

Baker Newman and captain Marvin Rolle played in the doubles against Flores and Pablo Nunez. At the end of the match. It was the Costa Ricans who won 6-3 and 6-2 to give them the tie.

The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) thanked the Bahamian quartet for a strong showing at the competition.

“Their dedication and hard work were evident in Costa Rica. Despite the injury challenges, the team was able to end the tournament with an important win, ensuring that The Bahamas remains in the group three,” the BLTA release stated.

Also staying in group three are Panama and Costa Rica. Paraguay, Jamaica and Venezuela move on to group two. Guatemala and Puerto Rico will be relegated to group four.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-avoids-relegation-to-group-four/

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJune 29, 2022 98 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Members of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Coaches (BAAC) voted in Blue Chips Athletics Head Coach Corrington Maycock as their new president on Saturday. The body’s electoral meeting was held at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium during the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) National Youth, Junior and Senior Track and Field Championships this past weekend.

Maycock replaces Shaun Miller Sr. who served as president from 2019. Bernard Rolle was also vying for the presidency, but is now the new first vice president. The new second vice president is Myriam Stapleton. The General Secretary is Dionne Britton and the Assistant Secretary is Sherry Francis. Daron Lightbourne is the treasurer. The board members are James Rolle, Andrew Tynes, Waldon Whyms and Mikhilo Strachan.

Maycock said that he and his team will focus on three areas that need attention.

“We are going to start with coaches’ education and we have to work with the constitution. There are some loopholes that need to be fixed. Our goal is to also fix our middle and long-distance programs,” Maycock said.

Along with coaches education, Maycock’s team is looking to ensure that the Family Islands are up to par with New Providence and Grand Bahama in terms of coaching.

BAAA President Drumeco Archer gave Maycock his blessing and he is confident in his ability in his new role.

“I always felt that Maycock expect the highest level of participation from his athletes and no doubt that he will transfer that level of expectation to the coaches. I had a personal conversation with Maycock and his mandate is very clear which is to raise the standard. He wants to prepare our athletes and coaches for CARIFTA 2023,” Archer said.

Maycock’s specialty is the field events, particularly the throws. He said he is content with the direction the throws program is headed in and that’s not a major area of concern right now. He said his team is hoping to implement fairness across the board.

“We are trying to be fair and transparent going forward,” said Maycock.

The newly elected president said he will attempt to bring some of the plans Miller and his team had to fruition.

“Coach Miller and his executive staff was short-changed because of COVID. They could not do much,” said Maycock. “We are going to piggyback on some of that.”

Maycock and his team will serve until 2024.

https://thenassauguardian.com/maycock-elected-as-coaches-association-president/

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJune 29, 2022 186 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Team Bahamas couldn’t have asked for a rougher start to the FIBA Americas Under-15 (U15) Girls Centrobasket Championship this week as they are winless in three games, losing each one convincingly.

About a week after the boys ended their version of the tournament in fourth, The Bahamas’ girls are in action and were hoping for a better showing. So far, it’s not to be as they ended the single robin robin section of the tournament winless in three games.

The semifinal games will be played today, and the gold and bronze medal games are scheduled for tomorrow, all at the Coliseo Fernando ‘Rube’ Hernandez in Gurabo, Puerto Rico – the same venue where the boys played the week before.

Just the top three nations will qualify for the FIBA ​​Americas Under-16 (U16) Girls Championship in 2023.

In The Bahamas’ first game of the tournament, they were drilled by the host nation, losing to Puerto Rico emphatically, 101-20. The Bahamas never stood a chance in the one-sided affair as the more skilled Puerto Ricans raced out to a double digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

In addition to shooting the ball well, the Puerto Ricans played great defense as well, limiting The Bahamas to just three points in the first quarter. By the end of one, Puerto Rico was ahead 19-3. Much of the same continued in the second quarter as the Puerto Ricans outscored Team Bahamas 30-6 to take an insurmountable 49-9 lead into the half.

Puerto Rico continued to pour it on, outscoring The Bahamas 18-6 in the third quarter and 34-5 in the fourth.

Puerto Rico took 43 more shot attempts than The Bahamas and shot 40 percent from the field (38-for-95) compared to just 16.7 percent for Team Bahamas (7-for-42). They knocked down eight three point shots in the game while The Bahamas was 0-for-7 from deep.

Puerto Rico’s leading scorer Desirek Marie Nieves Pereira scored more than the entire Bahamian team with 23 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Mia Canales added 14 points, Arielis Marie Valle Villegas dropped in 13 points and Jayshlynn Vega Rivera and Adriana Isabelle Robles Rivera scored 11 apiece.

Terrell McCoy was the only player in double figures for Team Bahamas with 12. No other player scored more than two for them.

On Monday, The Bahamas fared better but still lost by 34 points to the Dominican Republic (DR). They fell 79-45 in another wire-to-wire loss.

The Bahamas trailed 30-9 after the first quarter and were down 51-22 at the half. They showed some signs of life in the third and fourth quarters as they were outscored just 17-15 in the third and 11-8 in the fourth.

Karina Capellán paced the Dominican Republic with a game-high 22 points on 9-for-26 shooting. Alanna Yiselle Monte de Oca Pérez scored 20 points, Emely Belis Del Rosario added 17 and Keila Saldivar dropped in 10.

Savannah Turnquest led Team Bahamas with 11 points. Dwaynae Knowles contributed 10, Geontae Simpson had eight and McCoy finished with seven.

The Bahamas shot a bit better from the field, going 18-for-68 for 26.5 percent shooting but the DR was at 35.6 percent, shooting 31-for-87.

In The Bahamas’ final game of the single robin robin section of the tournament, they were blasted by Mexico, losing by 100 points, 119-19.

The Bahamas were never in the game as almost half of the first quarter elapsed before they even got on the scoreboard. They were already down by double digits at that point. Mexico went on to outscore them 31-6 in the opening quarter, and as if it couldn’t get any worse, The Bahamas was limited to just one point in the second quarter and that came on a free shot by Takeithra Hanna with just seven seconds left before the end of the first half.

Mexico went on a killer 43-0 scoring run covering the end of the first quarter up until seven seconds left in the first half. They had an inalienable 72-7 lead at the half. Mexico went on to lead 94-13 after the third quarter and led by as much as 102 points in the fourth before settling for the 100-point win.

Nothing positive could be said about this game for The Bahamas.

Sandra Acuña led Mexico in scoring with 30 points on 15-for-20. Mariant Castillo and Channel Ochoa added 14 apiece.

Terrell McCoy and Andica Curtis led The Bahamas with six points apiece.

The Bahamas had its worst shooting performance of the mini tournament, making just 7-of-48 shots for 14.58 percent. Mexico was well over 50 percent, shooting 52-for-88 for 59.09 percent shooting.

Team Bahamas is coached by Varel Clarke.

As mentioned, the tournament served as a qualifier for the 2023 FIBA Americas Under-16 Girls Championship. FIBA Americas is one of five regional bodies under FIBA (International Basketball Federation) – the world’s governing body for basketball.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-girls-remain-winless/

High school basketball player one of six to be awarded a scholarship under new program

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 29, 2022 249 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Azariah Smith was set to be one of the players representing The Bahamas in junior girls basketball at the FIBA Americas Under-15 (U15) Girls Centrobasket Championship this week, but an injury kept her from travelling with the team.

On Monday, she got the news of her life that she was one of six recipients of a full scholarship to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, through its inaugural Women in Sports Committee (WISC) scholarship program.

Smith just completed the ninth grade at St. Augustine’s College (SAC). She said she was surprised with the scholarship offer and is happy for the opportunity as she continues to further her basketball career.

“I am grateful for the opportunity because it is a very expensive school. It will help me on my journey. Out of all persons, they chose me. It will help me to be motivated. I am excited to attend that school where I will be able to play a lot of games. It will actually give me the exposure I need to become a WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) player,” Smith said.

Currently, there is just one Bahamian playing in the WNBA and that is the league’s current Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones. Smith said that is one of her goals.

While at IMG, she will be coached by Shell Dailey who is the head coach for the girls team. Smith, a combo guard, said she wants to play National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball and then go on to the WNBA. One of the players she looks up to in the WNBA is Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, IMG Academy has created its women in sports committee and has awarded six full scholarships to student-athletes. The program launched on Monday. The committee consists of well-known women in sports Cari Champion, Dany Garcia, Lindsay Davenport, Lindsey Vonn, Michele Tafoya and Robin Roberts. The scholarship program starts in the 2022 Fall Semester.

Roberts, who is the anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America and a former sportscaster on ESPN for many years, selected Smith for the full scholarship. She will be Smith’s mentor.

“It is motivational,” Smith said about Roberts choosing her. “Out of all the candidates, she chose me. I cannot let her down. I have to work harder.”

Smith had to submit a video saying why she felt she deserved the scholarship. After a two-month wait she got the news that the application was successful. Azariah is the daughter of Luther and Raygail Smith. Mother Raygail Smith said she is ecstatic that the committee chose her daughter for one of the six spots.

“I am very thankful to God for granting her the opportunity,” Raygail said. “Thank you to Roberts and the WISC at IMG. My daughter is very dedicated and well-deserving of this scholarship. It’s truly a blessing to see her dreams coming true, all by God’s grace.”

The 14-year-old was at IMG last year summer for a three-week basketball camp. She will complete grades 10-12 at IMG Academy. Azariah Smith first played basketball at the age of nine when she was in grade five, and one year later, she took a serious liking to the sport and now is preparing to immerse herself in the sport while receiving an education.

The 5’3” player was not able to play any high school basketball since the local program was shut down for the past two years due to the threat of COVID-19. However, she was able to play for a basketball club, the Lucayans, in Orlando, Florida.

“I did not get to play that much. It helped me realize my love for basketball because I have been away from it for so long,” she said. “It didn’t fully stop me as I went outside and played in my front yard, so I stayed motivated.”

While at IMG, Smith is hoping to work mostly on her ball-handling. She said she loves to shoot and share the rock as well.

The other five young ladies received scholarships for golf, track and field, lacrosse, tennis and basketball. Smith is one of two international students to receive the scholarship – the other hails from Venezuela.

https://thenassauguardian.com/smith-receives-full-ride-to-img-academy/

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas beaten by the DRSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJune 21, 2022 219 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas showed a lot more fight on Monday, but suffered a similar fate, falling to the Dominican Republic (DR) as the FIBA Americas Under-15 (U15) Centrobasket Championships continued at the Coliseo Fernando ‘Rube’ Hernandez in Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

After trailing by as many as 21 points in the game, The Bahamas battled back to get to within single digits in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t keep the momentum going, and the DR won 70-59.

The team is coming off a weekend in which they lost 107-42 to the host country on Saturday and 99-49 to Mexico on Sunday. They will play Costa Rica today and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday.

Against the DR, Noah Bain led The Bahamas in scoring with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting. Desmond Hall added 12 on 5-for-18 shooting but was just 1-for-9 from three-point range. Joshua Williams and Bradleon McDonald contributed 10 points apiece.

Richard Jefferson Fernández paced the DR with a game-high 28 points on 10-for-20 shooting. He was lethal from downtown, shooting nearly 50 percent as he connected on 6-of-13 shots. Fernández was the only player in double figures for the DR. Joskarlyn Sambo was their next highest scorer with seven.

Overall, the DR shot 41.2 percent from the floor, connecting on 28-of-68 shots while The Bahamas was at 34.2 percent, making 27-of-79 shots. The Bahamas was putrid from three-point range, making just four of 25 shots from that distance, the DR shot 9-for-24 from three-point range.

The DR took their biggest lead of the game on a layup from Welbinson Gomez at the 8:20 mark of the third quarter as they led 44-23 at that point.

The Bahamas battled back, going on a 13-4 scoring run to pull to within 48-36 with 4:12 remaining in the third quarter. They eventually got to within 10 at the end of three but could get no closer than nine points in the fourth and final period.

The FIBA (International Basketball Federation)-sanctioned single round-robin tournament wraps up on Wednesday.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-beaten-by-the-dr/

 Home|Sports|Bahamas Bowl set for December 16Sports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 21, 2022 241 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The longest running international National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I bowl game is back for an eighth edition under a new title sponsor – HomeTown Lenders. Stakeholders of the event were in town on Friday and held a press conference to officially launch this year’s edition of the game.

The game, which is set for Friday, December 16 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, features teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Conference USA (C-USA) battling for the Prime Minister’s Cup here in The Bahamas.

The president of HomeTown Lenders John Taylor is a huge college football fan and saw the Bahamas Bowl as the right investment.

“We are incredibly excited and humbled for the opportunity,” Taylor said. “We have been looking forward to exactly the right scenario to invest in – not only a bowl game but also a community event, and we felt like this is one that puts us in a great option and will allow us to do a whole lot more than just sponsorship. The beauty of the island is amazing. I look forward to introducing all of our 

employees to that and getting other folks to the island.”

HomeTown Lenders will sponsor the 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions of the game. Taylor is a University of Alabama Crimson Tide supporter in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and said he is happy to be a part of the Bahamas Bowl.

“It is the first bowl game right after regular season. I have always watched the Bahamas Bowl and always thought that it would be cool to be a part of it. There has been some great games over the years. We look forward to hopefully getting some very good games for the next three years,” Taylor said.

Assistant Commissioner of C-USA Tre Stallings said his conference is excited that the bowl game is back.

“The chance for one of our member schools to come down and participate in the Bahamas Bowl is such a great experience that our student-athletes cannot take it for granted. Getting a passport for the first time for a lot of our student-athletes, and it being stamped, may be the last time some of their passports are going to be stamped. It is such a unique experience that every member institution looks forward to,” said Stallings.

Stallings said he is grateful to HomeTown Lenders for being the title sponsor, ensuring that the game is held.

“It kicks off the bowl season, so we look forward to setting the tempo and tone for college football for the bowl season. It is a highlight game for us and we need to make sure that we put our best foot forward in order to make it worthwhile,” said Stallings.

C-USA leads the MAC conference with a 4-3 win/loss record at the bowl. Middle Tennessee State, of C-USA, won the 2021 edition over Toledo, 31-24.

Atlantis is the hotel that will host both teams. It has been the host hotel since the bowl game’s inception in 2014. Senior Vice President at Atlantis Vaughn Roberts said the event is significant for the resort.

“We have been involved in it from the very beginning,” Roberts said. “This is our eighth year and we really enjoy hosting the players and their fans and teams in the middle of December, which is typically a slow period for us. This kicks off our winter season. We think that while it is good competition at the stadium, the players also get to relax and have fun at Atlantis and in and around Paradise Island.”

Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism, Aviation and Investments Reginald Saunders thanked sponsors who have joined hands with the ministry to bring the excitement of American college football back to the islands of The Bahamas.

“Sports tourism is high on the priority list for The Bahamas. By its very nature, sports tourism is a catalyst to grow our overall tourism product. College football is a favorite among Americans and Bahamians alike and we embrace the return of the game,” Saunders said.

The game is once again set to be televised live on ESPN. It gets underway at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, December 16.

https://thenassauguardian.com/bahamas-bowl-set-for-december-16/

Sports

A total of 22 teams from throughout New Providence to play in Urban Renewal tourney

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJune 21, 2022 210 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Starting this evening, community basketball returns in a big way with the staging of the Urban Renewal Sporting League Community Basketball Tournament.

In conjunction with the Providence Basketball Club, the tournament will run through July 14 inside the C.I. Gibson Gymnasium. A total of 22 teams from the various communities in New Providence will be represented, playing out of four districts – North, South, East and West.

In the north are Nassau Village, Pinewood, Centreville, Englerston, Bain & Grants Town and Marathon. Playing out of the south are Bamboo Town, South Beach, Mt. Moriah, Fort Charlotte, Golden Gates and St. Barnabas. In the east are Yamacraw, Elizabeth, Fox Hill, St. Anne’s, Freetown and Sea Breeze. Finally, coming out of the west are Garden Hills, Southern Shores, Carmichael, Tall Pines, Golden Isles and Killarney.

Each district will crown a champion and the final four will battle for the overall title, named in honor of Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis. It’s a 22-and-under tournament and will feature both males and females in action.

“We want the public to come out and watch some good clean basketball in a safe and clean environment and have a good time. Come out and support your constituencies,” said Providence Basketball Club Founder Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson. “Scouts will be coming in town as well. A lot of young men have not been seen because of what we went through over the past two years with COVID. Hopefully, some of these young men will have an opportunity to get seen and get scholarships . We want our young men to focus on sports and not gang-banging. We want them to be shooting hoops and not guns. We want them to interact with each other and not be fearful of going into other communities. That’s the main idea of this tournament and hopefully it continues.”

The games will be played in two 15-minute halves and the preliminary round will be in a round-robin format. The top four teams in each district will go into the playoffs and the district champions will face off each other in a battle for the overall title. The games will be played on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at the C.I. Gibson Gymnasium, and the championship game is set for 8:30 p.m. on July 14.

“Sports brings camaraderie, sportsmanship, good character, forms relationships and it builds communities and brings them together,” said Member of Parliament for Marathon and Minister of State for Social Services and Urban Development Lisa Rahming. “I’m looking forward to this tournament. Let’s talk about basketball and let’s talk about sports. It is in the plan to extend this to Grand Bahama and to a lesser extent the family of islands. We’re looking for this event to bring families together.”

Chairman of Urban Renewal Stephen Dean said some of the country’s legends in basketball will be on hand to offer words of advice and encouragement to the players.

“The whole idea is for the youngsters to be inspired by some of our legends who live here in The Bahamas today and hopefully they could go on to have successful careers in basketball,” said Dean, “That is what we are going to do throughout this tournament. This is a positive shot in the arm for Urban Renewal and for the country.”

The games will start at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and around 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

https://thenassauguardian.com/community-basketball-returns/

 Home|Sports|Otabor is a nominee for FIU female athlete of the yearSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJune 22, 2022 256 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The accolades continue to pile in for Bahamian throwing sensation Rhema Otabor.

The Florida International University (FIU) junior thrower is a nominee for the school’s overall female athlete of the year award as announced by the FIU Athletic Department at its annual awards gala, the Blue and Gold Awards Banquet, inside their Student Academic Success Center (SASC) Ballroom on the school’s campus, in Miami, Florida, on Monday.

Otabor is a favorite for the award, having finished as the school’s only All-American first teamer at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships this year. She won the Conference USA tittle in the women’s javelin for the second year in a row, qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second year in a row, and is the school’s record holder in the women’s javelin with a toss of 56.25 meters (m) – 184’ 6” – done at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, in April of this year.

At the NCAAs earlier this month, Otabor finished fourth with a best throw of 55.92m (183’ 5”) – the highest finish for any FIU Panthers athlete at the championships. She also became the first FIU track and field athlete since Clarissa Cutliff in 2018 and 2019 to appear in consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships.

“We’re so proud of Rhema and all that she accomplished this season,” said FIU Panthers Head Coach of Athletics Ryan Heberling following the NCAA Championships. “Rhema is just scratching the surface of how good she can be.”

Nationally, Otabor broke the junior national record three times last season and bettered that mark three times this season. She has a personal best throw of 56.25m – second only to Laverne Eve in the history of athletics for The Bahamas. She is a multiple CARIFTA Champion, has won gold at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Under-18, Under-20 and Under-23 Championships, and also is a fourth place finisher from the most recent World Athletics (WA) Under-20 Championships in Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya.

On Monday past, Otabor received recognition for her accomplishments throughout the 2021-22 season. She ends the year as the school’s female track and field athlete of the year and as a nominee for the school’s overall female athlete of the year award. That latter will be announced at a later date, following the conclusion of the spring sports schedule.

https://thenassauguardian.com/otabor-is-a-nominee-for-fiu-female-athlete-of-the-year/

 Home|Sports|Taylor lowers own national record at worldsSports

Bastian wraps up competition; Thompson, Higgs swim today and tomorrow

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 22, 2022 263 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian teenage swimming sensation Lamar Taylor lowered his own national record in the 100 meters (m) freestyle yesterday, swimming at the 19th FINA (International Swimming Federation) World Championships at Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary.

Taylor was in action as he swam out of lane two in heat six of that event. The 19-year-old touched the wall in 50.36 seconds – a new national record, to finish third in his heat. He shaved .16 seconds off his previous personal best time of 50.52 seconds that was done at the Bahamas Aquatics Federation’s National Swimming Championship in June of 2021. Taylor finished 47th out of 88 swimmers.

“I’m ecstatic about lowering my own national record,” Taylor said. “Walking into my race I knew I had to try my hardest to break out from the pack, lead the race and try my hardest to keep my form together to finish the race. My start and break felt smooth and quick.”

Taylor clocked 23.50 seconds in his first 50m then in his final 50m, he came home in 26.86 seconds.

Winning that heat was a familiar competitor to Taylor from CARIFTA meets, Jordan Crooks from the Cayman Islands. He touched the wall in 48.79 seconds. It was a personal best for him. Bulgaria’s Deniel Nankov was second in that heat with a time of 50.30 seconds.

Next up for Taylor is the 50m freestyle tomorrow, which is his final race. He has a personal best time of 22.85 seconds and will look to lower that mark.

Taylor is one of four Bahamians competing in Budapest. Also competing are Lilly Higgs, Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson and Izaak Bastian.

The quartet swam the 4x100m mixed medley relay yesterday and finished 22nd overall with a time of 4:15.19. There were 28 countries which participated in that race. The Bahamas swam out of lane nine in heat three. Winning that heat were the Dutch who clocked 3:43.48.

Taylor swam the first leg which was the backstroke and swam splits of 27.93 and 30.65 seconds. Bastian was then in the pool for the breaststroke as he swam splits of 29.42 and 35.30 seconds. Thompson swam the butterfly leg and posted splits of 33.03 and 37.71 seconds. Anchoring Team Bahamas on the freestyle leg was Higgs who swam splits of 29.34 and 31.81 seconds.

Bastian has wrapped up competition as he swam in the 100 and 50m breast races on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

In the 100m breast on Friday, Bastian swam out of heat five and touched the wall in 1:03.79. He finished 42nd out of 60 swimmers. His splits were 29.61 and 34.18 seconds. In his heat, there were four qualifiers for the semifinals. Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi won that heat in a time of 59.06 seconds.

Bastian, 21, clocked 28.47 seconds to finish 32nd out of 57 swimmers in the 50m breast. He was in lane one in a tough heat number six. In that heat, there were five swimmers who advanced to the semifinals. Winning that heat was American Michael Andrew in a time of 28.71 seconds.

Thompson made a splash in the pool on Friday in the 200m individual medley (IM). She posted a time of 2:30.15 to finish 30th out of 38 swimmers. Thompson swam out of lane two in the first heat and posted splits of 32.04, 38.09, 44.97 and 35.05 seconds. Winning that heat was Latvia’s Leva Maluka who recorded a time of 2:16.94.

The 18-year-old returns to the pool today for the 100m freestyle – her last individual event of the competition.

Higgs was in action in the women’s 100m breast for her first individual race of the competition. She finished with a time of 1:13.13 to place 41st out of 51 competitors. Her splits were 34.30 and 38.83 seconds. The 21-year-old swam out of lane nine in heat three. Winning that heat was South Korea’s Sua Moon who swam 1:08.50.

Higgs will return to the pool on Thursday morning for the heats of the 50m breast.

https://thenassauguardian.com/taylor-lowers-own-national-record-at-worlds/