TEXAS forward Kai Jones (22), of The Bahamas, grabs a rebound over North Carolina forward Day’Ron Sharpe (11) in the first half of their NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Maui Invitational yesterday in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

As of Thursday, December 3, 2020

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TEXAS celebrates and holds the trophy for the NCAA college championship game of the Maui Invitational after they beat North Carolina 69-67 yesterday in Asheville, N.C (AP Photos/Kathy Kmonicek)

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Kai Jones’ perfect shooting streak from the field came to an end, but the sophomore forward scored four of Texas’ final six points to lead them to a Camping World Maui Invitational Championship.

#Jones finished with 12 points on 4-5 shooting from the field and tied a career high with eight rebounds for the second time this season in the No.14 Longhorns’ 69-67 win over the Tar Heels in the tournament finale last night at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

#Matt Coleman hit a stepback jumper for the game winner with 0.1 seconds left to play, but Jones also made several critical plays down the stretch.

#The Longhorns trailed 65-63 when Jones made a jumper to tie the game at the 2:29 mark. He followed with a transition dunk two possessions later to give Texas the lead (67-65) with 38 seconds left to play.

#The Tar Heels evened the score with a pair of free throws from Leaky Black, setting the stage for Coleman’s heroics.

#Texas improved to 4-0 and won their first Maui title in their fifth appearance in the tournament while the Tar Heels suffered their first loss of the season.

#With his third double digit scoring effort this season, Jones has already surpassed his total from his freshman season when he reached that mark just twice.

#Jones opened the Maui Invitational with 13 points on 4-4 shooting from the field, 2-2 from three-point range, in a 78-76 win over Davidson. He followed with just four points (2-2 field goals) and five rebounds in 13 foul-plagued minutes of a 66-44 win over the Indiana Hoosiers.

#In the Atlantic Sun Conference, Franco Miller Jr continues to see his production in his new role with the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. Miller scored a career high 10 points and shot 3-7 from three-point range but his Eagles lost 76-57 to the South Florida Bulls.

CHRIS DEMARCO, left, head coach of our men’s national basketball team, and Mario Bowleg, president of the Bahamas Basketball Federation.

Friday, November 27, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Despite the challenges the programme has faced to this point, Chris Demarco remains optimistic on his official debut as head coach of the senior men’s national team at the FIBA level.

#A shorthanded Team Bahamas still faces uncertainty on its roster situation just days away from competition, against the United States (November 29) and Puerto Rico (November 30) at the FIBA Americup 2022 Qualifiers in Indianapolis, Indiana.

#“We like our team. Everybody who is here, the federation, myself, and the coaching staff, we got together and talked about our group of guys that are going to be competitive and play hard. There’s a lot to like about the guys that are here. Stuff can change from day to day, we still don’t know how it’s going to look Sunday and Monday but so far I think the roster reflects what we were trying to do as a federation,” Demarco said. “I think our strength is going to be able to move the ball and shoot the ball. I think we have a roster that has some good shooters but I think it always starts defensively. We tried to put together a team that can defend and compete on that end of the floor, force some turnovers and get out and push the basketball. Again I don’t know exactly what it will look like, but how the roster is built right now, the defensive end will get it done for us and create opportunities for us offensively.”

#Team Bahamas currently has eight players in Indianapolis confirmed to participate, but that number could increase to 10 by gameday. Available players include Mychel Thompson, D’Shon Taylor, Jaron Cornish, Nashad Mackey, Eugene Bain, Robert Nortmann, Godfrey Rolle III, and Ahmad Pratt.

#Several prospective players have been unavailable for a myriad of reasons ranging from COVID-19 travel restrictions in their respective countries, unable to clear COVID-19 protocol, or not acquiring a release from their club team.

#“It’s been difficult, FIBA and USA as the host team has been great so far but it’s been proving difficult for us and I know for some of the other countries to get players in from overseas. I don’t know how Puerto Rico and Mexico are doing but I know with the USA, the majority of their team is going to be from the states. That’s been the hardest thing, being able to get our guys over here. There needs to be 2-3 tests before you get here and there needs to be 2-3 tests here before you can play in the game. We are doing our best and I know our federation is doing their very best to make sure we put together a team that can compete.”

#Gathering the country’s top talent simultaneously during a given window for qualification events has proved to be the biggest obstacle for the federation thus far.

#“It’s always a challenge. It’s been about three years I’ve been working with the programme and we have yet to have that moment where we have all of our guys together but that’s always the challenge in FIBA. I do think we are headed in the right direction,” he said.

#“This window especially, guys aren’t that familiar with each other, but that’s been one of the things we have been trying to do since we got here – getting guys to hang out and get to know each other and I think that translates to the basketball court. That’s a challenge with the protocols and tight windows for when guys can be around each other so we have to maximise our practice time. I think the future of Bahamas Basketball is bright, we have the right people in place, the players are committed and I’m excited for it.”

#DeMarco, a former Dominican University (California) forward, has been a member of the Golden State Warriors’ coaching staff for seven seasons, serving as an assistant coach, member of the player development personnel, and video scout.

#With DeMarco assisting head coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors won three NBA championships and played in five Finals during that span.

#He served as an assistant for Team Bahamas in a win over the Dominican Republic in 2018 and most recently coached the national select team last summer against several elite NCAA Division I programmes.

#“This window is no different than when I was there for the Dominican Republic or in the summer when we played Texas Tech, Georgetown, and Memphis.

#“We’re all in this together. Coaches have daily discussions and we know exactly how we want to attack so it’s not one of those things where you’re out there on an island and it’s just you so I think it is going to feel very similar with everything, personally I’ve been through with the Bahamas and anytime I’ve participated in these events.”

#Thompson, Taylor, and Cornish are the only holdovers from the previous window of AmeriCup qualifiers when The Bahamas scored a 76-59 win over Mexico last February at the Atlantis resort. “That was a different situation where we got to play the same team twice within four days, so you were able to watch film and make adjustments,” Demarco said. “[Those guys that were there] how they can be helpful for their teammates is just talking about the style of basketball that we want to play and be leaders out there on the floor and let them know what we are looking for.

#“I think it was important for them to be there for those two games, but now we have a new team and we have a new team and we’ve got to work together and build chemistry with the guys that are here.

#Games will be streamed on ESPN+, but due to COVID-19 protocols, no fans or outsiders will be allowed inside the bubble for the games.

By Renaldo Dorsett

Sunday, November 1, 2020

#It WAS another standout performance from Prince Strachan in the regular season finale for the John Carroll High School Golden Rams football team.

#The junior wide receiver finished with five catches for a game high 94 yards and one touchdown in the Rams’ 35-3 win over Sebastian River on homecoming night in Port St Lucie, Florida.

#Prince’s 13-yard touchdown catch came on the second possession of the game and his team built a four-score lead in the first half, 28-0.

#John Carroll finished the regular season at 7-1 and will face First Academy on November 13 in a 3A playoff game, hosted in Orlando, Florida.

#“With homecoming going on, their record…it’s really hard to stay focused, but I’m really proud of my guys with all the different distractions you have going on this year,” John Carroll head coach Mickey Groody told the Treasure COast Palm News. “I’m so proud of my guys for buying in to what we’re doing.”

#Strachan relocated from Grand Bahama to John Carroll following Hurricane Dorian last year. He played sparingly as a sophomore and the Rams were high on his prospective impact headed into this season.

#In the season opener, he caught three receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-0 win for his Rams over the Port St Lucie Jaguars. He also racked up 10 receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams in their 37-12 win over South Fork High.

#Prince is the younger brother of University of Charleston Golden Eagles All-American wide receiver, Mike Strachan.Thus far the younger Strachan has already received an offer from the Golden Eagles. Mike Strachan was recently listed among Yahoo! Sports’ top “small school” prospects for the 2021 NFL draft and a preseason All-American. 

By Renaldo Dorsett

Sunday, November 1, 2020

#AN active weekend for Bahamian pro basketball players in their respective leagues across the globe featured several season high performances.

#Headlining the list was veteran forward Kadeem Coleby in the Japanese B-League.

#Coleby finished with 30 points and 15 rebounds – both season highs – in an 89-86 loss for his Akita Northern Happinets to Hitachi SRT. He shot 11-14 from the field and also added two blocked shots.

#Akita dropped to 6-4 on the season, sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

#It was Coleby’s third double double of the season. Through nine games he is averaging 15.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.

#Coleby has been a mainstay in the Akita lineup for the last four seasons. Through 34 games last season, he averaged 10.6 points per game on 54 percent shooting from the field. He also averaged 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in just over 26 minutes per game.

#In 2018 he was the league leader in blocked shots (2.4 per game) in his second season with the Happinets.

#Mark St Fort continues to play a larger role with Nigita Alibrex and came off the bench to lead the team in scoring for the second consecutive game.

#St Fort finished with a near double double – 18 points and nine rebounds – in a 92-69 loss to defending champions, Kawasaki BT. In just 18 minutes, St Fort shot 4-6 from the field and was a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. It was his third time scoring in double figures in six games with the club.

#Last week, St Fort posted a season high scoring effort with 26 points and also ended a three game losing streak for Nigita Albirex.

#In Spain, Lashann Higgs scored a team high 17 points off the bench for Embutidos Pajariel Bembibre PDM in a 70-65 loss to Ensino in the Liga Femenina Endesa.

#In her rookie season of pro basketball, Higgs has emerged as the team’s leading scorer at 13.3 points per game. She is also shooting a team high 52 percent from the field and is second in rebounds at 5.3 per game.

#In Spain, Lashann Higgs and Embutidos Pajariel Bembibre PDM suffered a loss in their regular season debut in Liga Femenina Endesa, the top division of women’s basketball in the country.

#Embutidos has struggled at 1-7 on the season.

#The Liga Femenina Endesa includes 14 teams and a 26-game regular season.

#The top eight teams make the playoffs, while the bottom two seeds are relegated to the second division.

#Aaron Levarity continues to be a leader for the Svendborg Rabbits of the Basketligaen in Denmark.

#Levarity finished with 26 and 13 rebounds (11-18) in a 101-97 overtime win over Horsens IC. They completed the weekend with an 82-70 win over BMS Herlev Wolfpack to improve to 51.

#In his first season with the club, Levarity is averaging a team leading 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

By Renaldo Dorsett

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

#SHAUNAE Miller-Uibo has been vocal about her displeasure with the decision in Salwa Eid Naser’s whereabouts case – which cleared the Bahraini sprinter of any wrongdoing and now other icons in the sport have joined the growing chorus of scepticism.

#Former world and Olympic record holder in the 200m and 400m, Michael Johnson took to social media to echo many of the sentiments Miller-Ubo expressed in her statement last week regarding the case.

#“Why was ‘19 World Champ Salwa Eid Naser cleared after missing 4 doping tests? World Athletics testing system lacks the structural integrity required to stand up in court if challenged,” Johnson said on Twitter.

#“‘The tester went to the wrong door’. Clean athletes should demand better from their federation!”

#According to a ruling by the Athletics Integrity Unit, Naser, the reigning 400m world champion, avoided a ban on a technicality after charges for missed tests and filing failures were dismissed by an independent tribunal.

#Naser, who ran the third-fastest 400m in history when she pulled away from Miller-Uibo on the final curve to snatch the gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit in June. Johnson was also vocal after Naser’s initial suspension. She missed three tests in the 12 months before winning the world 400m title at the 2019 World Championships and another test in January.

#“I believe the sport can legally increase the punishment for missed tests. Increase the punishment to 4 years, and you’ll see fewer missed tests,” said Johnson – the only male athlete in history to win both the 200m and 400m events at the same Olympics, a feat he accomplished at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

#“Two (2 years) gives the presumption of innocence already. Maybe it’s not labelled as equal to positive, but the punishment should be.”

#The President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Witold Banka, also expressed his thoughts on the decision and the possibility of his organisation taking action in the future.

#“As it relates to Salwa Eid Naser and the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal decision on her case I am concerned,” said Banka.

#“WADA will analyse it carefully and exercise its right to appeal if necessary.”

#British sprinter Adam Gemili cited the case of Scottish hammer thrower Mark Dry as a reference to the inconsistency of the decision-making process of the sport’s governing bodies.

#“There seems to be no consistency in how some athletes are treated compared to others. Look at what happened to Mark Dry for literally nothing. Being a world champion should not mean you get special treatment. This does not show track and field in a good light at all.”

#Dry was charged with “attempted tampering with any part of doping control.” The rule includes “providing fraudulent information” in reference to a whereabouts issue.

#Naser’s fourth violation, a test scheduled to be taken on April 12, 2019, at her apartment in Riffa, Bahrain was missed because a doping control official was unable to find her between 6-7am.

#According to the AIU, the events of the morning “would have been comical were the consequences not so serious,” after the official was given the wrong address and was not given a phone number.

#“Again I must reiterate, that my concern is with World Athletics and the AIU and the role they play. As senior administrators, their purpose is to protect and advance their athletes to the best of their abilities.

#“With the recent turn of events, with their littered errors, in my view, opens the door to many questions. What took them so long to make this information public? How is it possible that this case lingered on until World Championships, which was in October 2019 and not once were the athletes informed, or the athlete in question provisionally suspended like others that were in the same position? There are case studies that can be provided to support that athletes were provisionally suspended until the case was heard before a tribunal. There were two cases in particular with both athletes missing their third test dated April 19 and April 26 and both were provisionally suspended in the month of August,” Miller-Uibo said in the aforementioned statement.

#“We need to ensure that in athletics, we the athletes are not competing against any administrators whose only goal is for athletes to run faster, jump higher, jump further and throw further at any cost.” 

By Brent Stubbs

Monday, October 19, 2020

#After missing out on the opportunity to host the second window of the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers in a bubble here, the Bahamas Basketball Federation will now have to secure at least $80,000 to send the men’s national basketball team off to compete.

#BBF President Mario Bowleg indicated over the weekend that they applied to both the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture since September with their request to stage the bubble for eight teams in pool C and D at either Atlantis on Paradise Island or Baha Mar, but they didn’t get any commitment until it was too late.

#FIBA decided to take the bubble for pool C, comprising Canada, Cuba, Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic to the Dominican Republic with games from November 27 to December 1, while pool D for the Bahamas, the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico, to Washington during the same dates.

#Teams listed in pools A and B – Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay – are all scheduled to play in a bubble in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

#“From September 9th, based on the number of COVID-19 cases we had, FIBA would have approached the Bahamas to host the bubble for the eight teams in pool B and C,” Bowleg said. “We approached Baha Mar, who was our basic sponsor over the few years.

#“The federation also sent out the information to both ministries, particularly the Ministry of Tourism on how we could jumpstart our economy at the end of November. We felt that the Bahamas government would be willing to assist the federation in securing the bubble here.

#“We felt it would have been good for the Bahamas because we would have had people back to work at the hotel and all of the $150,000 that it was estimated to host the event here would have stayed in the country.”

#FIBA decided to stage the second window in a bubble format as they took into account the health protocols stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. The format allows FIBA to facilitate the implementation of governmental sanitary protocols required by many countries across America’s zone.

#The top three teams from each group will qualify for the FIBA AmeriCup 2022, which is the first leg of the qualification process for the 2024 Olympic Games.

#By not hosting the bubble, the federation will have to secure about $80,000 to fund the team that will travel to compete in Washington where they will also have to pay for their COVID-19 testing before and during the games played in the bubble in Washington at a price of about $120 per person, including all players, coaches, management and medical staff.

#“We’ve had several meetings with head coach Chris DeMarco, who will be coaching the team along with Norris Bain and Perry Thompson Jr and we are now looking at who is available,” Bowleg pointed out.

#“We have some players who are based in the United States who didn’t go back to Europe because of COVID-19, which will help cut down on the ticket prices. We still plan on bringing in one or two from Europe, so we feel we have a good change of putting together a good team to compete in this round.”

#Bowleg said their priority as the second ranked team in their pool is to win or at least split their two games against Puerto Rico, which would allow them to be in a better position when they play their home game here in February in their bid to advance to the FIBA AmeriCup 2022.

#“By then, we are hoping that we can host the bubble where we can have the teams come in,” Bowleg said. “We know the financial strain that the country is in as a result of the pandemic, but if we had a chance to host the bubble next month, it would have helped us out in an economic crisis.

#“We would have been about to televise the games, which would have provided an opportunity for advertisements, letting people know that the Bahamas was open back up for business. The door, however, is closed for us to host the bubble next month.

#“The only thing I can do now is to ensure that we send the team off to compete to represent us as a country. This is a good opportunity for us to start qualifying for the 2024 Olympics while we have players like Deandre Ayton and Chavano “Buddy” Hield in their prime. So we have to find the funds for the team to travel.”

#Once they can obtain their annual grant from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and solicit the sponsorship from corporate Bahamas, Bowleg said they can achieve their goal.

#“With only the top three teams in each pool advancing, we can’t allow Puerto Rico to beat us out,” Bowleg stated. “If we lose both games to them, we automatically drop into the fourth spot. So we have to make sure that they don’t beat us.

#“We know we have some prime time teams like the United States and Puerto Rico, but we believe that with the team we can assemble, we can qualify. We just need the funding since we couldn’t host the bubble, to get the team off to compete before we host the home games next year.” 

Bbf Needs To Secure At Least $80,000

By Brent Stubbs

As of Monday, October 19, 2020

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#After missing out on the opportunity to host the second window of the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers in a bubble here, the Bahamas Basketball Federation will now have to secure at least $80,000 to send the men’s national basketball team off to compete.

#BBF President Mario Bowleg indicated over the weekend that they applied to both the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture since September with their request to stage the bubble for eight teams in pool C and D at either Atlantis on Paradise Island or Baha Mar, but they didn’t get any commitment until it was too late.

#FIBA decided to take the bubble for pool C, comprising Canada, Cuba, Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic to the Dominican Republic with games from November 27 to December 1, while pool D for the Bahamas, the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico, to Washington during the same dates.

#Teams listed in pools A and B – Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay – are all scheduled to play in a bubble in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

#“From September 9th, based on the number of COVID-19 cases we had, FIBA would have approached the Bahamas to host the bubble for the eight teams in pool B and C,” Bowleg said. “We approached Baha Mar, who was our basic sponsor over the few years.

#“The federation also sent out the information to both ministries, particularly the Ministry of Tourism on how we could jumpstart our economy at the end of November. We felt that the Bahamas government would be willing to assist the federation in securing the bubble here.

#“We felt it would have been good for the Bahamas because we would have had people back to work at the hotel and all of the $150,000 that it was estimated to host the event here would have stayed in the country.”

#FIBA decided to stage the second window in a bubble format as they took into account the health protocols stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. The format allows FIBA to facilitate the implementation of governmental sanitary protocols required by many countries across America’s zone.

#The top three teams from each group will qualify for the FIBA AmeriCup 2022, which is the first leg of the qualification process for the 2024 Olympic Games.

#By not hosting the bubble, the federation will have to secure about $80,000 to fund the team that will travel to compete in Washington where they will also have to pay for their COVID-19 testing before and during the games played in the bubble in Washington at a price of about $120 per person, including all players, coaches, management and medical staff.

#“We’ve had several meetings with head coach Chris DeMarco, who will be coaching the team along with Norris Bain and Perry Thompson Jr and we are now looking at who is available,” Bowleg pointed out.

#“We have some players who are based in the United States who didn’t go back to Europe because of COVID-19, which will help cut down on the ticket prices. We still plan on bringing in one or two from Europe, so we feel we have a good change of putting together a good team to compete in this round.”

#Bowleg said their priority as the second ranked team in their pool is to win or at least split their two games against Puerto Rico, which would allow them to be in a better position when they play their home game here in February in their bid to advance to the FIBA AmeriCup 2022.

#“By then, we are hoping that we can host the bubble where we can have the teams come in,” Bowleg said. “We know the financial strain that the country is in as a result of the pandemic, but if we had a chance to host the bubble next month, it would have helped us out in an economic crisis.

#“We would have been about to televise the games, which would have provided an opportunity for advertisements, letting people know that the Bahamas was open back up for business. The door, however, is closed for us to host the bubble next month.

#“The only thing I can do now is to ensure that we send the team off to compete to represent us as a country. This is a good opportunity for us to start qualifying for the 2024 Olympics while we have players like Deandre Ayton and Chavano “Buddy” Hield in their prime. So we have to find the funds for the team to travel.”

#Once they can obtain their annual grant from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and solicit the sponsorship from corporate Bahamas, Bowleg said they can achieve their goal.

#“With only the top three teams in each pool advancing, we can’t allow Puerto Rico to beat us out,” Bowleg stated. “If we lose both games to them, we automatically drop into the fourth spot. So we have to make sure that they don’t beat us.

#“We know we have some prime time teams like the United States and Puerto Rico, but we believe that with the team we can assemble, we can qualify. We just need the funding since we couldn’t host the bubble, to get the team off to compete before we host the home games next year.” 

By Brent Stubbs

Monday, October 19, 2020

DEYTON Albury

#DESPITE losing their first game of the pre-season, Deyton Albury and the Believe Prep Academy basketball team had an impressive showing at the Big House Complex in Tavares, Florida, over the weekend.

#In the four games they played, Believe Prep Academy completed the jamboree with a 3-1 win-loss record. Albury, however, only played in three of their games as they had two teams entered in the jamboree.

#Meanwhile, Garreth Edgecombe and Franklin Prep Academy were not as successful, losing all three of the games they played in the jamboree – 59-47 to Feltrim Academy, 60-46 to Downey Christian and 75-60 to Miami Prep Elite.

#The jamboree, hosted by Elite Basketball Services Juco Showcase & Hoop Exchange, featured some of the top prep college teams in the United States.

#Believe Prep started the jamboree with a 51-43 win over NTSI PG. They also won 55-40 over DME Sparks Academy and 59-42 over IMG Performers PG Elite. However, their only loss came at the hands of DCP, over powered Believe Prep in every category with a 74-36 rout.

#“Once again, we as a team, played good, hard and tough,” said Albury, as he credited coach Kevin Jackson for keeping them motivated each game. “It’s only the beginning and we are making statements now so later on, it’s going to be scary.”

#In two of the games he played in, Albury wracked up 20 points and he had 19 in another.

#“I played more trying to get an impact on every area by letting my scoring and rebounding doing the talking,” Albury said.

#“But my defence could’ve been better. I just need to improve a little in that area.”

#Both Albury and Edgecombe, former team-mates at Temple Christian Academy where they made an impact on the Suns’ senior boys’ basketball team, are making their college debut after graduating from high school.

#Albury, 18, left Temple Christian two years ago for the United States where he went on to star for Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas in basketball and football.

#Edgecombe, also 18, left Temple Christian and moved to Galilee Academy where he graduated this year as well.

#Albury and Edgecombe played together this summer as they were reunited with their Suns’ coach Jamal Smith to play in a few AAU Tournaments during the coronavirus pandemic strucken summer to prepare them both for prep college.

#They are both using prep college to prepare themselves for their journey through college as they seek to secure athletic scholarships.

By Renaldo Dorsett

Monday, October 19, 2020

#ANDRE Arthur became the latest Bahamian prospect to join the Miami Marlins farm system.

#The Marlins signed the 17-year-old, 6’5” 185-pound outfielder out of the International Elite Sports Academy last week on the final day of the 2019-20 International Signing Period.

#The International Signing Period traditionally runs from July 2 through June 15 of the following year, but Major League Baseball made an extension of an additional four months due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic which readjusted the league’s schedule.

#Arthur joins current major leaguer Jazz Chisholm and minor league prospect Ian Lewis in the Marlins organisation. Chisholm made his MLB debut this season while Lewis is currently participating in the Florida Instructional League.

#He also became the fifth Bahamian signed during the current period following Lewis, Everett Cooper (Houston Astros), Dax Stubbs (Baltimore Orioles) and Zion Bannister (Texas Rangers).

#Arthur was the latest of more than a dozen Marlins prospects signed during the current signing period. He was the second prospect signed by the team since the end of the regular season on October 8, following Venezuelan pitcher Yoelvis Burguillos.

#A busy 2018 season for Arthur on the Perfect Game Showcase circuit with Maximum Development Academy was highlighted by his selection to the PG 14U Select Baseball Festival. He also participated in the 2018 WWBA Freshman World Championship, WWBA 15U National Championship and the 15U BCS National Championship.

#Adrian Lorenzo, Marlins’ special assistant of Baseball Operations, expressed his excitement at the growth of baseball in the Bahamas at Lewis’ signing.

#“This baseball market is a particular passion project of mine to make sure the players from this country continue to develop. I want to point that out so people can appreciate what’s been going on here, to develop this baseball market in such a short amount of time is quite a testament to what is going on in the Bahamas.”

#MLB officially announced that the next International Signing Period is scheduled to run from January 15 to December 15, 2021.

Tiger Woods

By Renaldo Dorsett

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

#Another major event on The Bahamas’ sports tourism calendar has been cancelled due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

#Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation officially announced that the 2020 Hero World Challenge, traditionally hosted at the Albany resort, will not be played this year, but the event looks to return in 2021. This year’s event was tentatively scheduled for December 3-6.

#“Given the current global restrictions and ongoing developments resulting from COVID-19, the 2020 Hero World Challenge will not be played this year,” the organisation said in an official statement published to various social media outlets yesterday.

#“This decision was made with the health and well-being of all tournament constituents and the Albany community in mind. We look forward to hosting 18 of the top players in the world and welcoming tournament guests to Albany, Bahamas next year.”

#An avid vacationer to the Bahamas, Woods has been a staple on the local sports tourism scene since the inception of the Bahamas’ version of the event in 2015. The Tiger Woods Foundation has been the event’s primary charitable beneficiary, along with the Tavistock Foundation and Bahamas Youth Foundation.

#Past champions in the event have included Bubba Watson, Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama and most recently, Henrik Stenson.

#Stenson’s win at the 2019 event also raised funds toward Hurricane Dorian Relief through a challenge issued by the event’s title sponsor, Hero MotoCorp.

#Hero MotoCorp issued a challenge to the field and pledged $500 for every birdie, $1,000 for every eagle and $2,500 for every ace with proceeds given to the One Bahamas Fund.

#The Players raised $184,500 and One Bahamas planned to match the donation for a total of $369,000.

#In September 2019, Woods also partnered with singer/actor Justin Timberlake, Nexus, RBC and Albany Bahamas to establish the ONE Bahamas Fund to aid the rebuilding efforts in Abaco and Grand Bahama.

#In the days following Dorian, the group also donated $6 million toward the various stakeholders in the recovery.

#The week of festivities began last year with a new addition, the inaugural “Hero Shot at Baha Mar” – won by Woods, followed by the pre-tournament Pro-Am and the main event.

#The Hero World Challenge is a four-round, 72-hole stroke play event with a $3.5 million purse, a $1 million winner’s prize and Official World Golf Ranking points awarded. It features 18 of the top golfers on the PGA Tour.

Friday, October 16, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#The NCAA’s Division I Council made a major announcement that could extend the eligibility of several Bahamian student-athletes that compete in the organisation’s winter sports.

#Winter sports include basketball, gymnastics, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, ice hockey, and wrestling.

#The council voted that student athletes who compete during 2020-21 in Division I will receive both an additional season of competition and an additional year in which to complete it. It now gives athletes an opportunity for an additional season to play “five years in a six year span”, rather than the traditional “four years in a five year span” scenario.

#“The pandemic will continue to impact winter sport seasons in ways we can’t predict. Council members opted to provide for winter sport student-athletes the same flexibility given spring and fall sports previously,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania. “The actions today ensure the continuation of local decision-making in the best interest of each institution and its student-athletes.”

#In March, the Division I Council previously allowed programmes to extend an additional season of competition and eligibility to participants in spring sports.

#Spring sports affected in the decision include baseball, softball, tennis, golf, track and field (outdoor) lacrosse, rowing, men’s volleyball, beach volleyball and women’s water polo.

#It will also allow for roster expansion through increased scholarship limits for baseball, the only spring sport with such a limit.

#The decision to play fall sports have varied across conferences, however, irrespective of the conference decision, the year will not count toward an athlete’s eligibility for their NCAA career.