Shaunae Miller-Uibo

Friday, January 3, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#and RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporters

#Lest we forget, it was only a short time ago that we couldn’t wait to usher in the millennium of 2000.

#Today, we reflect on what has been a turbulent decade of so many ups and downs, thrills and spills, successes and failures, triumphs and defeats and performances and feats from the movers and shakers in sports.

#We just don’t have the space to highlight them all, but as we turn back the pages of 2010-2019 and we begin a new chapter in 2020, The Tribune Sports Department will take the time out to single out a few as we go back down memory lane.

#Athlete of the Decade

#Without any stretch of the imagination, the one name that magically stood out over all the others was Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

#Her list of achievements have by far posted her as the G.O.A.T. – greatest of all time – of the decade.

#For starters in 2010, she claimed four gold medals at CARIFTA Games and went on to win the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships and the IAAF World Junior Championships 400m crowns.

#After she got disqualified in the defence of her 400m title in the final at the CARIFTA Games in 2011, Miller-Uibo emerged as the IAAF World Youth Championships champion, becoming the first athlete to ever hold both the Under-20 and Under-18 championship 400m titles concurrently.

#She returned in 2012 and easily won the 200m and a silver on the 4 x 400m relay team. But she also missed out on a successful defence of her 400m title at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships.

#The year concluded with her making her initial appearance on the global senior international scene where she contested the 400m at the Olympic Games in London, England, only to bow out in the heats after pulling up coming off the first curve.

#However, Miller-Uibo came back, and closed out her junior career in 2013 at the CARIFTA Games by snatching three gold medals in the 200m, 400m and on the 4x100m relay.

#In the process, she earned the Austin Sealy Award as the most outstanding athlete before she had to settle for fourth place in the 200m in her debut at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia.

#The 25-year-old 2012 St Augustine’s College graduate opened 2014 by claiming her first major senior medal with a bronze at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland.

#She followed that with a silver at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China in 2015. Her second time around at the Olympics in 2016 produced a gold in the 400m in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016.

#With the ink not yet dried on her marriage certificate to her University of Georgia college sweetheart Maicel Uibo, in 2017, Miller-Uibo helped the Bahamas win the inaugural running of the mixed gender 4 x 400m relay at the IAAF World Relays at home and she went to the IAAF World Championships in London, England and pursued a rare 200/400m double, finishing with a bronze and fourth respectively.

#All that inspired Miller-Uibo as she bounced back in 2018 to secure the gold at the Commonwealth Games in the Coast Coast, Australia as she went on a winning streak that was finally broken when she had to settle for the silver at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

#What a remarkable achievement for the Athlete of the Year.

#Executive of the Decade

#Mike Sands’ tenure through the sport of track and field might have been one of the most dramatic, but he was able to withstand all of the fiery darts through at him and now he’s sitting around the table as an executive of the world’s influential International Amateur Athletic Federation board.

#At the completion of his term in office as president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations in 2012, the former

#Bahamian national 400m record holder, who began his administration as the public relations officer, again ran and was re-elected in 2013.

#However, there was a vote of no confidence in Sands, who was suspended for about 30 days. Once reinstated, he went on to serve until 2015 when he was ousted by his incumbent treasurer Rosamunde Carey, who became the first female ever elected to head the most fledging sporting body in the country, outside of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, of which he served as a vice president as well.

#However, Sands remained relentless and continued to push behind the scene.

#He eventually was seconded to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Cultured where he served as a consultant after his department from Bahamasair.

#During the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Under-23 and Under-18 Championships in June, 2017 during their Congress in Queretaro, Mexico, Sands was elected as the new president, replacing Victor Lopez.

#Sands, however, didn’t officially take over until the IAAF Congress that was held at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar in August. He now serves as the area representative on the executive board, replacing Pauline Davis-Thompson, who could not be re-elected as a Council Member.

#What a remarkable turn around for Sands during the past decade of his trials and tribulations.

#Story of the Decade

#Some things are better said than done. The Sports story for the decade would have to be one of them.

#It’s the tale of two of the country’s top shining stars, who made it all the way to the pinnacle of sports, but fell short of crowning their careers with an Olympic medal.

#In the case of Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, who can forget his glaring performances as one of the most feared quarter-milers the world has seen, having participated in five consecutive Olympic Games, which are held over four years.

#Over the course of his 20-plus career that he intent to complete after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Brown was the most decorated Bahamian at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, winning four of his six total medals, including a gold in Doha, Qatar in 2010 and was a member of two Olympic medal winning performances by the men’s 4 x 400m relay, including the gold in 2012 in London, England and bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

#But perhaps would has stood out the most on the 41-year-old Eleuthera native’s resume is his fourth place finish in London in the individual 400m after he served as the national flag carrier during the official opening ceremonies.

#Brown moved into the coaching ranks where he is now the head coach at Clayton State University where he reside with his wife and children.

#Before she officially retired in 2018 and also gone into coaching, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace also emerged as the most decorated Bahamian female swimmer, having finished eighth in her specialty in the women’s 50m freestyle in the second of her three Olympic appearances in 2012 in London, England. She also made the Olympics in 2008 and 2016.

#Unbeaten locally during the course of her latter career during the decade, 29-year-old Vanderpool-Wallace also came close to getting on the podium at the 16th FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia where she touched the wall in sixth place in the final of the women’s 50m free.

#Neither of them medaled at the pinnacle of their international sporting competitions, but both Brown and Vanderpool-Wallace gave it their all as they were jointly named in The Tribune’s Sporting Stories of the decade.

#Junior Athlete of the Decade

#Anthonique Strachan had an unprecedented run in the early part of the decade that rewrote the Bahamian record books and saw her recognised by the international governing body for track and field.

#Strachan was a two-time winner of the Austin Sealy Award at the CARIFTA Track and Field Championships (2011-12) and the IAAF’s Rising Star Award (2012).

#At the 2011 CARIFTA Games, she won two gold medals (100 metres in 11.38 secs and 200 metres in 23.17 secs and equaled Veronica Campbell of Jamaica’s meet record of 22.93 secs in the heats to earn her first award as the most outstanding performer at the meet.

#Strachan continued to progress in the region at the 2011 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships where she won gold individually in the 200 metres and as a member of the 4×100 metres team. Her 200m time of 22.70 secs was a new World Junior Leading and a new championship record at the time.

#At the 2012 CARIFTA Games, Strachan won three gold medals. In the 100 metres she ran 11.22 secs (wind aided, 4.4 m/s), 200 metres in a new CARIFTA record 22.85s and anchored the Bahamas 4 × 100 m relay team to gold in 45.02 secs to earn her second Austin Sealy. She joined an elite list of two time winners which included fellow Bahamian Laverne Eve (1982-1983), The Cayman Islands’ Kareem Streete-Thompson (1989-1990), Trinidad & Tobago’s Darrel Brown (1999-2000), and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt (2003-2004).

#At the 14th IAAF World Junior Championships, Strachan became the first woman in six years to win the 100m/200m sprint double. Her times of 11.20 secs and 22.53 secs respectively were personal bests – the latter an area junior record.

#Her active 2012 also included a semifinal berth in the 200m at the London Olympics where she placed fifth.

#Following her performances over the course of the season the IAAF awarded her with the Rising Star Award at its Centenary Gala.

#“I’m stunned. I didn’t know anything about getting the award. I thought I had been invited here to Barcelona to watch and be inspired,” said Strahan in an interview on the IAAF website.”

#Coach of the Decade

#Yolett McPhee-McCuin made history as a player, but her greatest contribution to the game of basketball came on the sidelines over the course of the decade.

#Currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball programme, it was just the latest in the list of her accomplishments. McPhee-McCuin began the decade on staff for the Pittsburgh Panthers in 2010. She was part of a pair of postseason appearances with Panthers, who rose to No 14 in the national rankings and advanced to a Sweet 16. Her coaching career also includes stops at Portland, Frank Phillips College and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where she earned her master’s degree in physical education.

#She was then an assistant at Clemson from 2011-13, where she was recognised as one of the top assistants in the nation by National Women’s Basketball Insider.

#She then got the head coaching job at Jacksonville University. She became the first Bahamian head coach in an NCAA Division I basketball programme when she was announced as the Dolphins head coach in April 2013.

#She made the Dolphins a dominant team in the Atlantic Sun Conference. During her tenure, they finished with a 94-63 record (50-24 in ASUN play) and three post-season appearances.

#While with the Tigers, McPhee-McCuin solidified her reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country, spearheading the No. 16 class in the nation in her final year at Clemson, which included five McDonalds All-America nominees.

#She achieved another first in 2013 when she was named The Bahamas’ women’s national basketball team head coach, and McPhee-McCuin immediately set out on her path to seek Olympic qualification for the country at the Tokyo games in 2020.

#Under McPhee-McCuin’s leadership, The Bahamas finished with the gold medal at the 2015 Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships and turned in a fifth place finish at the 2017 Women’s Centrobasket Championships.

#McPhee-McCuin continued to make unprecedented milestones for Bahamian coaches in 2018 when she took the head coaching helm at a programme in a Power 5 Conference.

#She was named the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels Women’s Basketball Programme in April as they look to rebuild and contend in the Southeastern Conference.

#The Rebels finished 9-22, 3-13 in conference play. The season was highlighted by the first ranked road win for the Rebels since 2011 when Ole Miss defeated the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time since 2007.

#Following her first season, both sides agreed in principle to a deal which will run through the 2023 season.

#Team of the Decade

#The Bahamas has become accustomed to winning Olympic relay medals but perhaps none with a finish as dramatic as the men’s 4x400m relay team of Chris Brown, Demetrius Pinder, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller at the London 2012 games.

#Miller passed American Angelo Taylor down the stretch of the final lap to send the Bahamian faithful into a frenzy. He closed out the race with a lap of 44.1 seconds to make history. Taylor was handed a 10-metre lead when he received the baton, but Miller chipped away.

#By the final stretch, Miller lived up to his nickname of ‘fearless,’ and stormed from behind to pass Taylor. The Americans had won gold the previous eight times they had competed, missing out only at the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games.

#The Bahamas Relay team won in 2:56.72 seconds, a national record time, ahead of the US, which came second and Trinidad & Tobago, which finished third.

#It marked the first Olympic gold medal in a men’s event in any sport for The Bahamas and the first American loss in that race at the Olympics since 1972. Sir Durward Knowles and Cecil Cooke won a gold medal in 1964 for sailing, which is not categorised as a men’s event.

#It was the first Olympic gold medal for veteran team member Brown. It’s been a long journey for me,” said Chris Brown, who ran the opening leg, “I’ve been here for a long time and this is my first Olympic gold medal. It took me a long time. The United States is a tough team to beat.”

#For Pinder, it was a bitter-sweet moment. Pinder’s sister, Claudia, passed away and was buried while he was in London preparing to run both the 400m and the 4 x 400m.

#“Just putting the medal around my neck, all I could do is remember my sister,” said the man who had run an exceptional second leg. “It’s a blessing to come out here and get gold, so I’m very proud,” Michael Mathieu, who had the most difficult leg to run on third with the huge challenge from American Tony McQuay.

#Brown, the senior man on the team, said: “It’s history. I thank the Bahamian fans, but we had to do this one for Leevan [Sands], who would have definitely won a medal if he didn’t get hurt and to Demetrius for what he had to go through with the loss of his sister.”

f Friday, May 15, 2015

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IT’S not how you start, nor how you get there. Most importantly, it’s how you finish.

#• The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to comment on the state of affairs in the local sports scene, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures.

#THE WEEK

#THAT WAS

#RIGHT on the heels of the successful hosting of the IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2015, a number of elite athletes showed that they are in prime form, one month ahead of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Championships.

#Heading the list was Shaunae Miller, who posted a world-leading time of 22.14 seconds to win the women’s 200 metres at the Jamaica Invitational at the national stadium in Kingston.

#In the process, Miller tied the meet record that was set by Jamaican Sheron Simpson back in 2006, but more importantly erased ‘Golden Girl’ Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie’s 16-year-old record of 22.19 seconds that she ran on July 3, 1999 in Paris, France.

#The race in Jamaica was so fast that it produced the top three times in the world as American Tori Bowie trailed in second in 22.29 and local race favourite Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce turned in a third place finish in 22.37.

#For Miller, it was her second of the five top fastest times in the world as she improved on her previous season’s best of 22.50 posted in Clermont, Florida on April 18, three days after she celebrated her 21st birthday.

#Miller, now training in Florida under coach Lance Brauman, is also listed in the top three in the world in the 400m with another personal best of 50.17 done in Gainesville, Florida.

#Miller, who had her coming out party at both the Olympics and World Championships, more than likely will have a high choice to make as she gets ready for the long summer, including an appearance at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada in July and the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, in August.

#Does she go for the 200/400 double or will she just concentrate on either one of the races? She follows in the footsteps of ‘Golden Girl’ Pauline Davis-Thompson, who was the last Bahamian female athlete to attempt the feat, but she had to settle for a silver in the 200m at the IAAF World Indoor Championships and the same colour medal at the IAAF World Championships, both in 1995.

#Davis-Thompson, now retired and serving as an IAAF council member, went on to win a silver in the 200m at the 2000 Olympic Games, and was elevated to the gold after American Marion Jones was stripped of the victory after testing positive for a banned substance.

#The last Bahamian to win the World Championship title in the 400m was Tonique Williams in 2005, one year after she claimed the Olympic title in 2004. Ironically, Ferguson-McKenzie was the last Bahamian 200m champion in 2001, eight years before she claimed the bronze in 2009.

#Miller, who bypassed her collegiate eligibility at the University of Georgia after her freshman year to turn pro, should provide an exciting showdown at the Nationals over the weekend of June 27-28 when she goes head-to-head with Anthonique Strachan, who was awarded the IAAF’s Rising Star award a few years ago and even the veteran Ferguson-McKenzie, who at 39, is still a force to reckon with.

#One thing is certain.

#The Bahamas isn’t short of sprinters since the retirement of all of the ‘Golden Girls’, except for Ferguson-McKenzie. In addition to Miller and Strachan, there are some other contenders like Sheniqua ‘Q’ Ferguson and Tynia Gaither, who is having a great year at the University of South Carolina.

#Are they ready to step up and be a contender for a medal at the World Championships and the Olympics next year?

#Miller, considered the “real deal,” has already gotten a taste of international success at the senior level when she captured the bronze in the 400m at the World Indoor Championships last year in Sopot. And if her performances so far this year are any indication, she seems to be right on track to lead the Bahamas’ medal rush on the ladies’ side.

#On the men’s side, Steven Gardiner is enjoying a breakout year as a professional. Having gotten his first real test as a member of the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay team that placed second behind the USA at the World Relays, Gardiner has attained the qualifying standard for the World Championships with his PR of 45.24 on April 18.

#Over the weekend, the Moore’s Island product of coach Anthony Williamson picked up his second victory in 45.66 at the Georgia Invitational at the Spec Towns Track at the University of Georgia over the weekend. Also at the meet, his training partner coached by George Cleare, Lanece Clarke, took the women’s race in 52.41.

#And Bianca ‘BB’ Stuart won the women’s long jump crown with a leap of 6.72 metres or 22-feet, 3/4-inches to go over the World Championship qualifying mark of 6.70 (22-11 3/4). Her performance has her ranked in a two-way tie for sixth place in the world standings with Great Britain’s Lorrain Ugen.

#Those are the types of performances that have a lot of buzz around the Bahamas, not just as the host of two successful World Relays back-to-back, but a country to watch when the World Championships are held in August.

#Coaching

#Selections

#Over the weekend, the Bahamas Basketball Federation held a meeting to announce its coaching staff for the various national teams this summer as well as its plans to improve on its national basketball championships and the implementation of a national high school tournament.

#The selection of the coaching staff was no surprise as Mario Bowleg was moved up from assistant to take over the men’s top spot, while Yolett McPhee-McCuin was returned to the women’s spot as both teams travel to Tortola, British Virgin Islands, for the CBC Championships in July.

#The main task for both coaches is to see if they can attract the top players to play on the teams.

#Will we see Jonquel Jones suit up for McPhee, her fellow Grand Bahamian idol, on the women’s side? Now that their collegiate seasons are over as well, will Grand Bahamian natives Lourawls ‘Tum Tum’ Nairn and Buddy Hield provide some spark for the men’s team?

#There’s just as much concern about those two teams as there is for Varel Clarke and Darrel Sears, who have been named as the head coaches for the under-17 girls and boys teams that will compete in the Centrobasket in Mexico and Puerto Rico in July and August respectively.

#We have just as much talent in the high schools, both in the Bahamas and the United States, to field two solid teams for these tournaments. It will be interesting to see if the coaching staff can assemble all of the talent together over the next few weeks to get the job done.

#The Week

#Ahead

#The sound of ‘let’s play ball’ will be echoed tonight when the New Providence Softball Association opens its 2015 season in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

#There have been reports of a number of player movements within the six teams entered in both the men and women divisions, but it will come down to a wait-and-see process before it can be determined who will play with which team until they take to the field.

f Tuesday, May 12, 2015

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IT was another dose of victory for the Bahamian duo of Lanece Clarke and Steven Gardiner.

#Fresh off their appearance on the Bahamas’ team for the IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2015 at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium earlier this month, the pair of quarter-milers pulled of victories in the women’s and men’s 400 metres in the Georgia Invitational at the Spec Towns Track at the University of Georgia over the weekend.

#Clarke, who was named to both the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 teams but didn’t get to compete, lowered her season’s best in her triumph in the one-lap race in 52.41 seconds. She previously ran 52.71 in Atlanta, Georgia on April 18. Clarke ran away from the field that was followed by Santina Williams of Alabama State in 53.23 for second.

#Also at the meet, Clarke picked up a second place finish in the 200m in 23.85. The race was won by Farah Jacques of Ottawa in 23.76.

#Gardiner, on the other hand, ran away with the men’s 400m title in 45.66, which was just shy of his personal and season’s best of 45.24 that he ran on April 18 to dip under the qualifying time of 45.50 for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China in August.

#His nearest rival was David Dickens, unattached, who did 47.01 for second.

#Another victory for the Bahamas at the meet came from Bianca ‘BB’ Stuart, who took the women’s long jump crown with a leap of 6.72 metres or 22-feet, 3/4-inches to go over the World Championship qualifying mark of 6.70 (22-11 3/4). Stuart matched the QM in a meet on April 4 in Auburn, Alabama. She now has the seventh best mark in the world so far this year.

#And Jamial Rolle, who was not named to the IAAF World Relays, had to settle for sixth place in the men’s 100m in 10.66. Kameron Cowan, running unattached, won the race in 10.35.

#George Cleare, who coaches both Clarke and Gardiner in Georgia, said he was very pleased with their performances.

#“This time of the year, it’s a pleasant surprise to see where they are,” said Clarke, an assistant coach at the University of Georgia. “We’re pushing them to the ultimate goal this year, which is to qualify for the World Championships. So I think they are right on target. They should be able to come home for the trials and do very well.”

#Cleare was referring to the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations National Championships to be held in June and will serve as the final trials for athletes to qualify for the World Championships.

#“She’s coming into her own. I think she’s starting to become more of an individual runner rather than a relay runner,” said Cleare of Clarke, who got her first taste of international competiion at the Commonwealth Games last year in Glasgow, Scotland. “Hopefully, if we can get her to compete in more individual events, it will increase her chances of getting into a major final and eventually start winning medals.”

#As for Gardiner, a native from Abaco and a product of coach Anthony Williams in Moore’s Island, said it shows that Gardiner is in 45 shape and should be a real contender this year.

#“It bodes well that with a lot stronger field, he should be able to run even faster,” said Cleare of Gardiner, who resembles 2009 World champion Avard Moncur in height and his slender build. “He should be able to run a lot faster, but I’m looking forward to him competing later this year when he comes home for the nationals.”

#With the type of talent they both possess, Cleare said they both can be strong contenders for the Bahamas.

#This week, Clarke is expected to participate in a mid-week meet in Atlanta. Depending on how well she does, Cleare said she could run on the weekend when she teams up with Gardiner once again.

#“It’s all about fine tuning and getting ready for the nationals,” Cleare said. “We’re hoping that they will both be ready to come home and compete very well.”

f Tuesday, August 4, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bahamian 1-2 punch of Deyton Albury and Garreth Edgecombe helped the Defenders 2020 to split their four games at the Phenom Challenge over the weekend in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

#The team, with Bahamian Jamal Smith as an assistant coach, played out of pool E where they finished with a 2-2 win-loss record in the four games they played at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.

#In their opener on Friday, they lost 79-76 to the Charlotte Royals 2021. They came back on Saturday to win their double header, 99-87 over Team Synergy 2021 and 73-70 in overtime against Team Durham 2021 before they fell 84-71 to the TLBA 2022 in their finale on Sunday.

#Smith, who formerly coached both Albury and Edgecombe, both 18 years old, when they played for the Temple Christian Suns, said both players played extremely well despite encountering some minor injuries.

#Edgecombe, a 6-foot, 3-inch forward, had a left elbow injury in their second game, while Albury, a 6-2 guard, went down with an right ankle injury in their last game.

#“The competition level was definitely higher than the previous week,” Smith said. “In the first game, I felt we didn’t match the energy of our opponents, but in the next two games, we stepped it up.

#“Overall, with their performances, I would say that each and every game they got better with their performances. The work that they are putting in during practice and watching and studying the films is paying off. The work they do on their own to manage their presence on the court has helped them tremendously.”

#Albury, producing his best game with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, said this was probably the toughest tournament they played in so far. “It was a good weekend. We had a lot of exposure and stuff like that,” said Albury, who just recently graduated from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas where he starred in basketball and football after he left Temple Christian two years ago.

#“Most of the division one players were around my position so it was good to match up against them. Although you are playing against them, it’s still good to learn from them and what to do in certain situations when you get to the division one level.”

#In his best game where he came up with 10 points in their second game as well, when he suffered the injury, Edgecombe said if he hadn’t suffered the injury, he could have done better.

#“I still felt we did good even though we both had some injuries that held us back from performing 100 per cent,” said Edgecombe, a graduate of Galilee Academy.

#“Although we pushed through it, I felt we did very good. I feel like the most we play as a team, the better we get. We have one more tournament coming up, so I feel like the way we are playing, we should do very well.”

#The Defenders, who have been playing in the AAU Tournaments since July, will have this week off before they play in their final showcase next weekend in the Big Shots Summer Classic in South Carolina.

#“The following weekend, schools are expected to open so you will see a lot of these players for the final time next weekend as they prepare to transit to their respective schools,” Smith said.

#“So I expect this to be a very competitive event that will be watched by a number of collegiate coaches from division one and two as well as junior colleges. I believe the recruitment for both Deyton and Garrett will just shoot off.”

#Smith said Albury has already received offers from three division one schools, but they are still looking at all of their options as to where he will end up in 2021 after he plays, along with Edgecombe, in a prep college programme this year.

#As for the protocol measures taken for the coronavirus, Edgecombe said he’s pleased with the way the organisers have ensured their safety. “They are taking precautions by marking out where people can sit, they make sure everybody has on their masks and they sanitise all of the doors,” he said. “I feel very secure with the measures they are using.”

#And Albury agreed that the protocol measures are strictly adhered to. “After every game, we have to sanitise our hands and we have to walk around with our masks on,” he stated. “After games, you don’t get to handshake anymore, so that is something too that we have to deal with.”

#Both noted that they are living out their dreams of playing basketball, even if it is under some adverse conditions in the new norm as sports slowly makes it way back after taking a break in March due to Covid-19.

Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) looks to pass against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half on Sunday. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)

As of Tuesday, August 4, 2020

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Deandre Ayton got his Phoenix Suns off to a hot start while “Buddy” Hield and the Sacramento Kings struggled early on the opening weekend of the NBA restart in Orlando, Florida.

#The Suns are off to a 2-0 start at the NBA clean site after coming in with the worst record among Western Conference teams in Orlando, while the Kings are on the opposite end of the spectrum winless at 0-2 thus far.

#The Suns are now 28-39, 0.5 game behind the Kings at 28-38. Both teams return to the court tomorrow when the Suns take on the LA Clippers at 4pm and the Kings face the Dallas Mavericks at 2pm.

#Ayton played just 21 foul plagued minutes and finished with seven points and eight rebounds in the Suns’ 117-115 win over the Mavericks Sunday night.

#“It was a great look for us to see what we’ve got, see what we can be. Us trying our best to see where we end up, trying to compete every game. We’re just going to go game by game, not settling for mediocre,” Ayton said.

#Despite the loss, the Mavericks clinched a playoff spot with the Memphis Grizzlies loss to the San Antonio Spurs. It will be their first postseason appearance since 2016.

#In game one, Ayton finished with a double double – 24 points, 12 rebounds – and made the first official three-point field goals of his career in a regular season game. He shot an efficient 11-14 from the field and 2-3 from three-point range.

#“Like I just told them, this is what I wanted to experience in this bubble was something like this where we just had our backs against the wall and across the board we got efforts from everybody,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said. “I was just wanting them to experience something like that so we can grow as a team.”

#The Kings suffered a lopsided 132-116 loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Hield went for 12 points on 5-13 shooting from the field and 2-7 from three-point range. He also added five assists in 20 minutes but also committed three turnovers.

#The Kings suffered a 129-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in their Orlando opener on Friday.

#He scored just six points on 2-13 shooting from the field, 1-8 from the field three while adding four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes off the bench. “We’re in uncharted territory right now,” Kings head coach Luke Walton said following the loss.

#“The season stopped, we’re in a bubble, we played in this high-energy, high-intensity opening game that both teams need. We end up coming out on the losing side of it. And like a team that isn’t there yet, hasn’t made it, doesn’t know what that’s like, as far as experience, now you’ve lost this big anticipated game and now you have a letdown.”

#As the Kings search for answers, Walton also told reporters that the starting lineup and rotation would be revisited. “We’ll look at it, as soon as I get back to the hotel and I get into the film,” he said. “That was disappointing. Disappointing to say the least.”

#In the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the No.8 Grizzlies are 32-35. Prior to Monday night’s games, the five teams behind – the Spurs (29-36), Trail Blazers (30-38), Pelicans (28-38), Kings (28-38) and Suns (28-39) are within two wins of each other.

#If the No.9 seed is more than four games behind the No.8 seed, No. 8 will make the playoffs. If they are fewer than four games behind, the teams will compete in a play-in tournament for the final spot.

#The Suns go on to face the Indiana Pacers (August 6), Miami Heat (August 8), Oklahoma City Thunder (August 10), Philadelphia 76ers (August 11) and the Mavericks for a second time (August 13).

#The remainder of the Kings’ schedule includes matchups against the New Orleans Pelicans (August 6), Brooklyn Nets (August 7), Houston Rockets (August 9), Pelicans (August 11), and Los Angeles Lakers (August 13).

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribvunemedia.net

#WITH the country now locked down again and no venue to train on, men’s national soccer coach Nesley Jean said he’s hoping that he can still get the Bahamas Football Association’s team ready for the CONCACAF Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup QATAR 2022.

#The Bahamas will be one of 30 teams in the new CONCACAF Qualifiers with three rounds for three and-a-half World Cup slots.

#The first round (30 teams) will be played between the CONCACAF Member Associations ranked 6-35 (Bah-33), based on the FIFA Rankings as of July 16, 2020.

#The 30 men’s national teams will be drawn into six groups of five teams in a seeded draw. Each team will play every team in their group once, playing a total of 4 matches – two home and two away. These games will be played in the FIFA match windows of October 2020 and November 2020. At the end of the first round, the six group winners will progress to the second round.

#In preparation for the qualifier, Jean said there are at least 50 players based locally and abroad, who are eligible for the team selection. But he noted that the problem is getting the players together for a tryout.

#“We have an app programme that we are using to try and keep the guys motivated, but there’s only so much you can do to keep them motivated for so long using the app,” Jean said.

#“In terms of the tournament, we’re looking forward to it, but with this virus going around, we have to take the necessary precautions and we are waiting for some answers from the Ministry of Health on how we should proceed.”

#With the games tentatively set for either October or November, Jean said they still have a very small window to prepare, but it won’t be sufficient, considering that they have to look at players from home and abroad.

#“It’s important for us to be ready for this tournament because we have never qualified for the second round so going into these games, it’s a major boost for ourselves and the country on a whole,” he lamented.

#“But with this pandemic, there’s nothing we can do at the moment. So we are waiting and watching to see what happens because if this virus doesn’t go away, they might have to cancel the tournament.”

#Jean, who took over as the head coaching job two years ago, said every tournament he goes into, he wants to evaluate the current team members on their previous performances and assess the younger players who have the potential to make the team.

#“We have some players in Europe whom we didn’t call the last tournament because they were too far away and there are some players who are in the United States, who couldn’t get out of school, so all of these players we will look at and see if they available so that we can start to put a squad together.”

#Looking at the players available for national team duties, Jean said there’s much more than when he was an active member of the team when the numbers were much smaller for consideration.

#“Now everyone knows that they have to be on top of their toes because they know there’s a lot at stake,” he stated. “It’s good competition for me as a coach, but I like it. That is what we need. We need competition in every area to get this team much better.”

#After playing on the national team as a striker for more than 20 years, Jean hung up his soccer boots to roam the sidelines as the new coach, replacing Dion Godet, the last coach he played for.

#“When the BFA came around and asked me if I wanted to be the new coach, I told them I would give it a shot and see how it goes,” he said.

#“With my experience, I was happy to be able to give my experience to the young players. It’s not easy being a coach. You have to be up late at night, watching videos and trying to find ways that you can push the team forward.”

#Last year, the Bahamas finished as group winners with 10 points, and earned a berth in both League B and the 2021 Gold Cup qualifiers.

#The team, coached by Jean, began the series when they defeated Bonaire 2-1 at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium back in September, the first game of the home-and-away series.

#The Bahamas topped the British Virgin Islands 4-0 on October 9 at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis.

#On November 14, the team returned home with a 3-0 win over BVI. They closed out the stage with a 1-1 draw against Bonaire at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao, to solidify the top spot in League C, Group B.

#Based on what he saw then and what he has in the pipeline, Jean said he is confident that the federation can field a solid team to make their presence felt in the region.

#“The team is pretty strong. If we can get all of the players that we want, we could be very strong,” Jean said. “We want to try and get a base core of players at home that we can put in a training squad. If we can do that, it would make it a lot easier when we have to look at those players who are away and how we can insert them into the team rotation.”

#The coronavirus, however, has made it difficult for Jean to accomplish that goal. Although the players are using an app that the federation can track to ensure that they are doing the right training regimen, Jean said there’s nothing like getting the players on the field to further assess their skills.

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribvunemedia.net

#Without any response to their request to stage practice to select the national teams for the under-17 boys and girls skills challenge, the Bahamas Basketball Federation had no other choice than to withdraw from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas Region competition for qualification for the World Cup Skills Challenge.

#Federation president Mario Bowleg said they were so disappointed in not getting any response from the Ministry of Health, they had to inform FIBA yesterday that they will be withdrawing the teams, even though they had missed the deadline of August 1 for the competition scheduled for this weekend.

#“Understanding the Competent Authority and agreeing to their decision to impose such measures to control this pandemic, it’s in poor taste when you don’t get a response from those who we would have sent an e-mail to, explaining the protocol for the competition and the protocol imposed by the health officials from the Bahamas,” Bowleg said.

#“The skills challenge is only one person on the court at a time. It’s similar to what they do in the NBA All-Star weekend. But we never received a response, even after we explained to them and indicating the time frame that was against us to practice and to cut a team. We never got a response. So we did the next best thing and that is to contact FIBA and explained to them that we will have to withdraw the teams.”

#The teams, whose coaching staff was headed by Marvin Henfield, had a total of 116 athletes, including 89 males from New Providence and eight from Grand Bahama with 19 females from New Providence, registered to participate in the trials.

#While it would not have been practical for the players to travel from Grand Bahama as the borders were closed, Bowleg said they felt they had sufficient players in Nassau to make up the 10-member teams for the boys and girls.

#“We just couldn’t put a team out there who never had an opportunity to practice, or to prepare themselves for the competition,” Bowleg said.

#“But with this being a virtual competition, which means there’s no contact whatsoever, if they had taken the opportunity to read what we had presented to them or to try and figure it out, they would have been able to see that we would have taken the steps guided by them to protect the players, we could have still prepared a team.”

#Bowleg, however, said it was not in the best interest for the federation to just try to put the team together without a practice to compete. The good thing, he noted, is that FIBA will not be penalising the Bahamas for withdrawing because of the circumstances. But he said he was just disappointed that they never got a response.

#“Life has to go on. We are trying to live in this new norm and sports is one that we have to live with,” Bowleg said. “The NBA and the WNBA is playing in a bubble in Florida.

#“So we have to find ways and means of how we are going to proceed with sports in the various disciplines. The skills challenge would have been an ideal way for us to show and prove that contact sports can still be played without any contact in a virtual competition with social distance.”

#Once the teams were selected, the federation was hoping to play either out of the Kendal Isaacs or AF Adderley Gymnasium for the Americas tournament, scheduled for August 10-16. If successful, the teams will advance to the World Cup finals, set for August 17-23.

Steven Gardiner (file photo)

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

#As he completed what turned out to be the climax of a shortened track and field season, Bahamian quarter-miler Steven Gardiner went out with a bang at the American Track Meet in Georgia over the weekend.

#Gardiner, who didn’t get a chance to compete in any 400m races this season, won the men’s 200 metres on Saturday in a time of 20.19 seconds.

#The reigning world champion in Doha, Qatar, last year won the race over American Chris Belcher, who was second in 21.12. Aurel Tchunbi got third in 21.57.

#Bahamian Cameron Parker also competed in the event, finishing fourth in in 21.79. Parker also ran in the men’s 100m where he was seventh in 10.83. American Kendall Williams won the race in 10.29.

#Gardiner, the 24-year-old native of Abaco, was coming off his victory in his heat, but second place overall in the timed final at the Back to the Track: Clermont Series.

#In his third meet then at the National Training Centre, Gardiner clocked 19.96 as he trailed American Noah Lyles, the fastest finisher in 19.94.

#At the end of the race, Gardiner noted that it was his fastest opener.

#It was Gardiner’s first normal race for the year, coming off his Bahamian national record-breaking feat at the V12 Summer Games where he won in 31.83 to erase Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown’s previous mark of 31.91 that he posted in Osaka, Japan, in 2007.

#Gardiner’s time was posted as the fastest for the year and 23rd on the world’s all-time list.

#The previous weekend, the lanky 6-foot, 5-inch Gardiner came out with a victory in his season opener in his first 300m at the B3R Sports Invitational in 31.95.

#The meets were used to help the athletes get through the coronavirus pandemic, which put a halt to sports around the global in March.

#However, track and field made a gradual return with a few meets staged without any fans in the stands watching because of the social distancing protocol.

#It’s not known if any meets will take place on the European circuit and if they do, if Gardiner will be participating in any.

#Gardiner, coached by Gary Evans, was preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games, which would have been wrapping up this week in Tokyo, Japan.

#Instead, the games were postponed until July 23 to August 8, 2021 because of the coronavirus.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Franco Miller

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#HIGHLY sought after basketball recruit for the class of 2018, Franco Miller Jr will spend a season playing prep basketball in Canada before he makes the leap to the collegiate ranks.

#Miller has joined the programme at Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto, Canada as the school makes its transition into the National Preparatory Association for the 2017-18 season.

#The 6’2” guard spent much of the summer playing under coach Ro Russell for the Grass Roots Elite Club where his performance on the AAU circuit garnered offers from several Division I programmes.

#Russell was hired to head the programme at Crestwood in 2016 and Miller followed suit.

#The Grand Bahamian native will be tested right away as Crestwood will compete in the Southeast Division against powerhouse programmes such as St Michael’s College, Toronto Basketball Academy and Central Tech Prep.

#Crestwood headmaster Vince Pagano, told North Pole Hoops that the school is committed to competing at the highest level against the top programmes in Canada.

#“Basketball has been on our agenda since our inception. We will now commit the resources necessary to take the sport to another level.”

#“The NPA’s consideration of individual student needs in a highly competitive athletic atmosphere makes it a perfect partner for the school’s own initiatives, he said.

#“Ro Russell has been a giant in southern Ontario basketball for many years. He understands the game and understands the young people who play it so passionately under his tutelage. We are very proud to have him lead our basketball programme. Under his guidance, we expect effort levels and loyalty to our fundamental school values to improve across the board. We have already had ample evidence of that.”

#Miller’s play on the AAU circuit has attracted official offers from Montana State University, the University of Wyoming, St Bonaventure University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. There are also several other programmes that have expressedinterest.

#His most noteworthy performance came at the Fab 48 Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada in July where he averaged over 20 points per game with Russell’s Grass Roots Elite Club. In a 77-71 loss to BTI Select he scored 23 points, added five rebounds, two assists and three steals. He also had 22 points, five assists, four rebounds in a 74-70 win over the Simply Fundamental Basketball Club.

#At the local level with the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons, Miller had a season filled with accolades highlighted when he was named as the Most Valuable Player of the 34th annual Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic. His 27 points led the Falcons to a 58-52 win over the CI Gibson Rattlers He also led the Falcons to a Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Sports Association (GBSSSA) senior boys’ title and finished as runners up in the second annual Bahamas National High School Basketball Championships.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Franco Miller

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#It’s decision day for prep basketball star Franco Miller Jr.

#Miller will announce his decision and sign his letter of intent today at the campus of his alma mater, Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons.

#Miller’s meteoric rise in recruitment has been reduced to five schools for his decision – the Oklahoma Sooners, Ole Miss Rebels, Oregon Ducks, Minnesota Golden Gophers and Towson Tigers.

#The 6’2, 180-pound guard previously received offers from Hofstra, Montana State, Wyoming, St Bonaventure and Illinois at Chicago.

#Following his tenure at Tabernacle, Miller played at Crestwood Prep in Ontario, Canada. He led the Lions to the National Preparatory Association playoffs. He averaged 21.8 points, four rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season and was named a First Team All-Star during the league’s tournament finale.

#His latest honour was last month being named to the roster for the 2018 Allen Iverson Roundball Classic, popularly referred to as the Iverson Classic.

#Miller, the 6’2” guard, spent much of last summer playing under coach Ro Russell for the Grass Roots Elite Club where his performance on the AAU circuit garnered offers from several Division I programmes. Russell was hired to head the programme at Crestwood in 2016 and Miller followed suit. Miller’s play on the AAU circuit first began to attract division I programmes.

#At the local level with the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons, Miller had a season filled with accolades highlighted when he was named as the Most Valuable Player of the 34th Annual Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic. His 27 points led the Falcons to a 58-52 win over the CI Gibson Rattlers.

#He also led the Falcons to a Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Sports Association (GBSSSA) senior boys’ title and finished as runners-up in the second annual Bahamas National High School Basketball Championships.