Shaunae Miller-Uibo poses after winning the women’s 200m final yesterday at the Muller Grand Prix, Diamond League Birmingham 2019 event at the Alexander Stadium, in Birmingham, England. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Monday, August 19, 2019

Shaunae Miller-Uibo wins the 200m Final ahead of Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith third right, during the Muller Grand Prix, Diamond League Birmingham 2019 event at the Alexander Stadium, in Birmingham, England, yesterday. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Against a star-studded field, Shaunae Miller-Uibo propelled from the middle of the pack to snatch another victory in the women’s 200 metres at the Muller Grand Prix in Birmingham, England.

#Off to a sluggish start yesterday, Miller-Uibo used her lanky, 6-foot-1 frame to power down the home stretch and took command of the race in the final 50 metres to clock 22.24 seconds for the victory.

#Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith was second in 22.36 and Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce third in 22.50. Dutchwoman Dafne Schippers took fourth place in 22.81 with Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, fifth in 22.83.

#Marie-Josee Ta Lou, winner of the silver medal in both the 100 and 200m at the 2017 World Championships in London, England, ended up eighth in 24.18.

#Miller-Uibo’s time was off her season’s best of 22.09 but the Bahamian national record holder (21.88) said even though she expected a much better performance, she was satisfied with the victory.

#“The race didn’t go to plan,” said the 25-year-old reigning Olympic 400m champion and World Championship 200m bronze medallist. “My start was just horrible and had to rely on that 400m speed to get through.”

#Nonetheless, Miller-Uibo – the double Bahamian 200/400m national record holder – said she was delighted to put on a show for the crowd. The race was part of her preparation for the IAAF World Championships next month in Doha, Qatar.

#“I’m feeling good. Before the race, we had an idea of how we wanted the race to go and it didn’t go as planned,” she added. “So I’m happy for the win and ready to move on to the next.”

#Known for being more of a 200m specialist, sprinter Asher-Smith, 23, said her goal was also to win.

#“I am really happy to have finished second in that race although having said that, I am a competitor, so obviously, I want to win every race,” said Asher-Smith, who was fourth at the last World Championships in the 200m.

Bahamas Shaunae Miller-Uibo wins the Women’s 200m final ahead of Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, during the Muller Grand Prix, Diamond League Birmingham 2019 event at the Alexander Stadium, in Birmingham, England, yesterday. Photo: David Davies/PA via AP

#“To maintain my form and finish strongly against arguably the best 400m runner in the world is good, so all in all, I am happy with that race.”

#Even new mother Fraser-Pryce, better for her exploits in the 100m, said she too was thrilled about her performance, all things considered.

#“You have to take one race at a time and I’m happy with the outcome of today,” stated Fraser-Pryce, the 32-year-old reigning two-time Olympic 100m champion from 2012 and 2008.

#“I don’t think it was bad. I think it was a plus for me. I’m not a great 200m runner, but each time I line up, you never know because I’m ready to go out and attack.”

#After six qualifying events in the race for the Diamond League Final, Asher-Smith holds the lead with 29 points, followed by Schippers with 28. Jamaican Elaine Thompson, the Olympic 100/200 gold medallist, sits in third place with 21.

#Miller-Uibo, although undefeated in her two meetings this year, is in sixth place with 16 points. However, she has not contested a Diamond League 400m this year. The list is headed by Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain with 32 points in four meets.

#The only other Diamond League meet left is Paris, France on Saturday, August 24. That will take the top eight competitors into the pair of Diamond League finals in Zurich, Switzerland on August 29 and Brussels, Belgium, on September 6.

#Following the Diamond League final, the focus will switch to the IAAF World Championships, scheduled for September 27 to October 6 in Doha when it is expected that Miller-Uibo will go after her first title in the 400m.

#At the last World Championships in London, Miller-Uibo attempted a rare 200/400m double. However, she had a bizarre finish in the final 50m of the 400m and ended up fourth, but bounced back to secure the bronze in the 200m.

Monday, July 6, 2020

Shaunae Miller-Uibo

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IN her first meet since settling for the silver in the women’s 400 metres at the IAAF World Championships last October, Shaunae Miller-Uibo was back on the track with a double dose of world-leading performances in the 200 and 400 metres.

#Celebrating the USA’s Fourth of July Independence on Saturday at the Showdown in Otown Meet at the Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, Miller-Uibo used her six-foot, one-inch frame to easily blow away the field in the one-lap race in 50.52 seconds.

#The nearest rival to the Adidas-sponsored Bahamian in the opening event of the meet was Nike’s Kaylin Whitney in 51.99. Carline Muir of Puma was third in 53.26.

#In one of the two final events to close off the meet, Miller-Uibo came back in the 200m and ran 22.61 to win the half-lap race well ahead of Lynn Irby, another Adidas representative, who finished second in 23.06.

#Shacarri Richardson of Nike was third in 23.14.

#“I’m happy with my performances,” Miller-Uibo told The Tribune. “This was our first competition back in nine months and with all the setbacks we had to encounter this year, we’re pretty pleased with where we are at.”

#Miller-Uibo, 26, also got to watch as her husband Maicel Uibo, the Estonian decathlete also representing Adidas, competed in the 200m, placing 14th overall in the men’s 100m in 11.27.

#He trailed American world and Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor, who was 13th overall in 10.80. Kenny Bednarek of Nike won the race in 10:14.

#Taylor, representing Puma, was the lone competitor in the men’s triple jump, clearing 16.75 metres or 54-feet and 11 1/2-inches.

#Miller, who ran an area and national record of 48.37 on October 3 in Doha, Qatar, only to lose out to Bahrain’s champion Salwa Eid Naser’s blistering time of 48.14 at the World Championships, said her performance was just an indication of what to expect this year.

#“I’m not sure exactly what all meets we will have lined up for the year, but I’m’ very happy that we are at least getting a chance to compete this season,” Miller-Uibo said.

#The meet was a prelude to the ‘Weltklasse Zurich Inspiration Games on July 9 when Miller-Uibo will compete against Allyson Felix of the United States and Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland in a race against the clock simultaneously in the 150m from their respective locations.

#During the race, Miller-Uibo will be showcased from Miramar, Florida, while Felix, the six-time Olympic champion, will compete from Walnut, California, and Kambundji will be in Zurich, Switzerland.

#“The goal for the rest of the year is to stay healthy and use the year as a build up for 2021 and as always have some fun,” Miller-Uibo summed up.

#As she prepares for next year, Miller-Uibo will be looking at duplicating her gold-medal winning feat in the 400m in 49.44 at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Bahrain’s Edidiong Ofonime Odiong, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Jamaica’s Simone Facey and Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji race in their women’s 200m semifinal heat. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A Thursday, August 10, 2017

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#LONDON, England: It was a day of redemption for national record holder Shaunae Miller-Uibo and an emotional one for TyNia Gaither as they both booked their ticket to an historic women’s 200 metre final for the Bahamas at the 16th IAAF World Championships.

#It will be the first time that the Bahamas has had two competitors in the event which takes place on Friday at 4:50pm EST. But Anthonique Strachan, the other Bahamian contesting the semifinal on Thursday inside the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium, failed to make the cut.

Anthonique Strachan runs in her semifinal heat. Photo: Kermit Taylor/Bahamas Athletics

#Strachan, the first of the three competitors to compete in the three heats, came off the curve out of contention and wasn’t able to make up any ground as she finished eighth in 23.21 for 16th place overall.

#However, a rejuvenated Miller-Uibo, looking well rested and confident coming off that disappointing 400m final on Wednesday night, didn’t leave anything to chance as she powered from behind for her victory in 22.49 seconds. 

#“I felt fine. I just want to go out and put on a great show tomorrow night,” said Miller-Uibo, as she matched the qualifying time of defending champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands in winning heat two that featured Strachan. “I had to refocus for the 200m and now I’m ready to compete.”

#Miller-Uibo also cleared up any misconceptions about what transpired in the final 50 metres of the 400m final was won by American Phyillis Francs, followed by Silva Eid Naser from Bahrain and American Allyson Felix.

#“I had the race under control, everything felt fine and then I took a look up at the screen, lost my balance and that was about a wrap up,” she said. “By the time I caught myself, the race was already done, so I live and I learn through it. I’m getting over it and focusing on the 200m.”

#Gaither duplicated Miller-Uibo’s feat, reeling in two competitors for fourth place in 22.85. It turned out to be the last of two fastest qualifiers that earned her a trip to her first global final.

#As she entered the mixed zone to speak to the media, Gaither’s performance brought her to tears.

#“It’s the best feeling in life,” said Gaither, who is making her breakthrough in her first professional season. “My season was so long and so hard. I fought hard for that. To be able to do that is a blessing.”

#When the final is contested on Friday, Miller-Uibo and Gaither will be out to become the first Bahamians to medal in the event in the championships since Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie was elevated from silver to gold due to a doping violation by American Marion Jones in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada.

#Miller-Uibo, 22, has the second fastest time for the year at 21.91 behind her American training partner Tori Bowie, who had to withdrew from the 200m after she tumbled over and bruised herself at the end of winning the 100m title. Miller-Uibo’s national record is set at 21.971.

#Gaither, 24, was tied with Jamaican Shashalee Forbes with the 13th best time of 22.71. Gaither has a personal best of 22.54.

#The lane assignments for the final have Canada’s Crystal Emmanuel in two, Gaither in three, 100m silver medalist Marie-Josee Ta Lou from the Ivory Coast in four, Miller-Uibo in five, Schippers in six, American Daejah Stevens in seven, Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith in eight and American Kimberley Duncan in nine.

Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#With her performance in the Muller Grand Prix, Shaunae Miller-Uibo is heading to Zurich, Switzerland, next week for a hat trick as the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s Diamond League 200 metre champion.

#Last year in Brussels, Belgium, Miller-Uibo capped off her season by claiming the half-lap victory at the end of the 12-race series for the second straight year in 22.12 seconds over Netherland’s Dafne Schippers, the runner-up in 22.53.

#With the IAAF using a new format for the final in 2017 where the athletes, who qualified, competed in the final and secured their titles based on their single performances rather than the overall points accumulated, Miller-Uibo took the 200m crown in Zurich in 21.88 and added the 400m in 49.46 in Brussels.

#This year, 25-year-old Miller-Uibo has locked down the sixth place with 16 points from her pair of victories in Birmingham, England, over the weekend and at the Herculis in Monaco in 22.09 on July 11.

#The women’s 200m final will take place on Thursday, August 29 at the Weltklasse Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland where, according to her manager Claude Bryan, Miller-Uibo is “training and getting ready.”

#Among the competitors expected to be matched against Miller-Uibo are Great Britain’s points leader Dina Asher-Smith, Schippers, Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson, Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare and United States’ Jenna Prandini.

#The other two qualifiers are Netherland’s Jamile Samuel in seventh with 13 and Canada’s Crystal Emmanuel in eighth with 10.

#Americans Kyra Jefferson and Gabrielle Thomas round out the ninth and tenth spots with nine and seven points respectively.

#Miller-Uibo, the Bahamian double national record-breaker in the 200 (21.88) and 400m (48.97), holds the distinction of using her lanky 6-foot, 1-inch frame to beat all of her rivals, who she’s expected to face in Zurich.

#In Monaco, Miller-Uibo topped the field in 22.09 as Thompson trailed in 22.44 with Schippers third in 22.45. American Teahna Daniels was fourth in 22.59, just ahead of Prandini in fifth in 22.66.

#And in Birmingham, her time of 22.24 on Sunday was well ahead of Asher-Smith’s 22.36 for second. Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was third in 22.50, but she won’t be a part of the 200m line-up at the Diamond League final.

#Miller-Uibo, however, meets Schippers again who was fourth in 22.81 and Okagbare, fifth in 22.83.

#Bryan, who heads the On Track Management group that also manages Bahamian male double 200/400m national record holder Steven Gardiner, confirmed that once Miller-Uibo is done in Zurich, the focus will switch to the 400m at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, September 27 to October 6.

#“That is what she has been prepared for by coach (Lance) Brauman all season,” Bryan said.

#He noted that Miller-Uibo intends to “make her fans in the Bahamas and globally real proud of her.”

#Since the last World Championships in London, England, where she attempted to go after a rare women’s 200/400m double, only to falter down the home stretch after relinquishing a huge lead for fourth place in a bizarre finish and a third place in the 200m, Miller-Uibo has reeled off an impressive 25-race winning streak in all events, including the 400m.

#With the schedule too compact this year in Doha with both the 200m and 400m heats a little over an hour in between on September 30 and the semi-finals on October 1, it’s not feasible for Miller-Uibo to pursue the double, although the 200m final is on October 2 and the 400m final on October 3.

#Bryan said they are hoping that there is some concession for Miller-Uibo to attempt it again at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in 2020.

#“We have already petitioned the IAAF for Tokyo and I will be asking the BAAA to request the BOC’s assistance in this matter to further entreat the IAAF to request an adjustment to facilitate,” he said.

#Bryan said there’s no doubt that the Bahamas has a special gem in Miller-Uibo, one of the rare competitors who only comes along every blue moon.

#The reigning Olympic 400m champion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016 is going after her first one-lap title in Qatar, adding to the silver she claimed in 2015 in Beijing, China.

#“On talent, she’s special, real special,” he summed up. “The trick is to now convert talent into results and her commitment to success and her preparation pertains to further good success.”

#Miller-Uibo is the only Bahamian eligible to compete in any of the two finals this year.

#National record holder Pedrya Seymour is the closest to joining her, occupying a tied 10th place with American Queen Claye with six points in the women’s 100m hurdles.

#Last year, Donald Thomas finished fifth in the men’s high jump in Brussels with a best of 2.29m, while in Zurich, Gardiner didn’t get to complete the men’s 400m.

#Neither Thomas or Gardiner has made the top 10 in the standings in their respective events this year.

#Jamal Wilson is 15th in the men’s high jump with five points.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#HER junior career has come to a close, now high-scoring wing Shanea Armbrister will turn her sights towards making her mark in the the upper echelons of college basketball.

#Armbrister and her Darton State Lady Cavaliers saw their season come to an end when they lost to South Georgia Tech in the NJCAA Region 17 Tournament championship, 82-66, despite Armbrister finishing with the game’s best 31 points.

#She averaged 26.9 points per game for the season, shooting 59 per cent from the field and 87 per cent from the free throw line. She also averaged 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

#The Cavs finished the season at 28-5, 16-2 in conference play.

#Armbrister’s next step on her basketball journey will be with the University of Georgia Bulldogs after she signed a letter of intent to join the programme next fall.

#Some of her season highlights included a season high 40 points and 11 rebounds in a 93-45 win over Alabama Southern Community College. She shot 17-24 from the field including 6-9 from three-point range.

#It was her second double double of the season following a 32-point, 13-rebound performance in a 107-69 win over Denmark Technical College.

#Darton head coach Lea Henry reflected on Armbrister’s career at the school. “We are excited for her and we do appreciate all she has done here at Darton. She is a very special player. As a coach you don’t get a chance very often to coach a player like Shanea,” she said.

#“As good a player as she is she is a better person. She was recruited by numerous schools all over the country and I think this is where her heart told her to go and she needed to go.”

#Georgia head coach Andy Landers expressed what he thought Armbrister would bring to the programme in a statement on the school’s athletic website.

#“Shanae can help us in a number of ways,” Landers said. “She gives us height, length and good basketball sense. She’s a terrific scorer and shooter with great range, but she can also finish at the rim. She can play multiple positions, either wing and has the advantage of two years of maturity and experience in a successful programme at Darton.”

#In the offseason, Armbrister was a member of the Bahamas women’s senior national team which finished fifth at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships in the British Virgin Islands last July. She finished second on the team, averaging 15.8 points per game.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#HER junior career has come to a close, now high-scoring wing Shanea Armbrister will turn her sights towards making her mark in the the upper echelons of college basketball.

#Armbrister and her Darton State Lady Cavaliers saw their season come to an end when they lost to South Georgia Tech in the NJCAA Region 17 Tournament championship, 82-66, despite Armbrister finishing with the game’s best 31 points.

#She averaged 26.9 points per game for the season, shooting 59 per cent from the field and 87 per cent from the free throw line. She also averaged 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

#The Cavs finished the season at 28-5, 16-2 in conference play.

#Armbrister’s next step on her basketball journey will be with the University of Georgia Bulldogs after she signed a letter of intent to join the programme next fall.

#Some of her season highlights included a season high 40 points and 11 rebounds in a 93-45 win over Alabama Southern Community College. She shot 17-24 from the field including 6-9 from three-point range.

#It was her second double double of the season following a 32-point, 13-rebound performance in a 107-69 win over Denmark Technical College.

#Darton head coach Lea Henry reflected on Armbrister’s career at the school. “We are excited for her and we do appreciate all she has done here at Darton. She is a very special player. As a coach you don’t get a chance very often to coach a player like Shanea,” she said.

#“As good a player as she is she is a better person. She was recruited by numerous schools all over the country and I think this is where her heart told her to go and she needed to go.”

#Georgia head coach Andy Landers expressed what he thought Armbrister would bring to the programme in a statement on the school’s athletic website.

#“Shanae can help us in a number of ways,” Landers said. “She gives us height, length and good basketball sense. She’s a terrific scorer and shooter with great range, but she can also finish at the rim. She can play multiple positions, either wing and has the advantage of two years of maturity and experience in a successful programme at Darton.”

#In the offseason, Armbrister was a member of the Bahamas women’s senior national team which finished fifth at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships in the British Virgin Islands last July. She finished second on the team, averaging 15.8 points per game.

Monday, August 20, 2018

#Bahamian pro basketball player Kentwan Smith is on the move again as he signed with a new club in a new country to continue his career.

#Smith agreed to terms with FOG Naestved of Denmark’s BasketLigaen the top level of basketball in the country.

#The 6ft 8in 26-year-old forward spent last season with a pair of teams in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

#Most recently he was a member of the country’s CAC team that finished sixth at the event in Barranquilla, Colombia last month.

#In the finale, a 90-76 loss to Mexico, Smith led the Bahamas with 21 points, shooting 7-for-13 from the field, 5-for-8 from the three-point line and 2-for-4 from the free throw line. He also had 11 rebounds and three assists.

#He began last season with BK Levicki Patrioti of the Slovak Extraliga (SBL). In 20 games he recorded 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He also played six games in Alpe-Adria-Cup where he got 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. Smith’s team made it to the Alpe Adria Final Four.

#He followed with a brief stint in the NBL league in Czech Republic with JBC MMCITE Brno. Through nine NBL games, he averaged 9.6 points, six rebounds, 1.2 assists and one steal per game.

#Smith spent the previous season with Finnish club, BC Nokia of the Korisliiga – the top level of basketball in Finland.

#He appeared in just 22 games into the season and left the team in January. In Finland he posted averages of eight points, 4.4 rebounds and one assist per game.

#His previous stop that year was as a member of Fuerza Guinda de Nogales in Mexican CIBACOPA. In 12 games he averaged 9.9 points and 5.3 rebounds but left the team in May.

#In his first season as a pro, Smith was an impact player for his BC Timisoara Club in Romania’s Liga National.

#On the season, he averaged 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 63 percent from the floor despite being sidelined for the last six games.

#The Liga National is the top-tier professional basketball league of Romania.

#At the national team level, Smith was also a member of The Bahamas’ national team that finished 7th at 2016 FIBA Centrobasket tournament in Panama where they earned qualification for the aforementioned CAC Games.

#He has also represented Bahamas at the CBC Championships in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

#Smith spent his local high school career with the St George’s Jaguars before relocating to Piney Woods High in Mississippi and collegiately at Stetson University.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#CONSTANTLY on the move, the latest stop on Bennet Davis’ pro basketball venture sees him continue his career in France for the second consecutive season.

#Davis has helped his Union Basket Chartes Metropole club to an 8-11 record thus far with 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

#In his latest outing, Davis finished with a game high 17 points and season high 18 rebounds in his team’s 79-69 win over Angers BC on Sunday.

#The veteran forward set the tone with a 20-point, six-rebound, five-assist performance in the season opener and has been the team’s second leading scorer thus far.

#Some of his top performances include 24 points and 11 rebounds against Vitre, 23 points against La Rochelle and 27 points against Maurienne.

#In his first season with the club last season, Davis averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

#Davis spent parts of the previous season with three clubs, Kaposvari KK of the Hungarian NBIA (19 games), KK Zadar of the Croatian A-1 Liga (4 games), and GreenTops Netanya of the Israeli Premier League (11 games).

#For the year he averaged 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He had his most productive stint with Kaposvari where he averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

#In the 2012-13 season, Davis suited up for Marso NYKK in Hungary where he averaged 16.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He has also played professionally in Finland (KTP), Japan (Niigata Albirex), Spain (Palencia) and most notably, with the Utah Flash of the NBA’s Developmental League.

#Davis briefly flirted with an NBA contract when he was called up by the New Jersey Nets prior to the 2009-10 season. He appeared in a single preseason game, totalled a single rebound in just four minutes of action against the New York Knicks and was waived.

#His most notable D-League achievement came when he was named to the NBA D-League’s Select team which competed against some of the league’s best rookies and young talent at the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League.

#After graduating on the University of Northeastern in 2007 where he averaged 15 points, 6.6 rebounds 2.2 assists and 2.1 blocks per game, he began his professional career with Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan in Israel where he averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

#He was drafted by the Flash in 2008 and in his initial season with the Flash, Davis started just 14 games and averaged 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds.

#In his sophomore campaign, he doubled productivity in both areas with averages of 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 41 per cent from the field.

#Union Basket Chartes Metropole is a club in the France Championship Men National Basketball 1, also known as the NM1. It is the third level of French basketball behind the Pro A and Pro B. The NM1 is the highest division only managed by the French Federation Basketball.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#COACH Bill Robinson liked what he saw from Grand Bahamian Aaron Levarity during their Milligan College Buffaloes men’s campaign in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

#The Buffaloes are boasting a nine-game winning streak headed into the last of a three-game road series tonight against Union. The streak enabled Milligan College to improve their win-loss record to 15-5 overall and 10-4 in conference play.

#Levarity, a 6-foot, 6-inch starting forward, is averaging 60.1 per cent from the field, 40 per cent from behind the three-point arc and 77.4 per cent from the free throw line for 18.9 points. He is also averaging 12.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.5 block shots.

#Compared to last year, Levarity has improved in just about every statistical category this year, except posting more than his career high of 30 points last year.

#“Aaron’s development on the court the last three years has been remarkable. He averaged less than six points a game as a sophomore and now he is the best player in our league,” coach Robinson said.

#“He is incredibly motivated both on and off the court. His team-mates love him because despite all the success, he is a caring and humble person. It has been a privilege to coach Aaron and he will be sorely missed next year.”

#This is the second Bahamian player that Robinson has coached at Milligan. He still can remember Cordero Seymour, who would have left his impact on the team as Levarity is doing right now. “He (Aaron) is our number one option offensively, so I expect him to have a great finish,” said coach Robinson as they look forward to playing their final nine games to get ready for the postseason.

#Levarity was named the Appalachian Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for the second time this year and his fifth for his career.

#During the three games they played during the week, Levarity averaged 24.7 points, 15.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 block shots.

#He also scored 23 or more points and 13 or more rebounds in all three contests for his AAC-league 14 double-doubles. “We’ve been playing good and I’ve been playing well, so it’s good to have fun while you are playing and winning as well,” Levarity said.

#In Saturday’s game, Levarity clinched his career 1,000 points.

#“I worked hard to get to where I am today and it’s a blessing to be able to play basketball every day so it was just a great milestone for me,” Levarity said.

#Levarity is now ranked in the top 20 in NAIA Division II in seven statistical categories, including No.3 in rebounds per game (12.5) and No.5 in field goal percentage (.611).

#The Bishop Michael Eldon graduate, who later attended the University of the Bahamas, is also the AAC’s leading scorer with 19.1 points per game, top rebounder with 12.5 rebounds per game and top shot blocker with 1.47 blocks per game. As the season progresses, Levarity admitted that it’s not going to get any easier, but they are all committed to the task.

#“With the team that we have and the chemistry that we have developed, I think we can go through the rest of the season undefeated,” Levarity said. “We have a big game tomorrow (tonight), which should help us to continue to develop.”

#The 21-year-old son of Marcian and Melodie Levarity, who are listed as his role models, Levarity is an exercise science major with career aspirations to become a physical therapist.

#While that is a career option for Levarity, coach Robinson revealed that there are plans for Levarity to play professionally as there is already an interest expressed from a team in Finland to acquire his services after he helped Milligan College reach the NAIA National Tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. “We will see what happens,” said Levarity about his future as he’s done with Milligan College. “We are looking good. We won a lot of good games, so I just want to say thanks to my parents, the coaches and my team-mates here for believing in me and allowing me to do what I can do.”

#There’s still plenty more basketball to play before he’s done and Levarity is hoping that he can go out with a bang.

July 21, 2020

Sheldon Longley

0279. Views

Bahamian professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings Chavano “Buddy” Hield is trying to loosen up while training with his team in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.

After a series of team practices, the Kings will face the Miami Heat in their first preseason game on Wednesday at the HP Field House in Orlando – one of three NBA-sized courts at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex where the restart of the National Basketball Association (NBA) season is being held.

Hield and the Kings find themselves tied for ninth in the Western Conference of the NBA, and need to make up three and a half games on the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies in just eight games. The Kings have a 28-36 win/loss record while the Grizzlies are 32-33. Regular season action resumes next Friday for the Kings when they take on the San Antonio Spurs.

Back in the fold with his team after battling the coronavirus, Hield said he feels fine and is looking forward to game action again. The NBA has been on hold for the past four months – ever since March 11 when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19.

Confined in the bubble, the Kings’ sharp shooting guard jokingly said he is looking for an escape.

“I’ve been trying to find a way to get out,” he told the Sacramento Bee – a daily newspaper in Sacramento, California. “I’m going to do something like ‘El Chapo’, build a tunnel under the hotel so I can sneak my ass out of here,” he added, referencing Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán who escaped a maximum security federal prison through a tunnel in Almoloya de Juárez, Mexico, in 2015.

Despite the reference, Hield likely won’t be going anywhere for a while as the NBA has strict guidelines in place regarding team separation and breaking protocols. Richaun Holmes, in particular, the team’s starting center, is under extended quarantine orders after breaking protocols designed to ensure health and safety inside the NBA bubble. He was sent to his room and placed under a mandatory 10-day quarantine after he left the bubble to pick up a food delivery.

Hield, 27, rejoined the team a little over a week ago, clearing all COVID-19 protocols. He was one of four Kings’ players to test positive for the virus since June – the others being Alex Len, Jabari Parker and Harrison Barnes. Hield and Parker are with the team in Orlando while Len and Barnes are still in Sacramento.

Hield is having a fantastic season for the Kings, averaging 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 32 minutes per game. He is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point land. The fourth-year guard was this year’s Mountain Dew NBA Three-Point Contest Champion, and up to the stoppage of play, was second in the league in three-pointers made with 244 – on pace to break the franchise record of 278 he had a year ago.

Hield tested positive for the novel coronavirus in late June, about two weeks after taking part in a Skinz League game in Edmond, Oklahoma – about a 40-minute car ride from where he played collegiately for the Oklahoma Sooners. Hield exploded for 45 points in that exhibition game, including 13 three-pointers.

Hield said he briefly experienced mild symptoms after being diagnosed with COVID-19 in June.

“I wasn’t scared or anything like that,” Hield said. “I tested positive and I was just concerned for the people around me like my daughter and my girl and my family. I didn’t want anybody getting infected by it. I didn’t want my carelessness causing someone to lose their life or something like that.”

The Bahamian 6’4” 220-pound guard was replaced in the starting line-up by Bogdan Bogdanovic by first-year Kings’ Head Coach Luke Walton in January, but has continued his torrid shooting. In fact, some of his better games have come since being relegated to the bench. Hield canned a game-high 42 points including nine three-pointers in a 133-129 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 27, and 31 points including nine more three-pointers in a 122-102 win over the San Antonio Spurs on February 8.

The Kings have won 13 out of 20 games since Hield was sent to the bench. He converted 46.3 percent of his long range attempts in February alone.

All 22 teams of the NBA teams at the restart in Orlando are staying at the Walt Disney World Resort and are being tested regularly for the coronavirus. Hield himself was required to quarantine in his room until he tested negative for COVID-19 twice over a span of more than 24 hours, before he was allowed to rejoin the team for training. He stepped on the court for the first time with his team since March last week Tuesday.

Hield and the Kings will play three preseason games before taking on the Spurs next Friday. They will end their eight-game schedule against the Los Angeles Lakers on August 13