Thursday, July 9, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THE COVID-19 pandemic has presented a series of challenges to student athletes, particularly to outgoing high school seniors.

#Dominic Archer Jr (left) said an incomplete senior season on the track and missed opportunities for exposure has been a hindrance to the collegiate recruitment process.

#“I think it affected my progression as a sprinter by not allowing me to actually run the times I have placed in my goals for this 2020 season. There were goals that I had in mind that I didn’t get to accomplish or not running the times I had put in place to reach by the end of the season,” Archer said.

#“This pandemic has affected my collegiate recruiting because once the sports world went into a complete lockdown, I did not have the chance to get the exposure I really needed in order to be recruited by certain schools.”

#The St Anne’s Blue Waves graduate is also the current BAISS senior boys’ 100 metre champion.

#“It’s a handful of schools that showed interest, I am still deciding on what my route should be to get to where I need to go. It’s a very tough and frustrating process, but with God’s guidance it will work out smoothly,” he said.

#“The most important for me in deciding on a school is the coaching, and the relationship with the coach and teammates there. Also the atmosphere should feel positive and a nice working environment.

#“And the level of work at the school should be high in order for me to progress and improve.”

#Without an opportunity to compete at a major regional meet like CARIFTA or earn a spot on other national teams, the limited exposure on the season has also been amplified by a problem all athletes have been faced with recently – training restrictions due to the pandemic.

#“With the lockdown being implemented it was frustrating to not be able to actually go out and work out the usual way. Also the mindset you have to maintain as an athlete in order to keep doing the little necessary workouts even in a pandemic is tough,” he said.

#“Recruiters do ask about how you have been training over the lockdown because they need to know if you are at a decent fitness level in order for them to recruit you.”

#For now, he continues to train and explore his prospects during the offseason.

#“The ideal situation I believe for me to do is wait until everything is fully cleared or at least to some normalcy and try to work from there,” he said “At the collegiate level I plan on doing what I always do, which is to work hard and fix the necessary techniques that I need to improve on in order for me to get to that next level of competition.”

f Thursday, July 9, 2020

Adam Johnson in action.

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THE Raw Talent organisation continues to provide an alternative path for young Bahamian athletes to professional basketball.

#Adam Johnson is the latest addition to the programme and will join the For-Sur-Mer Provence Byers Academy in France.

#The 6’6 player will join the Byers NM3 team in the upcoming season. The former Jordan Prince William Falcon has spent the last few seasons playing in the New Providence Basketball Association while awaiting his opportunity to continue his career overseas. “Honestly I’m ecstatic, honestly didn’t think it was going to happen, but I’m happy it’s finally happening,” Johnson said. “Hopefully I can go out and show what I can do.”

#Former national team player and current member of Byers A-team in the French Pro B League, Jaraun “Kino” Burrows, began Raw Talent as a means of assisting developing players during the summer months.

#“The objective with Raw Talent started with my own personal workout sessions and I noticed a lot of the top prospects and student athletes abroad were having trouble in the summer coming home and getting in the gym and getting quality work. My gym time was sanctioned through the national team so I was just inviting these young players into the gym. A lot of the guys were going back to school but then there were also a lot of guys having trouble with the visas so I just decided to use my platform and my contacts in Europe for Bahamian kids, Caribbean kids to come to Europe to develop their skills and also for an education. The hope is just continue to use the platform to do what I can to create opportunities for young Bahamians.”

#Through Raw Talent, Burrows facilitated Dominick Bridgewater’s signing to the Byers Academy in March 2019.

#Bridgewater made history when he became the first Bahamian player to make the jump straight from high school to the professional basketball ranks when he signed a junior pro contract with the Byers.

#He spent his first season as a member of the club’s Epoirs (Junior League – U21). In 28 games, he averaged 15.7 points, 4.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. He competed in the NM3 League last season and was recently placed on loan to Sapela Basket 13 of France’s Nationale Masculine 2 (NM2) League.

#Wilkenson “Kenny” Isnord also made the move to Europe in Europe through Raw Talent. The Abaco native joined the Get Better Academy (GBA) in Prague, Czech Republic as he looks to make his transition from the prep ranks.

#“Kino Burrows reached out to me and spoke about an opportunity in France at an academy, a place where the main focus would be on the development of my skills. I saw what he did with Dominick Bridgewater and all the success he achieved all in just a year so I trusted him and went with it,” Isnord said. “I went to France in September of 2019 with nothing and by God’s grace came back with a few options on the table. We chose the GBA in Prague, Czech Republic because it’s the best fitting situation for me, the development of my skills and the future of my career.”

#Burrows said the organisation continues to grow each year with more prospects in the pipeline.

#“Things are growing so quickly, the family is getting bigger year by year, now we’re not only in France, but we’re in the Czech Republic and now we have Adam coming over this year and there are some legit under-15 prospects in the pipeline that I think have NBA potential,” Burrows said. “Over the next five years I just want to continue my effort in development, in exposure and in mentorship. We know the level of talent, the world knows the talent level we have in The Bahamas and when we get the right development and coaching, the possibilities and opportunities are endless. I just want to do my part. I love home, come home every summer to scout fresh talent and to give back. We will keep growing through the principles that put Raw Talent on the map.”

#With even more attention drawn by the Bahamian players to the European market, Burrows said more initiatives need to be in place to develop the game at a younger level and to create more opportunities for young Bahamian players.

#“There needs to be more common goals among the youth coaches, night league coaches, so on and so forth. There needs to be better partnerships with other federations to create the best opportunities for Bahamian kids,” he said.

#“Basketball programmes that we used to have growing up like mini, super mini, The Bahamas Games and so much good basketball has been taken away. All of these help the growth of the game and that’s what we miss in development.”

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Shaunae Miller-Uibo

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Shaunae Miller-Uibo and American Allyson Felix will add another chapter to their rivalry today when they face off in a new initiative for World Athletics – the ‘Weltklasse Zurich Inspiration Games.

#The reigning Olympic 400m champion and Diamond League 200m champion will compete against Felix and Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland in the 150m from their respective locations.

#“We’re just very excited that we are able to put on a meet, to be able to compete and just put on a show for everyone that’s watching. It’s been a weird and tough year but I think that we are all going to have some fun with it and put on great performances,” Miller-Uibo said in the pre-meeting press conference.

#“It’ll be tough doing a time trial by ourselves, and that’s exactly how I’m looking at it going into it. With me I’m usually training with the guys and I’m always trailing someone and always running with someone so I think it’s going to be a different feel but I’m really excited for it and hoping for the best.”

#The meeting is being staged using seven different venues around the world and involves 28 athletes in eight events.

#Miller-Uibo will race out of Clermont, Florida, while Felix – the six-time Olympic champion – will race from Walnut, California and Kambundji competes in Zurich, Switzerland.

#According to World Athletics, a software system will be built around the start guns, which will be synchronised and operated centrally from Zurich. The race will start at the same global time in the three venues – a first in athletics.

#“I did have a few questions on how it was going to be set up but I was also very thrilled. Obviously it was the first notice of a track meet for us. I thought it was going to be exciting and fun and we get to put on a performance for a crowd and the spectators,” Miller-Uibo said.

#“I’m one that feeds off of the crowd big time so it is going to be a little bit difficult. Like I said I’m taking it in as a time trial so I’m just going to go in there, be focused, locked in, and just trying to give a good 150….I’m not one that really gets nervous, especially for one offs. I get nervous in practice, but it’s when we have continuous sets so it’s going to be interesting. I love one off runs and I’ll see how it goes.”

#Viewers will watch them race in a synced-up three-way split-screen.

#“The thing I’m going to be worried about is not knowing where your competitors are at. We’re so used to being in the same race with each other and feed off of one another so it’s going to be just hitting the gas until you hit the finish line and see exactly where you place,” she said.

#“I’m glad that they were able to put on the meet for us to be able to compete and bring inspiration to all those during this pandemic. I’m just really excited with it, have fun with the rest of the season and refocus for next year,” she said.

#Miller-Uibo comes off a July 4 performance at the Showdown in Otown Meet at the Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida where she won both the 400m (50.52 seconds) and 200m (22.61).

#“Im very pleased with it. We were happy that our coaches were able to come together and put on a meet for us in the Clermont area and so we were able to get one in and see where we are at and I think [my coach and I] were very happy with it,” she said.

#“I’m just really happy to be back, competing and being able to let loose. I think that’s going to be the main thing. I’m hoping that the weather holds up, it’s been raining occasionally here in Florida. I’m hoping the sun is out and we can put on a great performance.”

#It was her first meet since October’s World Championships and like all athletes, she noted her struggles adjusting to the “new normal” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

#“I wouldn’t say that I’m as sharp as I would be around this time, right before the pandemic we were gearing up to being in the best shape of our lives. After the pandemic things happened to slow back down, we’ve been working on a few different things, strengths being one of them but even with that things are not where they were so I guess we will have to see exactly what type of shape we are in,” she said.

#In addition to her signature events, Miller-Uibo has been a world leader in the 150m in recent years at the Adidas Boston Games. She won the event in 2018 in a time of 16.23, a record time performance on a straight track. And she repeated as the 150m champion at the 2019 event in 16.37.

#Following the disappointment of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to 2021, Miller-Uibo said the recent developments with competition gave athletes a goal to train toward when motivation could have been lacking.

#“I guess it could go both ways. On one hand, I guess it was really good that we got a chance to get a little bit better at certain things. But on the other hand, everyone was really prepared for this year, we were putting in so much work and to see it all kind of just crumble away, it was a little bit devastating. We are just going to get ourselves back up and get ready to compete next year. As far as the plans, that’s all up to coach, we will sit down and talk about it and we’ll see how things go,” she said.

#“There was a bit of dip as far as the motivation goes. After the Olympics had been postponed I think everyone kind of took a little drop. For us it’s just working on different things, there are so many different things we have to work on, we’re not perfect, so we’re working on those things and trying to get as great as we can at them. The motivation is still there for me, just taking it one step at a time.

#The Inspiration Games are a part of the Wanda Diamond League. The format is a partnership between World Athletics, the Wanda Diamond League, Swiss Timing and broadcaster SRG SSR.

#“I loved the idea right away, I’ve just been training and training and training so anything to break it up. Out here in California there is no real race possibility so this seems like something great, I just loved the concept, it’s different, it’s creative and you just have to figure out how to get it done,” Felix said.

#“I’m not really sure what to expect, I think it’s the first time we’ve done anything like this. So I’m just approaching it to have fun and hopefully give people something to watch and be entertained by. I think we’ve all missed sports so much and I think this just reinforces the importance of sport and what it does to bring people together.”

Allyson Felix, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Mujinga Kambundji compete in the 150m.

Saturday, July 11, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#American Allyson Felix came out on top in her rematch with Bahamian Olympic 400 metre champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo as they competed against Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji in the 150m at the Welklasse Zurich Inspirational Games on Thursday.

#The event was in a new format where the athletes got to compete in the same race, but in different locations. It was one of seven events contested.

#Felix crossed the finish line first in 16.81 seconds in Walnut, California; Miller-Uibo, competing out of Bradenton, Florida, was second in 17.15, while Kambundji, the World Championships’ 200m bronze medalist, was third in 17.38 as she competed in Zurich.

#“I’m very happy with it (results),” Miller-Uibo said. “I will give God thanks for me coming here and competing again. 

#“It was a fun race. The 150m is obviously not as taxing as the 400, but it was really fun.”

#Miller-Uibo and Felix last competed head-to-head at the 2017 World Championships in London, England where Miller-Uibo faded down the stretch for fourth place as her legs buckled in a bizarre finish.

#Felix went on to secure the bronze medal behind American gold medalist Phyllis Francis and Bahrain’s silver medal Salwa Eid Naser. In the meeting before that, Miller-Uibo won the gold at the 2018 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

#This year, Miller-Uibo and Felix were hoping for another clash at the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, but the games were postponed until July, 2021 because of the spread of the coronavirus.

#Coming off her defeat to Naser at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, Miller-Uibo said she just wanted to get a chance to compete before she prepares for next year.

#“It’s good just to get some meets and get to compete, but the main focus is going to be next year,” she said. “I’m using (this year) as a building year.”

#Felix, the most decorated American female athlete of all time, said the race was a strange one, considering that she didn’t have any teammates as she normally does in practice.

#“It’s hard to challenge yourself, so I think the big thing was just running solo,” she said.

#But Felix said she was just glad that she was able to inspire people through her performance.

#“It was really important (to inspire people through the Inspiration Games),” she said. “I think we see the hardship everyone is going through and we just wanted to bring a little bit of joy, pause a moment and appreciate the support.”

#In competing in her first race of the year, Kambundji said her start was okay, but at the end it got a little harder.

#“Maybe later in the season, I could do better,” she stated.

Monday, March 2, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#CONFERENCE championships continued in the NCAA Division I swimming and sophomore Izaak Bastian highlighted his season with a series of impressive performances for the Florida State Seminoles.

#At ACC Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, Bastian highlighted his weekend with a pair of medals, including a bronze medal in the 100 breast.

#Swimming out of lane eight, Bastian reached the medal podium in a personal best time of 52.36 seconds. He now stands at second all time in Seminoles history, several tenths off the record of 52.11 set in 2015.

#It was the first individual ACC Championship medal of Bastian’s two-year collegiate career.

#Bastian also swam the 50 free and finished 25th overall in 20.02. He was also 14th overall in the 200 breast in 1:57.42.

#He was also a member of the silver medal winning 200 medley team that finished in an NCAA provisional time of 1:24.51. Bastian split 22.93 on his leg of the relay.

#FSU originally took third, however a disqualification of the Louisville Cardinals team awarded the Seminoles the silver.

#The No.13 ranked Seminoles finished the meet in fifth place with a total of 812.50 points.

#“We had a great finish to a great week of racing,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “We’re really excited that we have all five relays heading to NCAAs along with some good individuals.”

#Bastian continued his stellar sophomore season after a summer where he led Team Bahamas’ performance at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships.

#He opened the year first in the 100 breast (55.04) and 200 breast (2:00.20) at No. 12 Notre Dame.

#At the Georgia Tech invite, he was fourth in the 100 breast (53.51) third in the 200 breast (1:56.23).

#He also helped the Noles finish second in both the 200 and 400 medley relays. He also finished 21st in the 50 free with a personal best swim of 19.93.

#He won the 100 breast (55.64) and 200 breast (2:00.52) in a conference matchup against the Duke Blue Devils.

#He also placed second in the 200 IM (1:59.11) fourth in the 100 IM (52.86) and fifth in the 100 free (47.72) against Florida Southern.

#He placed fourth in the 200 breast (2:05.38) and third in the 100 breast (55.52) at the No. 9 Florida Gators.

#He also finished second in the 200 breast (2:03.15) after winning the 100 breast (55.49) at RV Georgia Tech.

#As a freshman last season, Bastian was a part of the 200 medley relay team that captured All-America honours at the NCAA Championships behind a seventh place finish.

#Bastian also competed in the 400 medley relay at NCAAs and won bronze at the ACC Championships in the 200 medley relay in school record-timing of 1:23.63.

Monday, March 2, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#JORDAN Wilson and Shamar Burrows helped the Dalhousie Tigers claim their fifth AUS Conference title in the last six years and earned a spot in the U Sports National Championship.

#In a weekend filled with Bahamian talent on the floor for three different programmes, the Tigers emerged with a 76-64 win over Azaro Roker and the St Francis Xavier X-Men last night at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

#Roker finished with 12 points and a game high 13 rebounds for the X-Men. Wilson struggled from the field for much of the night (1-9 from the field) with two points and five rebounds while Burrows finished with four points, three rebounds and two assists.

#Dalhousie took an early 13-4 lead while StFX struggled with turnovers in the first quarter.

#The Tigers maintained a 24-16 lead at the end of the first.

#The X-Men limited the Tigers to just nine points in the second and closed the deficit to just one at the break (33-33). Dalhousie closed the third quarter on a 15-8 run to enter the fourth quarter clinging to a 58-52 lead.

#Roker scored the first basket of the fourth quarter for the X-Men but they went scoreless for nearly five minutes as the Tigers built a 10 point lead. After Nava made a three, Wilson muscled in a layup over Roker to regain a nine-point lead and the margin widened in the final minutes.

#Roker was named an AUS tournament All-Star.

#The AUS conference championships had a strong Bahamian presence with local players featured on three playoff teams.

#In addition to the aforementioned players in the final, Qyemah Gibson, Sebastian Gray and assistant coach Ollen Smith’s St Mary’s Huskies were also in the field.

#The fourth seeded Huskies, who finished the regular season at 11-9, defeated fifth seeded Memorial SeaHawks (8-12) in an 81-57 rout.

#Gray finished with seven points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots while Gibson added 15 points and six rebounds. They advanced to set up a meeting with the Tigers in the semi-final.

#Dalhousie emerged with an 84-64 win to advance to the final.

#Wilson finished with 13 points while Burrows added nine points and six rebounds.

#Gibson finished with 13 point and seven rebounds.

#St FX advanced with an 84-77 win over the UNB Reds in the second semi-final.

#Roker finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 7-10 from the field.

#The Tigers will advance to the U SPORTS championship March 5-8 in Ottawa, Canada.

#At the conclusion of the regular season, Roker was named a First Team All-Star while Gibson was named a Second Team All-Star.

#Roker, the fourth year forward, was one of only three players in the league to average a double double.

#He led the conference in rebounding at 13.2 per game and was second in scoring at 17.2 points per game. His numbers increased across the board in every statistical category from year three when he averaged 10 points per game and was a conference leader with 10 rebounds and two blocked shots per game.

#Gibson, in his second year with the Huskies, led the team in scoring and was seventh in the league in scoring at 15.4 points per game and eighth in rebounding at 6.5 rebounds per game.

Jyles Etienne

Monday, March 2, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE men’s high jump, featuring two Bahamians, was the highlight at the Big Ten Conference Championships in Geneva, Ohio, as Jyles Etienne – a junior Indiana University – matched his lifetime best to help Indiana University take the men’s title back to Bloomfield for the second time in four years.

#Etienne, now in his junior year, captured his first career high jump victory in a conference championship as he soared 2.23 metres or 7-feet, 3 3/4-inches. Shaun Miller Jr, a freshman at Ohio State, came in seventh with 2.08m (6-9 3/4).

#Etienne and the Hoosiers, who earned 120.5 points, last won the title in 2017.

#Samson Colebooke, a senior at Purdue University, was fourth in the second 200m final in 20.80. The winning time in his race was 21.11 by Donnie James, a sophomore at Ohio State. The race took place after Colebrooke was sixth in the final of the 60m in 6.75. Waseem Wallace, a junior at Purdue, took the title in 6.58.

#In the 200m, Colebrooke had the fastest qualifying time of 20.80. Tavonte, a junior at Ohio State, failed to advance with a third place in his heat for 14th place overall in 21.53.

#Colebrooke also teamed up with Jabari Bryant, Waseem Williams and Brian Faust to take their heat of the men’s 4 x 400m relay final in 3:10.92, which turned out to be the fastest of the two heats combined.

#Mott also contested the men’s 60m hurdles, but he could only produce a sixth place in his heat in 8.14 for 16th place overall, while in the preliminaries of the 60m, Adrian Curry, a freshmen at Ohio State, was sixth in his heat for 15th overall in 6.88.

#Tamar Greene, a junior at Purdue, had double duties in the men’s long and triple jumps.

#His best showing came in the triple jump where he soared 15.95m for fifth place. James Carter, a sophomore at Iowa, won the event with 15.25m. Greene cleared 6.97 metres or 22-feet, 101/2-inches for second place in his flight of the long jump, but 10th overall. Jonathan Wells, a senior at Illinois, was the winner with 7.65 (20-1 1/4).

#Colebrooke and Greene helped Purdue, coached by Bahamian Norbert Elliott, to sixth place with 54 points as they trailed the Bahamian connection of Miller Jr, Mott and Curry at Ohio State, who were fifth with 57 points.

#On the women’s side, Divine Parker, now in her sophomore year at Ohio State, finished fourth in her 200m final in 23.83. Megan Grabowski, a senior at Indiana, won the race in 24.05.

#Earlier in the meet, Parker had to settle for a second-place finish in the 60m in 7.36, trailing her Ohio State junior team-mate Anavia Battle, the champion in 7.29.

#Parker won her heat in the 200m for the fourth fastest qualifying time of 23.83 and she also won her heat in 7.44 for the fourth fastest qualifying time.Ohio State went on to win the women’s title with 104 points.

#Astwood displays her strength

#At the Mountain West Indoor Championships, Acacia Astwood, competing for UNLV, was second in the women’s discus with a toss of 19.02m (62-5) on her sixth and final attempt. Astwood’s series of throws were 17.62m (57-9) and 18.12m (59-5) and three fouls before she landed her best mark.

#The winning toss was 19.70m (64-7) by Tarynn Sieg of Colorado State on her third attempt and Astwood’s team-mate Cassidy Osbourne was third with 19.01m (62-4) on her third attempt.

#Nairn doubles up at SEC

#University of Arkansas’ senior Laquan Nairn capped off a weekend of action for Bahamians at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships by producing a personal best performance for second place in the men’s long jump and a fourth place in the triple jump.

#At the Gillian Track Stadium in College Station, Texas, Nairn soared 8.02 metres or 26-feet, 3 3/4-inches for a lifetime best that was bettered only by Carey McLeod of Tennessee with 8.19m (26-10 1/2.

#In the triple jump, Nairn had to settle for fourth place with 15.92m (52-2 3/4). Clayton Brown, a senior at Florida, won the title with a leap of 16.50m (54-1 3/4). McLeod was the runner-up with 16.49m (54-1 1/4).

#Also competing at the meet were Doneisha Anderson and Megan Moss, who were both entered in the women’s 400m.

#Anderson, a sophomore at the University of Florida, made it to the final where she was fifth in 52.28. The winning time was 52.08 by Alexis Holmes, a sophomore at Kentucky. Anderson had the second fastest qualifying time of 52.53, but Moss, a freshman at the University of Kentucky, was unable to get out of the preliminaries after she was 10th overall in 53.23.

#In the women’s 4 x 400m relay, Moss led off Kentucky’s team of Abby Steiner, Chloe Abbott and Alexis Holmes as they got second in their heat in 3:30.42 for second overall, while Anderson popped off for Florida as the team of Taylor Manson, Nikki Stephens and Semira Killebrew clocked 3:32.87 for second in their heat for fifth place overall.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Nathan Bain

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#AS the NCAA Division I college basketball season winds down, several Bahamian student athletes clinched conference regular season titles ahead of the postseason.

#Nathan Bain and the Stephen F Austin Lumberjacks continue to be one of the most talked about stories this season and have been dominant ever since their record-setting upset over the Duke Blue Devils in November.

#The Lumberjacks’ season of milestones continued when they claimed the Southland Conference regular season title outright and the top overall seed in the upcoming conference tournament with Saturday’s 95-76 win over the Lamar Cardinals.

#Bain finished with 10 points, five rebounds and a team-leading five assists. All five Lumberjack starters and six players overall scored in double figures. With the win, the Lumberjacks improved to 26-3 overall and 17-1 in the Southland Conference. As the top overall seed, SFA will have an opening round bye in the conference tournament.

#Bain’s five assists led an SFA team that produced 19 assists on 37 made field goals.

#They return to the court tonight against Abilene Christian in their final regular season road contest.

#It was a complete turnaround from last season when SFA finished in a tie for ninth place in the final version of the conference standings.

#The Lumberjacks missed out on a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season.

#Charles Bain has had a reduced role this season with the Robert Morris Colonials but the programme clinched the No. 1 spot in the Northeast Conference tournament.

#Robert Morris concluded its 2019-20 regular season Saturday with a 78-68 victory over Saint Francis. With the win, the Colonials clinched their second consecutive winning season, and improved to 17-4 overall, 13-5 in the NEC.

#Bain finished with seven points and five rebounds. “A great team effort from our guys, on both sides of the ball,” Colonials head coach Andrew Toole said. “That’s what you need if you’re going to beat a team like Saint Francis. I thought we really did as well as we could to control the tempo of the game. They’re so good in transition and on the break. Our guys had a maximum amount of urgency tonight to get the win.”

#Robert Morris opens the 2020 NEC Tournament on Wednesday, March 4, with a first round matchup at home against St Francis Brooklyn at 7pm.

#In a season series split, each team recorded lopsided wins at home.

#Bain scored eight points in a 78-52 victory on January 9.

#In the second meeting, St Francis won 78-57 on January 23. Bain struggled from the field and shot just 1-8 from the field.

#Last season, Robert Morris posted a record of 17-16 and the Colonials finished in a tie for third place in the Northeast Conference with a mark of 11-7.

#The Colonials fell in the semi-finals of the Northeast Conference Tournament 62-60 to No. 2 seed Fairleigh Dickinson.

#The postseason run ended when they were eliminated in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

#Bain finished with the first double double of his career – 14 points and 10 rebounds.

#In women’s basketball, Ole Miss Rebels head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin will lead her team to the Southeastern conference tournament.

#Ole Miss will play the Missouri Tigers in the first round of the 2020 SEC Tournament on Wednesday March 4, with tip-off slated for 25 minutes following the Auburn-Vanderbilt game which tips off at 11am local time.

#The Rebels have struggled this season at a record of 7-22 and mired in a 16-game losing streak.

#The Tigers won both previous matchups this season against Missouri – 71-57 on January 19 and most recently, 87-62 on February 23.

NFL Super Bowl champion Rashad Fenton (second left) poses with Cory, Chester and Jory Fox during a visit to Nassau on a cruise ship.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

NFL Super Bowl champion Rashad Fenton with his aunt Diedre Fox on his visit to Nassau on a cruise ship on Sunday.

#RASHAD Fenton, of Bahamian descent, who helped the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl LIV on February 2 in Miami, Florida, came to Nassau on Sunday on a cruise ship to spend some time with his local family.

#Fenton won a Super Bowl ring at Hard Rock Stadium — the same stadium where he used to serve food and drinks. The Chiefs defensive back used to walk four blocks from his house to serve food and drinks at the stadium when he was in high school. He is the son of Bahamian Laurie Fenton, who moved to Miami to attend college.

#The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to earn the franchise whose founding owner had named the game its second Lombardi Trophy and first since 1969.

#The old Kansas City teams were known for their ability to back an outward cool with dominant play on the field – Hank Stram dialing up unthinkable plays to the cigarette-smoking Len Dawson. This time they did it with a wise-cracking, Hawaiian shirt-wearing, cheeseburger-eating mad scientist as a coach and his quarterback creation conjured from every defensive coordinator’s worst nightmares.

#During his visit to the Bahamas, Fenton spent time with some of his family members, including his uncle and aunt Chester and Diedre Fox from Long Island and their twin sons Cory and Jory. They spent time reflecting on the Chiefs’ victory over dinner.

Jaraun “Kino” Burrows

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Jaraun “Kino” Burrows has suited up in the black, aquamarine and gold on the court as a member of The Bahamas’ men’s national basketball team for the last time.

#The 34-year-old veteran forward announced his retirement from national team play which has included seven tournament appearances over 13 years at the senior level.

#“It’s a very hard decision. It’s been 15 years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears and I’ve seen the programme come from the bottom to heading in the right direction. I have always felt blessed to be a part of it,” Burrows said.

#“I just feel like now, with the new FIBA format, leaving in the middle of seasons for two weeks at a time, flying across the world, having to adjust your schedule to how you eat, sleep and play games – then immediately fly back to Europe and adjust all over again. As I’m getting older it’s been more challenging on my body. I don’t adjust as easily as I used to. It took me a long time to get back into the swing of things after the last window in Mexico and in Nassau and there’s no way I could commit to the next two rounds.”

#Burrows was most recently a member of Team Bahamas at the FIBA AmeriCup 2021 Qualifiers. In his final national team appearance, he scored eight points off the bench to help The Bahamas to a 76-59 win over Mexico in February at the Atlantis resort to even the series between the two teams at 1-1.

#The Bahamas is currently second in Group D at 1-1 with the advantage over Mexico on point differential. The USA leads the Group at 2-0 while Puerto Rico is 0-2.

#In July 2018, Burrows finished with six points and 10 rebounds to help Team Bahamas to an 83-82 win over The Dominican Republic in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

#“I do feel like it’s special to leave us headed in the right direction with wins in two out of my last three games with the national team against The Dominican Republic and Mexico so I’m excited about the future of Team Bahamas,” he said.

#“As I’m getting older, there’s more fresh young talent coming into the programme and for now I think this is the right thing to do. I feel like I will still be a positive part of the programme moving forward, but just now, off the court.

#This surge of high level talent is hungry to come and play and represent their country.

#In 2017, FIBA changed the competition format across the board for its international events and through the new format, including home-and-away series.

#The cycle calls for a day of travel, another day of practice and then the game is played. The following day, the teams travel to the opposing country, get in a day of practice and then they play before they complete the first series of games.

#Burrows said the changes in approach to the national team programme have reaped benefits on the court.

#“Although at times it is difficult with the new FIBA format to get the college and NBA guys. I feel like we are headed in the right direction. Under President Bowleg things have been on the right track and also since Baha Mar came on board its been a huge difference with the programme with the way we have been treated. Things like that matter and you can see from the results,” Burrows said.

#“We beat a World Cup and an Olympic team in our last outings. We continue to connect the dots and hopefully we get to see the Bahamas in the Olympics soon.”

#This offseason, Burrows signed on for his second stint with the FOS Provence-Basket Byers which will mark his second stint with the team in the LNB French Pro B League.

#The 6’ 8 forward spent last season with Aix-Maurienne Savoie.

#In 22 games with the club, he averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He was also named league Player of the Week twice.

#Burrows has been a senior men’s national team member for the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships in 2007 and 2011. He was also a member of the Centrobasket teams in 2012, 2014 and 2016 in addition to the World Cup Qualifiers and AmeriCup Qualifiers for the last two years.

#His pro career has also included stops in Israel, Sweden, Finland, Eastern Europe and South America.

#He said he looks forward to continuing his impact in another capacity off the court and working closely with the Bahamas Basketball Federation.

#“I think my role with the national team will stay the same as it’s been the last 10 years. I’ve been a big brother for most of the guys coming through the programme, including Buddy [Hield] and Deandre [Ayton] all the way up to the young guys like Nado [Dominick Bridgewater] so I’m going to continue to provide whatever experience, leadership and mentorship that I can and I definitely want to stay working with the federation,” he said.

#“President Bowleg and I have some really good ideas in mind, hopefully some announcements should be made this summer.”