Deandre Ayton and Buddy Hield. (AP)

Thursday, June 4, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THE NBA has proposed a format to complete the 2020 season with a limited number of participating teams which will include both Buddy Hield’s Sacramento Kings and Deandre Ayton’s Phoenix Suns.

#According to ESPN Senior NBA Insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, the league’s board of governors will vote on a proposal for the league to resume play in Orlando, Florida, featuring the 16 teams currently in playoff position, teams currently within six games of eighth place in the two conferences.

#The Kings are 28-36, No.10 in the Western Conference and 3.5 games behind the No.8 Memphis Grizzlies (32-33) while the Suns are 26-39, six games behind the Grizzlies.

#Other non-playoff Western Conference teams invited to participate in Orlando include the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs while the Washington Wizards will be the lone addition from the East. All games will be hosted at the Walt Disney World Resort.

#The plan will feature teams completing eight regular season games and a possible play in tournament for the final eighth and final seed.

#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 games behind the teams will complete in a play-in tournament.

#Teams will officially begin training at team sites in July and will advance to full training camps in Orlando prior.

#The NBA has suspended its season since March 11, when Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert was the league’s first player to test positive for COVID-19.

#Players and staff will be mandated to adhere to social distancing and the league is set to have “uniform, daily testing for the coronavirus within the Disney campus environment,” said ESPN.

#Should a player test positive, the plan calls for them to be individually quarantined and treated and continue to test other players.

#Through 64 games this season, Hield is averaging 19.8 points per game and is shooting 40 per cent from beyond the arc, making 3.8 three-point field goals in about 10 attempts per game. Hield also added 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

#Hield started 44 of those games and was moved to the bench on January 24 and has continued his production post-All-Star break after he won the Mtn Dew 3-Point Contest at NBA All-Star weekend last February.

#This season, Hield has 244 three-point field goals thus far, and was on track to surpass last year’s total of 278 and possibly become just the third player in NBA history to make 300 in a single season.

#In his second NBA season, Ayton averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 54 per cent from the field in 30 games.

#According to Basketball Reference, his player efficiency is ranked at No.35 in the league at 20.5.

#Ayton has missed time this season with a 25-game suspension due to violating the NBA’s substance abuse policy. He also missed seven games this season due to an injured ankle, including a withdrawal from the 2020 NBA Rising Stars game at NBA All-Star Weekend.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Romell Knowles, president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, is calling on the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to not cut the subvention of elite athletes, considering that it is critical for them to receive every penny they can get to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games.

#Knowles sent a letter to the ministry after it was reported in The Tribune on Tuesday that the subvention for elite athletes is expected to be cut by over $269,000 as outlined in the budget presented in the House of Assembly last week by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest.

#Knowles, whose BOC is expected to receive about $40,000 in the projected budget, said with the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, being postponed until July, 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are still anticipating great performances from our athletes who are under a number of constraints.

#“The restrictions of competitions, coupled with restrictions to train for the most prestigious sporting event in the world, The Tokyo Olympic Games, brings with it a set of abnormal circumstances and expenses for our athletes,” Knowles wrote.

#“In addition to preparation expenses, which I believe may increase due in part to share demand, the mental preparation may be an additional but necessary expense, our athletes may be forced to endure.”

#Knowles said preparation for these games have their own peculiarities and with them come additional expenses.

#“In this regard, we respectfully ask that you escalate our request for consideration to delay any and all reduction to elite athletes’ subvention who are in preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games,” Knowles continued.

#“Given these difficult set of circumstances brought on by an abnormal COVID-19 environment, elite athletes may require more financial assistance, not less,” he said.

#In that regard and on behalf of the elite athletes, Knowles said they are requesting that the ministry delay any reduction in subvention so that our athletes may be better positioned to prepare, qualify and ultimately perform at their optimum at the most prestigious sporting event in the world – the Olympic Games.He said they are looking forward to engaging in a dialogue with the ministry and the government in this regard, as well as funding that is expected to be provided to the various sporting federations and associations.

#“Sporting federations find themselves having to provide more assistance in these most difficult times,” Knowles said.

#“It is our hope there are no reductions in federation grants in this Olympic cycle. Hoping to bring resolve and comfort on behalf of our elite athletes. I am available to discuss this and other matters soonest.”

#In the budget report, the recurrent expenditure for the ministry is estimated to be around $18,938,187, about $5,143,194 less than what was expended in last year’s budget of $24,081,380.

#This significant reduction in the budget is expected to drastically change the landscape of sports in the country in the aftermath of COVID-19.

STEVEN GARDINER, right, is congratulated by meet director Daniel Medley.

Monday, July 6, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Add the Bahamas men’s national 300 metre record to the list of accomplishments for Steven Gardiner.

#Fresh off his season opener at the B3R Sports Invitational last weekend in 31.95 seconds, Gardiner came back on Sunday during the American Fourth of July Independence holiday weekend at the same venue in San Juan, Florida and won the V12 Summer Games’ race in a blistering time of 31.83.

#In the process, Gardiner obliterated Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown’s national record of 31.91 that he posted in 2007 in Osaka, Japan. Gardiner’s time was posted as the fastest for the year and 23rd on the world’s all-time list.

#Asa Guevara of Trinidad & Tobago was second in 32.60 behind Gardiner and Quantavious Poole was third in 33.48 on Sunday, just as they did in the same position last weekend.

#This time, Evan Miller of the Speed Starz Track/Running Club was fourth in 35.44 as Gardiner’s new Bahamian training partner Kinard Rolle didn’t participate.

#“It feels good,” Gardiner told The Tribune after yesterday’s race. “We started out early this morning warming up and coach (Gary Evans) telling me what I had to do at the start and coming off the turn.

#“It was a good race. I think I could have done better on a better track. But I’m very happy with the way I performed.”

#The 24-year-old native of Abaco added the 300m to the list of Bahamas national records that includes the 200m straight in 19.88 at the Adidas Boost Boston Games on May 20, 2018, the 200m in 19.75 at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida on April 7, 2018 and the 400m in 43.48 to win the gold medal at the World Athletics’ 2019 World Championships on October 4 in Doha, Qatar.

#“I feel good about it. I feel we are right on track to where we could have been if we didn’t go through the coronavirus pandemic,” Gardiner said. “I know it was tough for us in training, but we were still able to train and do what we have to do.”

#The 6-foot, 5-inch Gardiner said the sky is definitely the limit on just how fast he can go. He anticipates that he will contest a 200m this weekend and see what happens. “I definitely want to continue to surprise myself,” said Gardiner when asked about the race yesterday. “My start and the turn was much better. This time, I actually ran the turn. The first time, I almost fell because the track was tight.”

#Back in lane five again, lightning struck twice for Gardiner.

#But Evans said this race was just the tip of the iceberg.

#“He ran well. He has more in the tank,” was how Evans summed up the performance. “I think he could have set up the race a little bit better, but he came home strong.

#“He didn’t start the way he started the previous race. It could have been better, but we take what God gave us and move on to our next challenge, which will be possibly a 200m.”

#At some point, maybe this season because it’s an off year with the Olympics postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus, Evans said Gardiner could possibly make an assault on Brown’s 800m record of 1:49.54 that he set at the Central American and Caribbean Games on August 17, 1998 in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

#But for sure, Gardiner will participate in a 200m race this weekend either in Florida, Georgia or North Carolina, once he can get to compete against a different crop of pro athletes.

#“You put your race together and you work on it the way you do in practice,” said Evans about the possibility of trying to lower the national 200m record. “You just hope the clock stops at what you would like it to stop at.

#“I think it’s still early because we haven’t been doing a lot of speed work. With the season being messed up the way it was, we had to go to grass to train. We have only been on the track about two days a week since March.”

#With just about nine sessions on the track in that span of time, Evans said he’s amazed and astonished by Gardiner’s performance as he continues to improve with each passing year.

#In preparation for the race, Gardiner said he stayed home on Saturday, watched television and cooked up a meal of baked chicken with white rice and cole slaw. To celebrate his feat, he said he did some ribs for his Sunday meal.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo (right) and Steven Gardiner. FILE

July 6, 2020

Sheldon Longley

0106 Views

COVID-19 is still rampant throughout the world, particularly in the United States, but the sports world is remaining active, as athletes everywhere try to maintain some fitness.

The Bahamas’ two most high-profiled track and field athletes got on the track, in separate locations, each winning their respective events.

For World Champion Steven Gardiner, the pride and joy of Murphy Town in the Abacos, it was a new national record at the V12 Summer Games at Santa Fe High School in Alachua, Florida, on Saturday. A week after running 31.95 seconds in the 300 meters (m) at the 2nd Annual B3R Sports Invitational, Gardiner returned to the same undersized track and posted a time of 31.83, taking down Chris Brown’s national record of 31.91 seconds that was done 13 years ago.

Representing Adidas, Gardiner took control of the race coming off the bend and cruised into the tape about three strides ahead of his closest competitor. Asa Guevara, from Trinidad & Tobago, was second in 32.60 seconds, and American Quantavious Poole rounded out the top three in 33.48 seconds. The only other athlete in the race, Evan Miller, representing the Speed Starz Track/Running Club, was fourth in 35.44 seconds.

It was just Gardiner’s second race of the season as athletes throughout the world continue to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic. Forced to workout on grass and in nearby parks over the past three and a half months, Gardiner proved that he was able to maintain fitness at a time when the world is turned upside down.

He became just The Bahamas’ third world champion in the men’s 400m last year, blazing to victory in Doha, Qatar, in 43.48 seconds. It was a new national record and made him the sixth-fastest in history.

Now competing in what has turned out to be an off year, following the postponement of the Olympics, Gardiner showed why he is one of the top quarter-milers in the world and a threat for the Olympic title next year. The Olympics has been pushed back to July 23 to August 8, still in Tokyo, Japan.

He said last week that he feels healthy and strong and is just

looking to stay injury-free for the remainder of the year and heading into the Olympics.

“I feel pretty good. I’m as healthy as a horse – a young horse. I feel like I’m on course,” he said. “I just have to keep going and try to stay occupied during this time. This is now an off year, so I’m going to mix it up a bit – just do a li’l bit of everything. The main focus right now is just to stay in shape and stay healthy.

“My goal is to win the Olympics in the 400, and then branch off from there – whether it’s continue running the 400 or move down to the 200 or do both, but the main goal is to win the 400 at the Olympics. Then, maybe I’ll dip into another event.”

Gardiner now holds the national records in the 200, 300 and 400m outdoors, and is just looking to stay sharp heading into the Olympics.

Not to be outdone, the other half of the dynamic Bahamian track duo, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, cruised to victory at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, on Saturday – about an hour-and-a-half car ride to the south from where Gardiner competed.

Miller-Uibo earned the double, winning the women’s 200 and 400m. In the 200m, she clocked a modest 22.61 seconds, winning easily over a pair of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champions. Georgia Bulldogs standout Lynna Irby, of the United States, finished second in 23.06 seconds and fellow American Shacarri Richardson, who entered the professional ranks last year, was third in 23.14 seconds.

In the women’s 400m, Miller-Uibo again cruised to victory, winning in 50.52 seconds. Despite the modest time, she was more than a second faster than American Kaylin Whitney who settled for second in 51.99 seconds. Canadian Carline Muir finished third in 53.26 seconds.

A number of World and Olympic Champions, past and present, were in action in Montverde as American Christian Taylor won the men’s triple jump, American LaShawn Merritt settled for third in the men’s 400m and Noah Lyles outdueled Justin Gatlin in the men’s 100m.

For Miller-Uibo, it’s been basically the same way of life as Gardiner since the arrival of COVID-19 – training from home and using grass and parks until tracks recently opened. The Bahamian Olympic Champion will be back in action again this week, competing against American legendary sprinter Allyson Felix and Switzerland’s world bronze medalist Mujinga Kambundji in the women’s 150m, in a series of clashes between the United States, Europe and the rest of the world, in an event dubbed Weltklasse Zürich Inspiration Games.

The event will feature 30 track and field superstars competing in eight disciplines in an innovative team event across seven stadiums and three continents on Thursday. Miller-Uibo will compete out of Miramar, Florida; Felix will line up in the blocks in Walnut, California; and Kambundji will burst out of the blocks in Zurich, Switzerland.

Friday, July 3, 2020

Alexis Gray

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#NOW that she has graduated from Texas Southern University, sprinter Alexis Gray is making her adjustment to her professional career in athletics (track and field).

#After coming out in the fall 2019 with a degree in biology with a concentration in chemistry, Gray is still in Houston, Texas where she is preparing to enrol in grad school.

#At the same time, she is in a track and field training camp with Olympian Tynia Gaither and coached by Eric Francis of the Elite Performance Track Club and the national coach of St Kitts & Nevis Olympic team.

#“It’s kind of difficult because right now everything isn’t functioning at normal capacity,” said Gray, who enjoys working out and dancing, utilising her skills to teach a class called CaribFit at the school’s recreational centre.

#“Training wise, we had to shut it down because the facilities were closed due to the coronavirus and they made us stay home. But everything is starting to open up, so after a few months, it’s still hard because the facilities are not all ready for us to use.”

#Gray said they are focused on training on a lot of open spaces and she is even training at home as she tries to cope with this pandemic as best as she can. But she noted that she can’t wait to start training again.

#The 2015 graduate of St John’s College was hoping to make the Bahamas national team at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

#But Gray said it was a blessing in disguise that it was postponed from July 24 to August 9 to July 23 to August 8, 2021.

#“That’s one of my main goals right now,” Gray said. “A lot of things in my personal life this year was making my job complicated. So it was a weight lifted off my shoulders when I heard that it was being postponed.

#“Now that I have the time to get into grad school, I can start my training in August so that I can put all of my time into my training so that I can be ready to make the team next year.”

#In making the transition from competing for college and now training to become a pro athlete, the 22-year-old Gray said there’s no comparison. “The personalities of the pro athletes are quite different from the college athletes,” Gray said.

#“They come in and get to work and they leave as opposed to college athletes, who are so friendly and focus on fun and games.

#“When you come out to practice as a pro athlete, it’s all business. They know it’s their livelihood, so we take it much more seriously than we did when I was competing for college.”

#During her collegiate career at Texas Southern, Gray posted personal bests of 7.41 seconds in the 60 metres indoors, 11.68 in the 100m, 23.52 in the 200m, 56.46 in the 400m and 4.93 metres or 16-feet, 2 1/4-inches in the long jump. Gray represented the Tigers at the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Indoor and Outdoor Championships as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships.

#But now that she’s done, she doesn’t intend to compete in any meets this year except for maybe a timed trial because of the coronavirus.

#And with all of the social unrest and racism in the aftermath of the death of American George Floyd on May 25 and in the midst of the increase in the spread of the coronavirus, Gray said it’s not easy moving around in Houston. “With so much focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, it kind of makes you fearful when you move around,” said Gray, who has avoided getting involved in any of the protests that took place in Houston.

#“You don’t want to put your life in danger. You can’t just say that because I’m a girl, I can walk down the street. It doesn’t matter. You can be abused just like anybody else because of your colour. So it is nerve wracking to be in the states right now so you have to tread lightly.”

#While she’s still conscious of what’s going on, Gray said she tries not to be too fearful and still goes on with her life as usual and not let her circumstances get the better of her.

#With the Bahamas government opening the borders for residents and visitors to come here, Gray said she may make a trip home to see her parents Charles and Tanya Gray, as well as the rest of her family and friends.

#But she’s committed to her goal of completing her studies and training for the Olympics at the same time as she attempts to qualify for both the 100 and 200m and possibly running on the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400m relays, if the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations gets to field those teams.

Friday, July 3, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#POWER five NCAA Division I conferences continue to honour student-athletes for their work in the classroom and several Bahamians were among those recognised this week.

#The Big 12 announced their 2019-20 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team which featured both Kai Jones of Texas Longhorns basketball and Oscar Smith, formerly of Kansas State Wildcats (now Ohio State Buckeyes) track and field.

#The team recognises first-time/incoming freshmen that achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and met participation criteria. A total of 870 student-athletes were named to the squad.

#On the court, Jones has recently been listed as a highly coveted prospect for the 2021 NBA Draft by Sports Illustrated. The publication listed Jones, the 19-year-old, 6’11” 215 pound Longhorns forward, at No.30 among the top prospects for next year’s draft.

#“Admittedly, Jones is still pretty much a wild card, but NBA teams are well aware of what he brings to the table athletically, and he showed signs of figuring things out toward the end of this season. He should figure more prominently into the rotation as a sophomore, but will still have to compete for minutes with a host of other bigs,” SI’s Jeremy Woo said.

#“Jones has to add strength, but he’s wiry and explosive and has shown flashes of skill development from a face-up standpoint that hints at some future versatility. But he’s yet to take the next step, and until he does, he’ll remain more of an idea in the eyes of the NBA.”

#For the season, Jones averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

#Smith, will make the move to the Big 10 when he transfers to the Buckeyes.

#In his lone season with the Wildcats, Smith ran an indoor season’s best of 7.81 seconds in the 60m hurdles in the prelims at the Razorback Invitational in February. The time ranked No.4 all time on the school’s top 10 list.

#According to his feature on the Wildcats’ athletic website, he made his Kansas State debut with a time of 8.02. The following day he ran a time of 7.87 and in his first race of 2020, posted a time of 7.98.

#Smith joins a Buckeyes men’s programme that finished fifth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. The Buckeyes claimed 10 top-eight finishes and collected four medals.

Jyles Etienne.

July 3, 2020

Sheldon Longley

0266 Views

Bahamian collegiate high jumper Jyles Etienne has yet another accolade under his belt, but this time it’s on the academic side as opposed to athletics.

Etienne, who excelled athletically as a junior for The Bahamas at CARIFTA and other regional and world meets, was among nine Indiana Hoosiers male track and field athletes, and a school record 96 Hoosiers in total, named as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholars on Wednesday. It was a significant improvement from the 67 Hoosier student-athletes who received the recognition for the 2018-19 school year.

In competition, Etienne was on target to accomplish massive heights this season until the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March. The college season was cut short, but not before the former CARIFTA Champion was able to turn in a number of top three finishes.

Etienne cleared a personal best 2.23 meters (m) – 7’ 3-3/4” – at the 2019 Hoosier Open in his school’s home facility, the Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse, in Bloomington, Indiana, in December 2019, taking the title at that event. In January, he had a trio of top three finishes climaxed with a 2.21m effort (7’ 3”) at the 2020 Indiana University Relays, again at the Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse. Then, at the end of February, Etienne claimed his first Big Ten title, matching his personal best of 2.23m indoors.

For his efforts, he was named as a U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American, finishing in a six-way tie for ninth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Rankings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season came to an abrupt halt just before the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.

This latest accolade is a testament to what Etienne was able to accomplish in the classroom, though. He earned a grade point average (GPA) of 3.71 this year, bringing his cumulative GPA up to 3.22. To be eligible for the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award, an athlete had to compete in sports for a full year while maintaining at least a 3.7 GPA.

Etienne, 21, said he is humbled by the recognition.

“This just shows that all of the hard work that I put in during the year has paid off,” he said. “This is the first time I am being honored for an academic achievement. Before it was just athletics, so it feels good to be recognized as a top scholar. I feel that this is a good accomplishment for me. The hardest thing for me was time management. Once I balanced my time appropriately, I was able to do well academically – go to bed on time and do homework on time in order to be well rested and ready to compete. That played a big part in everything I was able to accomplish this past year.”

Big Ten faculty representatives established the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. The award encompasses only students with a minimum GPA of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year, excluding summer school, while the Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student’s academic career.

As for Etienne, going forward for the remainder of the year and into the 2020-2021 season, he said he is optimistic. He is looking to perform well in his senior year in school, and also to qualify for the 2020 Olympics which has been pushed back to the summer of 2021, still in Tokyo, Japan. The qualifying mark for the Olympics in the men’s high jump is 2.33m (7’ 7-3/4”). Etienne has personal best leaps of 2.23m indoors and 2.20m (7’ 2-1/2”) outdoors.

“Once I get that mark (2.33m), I believe that everything else will fall into play and I will be able to achieve success,” he said. “The Olympics being pushed back means more time to improve for me. If I had the mark, I would have felt a little disappointed but this gives me more time to make that mark. This postponement will work in my favor, I believe.”

The Olympics is now set for July 23 to August 8, 2021. Etienne said that training has been a bit difficult for him since the closure of tracks and facilities in March due to COVID-19, but now that he is home and the national facility is open, he is able to put in some work.

“Well, I’m starting to get back into it. Being here in Nassau, I’m able to train fives days per week with Coach James Rolle, so it’s going good,” he said. “I’m hoping to set a PR (personal best height) at the nationals on August 1, and then return to Indiana after that. Being home is a benefit for me right now,. The people back at school can’t even use the track, so it’s good that I could come out here and train hard with my coach.”

A subdued Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) National Open Championships is set for August 1. Locally, here at home, Etienne trains with Coach Rolle and his Leap of Faith Club.

As for his collegiate goals for his senior season, Etienne said he is looking to repeat as Big Ten Indoor Champion, do well at the indoor nationals and excel outdoors as well. He wants to culminate the season by qualifying for the Olympics, and representing The Bahamas well at that global competition.

The sky remains the limit for the 6’5” high jumper from The Bahamas.

Izayah Cumming

s.May 14, 2020

The Nassau Guardian

0430 Views

It was five years ago when he left us for eternity.

I have no doubt, though, that if he was with us today, Godwin Blyden, the quiet, consummate linebacker with a giant heart, would be smiling and happily nodding his head over the news that his grandson, Izayah Cummings, is a freshman wide receiver at the University of Kentucky (UK).

The son of Blyden’s first daughter, Natasha Blyden-Cummings, young Izayah stands at 6’4” and weighs 225 pounds. He is from Louisville, Kentucky, and was one of the most highly-recruited wide receivers in the United States. He selected UK over 15 other offers.

Grandfather Blyden flirted with entering the National Football League (NFL) back in 1972, when he and Allan Ingraham, from the local sandlot league background, were invited to the Washington Redskins’ camp by the then-coach George Allen. The late Blyden’s connection to primetime American football continues through Cummings, who is making waves.

His résumé is notable, inclusive of Louisville Male High School Football District Player of the Year for 2019; Offensive Player of the Year for 2019; District Regional Champion 2019; Male State 6A National Championship 2018; and Mr. Kentucky Football Finalist 2019. Depending upon coronavirus and the scheduling of UK, Cummings is due to begin his freshman season next month.

The Bahamian-rooted player is a blue-chipper for sure. Other than the aforementioned, Cummings is on the verge of embarking on a collegiate career, having accomplished more than most. He is listed as the No. 86 wide receiver in the nation coming out of high school. Last season, at Louisville Male High, he snatched 55 balls and had 12 touchdowns, leading his team to a 14-1 win-loss record and a spot in the 6A State Championship. He was ranked fifth in 6A, in receiving yards, and sixth in receptions, although getting into three less games than the state leader and a number of the other top receivers.

Cummings averaged 20 yards per catch and 96 yards per game. In his last two high school seasons, he caught 23 touchdowns, and is known for elevation and speed. He has 4.59 seconds 40-yard speed in his legs. Cummings has a vertical leap of 38 inches.

In choosing UK, Cummings turned down major sports institutions such as the University of Louisville, Indiana University, Purdue University, the University of Virginia, the University of Missouri and others.

Tremendously talented, the freshman also brings to UK the kind of disciplinary ethics and thirst for knowledge that were synonymous with his grandfather. Mom Natasha is proud of the football link her son Izayah has to her father.

“He (Godwin) was very proud of Izayah. Before he died, he spoke to Izayah on Skype and they talked about football. If he was alive, he would certainly be preparing to attend his grandson’s college games,” she said when communicating with me recently.

Her father’s athletic legacy lives on through her son! Godwin, continue to rest in peace!

Best wishes Izayah!

• To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at e-mail address sturrup1504@gmail.com or on WhatsApp at (242) 727-6363. 

Chavez Young.

July 2, 2020

Simba French

1247. Views

After months of waiting for the start of the Minor League Baseball (MiLB) regular season, Bahamian players got confirmation that their seasons have been officially canceled.

The announcement was made on Tuesday on the MiLB website.

With that news, 2020 has been lost for the minor leagues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bahamian players were looking forward to possibly moving up the ranks this year.

Players in the system include but are not limited to Kristian Robinson (Arizona Diamondbacks), Tahnaj Thomas (Pittsburgh Pirates), D’Shawn Knowles (Los Angeles Angels), Trent Deveaux (Angels), Keithron Moss (Texas Rangers), Ian Lewis (Miami Marlins), Chavez Young (Toronto Blue Jays), Davonn Mackey (Oakland Athletics), James Rolle (Baltimore Orioles), Dax Stubbs (Orioles), Chavez Fernander (Detroit Tigers), Everette Cooper (Houston Astros) and D’Vaughn Knowles (New York Yankees).

The announcement stated: “Major League Baseball (MLB) has informed Minor League Baseball that it will not be providing its affiliated minor league teams with players for the 2020 season. As a result, there will not be a Minor League Baseball season in 2020.”

MiLB President and Chief Operating Officer Pat O’Conner said: “These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization as this is the first time in our history that we’ve had a summer without Minor League Baseball played. While this is a sad day for many, this announcement removes the uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season and allows our teams to begin planning for an exciting 2021 season of affordable family entertainment.”

Robinson, Thomas, D’Shawn Knowles, Deveaux, and Moss were among their teams’ top 30 prospects for this season. Lewis, Stubbs and Cooper are rookies and were excited to show up and show out for their respective clubs.

The majority of Bahamian players returned home in March just before the closing of The Bahamas’ borders.

“We are a fans-in-the-stands business. We don’t have national TV revenues,” O’Conner said. “There was a conversation at one point: well, can we play without fans? That was one of the shortest conversations in the last six months. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

O’Conner estimated that 85-90 percent of revenue is related to ticket money, concessions, parking and ballpark advertising. The minors drew 41.5 million fans last year for 176 teams in 15 leagues, averaging 4,044 fans per game.

As for pay for those players, some teams have extended offers to pay minor leaguers $400 weekly through July.

The Professional Baseball Agreement between the majors and minors expires September 30, and MLB has proposed reducing the minimum affiliates from 160 to 120.

MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) came to an agreement last week to resume with a 60-game regular season, one of the shortest ever.

Training camps for teams got underway yesterday. A couple of Bahamians made the 60-man taxi squad for the 2020 MLB season for their respective teams. They are Lucius Fox Jr. (Tampa Bay Rays) and Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm (Miami Marlins). They will be looking to get a chance to be called up to their respective active rosters in a limited season.

The 60-man taxi squad is a feeder system that provides call-up options, injury and illness replacements, with opportunities. Those players will work out and stay game ready, waiting for their names to be called. They are high-level prospects who will get in some developmental work.

Both Fox and Chisholm were in Spring Training for their respective teams before the presence of the pandemic ceased it.

MiLB, which began as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, was founded over a century ago, on September 5, 1901.

University of The Bahamas Mingoes forward Denzel Deveaux dribbles the ball. FILE

July 1, 2020

The Nassau Guardian

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As student-athletes in the United States of America (USA) are headed back to their respective campuses, the University of The Bahamas (UB) Athletics Department is looking to do the same with their athletes later this month.

The university’s athletic director, Kimberley Rolle, said that they are looking to physically return this month.

“We are looking to return to campus for physical engagement of student-athletes some time in July. Currently, we are in phase two which is virtual training. All of our athletes and teams are engaged in virtual training with our athletic trainers. For example, our Head Athletic Trainer Sasha Johnson has a few teams that she is dealing with. She is responsible for getting them going with their strength and conditioning. Likewise, our other trainer, Shakeitha Henfield, has teams she is working with as far as getting them going again with strength and conditioning training. That is where we are at,” Rolle said.

Rolle said that the virtual training will continue until the university opens its campus for athletes to return, which will be in limited stages. This month, she said, they are looking at the possibility of the student-athletes undergoing a pre-participation physical to ensure they all are fit and given the green light by a physician to compete. Once that happens, they are going to start looking at getting the athletes ready for outdoor fitness activities with social distancing and all the health and safety protocols that have already been established in place.

The athletic director has been monitoring what colleges are doing abroad. One of the colleges she mentioned was Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. That school canceled all fall semester sports. According to Rolle, it is too early for UB to make a similar stance and that it is not solely up to her and her department to make that decision. She said a decision of that magnitude calls for a number of discussions between her department and the university’s administrators and council.

Rolle said that it will be different when the student-athletes return to practice and play, and that they understand that there is going to be a level of frustration involved.

“In The Bahamas we have to be very careful because we know that our tests are limited and we don’t want to put our student-athletes in a situation where we expose them to that (COVID-19) because we want to ensure their safety. That is why our athletic trainers have been very diligent about establishing a whole set of protocols that will guide us in going forward in this COVID-19 area. Whenever we start again, all of our athletes prior to every practice are going to get their temperatures checked. They are also going to do a quick survey of questions and, depending on how they respond to that and their temperatures, that will determine whether or not they practice that day,” Rolle said.

The university’s athletics department has a phased approach to its return to play. A lot of that is predicated on the university’s return to campus policy. Rolle said that the university has established a task force which lays out what offices will be opened initially, how they are going to return to

classes, and how they are going to do things on campus, among other things. That task force is evolving everyday, said Rolle.

The UB Mingoes currently engages in competition in eight sports – men’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s softball, men’s and women’s cross country racing, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s judo and men’s and women’s golf.

For now, Rolle said that it is unlikely that the men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams will be traveling to Florida to compete against other colleges in the fall.

Back in March, the New Providence Basketball Association (NPBA) was forced to suspend its season during the playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That stoppage meant that the UB Mingoes men’s basketball playoff run was halted. The men’s soccer team’s season in the Bahamas Men’s Soccer League was also put on hold. The track and field teams also saw their season cut short. Then, there was the Mingoes women’s softball team that was set to start its season in the New Providence Softball Association (NPSA). That season has been halted as well.