06272016 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016

Copa America

The Final, Page 5

Steven Gardiner retains national title in the 400m

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net STEVEN Gardiner retained his men’s 400 metres national title in one of the most competitive finals ran at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Championships in quite a while.

Gardiner, 20, already booked for the 2016 Olympic Games, lowered his season’s best from 44.62 seconds done in Atlanta, Georgia on June 4, to 44.46 in blowing away the field as he came off the final curve on Saturday night for another qualifying time for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, pulling Alonzo Russell through with him in his second place finish in 45.25.

The women’s quarter-mile race at the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium was a run-away for Shaunae Miller, who after slowing down and checking on her rivals on the home stretch, eased across the line comfortably in 52.17 to also dip under the 52.20.

And in one of the greatest individual performances in the sprints, Tynia Gaither, fresh off her double appearance at the NCAA Championships, made it look so easy as she posted a rare women’s sweep of the 100 and 200 metres.

Also on the track over the two days of competition, Shavez Hart and Ian Kerr split the men’s sprint titles, while Jeffery Gibson stayed unbeaten in the men’s 400m hurdles.

Gardiner, the slender 6-foot-2 gentle giant, who reminds you so much of former record holder and national champion Avard Moncur, had to run hard out of lane two after he posted the seventh fastest time in slowing down coming off the curve in winning his preliminary heat the night before.

“It was pretty good. It was a nice race. It was well executed like my coach told me,” said Gardiner, who is coached by George Cleare, the designated but yet to be ratified head coach for the Olympic team. “I came out with the vic-

STEVEN GARDINER (AP) tory. I’m very happy with the performance.

“Lane two was a very tough lane, but I knew I had to go for it.”

Gardiner, who got started in

athletics under coach Anthony Williams in Moore’s Island, did as he made up the stagger on the field through the first 200m as he came off the final curve, he was in complete control of the race and he continued to apply the pressure as he brought it home in his convincing victory.

His performance against a stacked field of former national champions and international competitors, including Russell, who did 45.25 to become the fourth Bahamian to dip under the Olympic qualifier of 45.40 for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while veteran Chris ’Fireman’ Brown was third in 45.59.

“I feel pretty good. I knew I had it,” said 24-year-old Russell, who is coming off his second round appearance in the 400m at the IAAF World Indoors in Portland, Oregon, in March.

“I finally got it, so I’m very excited. I want to thank God and my coaching staff. I knew coming into the race, I was prepared to do something big. I’m just so happy

that I qualified.”

Brown, the veteran of the field at age 37, knew that it was going to be a difficult run, but he gave it his best shot.

“First of all, I want to thank God for keeping me healthy. I think I ran too hard in the back stretch, but I’m satisfied with the way I ran today,” Brown said. “I just got out too hard, didn’t stick to my race plan and I paid for it coming home.

“I just have to work on being consistent and getting back to top form.”

In what was the marquee event of the two-day meet, Stephen ‘Dirty’ Newbold make a dramatic comeback for fourth in 45.80 ahead of Demetrius Pinder, who was back after an injured season last year, for 46.26 for fifth.

Michael Mathieu, the other Olympic qualifier, was sixth in 46.29 and former national record holder and champion Andretti Bain had to settle for seventh in

SEE PAGE 2

Swift national champions for the 6th straight year

MAKING A SPLASH: Swift Swimming Club has claimed the Bahamas Swimming Federation’s National Championship, presented by RBC, for an unprecedented sixth consecutive year. Swift concluded the 45th edition of the four-day meet last night at the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre with a total of 1768.50 points, 157 points ahead of the Barracuda Swim Club who finished second with 1611.50 points.

SEE THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 3 Photo by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

Athletes expected to ‘come to our national trials and compete’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ALTHOUGH they have to qualify, the athletes selected to Team Bahamas for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, still have to wait for the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations to submit their recommendations to the Bahamas Olympic Committee for their final ratification.

Following the National Open Championships on Friday and Saturday night at the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, the BAAAs Selection Committee held their meeting on Sunday and are expected to complete their list to submit to the BOC this week.

But BAAAs president Rosamunde Carey, who sits on the selection committee, said it won’t be a cut and dry process because of a few variables that they have to

consider. “We want to thank the NSA (National Sports Authority) for allowing us to be in this place,” Carey said. “And the Royal Bahamas Police Pop Band for coming out and entertaining the crowd.

The crowd had some mixed reaction because we were expecting every athlete who wants to make the Olympic team to show up and compete in the trials. Even if you have already qualified, it’s mandatory that you come out and compete to at least show your fitness level.

“We had to cancel a whole event because we didn’t have the athletes show up and that is a very big concern for the federation because when the public is paying those athletes on subventions, we expect for them to come to our national trials and compete. The question is will those athletes who didn’t show up for the trials, by

SEE PAGE 2

ADRIAN GRIFFITH (332) wins his heat of the men’s 100 metres.

Photo by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

PAGE 2, Monday, June 27, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Steven Gardiner retains national title in the 400m FROM PAGE 1E 47.90. Collegian Henry Delauze didn’t finish.

In the women’s race, Miller also made up the stagger early through the first 200m and was unchallenged as she came off the final curve well ahead of the pack. She went into a jog, looking on both sides of her to take the tape in 52.17.

“I just want to thank God that I came out healthy,” she said. “I sort of took my time with the race.

I’m happy with it. This was just a training base. I’m happy with the run.”

As a top contender for the gold medal in Rio after she picked up a silver behind American Allyson Felix at the IAAF World Championships last year in Beijing, China, Miller said her training is going very well and she’s looking forward to seeing how she will do at the Olympics.

Lanece Clarke, a training partner of Steven Gardiner, was second in 53.28 with Shaquania Dorsett taking third in 53.97. Veteran Christine Amertil was fourth in 54.00 and Coshan Campbell rounded out the top five in 57.72.

“I poorly executed. I felt ready, but there were a few minor things

that I did wrong, but I’m happy that I finished the race healthy,” Clarke said. “I want to thank my parents, my coach and my supporters. I did my best.”

Gaither, who just completed her senior year at the University of Southern California with a fourth in the 100m and fifth in the 200m at the NCAA Championship, has already qualified for the Olympics.

But she assured her trip to Rio by outclassing the field for her double, taking the century crown on Friday in 11.53 over collegian Janae Ambrose, who did 11.72, while Tayla Carter was third in 11.77. Veteran Debbie FergusonMcKenzie, in her final swan song at age 40, came in fifth in 11.81 and Grand Bahamian Nivea Smith, back after a short hiatus, was sixth in 11.85. Gaither, 23, came back on Saturday and pulled off the half-lap race in 23.00 to once again go under the Olympic cut of 23.20. Anthonique Strachan, back from surgery last year, was second in 23.40 and Sheniqua ‘Q’ Ferguson, who is training in Jamaica, was third in 23.54.

Collegian Carmiesha Cox got fourth in 23.61 with Ambrose settling for fifth in 24.10. Jermeka McBridge was sixth in 24.35 and

Nivea Smith rounded out the field in seventh in 24.50.

“It was fun. I like the 200m on this track. Those girls out there are nothing to play with. It was great competition, but I knew that I would come out here and get a good run against them,” Gaither said. “I tried to get a good start.

My 60 in the 200 has always been my strongest point, so I tried to do and then work on technique coming in.

As for posting the double, Gaither said she’s blessed.

“It’s a very great feeling. I’m blessed and I’m healthy and that’s the result of that,” she added about her performances. “I haven’t been able to come home and represent like I wanted to for a long time due to injuries, so just to come here and make the crowd happy is a blessed feeling.”

The men’s century came down to two Olympic qualifiers in Shavez Hart and Adrian Griffith. Hart, in the middle of the field, took the tape in 10.38 with Griffith, on the outside, tumbling across the line in 10.38 for second.

American Kevin Snead was third in 10.44.” To be honest, it was a horrible first 50. I had to dig deep and use my feet,” said Hart, as he picked up his third consecu-

tive title. “This season was a real battling season with injuries and stuff, so I’m glad that I came out here healthy.”

Hart said the headwind had a lot to do with the times they posted, but having already qualified for the Olympics, he will take the time and build on the performance as he looks ahead to Rio. Griffith, on the other hand, admitted that there wasn’t anything they could do with the wind conditions.

“It wasn’t the best condition to sprint tonight, but I’m just happy that it’s over and we’re on our way to Rio,” he said. “I just wanted to show them that I’m fit and I will do what I have to do.”

Looking back at the race itself, Griffith said he was a bit sluggish.

“I didn’t see anybody at the beginning, but something just told me I should have pushed, I should have listened to that mind,” he pointed out. “I just tried to over step it and he caught me at the end. That is championship running, so at the end of the day, the best man won.”

Ian Kerr, who just completed his sophomore year at Western Texas College, exploded to the victory in the men’s 200m in 20.72, but he was off the Olympic

cut of 20.50. Blake Bartlett came in second in 20.82 and Elroy McBridge did 20.85 for third.

“My performance was pretty good, but it could have been a whole lot better,” Kerr said.

“My first 90 metres on the curve was weak, but coming onto the straight, I executed from there and I brought it home strong.”

And in the men’s 400m hurdles, Jeffery Gibson was virtually unchallenged as he picked up his victory in 50.24, well ahead of his nearest rival, Andre Colebrooke, who did 51.44 for second. Desmond Major was third in 54.81.

Although he has already done the Olympic cut of 49.50, Gibson said he still has some work to get back to that level.

“I felt really good. I felt strong and aggressive going into the back stretch,” Gibson said. “The first 200 of the race, I’ve been having a lot of problems with that, so just looking at how I ran today, I could see where I’m improving and getting to where I want to be.”

Gibson, the 2015 IAAF World Championship bronze medallist, said once he can correct his mistakes, he should be in a better position to pursue another appearance on the podium in his Olympic debut.

TYNIA GAITHER (271) leads her heat of the women’s 100m.

Athletes expected to ‘come to our national trials and compete’ FROM PAGE 1

recommended by the federation and will the BOC take our recommendations into consideration.

“The BOC has also said that every athlete who wanted to make the Olympic team had to come home to compete. For those who didn’t compete, we need to know why they didn’t compete. Are they injured or are they just not interested in competing. We had one or two athletes who submitted a medical certificate ahead of the trials indicating that they are indeed injured, but we also had one or two athletes who sent in their certificates on the day of the trials. So that is a concern and something that the federation has to address.”

Carey said it’s imperative that all athletes on subvention should be accountable to the government of the Bahamas by ensuring that they come home and compete in the trials. During the athletes’ meeting on Saturday morning, Carey reiterated to the athletes the importance of them coming home and competing in the trials.

“One of the things that they have to do is that it is mandatory that they have to show up and compete in the Nationals, so they leave themselves with a question mark behind their names about whether or not they will be able to make the Olympic team.”

Ralf McKinney, the BAAAs recommended team manager for the Olympics, statistician Rupert Gardiner, recommended assistant coach Tyrone Burrows, were among the list of persons who sat on the selection committee.

“This is an Olympic event and in order for you to be selected, you have to qualify,” Carey said.

However, the BAAA will have to make a selection on the pool for all four of the relay teams, even though there is no qualification times for them to run in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 metres.

They have to post one of the top 16 times in the world in order to secure a spot for Rio. “We do have a meet in the BVI (British Virgin Islands) where we hope to

ADRIAN GRIFFITH (332) wins his heat of the men’s 100 metres.

Photos by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff field a women’s 4 x 400m team to compete because they were sitting in the 13th spot, but they have now dropped to number 25,” Carey said. “The window closes on July 11 so we are hoping to take them to BVI where we hope they can improve on their time.

“We also have the Blue Marlin meet here on July 10 where we will run the four relay teams. We have Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago and possibly the United States, so we hope to have some stiff competition for them to compete in. We need at least three countries to run in the race in order for the times to be official.”

So Carey said the selection process is still not cut and dry following the trials.

It’s still going to be a wait and see who will make up Team Bahamas for Rio in August.

SHENIQUA ‘Q’ FERGUSON leads Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie in their heat of the women’s 100m.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, June 27, 2016, PAGE 3

Swift Swimming claims the National Championship for 6th straight year

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net FOR an unprecedented sixth consecutive year, Swift Swimming has claimed the Bahamas Swimming Federation’s National Championship, presented by RBC. Swift concluded the 45th edition of the four-day meet last night at the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre with a total of 1768.50 points, 157 points ahead of the Barracuda Swim Club who finished second with 1611.50 points.

Alpha Aquatics Swim Club was third with 860 points, Freeport Aquatic Club was fourth with 789 points and Team Orca closed out the top five with 457.50 points.

The remainder of the field included Abaco Swim Club in sixth with 423 points, The Dolphin Swimming club seventh with 415, Blue Marlin Aquatics eighth with 225, Sea Waves Aquatic Team ninth with 83, Lyford Cay Swim Club 10th with 68.50 and St Anne’s School Blue Waves with six.

Surrounded by his swimmers donning special tshirts commemorating the prestigious achievement of six straight, Swift head coach Andy Knowles said it was fulfilling for the group to emerge once again with the win.

“It’s something we really worked hard on all year.

Our goal was to win six in a row because no one had ever done that. We’ve won

A YOUNG SWIMMER competes at the BSF Nationals over the weekend.

Photo by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff five, Barracuda has won five, but this is the first time a team has been able to go six in a row. At the beginning of the season we definitely had some age groups we were very weak in, and it was good to see so many of those kids making finals in some of those age groups where a lot of people may had written us off,” he said.

“We do our homework, we plan the whole year, we look at the events we try to cover and we work on getting those kids to swim those events the whole year.

We try to keep in contact with our swimmers that are away. They are always doing real well and when everyone is home we are big and strong so we see

the result of that, being able to pull off six in a row and complete the goal.”

While in the midst of the celebration of number six, Knowles said the group is already looking ahead to preparation for continuing the streak.

“I’ve been around this sport for about 55 years and it’s always just as hard to keep focus and maintain momentum. My wife and I do it together. We seem to cover the coaching and administrative aspects,” he said. “We have great coaches coming up through the pipeline, so all that makes it easier to keep going and supplement all the hard work these kids put into this day in and day out.”

Swift produced four high point trophy winners in their respective divisions.

Logan Roberts took the girls under-8 with 55 points, Katelyn Cabral won the girls 11-12 with 57 points, Darren Laing won the boys 13-14 with 62 points and Albury Higgs took the girls 15 and over division with 65 points.

Lamar Taylor of Freeport Aquatic, swimming in the boys 11-12 division, was the overall high point winner with 90 points.

Other division winners included Tre Moncur (Barracudas) in the boys under-8 with 37, Abayomi Brown (Freeport Aquatic) with 86 points in the girls 9-10, Nigel Forbes (Freeport Aquatic)

with 79 points in the boys 9-10, Anya MacPhail (Barracudas) with 75 points in the girls 13-14, and Matthew Lowe (Barracudas) with 61 points to take the boys 15 and over.

The highlight of the meet was the Olympic qualifying standards achieved by Joanna Evans and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace.

Evans, who recently completed her freshman season at the University of Texas, achieved the FINA “A” standard of 8:33.97 secs in the 800 free, taking the event in 8:32.19 secs.

She also achieved the “B” standard of 4:17.80 secs in the 400m free with her finals time of 4:17.37 secs.

Vanderpool-Wallace surpassed the “A” standard of 25.28 secs in the 50m free with her time of 24.94 secs.

In the 100m free, she surpassed the “B” standard 56.34 secs with her finals time of 54.52 secs.

BSF President Algernon Cargill said the federation was pleased to be able to host four days of record breaking competition.

He said the development of the national development programme has been due in large part to the partnership with RBC which has now extended more than three decades. However, further assistance from corporate Bahamas and a change in perception must be made among the Bahamian public if the sport will continue to develop.

“We are very happy with the long term support of RBC. For 32 years they

have sponsored the National Swimming Championships and for the last five years the academic All-Bahamian award and this is the longest private enterprise sponsorship of a sporting organisation in the Bahamas. What we are happy about is that RBC continually increases its support and it’s very indicative of our athletes and their performances,” he said.

He said one of the highlights of the meet as always was the appearance of Vanderpool-Wallace as the top star to make a splash and now joined by Evans as a fellow Olympian.

“It’s an inspiration to the young swimmers because we want them to know that they got a start at these championships. So if they made it to the Olympic stage and now excel on the professional level, it can be done,” Cargill said. “One of the first things we have to do is change the incorrect perception that swimming is an elitist sport. We have a diverse group of swimmers from all educational backgrounds and one of the things that hurts recruiting new athletes at times is people thinking that this sport is just ‘for rich people.’ That is simply not true. We embrace learning development, we promote education and also we want to provide Bahamians to get an education beyond the high school level, into the tertiary level. We need corporate Bahamas to continue to come forward and invest in our young people.”

Donald Thomas regains national high jump title

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE three qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Games made sure that their trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, remained intact as they pulled off the top three spots in the men’s high jump at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Championships.

Defending champion Ryan Ingraham, the only member of the field of competitors who didn’t make the Olympic cut of 2.28 metres or 7-feet, 5 ¾-inches, bowed out at 2.15m (7-0 1/2) and had to watch as a new champion was crowned.

Donald Thomas, the top performer so far this year, regained the national title by soaring 2.27m (7-5 ¼) to hold off his Rio bound team-mates Jamal Wilson and Trevor Barry, who came in second and third respectively as they both cleared 2.25m (7-4 ½).

While the event lived up to its advanced billing, Thomas asked why the BAAA continues to put their competition as the first on the schedule at 5pm when most of the people are just starting to trickle into the stadium.

“We are the only field event that normally has three qualifiers for any of the major competition and they put us on so early on the programme,” Thomas said. “The high jump goes off on energy and if there isn’t anyone in the stands, the clap that we require is minimum.”

The spotlight was on the men’s triple jump and both the women and men’s long jumps where Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands, Bianca ‘BB’ Stuart and Raymond Higgs prevailed as champions.

Thomas, however, tried to stretch out the competition, but by the time he tried to get into his groove, he was the only competitor left, but he just wanted to take care of business.

“I came home to save my spot on the Olympic team,” he said. “Thank God I did. We have a good core of jumpers. We have three jumpers who are ranked in the top 25 in the world, so I knew it was going to be competitive, so I just wanted to make sure that I was right there with them.”

SHOWN (l-r) are high jumpers Jamal Wilson, Donald Thomas and Trevor Barry.

After his performance, Thomas said the “sky is the limit” in terms of how high he can fly when he gets to Rio, adding that “this is what I live for.”

All through his career, Jamal Wilson was preparing for this moment and now it’s finally here. He can finally go to the Olympics to represent his country at the highest international competition on the planet.

“It feels awesome.

Feel like a dream come through,” he stated. “Feel like all of the hard work that I put in has finally paid off. I’m here, getting ready to go to Rio.” As for the competition, Wilson said it was nerve wrecking at first, but although he encountered some problems, he’s confident that he and coach Ronald Cartwright will make the necessary adjustments before the games.

“I expect us all to make the final and battle for the podium in Rio,” he said.

“It’s going to be awesome.

I wouldn’t pick anybody else that I would rather go with. Me, Trevor and Donald have been travelling all year. I know Ryan fell short, but he’s still young and he still has a lot in him moving forward.”

Critiquing his performance, Wilson said he felt he passed the test with a Bplus grade.

Cartwright said he felt that Wilson could have jumped higher as he was doing in Europe in the meets he competed in prior to the nationals.

“I’ve seen the things

we have to work on and from here on in, I think he will just get some better heights,” he said. “If he’s not ready, I don’t know when he will be.”

Talking about getting ready, Barry said it wasn’t his best, but he can rectify the problem before he goes to Rio. “I know I can jump higher. There are some things that I need to work on,” he said. “On a few jumps, I had some problems with my approach, but if I can get that worked out, I will be ready to compete in Rio. “The high jump has always been a strong event for us and I expect that we will put on a show. I’m just glad to be a part of the team going. I’m confident that I will be ready to improve on my performance here when I get there.”

His coach Keith Parker said Barry’s problem was his approach to the bar and that is something that can easily be corrected. He said he’s looking forward to seeing him. Thomas and Wilson go head-to-head with the rest of the world in Rio. He anticipated some competition from reigning NCAA champion Latario Collie, but Leevan Sands had to settle for just a match-up with twin brother Lathone Minns.

In the end, Sands soared 16.60m (54-5 ½) to claim the title. He felt if he had the other Minns in the pit, he would have been more motivated to surpass the Olympic standard of 16.85m (55-3 ½) that they both have achieved already

to book their ticket to Rio. “It’s been a long week.

I’ve been promoting for this event and I’ve been promoting for another event we (cousin Sosa Man) are putting on tonight. I’ve been to every radio station promoting. I’m just glad to get this part of it done,” he said.

“The crowd was a small crowd, but they were in to it, so I can’t complain about that. I was hoping that Latario would have been here to push me more, but he had an ankle problem. The guys did their best. I had fun and I came out with the win as national champion for 2016.”

Minns, coming off his stellar performance as the sixth Bahamian to win the NCAA men’s triple jump title, suffered an ankle injury on his second attempt and didn’t jump anymore.

He skipped the nationals to allow for the injury to properly heal.

Lathone Minns, one of two other Bahamians in the historic NCAA final, did 16m (52-6) for second on Saturday. Holland Martin came in third with 15.68m (51-5 ½).

Sands, incidentally, was also named as the new athletes’ representative at the annual general meeting with the BAAA earlier that day.

“It means a lot. I think they chose the right person.

I didn’t campaign for it. It was given to me,” he said. “I guess the people know that I’m the type of person who is going to look out for the athletes and be fair.

“I’m not going to pick

sides. There’s a lot of politics going on in the administration, but they know that I’m not going to pick sides. I don’t think anyone can sway me away from my beliefs. I think I will be everything possible for the betterment of the athletes.”

Meanwhile, Stuart successfully defended her women’s long jump title with her winning windaided leap of 6.66m (2110 1/4). Andira Ferguson, the only other competitor, came in second with 5.67m (18-7 ¼).Stuart, who has already surpassed the Olympic standard of 6.50m (21-4), said she did the best she could under the circumstances.

“It didn’t go as well as I expected it go, but I’m glad that I came out healthy,” Stuart said. “I was having some issues with my run up and so I was a little off in

the run, but I started to get going on the last three attempts and I was too late.”

Stuart said she’s just going to focus on getting ready for Rio. In the men’s long jump, two former national teammates went head-to-head with Raymond Higgs posting the best mark of 7.54m (24-9) to snatch the national title over Rudon Bastian, who did 7.50m (24-7 ¼). Estonian Ubio Maicel, one of the visiting athletes, did 7.44m (24-5) for third.

The Olympic standard was 8.05m (26-5).

The women’s triple jump also had a limited field with former collegian Tamara Myers repeating as champion with 13.60m (44-7 ½) to hold off current collegian Danielle Gibson, who did 13.15m (43-1 ¾) for second. The Olympic cut was 14.15m (46-5 ¼).

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS

PAGE 4, Monday, June 27, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Rio Olympic organisers unveil village where athletes to stay

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Olympic Committee had a keen eye on the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations and the Bahamas Swimming Federation’s National Championships at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre over the weekend.

BOC vice president Roy Colebrooke, who will serve as the chef de mission of Team Bahamas, said he wanted to make sure that everything was in order.

“We had a number of persons who I think did very well,” said Colebrooke as he took in the track and field action at the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium on Friday and Saturday.

“I believe with confidence in what I’ve seen and so I feel that the team should be a very good one when the final selection is made. We hope to have a bigger team than the last games in 2012, so it’s just an indication of what is happening in our sporting bodies.”

While the BOC is getting set to complete its team for the trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August, the organising committee in Rio indicated that they are waiting to welcome the world, especially the athletes, to the games.

RIO 2016 has officially unveiled the Athletes’ Village for this year’s Olym-

THE PARKS and outdoor recreation area of the Olympic Village is explored by members of the media during a tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 23. The organisers of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics have unveiled the athletes’ village, where nearly 11,000 competitors and some 6,000 coaches and other team members will stay during the August 5-21 games. (AP) pic and Paralympic Games ahead of the first athlete arrivals next month in Rio de Janeiro.

The Village, located next to the Barra da Tijuca Olympic Park, will house around 11,000 competitors and 6,000 coaches for the Olympics before 4,350 Paralympians and 2,000 officials move in ahead of the Paralympics in September.

The exact cost of the facility has not been revealed.

Rio 2016 claim it is the biggest-ever Village to be used at an Olympic Games as it consists of 31 apartment buildings, some of which are as high as 17 storeys.

A total of 3,604 apartments are available at the Village.

It was revealed by organisers to coincide with Olympic Day, the annual celebration of the Olympic

Movement.

Colebrooke said he’s not surprised because when he travelled to Rio with the other chef de missions to inspect the facilities in November, he discovered that the Games Village was about 90 per cent complete.

As a result of that, Colebrooke said the regional director for the games had informed him that everything is in order.

“Rest assured, I will be down there well ahead of the athletes to ensure that everything is satisfactory for Team Bahamas,” he said. “Wherever there is a concern, I will try to address it so that the athletes won’t have any concerns to worry about once they get there.”

Security, which has been raised as one of the key concerns in the lead-up to Rio 2016, and every athlete’s

bag will be checked and everyone who enters the village will need to go through an X-ray scanner.

As for Zika, the mosquito virus that has affected Brazil and has forced some of the athletes from some of the countries to pull out, Colebrooke once again assured the Bahamian public and the athletes in general, just as he has done before, that they are monitoring the situation.

Colebrooke, however, said if it’s deemed necessary by their health experts that they should not attend, then they will continue with the process of getting Team Bahamas ready to travel in July before the start of the games on August 4.

The BSF has two swimmers who have automatically qualified in Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace and Joanna Evans. Vereance

“Elvis’ Burrows and Dustin Tynes have done the B standard and if they fail to make the A cuts in their respective events, they will have to wait to see if FINA would include their names when they complete the final listing of the swimmers going to Rio. During the BSF’s FINCO Nationals at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex, Evans moved up from the B to the A standard in the women’s 800m freestyle to join Vanderpool-Wallace, who did it in two events prior to coming to the Nationals.

If they don’t make the cut

this weekend, both Burrows and Tynes, as well as any other Bahamian, will have another chance at the Caribbean Islands Swim Championships that will be held from Wednesday to Sunday at the same venue.

More than 30 countries from the region are scheduled to compete.

• The Tribune is following Team Bahamas in the build up to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and will be reporting from Brazil this summer. The ‘242 on the Road to Rio series’ appears every Monday and Thursday.

Comments and responses to bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JONQUEL JONES: ‘EVERYTHING THAT HE’S DONE HE DESERVES IT BECAUSE HE WORKS SO HARD’

INSTRUCTOR SCOTTIE FARRINGTON, camp organiser Jeff Rodgers and his son Jeff Rodgers Jr prepare for the basketball camp that starts today.

29th Jeff Rodgers Summer Basketball Camp starts today

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE oldest basketball camp will get underway today at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, even though organiser Jeff Rodgers will have to operate from the courts on the outside due to the renovations taking place indoors.

Rodgers said his 29th Jeff Rodgers Summer Basketball Camp is shaping up to be just as exciting as it has been in the past with a number of international stars expected to participate throughout the month of activities.

“This year is going to set the bar for my 30th camp next year. We are expecting a great camp this summer with about 300-400 participants,” Rodgers said. “Everything is coming into place. We are looking forward to starting on Monday at 9am.

“We have a number of NBA players who are committed to participating this year. We’re bringing back the legends like Mugsy Bouges, Dell Curry, the father of Seth Curry. We also have Byron Scott and Mychal Thompson, along with Eric Gordon and Andre Iguodala and Sheldon Mack.”

Rodgers thanked Lynden Maycock, the new chairman of the National Sports Authority, for the effort he and his staff have made to facilitate the camp on the outside of the

Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium while the repairs are being carried out on the inside.

The camp is designed for boys and girls aged 5-18 and will be conducted from 9am to 1pm.

Farrington, one of the former campers who is returning to give back to the youngsters, said he’s excited about the potential for this year’s camp.

“This is my seventh year and I’ve seen a lot of kids who have come out of it like DeAndre Ayton, whom we saw when he attended the camp at Bahamas Academy,” Farrington said.

“I think he was in the sixth grade going into seven and he was already 6-feet-7. Look at him today.”

Farrington said it’s so good when they can look at the progress the players are making today, mentioning Deangelo Mackey, who was a stellar performer for the CI Gibson Rattlers.

“I want to continue to teach them about the fundamentals, using the right footwork, how to shoot with both hands,” Farrington said. “Those things you can’t take for granted.

These are some simple stuff that can take them far in life.”

Farrington started this season playing in Sweden and returned home to play for a short time in the New Providence Basketball Association before he finished off in Mexico.

He said he hopes to share some of his expertise as an international

player.

“I’m working with a new agent, who is trying to get me in France,” said Farrington, who has been playing professionally for the past five years.

Farrington, 27, opted not to play on the men’s national basketball team that finished seventh at the CentroBasket Tournament in Panama last week because he wanted to take some time off to recuperate. But he felt that they could have played better.

“Obviously, they are a young squad,” he said. “They took some tough blows and lost some close games. It’s a young squad, so if they can keep them together, they will only get better in the future. They have to go through these growing pains.”

Although he no longer plays after two major injuries sidelined him, Jeff Rodgers Jr said he’s excited to assist his father in keeping the longevity of the camp intact.

“He started this camp a few months before I was born,” said Rodgers Jr, who at 29 is now a restaurant manager at Atlantis. “To know that he has been consistently doing this for 29 years is awesome.

“Most camps last for one year or two, so for him to consistently do this for that long is something that has blown my mind. He has kept it at a high level and it keeps getting better and better.”

WHEN Connecticut Sun rookie Jonquel Jones finished practice on Thursday, she had a pressing question for one of her coaches: “Coach, do you have your phone on you?”

Jones was too busy with her rookie WNBA season to watch childhood friend Buddy Hield get drafted into the NBA, but she made sure she caught up on social media after the big news.

Their friendship dates back to their days growing up in Freeport, Bahamas, where they both attended the Hugh Campbell Primary School (grades 1-6). By high school, they were getting up at six o’clock in the morning to work out together with coach Gladstone “Moon” McPhee before school.

Before they entered the pros within two months of each other, Jones and Hield made a bet on who would be drafted with the higher pick. Jones went sixth to the Los Angeles Sparks on April 14 (she was traded to the Sun on draft night) and Hield went sixth to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.

They called it even.

“The whole Bahamas is really excited about it,” said Jones. “Having two first-rounders in the same year, that’s unprecedented.”

In fact, there’s not much of a precedent for Bahamian basketball players reaching the NBA or WNBA at all.

Jones is believed to be the third Bahamian girls’ basketball player ever to earn a Division I scholarship while Hield grew from “class clown” — Jones’ words — to the best player the country has produced since No. 1 pick Mychal Thompson in 1978.

Jones said she didn’t even bother reaching out to Hield on his big night, remembering how messages flooded into her inboxes when she got drafted and knowing that Buddy’s experience would be “10 times that.” Instead, Jones reached out to his sister, Pepper — a former track and field teammate — to tell her how proud she was.

“Everything that he’s done he deserves it because he works so hard,” Jones said. “Every time you hear a story about his work ethic, everything I’ve heard has been the exact truth.”

BUDDY HIELD, of the Bahamas, heads to the NBA Draft in JF J. Ferrar only at JCPenney on Thursday in New York. (AP)

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, June 27, 2016, PAGE 5

Chile wins 2nd straight Copa America title as Messi misses

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi still awaits his first title with Argentina’s national team.

Messi put his penalty kick over the crossbar, Francisco Silva converted Chile’s shootout finale and La Roja won their second straight Copa America title by beating Argentina 4-2 on penalty kicks following a 0-0 tie last night.

Playing two days after his 29th birthday, Messi lost a final for the third year in a row following an extra-time defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup and a penalty-kicks loss to host Chile in last year’s Copa America. The fivetime FIFA Player of the Year has won four Champions League titles and eight La Liga crowns with Barcelona, but has never taken a trophy with Argentina’s senior team. For its 100th anniversary, South America’s championship was expanded to 16 nations and played in the United States, and Argentina was hoping to win its

first major title since 1993.

In an ill-tempered match that included an ejection on each side and eight yellow cards, the match was scoreless through regulation and 30 minutes of extra time, with Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain missing a clear goal-scoring opportunity for the third straight final.

Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved the opening kick

by Arturo Vidal, and up stepped Messi, the best player of his generation and considered alongside Brazil’s Pele and Argentina’s Diego Maradona as the sport’s greatest ever. But in the minds of many, he needs a title with his nation to solidify that claim.

Messi sent his shot over Claudio Bravo — his Barcelona teammate — and into the stands.

Messi turned, bowed his head and clenched both fists in frustration.

Nicolas Castillo and Charles Aranguiz converted their kicks for Chile, and Javier Mascherano and Sergio Aguero made theirs, leaving the teams tied 2-2 after three rounds.

ARGENTINA’s Lionel Messi reacts after losing 4-2 to Chile in penalty kicks in the Copa America Centenario championship soccer match last night in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP) Jean Beausejour put Chile ahead, and Bravo dived to his right, saving Lucas Biglia’s shot and bringing up Silva, a 30-yearold midfielder. Messi briefly pulled his jersey of his face, as if

not wanting to watch.

Romero dived to his left and the shot went in to his right, giving Chile another title.

Messi crouched over, as if in pain, then got up, took off his

captain’s armband and walked to the bench, where he was consoled

by Angel Di Maria. After Messi came back on the field, Aguero put a hand on one of Messi’s shoulders.

France, Germany and Belgium EURO 2016 show their Euro 2016 credentials AT A GLANCE PARIS (AP) - France, Germany and Belgium sealed their places in the quarter-finals of the European Championship yesterday as three of the pretournament favourites lived up to their promise.

There was a scare for the Euro 2016 hosts after Ireland scored a second-minute penalty, but Antoine Griezmann struck twice after the break to give France a deserved 2-1 victory in Lyon.

While France were made to work hard to advance, Germany had no such difficulties in a polished 3-0 victory over Slovakia while Eden Hazard inspired Belgium to a crushing 4-0 win over Hungary.

The goals and the quality of the football over the three games were a marked improvement on the previous day.

The relief was palpable at the Stade de Lyon after France finally overwhelmed an Ireland side that had led through Robbie Brady’s spot kick, after Paul Pogba bundled Shane Long to the ground.

Ireland chased for every ball and worked tirelessly to defend their slender lead but Griezmann’s two goals in three minutes midway through the second half saw the natural order restored, and a red card for Shane Duffy in the 66th minute all but ended the contest.

“When Ireland took the lead it made us a bit more uncomfortable in the first half,” France coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged.

“They showed a lot of enthusiasm, but we had to dig deep, get through the situation and get in front.”

France’s reward is a quarter-final next Sunday at the Stade de France in Saint-

Kick offs Bahamian time All matches televised live on ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN Deportes

FRANCE’S ANTOINE GRIEZMANN, left, celebrates with his teammate Olivier Giroud after scoring his side’s first goal, during the Euro 2016 round of 16 soccer match between France and Ireland, at the Grand Stade in Decines-­Charpieu, near Lyon, France, yesterday.

(AP)

Denis against either England or Iceland, who play today in the final round of last 16 match.

Germany, the world champions, scored early and never looked back against a Slovakia side that had surprisingly beaten Joachim Loew’s world champions in a friendly last month.

Jerome Boateng broke the deadlock after just eight minutes in Lille with a deflected shot, his first goal in 63 appearances for Germany. Mesut Ozil missed a penalty shortly afterwards but Mario Gomez stabbed home Germany’s second just before the break after a clever cutback by Julian Draxler, who then volleyed home the third midway through the second half.

“Now the games that we’re looking forward to are coming,” Gomez said.

“They’re why we came to the European Championship. Of course we want the title. And for that you have to beat such teams.”

If Slovakia proved to be a relatively easy proposition, the same cannot be said of Germany’s next opponents - either two-time defending

champions Spain or Italy, who meet today. That quarter-final will be played on Saturday in Bordeaux.

Hazard may be coming off a mediocre season with Chelsea, but he lit up the Stade de Toulouse yesterday. After Toby Alderweireld headed Belgium into a 10th-minute lead, Hazard turned victory into a rout in the closing stages.

He began by surging past Hungary’s defence and sending over a low cross for substitute Michy Batshuayi to steer home in the 78th minute, then followed up by scoring a spectacular solo goal, breaking down the left on a counterattack before cutting inside, skipping past three Hungary defenders and curling a shot into the bottom right corner.

Substitute Yannick Ferreira Carrasco struck the fourth in added time as Belgium lined up a quarter-final against Wales on Friday in Lille.

“We should have been 3-0 up after the first half,” Belgium coach Marc Wilmots lamented. “We kept the game 1-0 too long. We needed too many chances,

POLAND SPOT ON WITH PENALTIES AFTER SHAQIRI’S WONDER STRIKE PARIS (AP) - The quarter-final lineup at the European Championship started to take shape on Saturday after three drab matches that will live forever in the record books but not in the memory.

The start of the round of 16 saw Poland, Portugal and Wales make it through to the final eight at Euro 2016.

Poland qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Championship for the first time after converting all their penalties to beat Switzerland 5-4 in a shootout in Saint-Etienne.

Following a 1-1 draw that Switzerland had dominated for long periods, Grzegorz Krychowiak stepped up to score the winning penalty.

Krychowiak’s spot-kick capped an impressive display by Poland during the shootout. The only player to miss was Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka, who fired wide of the left post.

“Preparing for this match, we tried to improve our penalties, and we knew

they’d be taken in the best possible way,” Poland coach Adam Nawalka said.

The abiding memory of the game though will be the 82nd minute equaliser for Switzerland by Xherdan Shaqiri, the goal of the tournament so far. Jumping with his back to goal, Shaqiri sent a left-foot volley from the edge of the area onto the inside of the post and into the net.

Poland’s opponents in the quarter-finals will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal following their 1-0 victory over Croatia after extra time in Lens.

The match had been labelled as one of the ties of the round, but it did not take off until both sides were staring at the prospect of a penalty shootout.

Substitute Ricardo Quaresma scored the only goal in the match in the 117th minute with Portugal’s only serious attack.

The goal came after Ronaldo’s one effort in the match was parried by goalkeeper Danijel Subasic into

the path of the stooping Quaresma, who headed the ball into an unguarded net from close range.

The goal came about 30 seconds after Croatia had their best effort on goal when Ivan Perisic struck the post with a header.

“Croatia is the team that played the best football in the group stages,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. “Today, we were the lucky ones, but I think it was fair.”

Saturday’s other match between Wales and Northern Ireland, both playing in a European Championship for the first time, had even fewer highlights.

Wales won 1-0 courtesy of a 75th-minute own-goal

by Northern Ireland defender Gareth McAuley, who inadvertently turned Gareth Bale’s cross into the net with Hal Robson-Kanu ready to pounce.

“We had to be patient,” Bale said. “They were probably the better team today.

We had to hang in there and show a lot of courage.”

and in big games we usually don’t have so many chances.”

There could be no such complaints about Hazard.

Asked if it was his best performance for Belgium, Hazard simply said “yes” before breaking into a smile.

ROUND OF LAST 16 Saturday, June 25 Switzerland 1 (Shaqiri) Poland 1 (Blaszczykowski) (after extra time, Poland won 5-4 on penalties) Wales 1 (McAuley og) Northern Ireland 0 Croatia 0 Portugal 1 (Quaresma) (after extra time) Sunday, June 26 France 2 (Griezmann 2) Ireland 1 (Brady) Germany 3 (Boateng, Gomez, Draxler) Slovakia 0 Hungary 0 Belgium 4 (Alderweireld, Batshuayi, Hazard, Carrasco) Monday, June 27 Italy v Spain (noon) England v Iceland (3pm)

QUARTER-FINALS Thursday, June 30 1 Poland v Portugal (3pm) Friday, July 1 2 Wales v Belgium (3pm) Saturday, July 2 3 Germany v Italy or Spain (3pm) Sunday, July 3 4 France v England or Iceland (3pm) SEMI-FINALS Wednesday, July 6 Winner 1 v Winner 2 (3pm) Thursday, July 7 Winner 3 v Winner 4 (3pm) FINAL Sunday, July 10 At Saint-Denis, Paris (3pm) Leading goalscorers 3: Bale (Wales), Morata (Spain), Griezmann (France) 2: Stancu (Romania), Payet (France), Lukaku (Belgium), Perisic (Croatia), Nani (Portugal), Dzsudzsak (Hungary), Ronaldo (Portugal), Blaszczykowski (Poland), Brady (Ireland), Gomez (Germany).

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, June 27, 2016, PAGE 7

Williams and Djokovic differ on Wimbledon pressures

By SANDRA HARWITT Associated Press LONDON - Top-ranked Serena Williams has not won a Grand Slam tennis tournament since Wimbledon a year ago, but the 21-time major champion appeared confident about her chances of retaining the title on the eve of the championships.

“Honestly, I don’t feel any pressure,” said Williams, keeping her answers short at a pre-tournament news conference yesterday.

“I feel good and confident.”

Williams surprised many by failing to win any of the last three Grand Slam tournaments. She fell to Roberta Vinci, of Italy, in the 2015 US Open semi-finals, Angelique Kerber, of Germany, in the 2016 Australian Open final and Garbine Muguruza, of Spain, in the French Open final earlier this month.

Instead of bemoaning those losses, however, Williams prefers to focus on coming back stronger. “I think it’s important to learn from every loss that you have,” she said. “I think, in

particular, throughout my whole career (I) have been able to learn a lot to come back a much better player.”

Williams enters Wimbledon maintaining her No.1 world ranking for what will be an impressive 300th week at the top. Nevertheless, Muguruza, Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep are all positioned to oust Williams from the top spot by the end of Wimbledon.

Williams will play 148thranked qualifier Amra Sadikovic, of Switzerland, a player she admits knowing nothing about, in the first round tomorrow. “It doesn’t matter who I play,” she said. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

When she captured her sixth Wimbledon trophy last year it capped the second time in her career she held all four Grand Slam titles in a non-calendar year.

She first achieved that distinction in 2002-2003. “It was a great accomplishment to win four Grand Slams in a row twice in my career,” Williams said. “It’s pretty cool. It’s really awesome.”

Like Williams, two-time

defending champion Novak Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon without having played a grass court tuneup tournament. Where the two don’t agree is in their attitude: Williams insists she feels no pressure to perform this fortnight, while Djokovic believes it’s impossible to escape those expectations.

“It’s always present. Pressure is part of what we do,” he said. “It’s inevitable to face this kind of sensation as a top player, being expected to do well and to go as far as last four at least in the tournament, or finals.”

Djokovic starts his campaign for a fourth Wimbledon trophy by taking on British wildcard James Ward in a first meeting between the two. As tradition dictates, Djokovic, as the men’s defending champion, will open the Centre Court competition today.

“It’s going to be the first match on the untouched grass,” Djokovic said.

“That’s probably one of the most special tennis matches that you get to experience as a professional tennis player.”

DJOKOVIC (AP)

SERENA Williams at the pre-Championships press conference at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, ahead of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London yesterday. (AP) Last year, Williams had a chance to win a calendar Grand Slam, but came up short at the US Open. This year, Djokovic remains in contention to be the first man since Rod Laver in

Djokovic understands the emotions behind simultaneously holding all four Grand Slam titles, which he achieved on winning his first career French Open title earlier this month.

THe WeaTHer repOrT

5-Day Forecast

TOday

Tuesday

Wednesday

THursday

FrIday

Partly sunny

Partly cloudy with a stray shower

Partly sunny with a passing shower

Variable clouds, a t‑storm in spots

Partly sunny, a t‑storm in spots

Mostly cloudy with a few showers

High: 91°

Low: 78°

High: 91° Low: 78°

High: 90° Low: 76°

High: 89° Low: 79°

High: 89° Low: 78°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

106° F

87° F

106°-88° F

108°-83° F

112°-91° F

111°-89° F

OrlandO

Tampa

High: 89° F/32° C low: 78° F/26° C

aBaCO

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High: 85° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

4‑8 knots

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High: 89° F/32° C low: 76° F/24° C

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The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

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TOnIGHT

High: 91° F/33° C low: 75° F/24° C

High: 88° F/31° C low: 76° F/24° C

mIamI

High: 89° F/32° C low: 76° F/24° C

3‑6 knots

Key WesT

High: 89° F/32° C low: 80° F/27° C

nassau

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016

High: 85° F/29° C low: 80° F/27° C

N

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

1:31 a.m.

2:13 p.m.

2.9 2.8

7:53 a.m.

8:22 p.m.

Tuesday

2:29 a.m.

3:15 p.m.

2.8 3.0

8:49 a.m. ‑0.1 9:28 p.m. 0.2

Wednesday 3:30 a.m.

4:17 p.m.

2.7 3.1

9:47 a.m. ‑0.2 10:35 p.m. 0.2

Thursday

4:33 a.m.

5:18 p.m.

2.7 3.3

10:45 a.m. ‑0.2 11:38 p.m. 0.1

Friday

5:34 a.m.

6:16 p.m.

2.7 3.4

11:43 a.m. ‑0.3 ‑‑‑‑‑ ‑‑‑‑‑

Saturday

6:33 a.m.

7:11 p.m.

2.8 3.6

12:38 a.m. ‑0.1 12:39 p.m. ‑0.4

Sunday

7:29 a.m.

8:03 p.m.

2.8 3.6

1:34 a.m. ‑0.2 1:33 p.m. ‑0.4

0.0 0.2

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:22 a.m.

8:04 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

12:47 a.m.

1:10 p.m.

last

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7‑14 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 91° F/33° C Low .................................................... 81° F/27° C Normal high ....................................... 87° F/31° C Normal low ........................................ 74° F/24° C Last year’s high ................................. 91° F/33° C Last year’s low ................................... 70° F/21° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday .................................. trace Year to date ............................................... 21.32” Normal year to date ................................... 12.99”

eleuTHera

High: 91° F/33° C low: 78° F/26° C W

1969 to achieve a calendar Grand Slam having already won the Australian and French Opens.

Williams, for one, says Djokovic could be the player to get the deed done. “He has every opportunity to do it,” she said. “I think he’ll get it easy. So he should be fine.”

That said, Williams is most interested in matches finally getting underway at this year’s tournament.

“I’m definitely ready to start playing at this point,” Williams said. “I’m kind of over practicing every day for two hours, then going to the gym for some time.”

andrOs

san salVadOr

GreaT eXuma

High: 85° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

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insurance management tracking map

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6‑12 knots

mayaGuana High: 84° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and

CrOOKed Island / aCKlIns

tonight’s lows.

raGGed Island High: 85° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

High: 84° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

GreaT InaGua High: 87° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

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marine Forecast aBaCO andrOs CaT Island CrOOKed Island eleuTHera FreepOrT GreaT eXuma GreaT InaGua lOnG Island mayaGuana nassau raGGed Island san salVadOr

Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday:

WINDS SE at 4‑8 Knots S at 4‑8 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots SE at 4‑8 Knots SSE at 4‑8 Knots SSW at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 6‑12 Knots NE at 7‑14 Knots ENE at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 4‑8 Knots SE at 4‑8 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots

WAVES 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 0‑1 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet

VISIBILITY 7 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 83° F 83° F 85° F 86° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 83° F 85° F 86° F 85° F 86° F 84° F 85° F 84° F 85° F 88° F 84° F 80° F 80° F 83° F 85° F 82° F 83° F

PAGE 8, Monday, June 27, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Buddy hopes to inspire players chasing ‘hoop dreams’

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net WHEN NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Buddy Hield as the sixth overall selection of the 2016 NBA Draft, Hield said he was cognisant of his elevated status in Bahamian basketball and hoped to serve as an inspiration to others chasing “hoop dreams.”

“I know there’s a generation coming behind that’s going to use my story, that’s going to watch what I do and follow the same path. I just hope I can show them a positive influence, show them the right way to go about things and just be someone they can look up to as they plan their future,” he said.

“The norm is that we never make it out there. To be one of the few that make it out there, so being one of the few that makes it out there helps me give to the kids and inspire them, like okay, there will be more that will make it out there. I’m just happy for the Bahamas, really. Put them back on the map, and for all my friends

and family.”

Last week’s draft featured a record 14 international players selected in the first round, surpassing the previous record of 12 set in 2013.

Hield, along with the 28th overall pick, Skal Labissiere – the former University of Kentucky Wildcat and native of Haiti, shed a particular spotlight on the Caribbean.

“I think the Caribbean has been overlooked because guys don’t really have the resources to get out and guys are less fortunate to make it to the US and get scholarships and for people to come down and see them,” Hield said. “You think about the Bahamas, you think it’s this island full of beaches and chilling on the beach, but there’s a lot of freak athletes down there that can play, and a lot of guys better than me who I feel like didn’t get an opportunity like me, but when I got my opportunity, I took full advantage of it.”

Hield was only the fourth lottery pick (since 1985) in Oklahoma history. He joined Wayman

BUDDY HIELD reacts after being selected sixth overall by the New Orleans Pelicans during the NBA draft on June 23, 2016, in New York. (AP) Tisdale (1985, 2nd), Stacey King (1989, 6th) and Blake Griffin (2009, 1st). He is the highest drafted Bahamian player since Mychal Thompson, who was selected 1st overall in the 1978 NBA Draft.

Hield said he hopes to build on the relationship the Thompson family has on the Bahamian basketball community.

“Mychal Thompson, he’s always been a good role model for us and kids back in the Bahamas too.

It’s neat because he always comes down, along with Klay. Klay brings some of his NBA friends down there too,” Hield said.

“Our relationship is cool.

It’s a great bond, and he wanted me to go to LA. He kept telling me, because

he’s down in LA. It didn’t turn out that way but I love Mychal a lot, and I learned a lot from him. I’m just going to keep learning from him to better my skills.”

Other international players drafted last Thursday include No.1 Ben Simmons (Australia), No.4 Dragan Bender (Croatia), No.7 Jamal Murray (Canada), No.9 Jakob Poeltl (Austria), No.

10 Thon Maker (South Sudan/Australia), No.13 Georgios Papagiannis (Greece), No.15 Juan Hernangomez (Spain), No.16 Guerschon Yabusele (France), No.23 Ante Zizic (Croatia), No.24 Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (France), No.26 Furkan Korkmaz (Turkey), No. 27 Pascal Siakam (Cameroon) and No. 28 Labissiere.

There were 100 international players from 37 countries and territories on 2015-16 opening night NBA rosters, marking the second consecutive year that opening night rosters featured at least 100 international players.

For the second consecutive year, all 30 NBA teams featured at least one international player on 2015-16 opening night NBA rosters.

Hield was formally introduced to the New Orleans fan base on Friday and now shifts his focus to the Las Vegas Summer League which begins July 8. Their first game, against an absolutely stacked Los Angeles Lakers squad, is scheduled to start at 9:30pm central and will be televised an ESPN.

MEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM NEEDS TO RESTRUCTURE KEY AREAS OF ITS PROGRAMME

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net According to members of its coaching staff, the Bahamas’ men’s national basketball team needs to restructure its programme in several key areas if they wish to capitalise on the current talent pool and qualify for the 2020 Olympics.

The latest edition of the team finished in seventh place at the 2016 Centrobasket Championships, hosted in Panama.

With the seventh place finish they achieved qualification for the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Team head coach Mario Bowleg said the country has yet to see the best possible product Team Bahamas has to offer and called for greater dedication to the programme from all players.

“Yet again, we have yet to put our best team on the floor. This is one of our better teams that we’ve been able to put on the floor as far as the young guys are concerned so it speaks volumes about the young guys coming up and even after this tournament we may have 4-6 of these guys retire because the younger players are coming up.

“Buddy Hield just got drafted so the future is bright for the Bahamas,” he said. “It’s just a matter of killing that black crab syndrome out of the team. Having a team of guys who want to represent their country, don’t quit no matter what or find excuses when it gets tough.

That’s what we want to build, that type of culture that will allow the national team to grow.”

The team finished the tournament at 2-3 with wins over Costa Rica and Nicaragua and losses to the US Virgin Islands, Dominican

Republic and Mexico.

Assistant head coach Norris Bain said with many of the NCAA division I players and professionals onboard, the team has legitimate opportunities to qualify for the Tournament of the Americas and the Olympics.

Moving forward we’ve got to get Lourawls Nairn Jr home, we’ve got to get Buddy home, we’ve got to get Magnum [Rolle] home, we’ve got to get Kadeem [Coleby] and Dwight [Coleby]. We have to get these guys to really buy into this team and getting them to realise that we are just one or two players from being in the Tournament of Americas. I really believe that. We are three or four players from really contending for a spot at the Olympic level,” he said.

“We see how bright the future is with young DeAndre Ayton so Bahamas basketball has so much to look forward to, we just have to

capitalise on this opportunity.”

Ayton, the 17-year-old phenom who is set to enter his senior year of high school at Hillcrest Academy in Arizona, was impressive in his national team debut.

He was the only player to average a double double, finished third in the tournament in scoring at 16 points per game and led in rebounds at 11 per game. He also finished second in blocked shots at 3.5 per game.

The Bahamas also finished in seventh place at their last appearance in the Centrobasket tournament in 2014.

Buddy Hield led that team at 19.8 points per game followed by Mychel Thompson’s 9.3 points per game and 8.8 points from Marvin Gray.

In nearly a complete roster turnover from the 2014 Centrobasket, just two players from that team – Kino Burrows and

Kentwan Smith –were members of this year’s team.

The Bahamas also recorded a fifth place finish in 2012, fifth place in 2003, fifth place in 1995 and eighth place in 1989.

The team received automatic qualification to the 2016 Centrobasket after their success in the last two editions of the Caribbean Basketball Confederations Championship.

The Centrobasket group is considered the top 10 teams from the Central American and Caribbean region tested in a round robin format.

Puerto Rico emerged as the winners with an 84-83 win over Mexico.

The top five teams in the 2016 Centrobasket Championship will automatically qualify for the Division A of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers and for the 2017 FIBA Americas Cup.