11242016 sports by tribune242

SPORTS SECTION E

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

‘Tum Tum’ and Spartans beat Red Storm, 73-62 Battle 4 Atlantis tips off By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

t was a homecoming for Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn so good that it seemed to be ripped from the pages of a Hollywood script. In his first meaningful game at home in years, Nairn tied his career high with 13 points and set a new career high with three threepoint field goals made last night in his Michigan State Spartans’ 73-62 win over the St John’s Red Storm in the Battle 4 Atlantis. His scoring night was highlighted by another first in his collegiate career, his first dunk in a game. With the Spartans trailing 3634 at the 16:48 mark in the third quarter, Nairn made a three and on the ensuing possession took barely almost the full length of the court to finish with a tomahawk dunk over the Red Storms’ Tariq Owens. “I was pushing the ball and I saw the lane wide open and I went up strong. I knew the big guy would be coming over,” he said. Even high flying Spartans forward Miles Bridges, who finished with a game high 22 points and 15 rebounds, was impressed by his point guard’s ability to finish with authority on the play. Bridges had a dunk of his own that went viral the last time he was in the Bahamas on the Nike EBYL Circuit in 2015. “That was way better than mine because Tum is shorter than me, I’m a big guy,” Bridges said. “He surprised me on that play, but he’s a very explosive guard so I expect a lot more of that out of

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LET THE GAMES BEGIN: The Battle 4 Atlantis NCAA college basketball tournament tipped off yesterday. INSET top right - Our very own Lourawls Nairn Jr shares a special moment with his teammates.

NFL PICKS

Week 12, Pages 2 & 3

EXECUTIVES EVALUATE SITE OF BEACH SOCCER FACILITY By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net FIFA, Beach Soccer Worldwide and Bahamas Football Association executives conducted a site visit this week to evaluate the Bahamas’ progress toward major beach soccer events. The construction of the $2.5 million facility, built on the site of the original complex at Malcolm Park West, will be capable of hosting over 3,000 patrons and will be equipped with a number of modern amenities. According to BFA President Anton Sealey, construction on the stadium is on schedule headed into the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships in February and the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in late April. “This was the second in a series of collaborative meetings with FIFA and the Beach Soccer Worldwide team. We discussed the state of the readiness for the event we will be hosting. We kicked off the first meeting earlier this year and they have returned to get an update of where we are and how they can assist us in where we are in our level of preparation,” Sealey said. “We’re comfortable with where we are. I would have liked to have been further along because the CONCACAF qualifiers is upon us and I don’t really like to go down to the wire, but they are comfortable as are we with where we are right now, but of course you can always be further along. “We would like to move a lot quicker. Of course we are entering the holiday season and we know what that means in terms of productivity in this country. So on that score I’m a little

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Coleby comes off bench for his best game as a Jayhawk By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIAN Dwight Coleby came off the bench to deliver his best game as a member of the Kansas Jayhawks Tuesday night, and he did it at the most opportune time. With his father Dwight Sr in the stands, the younger Coleby finished with two points, four rebounds and a game high four blocked shots in the No.5 Jayhawks’ 65-54 win over the Georgia Bulldogs to win the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. “I didn’t really know what to expect (with) him coming here to watch me play and I wasn’t play-

ing that much. I know he was happy,” Coleby said to KUsports. com. “I finally had a game where I played that much, It was great. It’s a great feeling. I haven’t been playing since last year and it was exciting to see the fans want to see me do good.” With starting Kansas bigs struggling on the defensive end or in foul trouble, Jayhawks head coach Bill Self subbed in the Coleby, who he said had an immediate impact on the game. “You think about it, he got four blocks, but he gets two points and four rebounds and every time he checked out of the game, the fans all cheered for him,” Self said. “What other bigs did they cheer for when they checked out of the

DWIGHT COLEBY

game? And it’s all because he tried. He played with energy and that kind of stuff. I don’t think it’s that hard to please our fans if you give great effort and play intelligently and he did what he could tonight.” After not playing at all in the Jayhawks first two games of the season against Indiana and Duke, Coleby played a combined total of five minutes in the next two games against Siena and UAB. When he returned to the court healthy this season, and eligible to play following his transfer from Old Miss, Coleby showed flashes this week of what is expected to be a force in the front court for a Jayhawks team expected to be contenders for the Big 12 and Na-

tional title. Coleby was already set to spend the 2015-16 season on the sidelines as a transfer but he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a light team workouts last October and had to undergo a gruelling rehab process. The 6’9” 240-pound junior forward will have two years of eligibility remaining. Last June, Coleby announced his decision to leave the Ole Miss Rebels and join the Jayhawks programme. The former Ole Miss Rebel said it was difficult to sit out, but he was committed to improvement on his game and playing for iconic

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PAGE 2, Thursday, November 24, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

THE EXPERTS’ VIEW - HOW THEY ARE FARING

WEEK 11

Naughty AP *Sancheska **Leo B *Renaldo Ricardo Wells *includes two-game penalty **includes four-game penalty

13-1 11-3 10-4 11-3 10-4 8-6

SEASON 98-58-2 92-64-2 91-65-2 90-66-2 87-69-2 86-70-2

% .628 .589 .583 .576 .557 .551

WEEK 11 AWARDS The “I’m Not With That Guy At All Even If We Lowkey Support The Same Cause” Award presented by Donald Trump disavowing Neo Nazis and the alt-right – The Buffalo Bills front office. Bills VP of operations and guest experience Andy Major said that the sex toy throwers from the week eight game against the Patriots have been caught and banned from New Era Field for life. The “I’ll Tell Ya What” Award presented by every talking head analyst before they make an obvious point everyone is making - Miami Dolphins. I’ve read 305 stories about how the Dolphins are a team on the rise. Everyone left us for dead (including me) five games ago so how do we get to act so informed about this now? The “I’ve Been Around Too Long and Done Too Much To Go Out Like This” Award presented by FNM MP Neko Grant - Carson Palmer. He threw a terrible 100yard pick six but Palmer was on the run all game with horrible protection upfront.

WEEK 12 Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions RENALDO: Word on the street is that Adrian Peterson is hanging around the Vikings facility jonesing for some pickup football games. How Sway? I watched this dude tear his meniscus less than two months. There’s no way he should be footballing right now. Just a rumour that he might be back in a month and the Vikings defence remembered that they too can football. Meanwhile while Calvin Johnson is finishing third on “Dancing With the Stars,” Matt Stafford has the Lions playing for first in the division. I always thought Starscream, not Megatron should lead the Decepticons. LIONS over Vikings SANNIE: So now that I officially suck at this, I am just going to randomly choose because I mean, I can’t get any worse. LIONS over Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts RENALDO: Classic “Mustafa In The Sky” game for Big Ben and Antonio Brown. (Remember who you are). We’re not exactly sure what this Pitt team is – Is it still pass heavy team reliant on Ben to be elite? Will it scale back his responsibility and lean heavier on Le’Veon Bell or will they just fluctuate from week to week lightly anchored by a porous defence? Whatever they are, it has to be better than the Colts defence. Also Andrew Luck is out and none of you reading this have any idea who is backup quarterback is. Perfect MITS game. STEELERS over Colts SANNIE: The Steelers logo is cuter, so let’s go with them, not really feeling the horseshoe. STEELERS over Colts Washington Racial Slurs at Dallas Cowboys RENALDO: Fat Rob set the tone early. When you’re not good at mastering this inexact science of picking games, it’s very easy to

be swayed by the simplest things (That’s basically the genesis of this entire social experiment masquerading as a column). This week Fat Rob unapologetically talking his…stuff has swayed me. An undrafted rookie free agent running back had the gumption to call the 9-1 juggernaut the Cowgirls. He’s either stupid for giving them bulletin board material or set the tone for a post game talking point. Either way he just made this more interesting. RACIAL SLURS over Cowboys SANNIE: Still not rocking with Washington, so Cowboys it’s all on you. COWBOYS over Washington Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints RENALDO: This game will be an odd watch just for the juxtaposition of Jared Goff plodding ahead, trying to move the ball down the field one three-yard pass at a time and Drew Brees matching Goff’s first half numbers in a single pass. SAINTS over Rams

SANNIE: Still waiting to go to New Orleans, but I have finally stopped blaming them for my misfortune, hopefully if they win, I will get a trip. (I don’t know how) SAINTS over Rams Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons RENALDO: Loser leaves town match. The Cardinals are running on fumes as Carson Palmer has literally morphed into Dennis Quaid’s character from “Any Given Sunday” right before our eyes. The problem is that this team doesn’t have Wille Beamon. Meanwhile the Falcons are in the middle of their annual plunge into the “way too clear” glass window pane of disappointment. FALCONS over Raiders SANNIE: SOOOO Real Housewives of Atlanta is backkkkkk!!!!!!! And the drama has started already. FALCONS over Cardinals Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears RENALDO: Jay Cutler’s

most noteworthy move this season was letting the entire world know that he’s an avid Trump supporter. As if his teammates needed another reason not to like him…in addition to his face. Cutler is gone for the season now so the Bears are faced with with two choices – rally behind Brian Hoyer for a strong (pointless) finish or start booking vacation spots. The Bahamas is always nice. TITANS over Bears SANNIE: Boy the Bears are terrible, gee. TITANS over Bears New York Giants at Cleveland Browns RENALDO: When your team is on a five-game winning streak, this is the exact game you want – the Browns. By the way, Odell Beckham doesn’t seem to be much of a “distraction” now that the team is winning right? GIANTS over Browns SANNIE: Okay, so I am going to be in New York soon, soooo I have to be nice to the city and hope the

city is nice to me. GIANTS over Browns San Diego Chargers at Houston Texans RENALDO: This may be the one week that Phillip Rivers isn’t pacing back and forth, down by four with under a minute left to play with the ball at his own 20. I’m concerned about his mental health at this point. Another backbreaking loss in the game’s final minute and Phillip could go all Kanye on us. CHARGERS over Texans SANNIE: This is easy. Beyonce. BEYONCE over Chargers Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills RENALDO: Nope. BILLS over Jags SANNIE: Man, the Jags have only won two games, boy that’s terrible. BILLS over Jags

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THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 24, 2016, PAGE 3

Vikings, Cowboys and Steelers can make mine a happy Thanksgiving I KID you not. My struggles with picks over the last couple of weeks have been so severe that I have started to question the context in which I view sports, in particularly football. Today is Thanksgiving, that I know. Thanksgiving in a football context usually marks the official start of playoff pushes across the National Football League. For me, today has to mark the start of my push to the top. Now at 86-70-2 and bottom of The Tribune’s experts picks competition, I feel the time is now to get right and, to be honest, be a little bit smarter in the choices I’m making. Thanksgiving games Minnesota Vikings (6-4) @ Detroit Lions (6-4) Lions are at home, but the Vikings have a defence that can match up without that Lions’ explosive offence. The road to the NFC North crown starts with a win here. VIKINGS

Washington Redskins (6-3) @ Dallas Cowboys (9-1) Cowboys are hot. With credit to Naughty, his team is the unit that most of the league should fear. The team’s style of play leads me to the conclusion that the Washington Redskins don’t possess the physicality to hang with the Cowboys for four long quarters. COWBOYS Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) @ Indianpolis Colts (5-5) In the last of the Thanksgiving Day match-ups, we have a meeting of two vastly different 5-5 teams. The Steelers are certainly a team that has out-played its record, while the Colts, before Sunday’s win against the Titans, looked like a team playing for a top draft spot. This game is in Indianapolis, but the Steelers travel well. STEELERS

San Francisco 49ers (1-9) @ Miami Dolphins (6-4) Miami are wildcard bound… wink. DOLPHINS

WEEK 12

NFL PICKS

San Diego Chargers (4-6) @ Houston Texans (6-4) A Chargers win here wouldn’t be a surprise. TEXANS

BY RICARDO WELLS rwells@tribunemedia.net

SUNDAY 1pm games Tennessee Titans (5-6) Chicago Bears (2-8) Jay Cutler - done for the year, again. TITANS Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8) @ Buffalo Bills (5-5) BILLS Cincinnati Bengals (3-6-1) @ Baltimore Ravens (5-5) No A J Green. Sorry Dalton. RAVENS

Arizona Cardinals (4-5) @ Atlanta Falcons (6-4) If the Falcons are for real this time, it starts here. FALCONS New York Giants (7-3) @ Cleveland Browns (0-11) The Browns are so terrible at football. GIANTS Los Angeles Rams (5-5) @ New Orleans Saints (4-6) Defence, meet offence. RAMS

SUNDAY 4pm games Seattle Seahawks (7-2-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5) The Bucs are proving that they can contend for a division crown, but the Seahawks look as if they are all the way ready for a return to the big game. SEAHAWKS Carolina Panthers (4-6) @ Oakland Raiders (8-2) The Panthers aren’t the same team from last year and they’re on the road this weekend. RAIDERS

Kansas City Chiefs (7-3) @ Denver Broncos (7-3) Here is the Dolphins’ first chance to move closer to that wildcard spot they so covet. One of the two teams they are looking up at has to take a step back this weekend. The Broncos are struggling at quarterback and that could limit them down the stretch this season. CHIEFS Sunday night game Patriots (8-2) @ New York Jets (3-7) No questions here. PATRIOTS Monday night game Green Bay Packers (4-6) @ Philadelphia Eagles (5-5) I want so badly to dismiss Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, but he is still a great quarterback. At some point, he is going to right that ship and get his team back on course in a division that isn’t that far out of reach. Here is to this week. PACKERS

13-1 last week... it seems like I’m rounding into form IT seems like I’m rounding into form - a robust 13-1 last week, 98-58-2 for the season - has me sitting pretty in the standings, distancing myself from the pack in the process. If it isn’t broken do not fix it. So as I have one eye on our very own Lourawls ‘Tum Tum’ Nairn and his Michigan State Spartans taking on the St John’s Red Storm coached by NBA Hall of Famer Chris Mullin at Battle 4 Atlantis, I have my other eye on the picks this week.

Here’s who I like in rapid fire:

SUNDAY FALCONS RAVENS BILLS TITANS GIANTS TEXANS DOLPHINS SAINTS

LEO B’S PICKS

WEEK 12

THURSDAY LIONS COWBOYS STEELERS

NFL PICKS BY INIGO ‘NAUGHT Y’ ZENICA

THURSDAY LIONS REDSKINS STEELERS

ZELAYA

SEAHAWKS PATRIOTS RAIDERS BRONCOS

MONDAY EAGLES

CHARGERS DOLPHINS SAINTS SEAHAWKS PATRIOTS RAIDERS BRONCOS

SUNDAY FALCONS RAVENS BILLS TITANS GIANTS

MONDAY EAGLES

Three quality matchups all set for Day of Thanksgiving By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer THE NFL is bragging about how for the first time since 1935, Thanksgiving Day features three games with all six teams at .500 or better. Considering how mediocre so many teams are this season, Pro Picks isn’t sure how to take that stat. Regardless, there are two very significant divisional matchups today at the traditional holiday sites, Dallas and Detroit. And an important interdivision contest in Indianapolis. The Colts (5-5) have won two in a row, but the most recent victory was costly, particularly with the Sunday-Thursday timeframe

PICKS, FROM PAGE 2 Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens RENALDO: Andy Dalton suffered the most debilitating injury a slightly above quarterback could have. He’s out with a torn AJ Green. Sure Dalton is in the lineup but what’s the point without AJ Green. It’s like Bane trying to fight Batman without his steroid tubes or Captain America trying to operate without his archaic Trump-like 1950s Americana values. Won’t work. RAVENS over Bengals SANNIE: One thing I do know is that there are a lot of bad teams this season, the Bengals are one of them. RAVENS over Bengals San Francisco 49ers at Miami Dolphins RENALDO: All Dolphins fans

are in full peacocking mode at this point. We may actually be more obnoxious than Cowboys fans and they’re literally the best team in the NFL right now. After winning a game where the offence was stagnant for 55 minutes, three Olinemen were hurt, and we’re still the Dolphins, the irrational confidence meter is at an all time high. It helps when you have the fourth best team in the league lined up in your backfield. DOLPHINS over Niners SANNIE: Well lookie here, the Dolphins are on a streak, I can’t diss them now. DOLPHINS over Niners Seattle Seahawks at Tampa Bay Bucs RENALDO: Russell Wilson has played through a Marchawn Lynch-less offence, high-ankle sprain, MCL sprain, Pec strain and pregnant wife this season. He’s the unsung MVP candidate

that we’re all ignoring. SEAHAWKS over Bucs SANNIE: Russell Wilson and Ciara (they are a package deal now) SEAHAWKS over Bucs New England Patriots at New York Jets RENALDO: The Jets are going back to Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting quarterback. It took Todd Bowles and entire week to decide this? That’s the literal definition of hustling backwards. PATS over Jets SANNIE: Tom Brady is doing his thing this season (and looking good while doing it) PATRIOTS over Jets Carolina Panthers at Oakland Raiders RENALDO: The Raiders are back to an actual home game this week after they made it over

for their game with the Steelers. Andrew Luck entered the concussion protocol on Monday. The backup quarterback for Indianapolis (No. 17 in AP Pro32) is Scott Tolzien. Not exactly in Luck’s class, you say? “We’ve got a guy that comes to work every single day and prepares like a starter ever since he’s been in this building,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano says of Tolzien, who’s in his fourth NFL season, has thrown 91 passes (all with Green Bay when Aaron Rodgers was hurt) and has not taken a snap this year. “He understands and knows this offence and if that’s the case, he’ll go out and play winning football.” Sorry, we don’t buy it.

the wall and back into the United States. Good for Jack Del Rio. He gambles on fourth down and on Mexican water. We’ll watch him on the sidelines this week to see if he won both. RAIDERS over Panthers

SANNIE: Two teams with the same record, I like the Broncos, for no reason. Just because… BRONCOS over Chiefs

SANNIE: The Raiders have been doing surprisingly well, but I can’t choose them. I have to believe Cam is going to come through for me. PANTHERS over Raiders

RENALDO: What’s the downside of firing Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson right now. This front office is wasting Aaron Rodgers in the same way they wasted Brett Farve at the end of his career. At some point you have to invest in a defence and maybe, just maybe sign one of the 8,000,000 running backs out there and not rely on a wide receiver to run the ball. They need one more loss to fully implode. EAGLES over Packers

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos RENALDO: I could really use Tony Romo as the Broncos starting quarterback right now. A Chiefs loss and Dolphins win means they move into a tie for the final wild card spot. I haven’t been this excited about this state since Colorado Amendment 64. Never change Colorado…except if it’s to build more dispensaries. BRONCOS over Chiefs

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles

SANNIE: I see the Packers have also done nothing this season. Let’s get me this win Eagles. EAGLES over Packers

PAGE 4, Thursday, November 24, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

FIFA, Beach Soccer Worldwide and Bahamas Football Association executives conducted a site visit this week to evaluate the Bahamas’ progress toward major beach soccer events.

FIFA, BFA EXECUTIVES EVALUATE SITE OF BEACH SOCCER FACILITY FROM PAGE 1 nervous but nonetheless I’m still optimistic that we will be ready for CONCACAF and certainly for FIFA when they arrive in April.” This is going to be massive exposure to the country. Each match will be broadcast live across 211 countries. It will give us opportunities, certainly from a tourism standpoint it will give our Ministry of Tourism do not on their own meet currently. It’s exposure that if you had to pay for, it would cost a heck of a lot more than it costs this event to put on.” Joan Cusco of Beach Soccer World Wide and the Tournament Director echoed Sealey’s sentiments on the timetable of construction. “We have been here many times to keep on track. We are observing all the improvements and now we are focused on the stadium, which is growing in the right way. We know the material has arrived scheduled as planned so we are optimistic that the stadium will be ready by the end of January,” he said. Cusco called both events, but the FIFA BSWC in particular, an opportunity for Bahamian exposure and to

THE CONSTRUCTION of the $2.5 million facility, built on the site of the original complex at Malcolm Park West, will be capable of hosting over 3,000 patrons and will be equipped with a number of modern amenities. leave a legacy of the sport in the country. “Millions of people will be watching the Bahamas so we hope it will be a great promotion for the country. The teams who qualified in Europe they are already planning for their groups of fans. I’m optimistic because the Bahamas is a name that rings a bell and everyone wants to attend because the Bahamas is very attractive,” he said, “One of the most important things is building the sport itself. We have a big commitment

‘TUM TUM’ AND SPARTANS BEAT THE RED STORM, 73-62 FROM PAGE 1 him this season.” Nairn shot 5-7 from the field including 3-4 from three-point range and added four assists. “I just want to help this team the best way I can, wherever coach needs me to be, whatever he needs me to do that’s what I’ll do. If I have to score, rebound, pass, play defence, whatever it is I’m just happy I can contribute and help my team win,” he said. From the moment he was introduced in the starting lineups a packed crowd of visiting Spartans fans and local Bahamian supporters hung on every play Tum Tum made in the game. Nairn’s previous career highs also came during the Thanksgiving weekend when he posted 13 points and eight assists against Boston College last season. The junior point guard said he was eager to put on a show in front of his family and supporters who rarely get an opportunity to see him play. “My grandmother is here watching, my grandfather is here watching. It’s just a blessing to be able to play in front of this crowd and I appreciate the support they showed me tonight,” he said. Spartans head coach Tom Izzo said his co-captain’s aggressive nature was one of the catalysts to the team’s second half success. “Tum had some open shots and he passed up a couple early which is kind of what we do, in the second half when he made one they were so fired up for him. He started pushing the ball and when he does that we’re a better team,” he said. The No.24 ranked Spartans improved to 3-2 on the season and will face No.20 Baylor today. St John’s will take on VCU on the opposite side of the bracket.

from the BFA and the community. Our expectation is what legacy we will league in this community. What we do with different neighborhoods. So we will work hard on the BFA and the government on how we will create a legacy. One of the parts of this legacy will be the stadium that will be built and will stay in this community forever.” In an event expected to revolutionise the sport in the country, 16 teams from around the world will be taking part in the FIFA

BSWC Bahamas 2017, hosted April 27 to May 7. It is expected to be one of the largest draws sports tourism has ever enjoyed. Participation is being compared to the IAAF World Relays and the Battle 4 Atlantis, events that pack hotels, flood restaurants, fill taxis, drive shopping and attract an active lifestyle tourist who wants the best of The Bahamas. According to officials, 16 countries will qualify to field full teams for matches that take place over an

extended 10-day period with each team bringing a complement of 25 persons or more. Because of the length of the competition, economic benefits are being touted as in the multimillions of dollars. Jaime Yarza, Head of FIFA Events, said he came away from the site visit and meetings pleased with the progress made thus far. “We are in good shape with the stadium. I think we will be perfectly prepared for CONCACAF and it ensures that we will be ready

for the World Cup. There have been some setbacks with the Hurricane but the BFA is building a very good team so I am convinced if they keep working hard like they have been we will have a very successful World Cup in the Bahamas,” he said. Yarza has the responsibility or coordinationg many of FIFAs events including the BSWC, Fustal World Cup, Olympics, Youth Olympics, and U17 and U20 World Cups. “Having it on an island makes for a very special world cup. What I am hoping is that the community gets behind the EC and gets involved. Not only as spectators, but the people volunteering and joining other people from around the world. I think this is what really makes a difference for the people when organizing a World Cup,” he said, “In Tahiti they had a big crisis when we came to organize the World Cup. They had unemployment rates of up to 30 percent and the whole community just got involved with the tournament. I think it changed more than one month it changed the life of the people and the island. It was a nice experience for us and the players and it changed the face of football in the country.”

Coleby comes off bench for his best game as a Jayhawk FROM PAGE 1 head coach Bill Self. Coleby averaged 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore and was also named an SEC First-Year Academic Honour Roll in two seasons with the Rebels. Kansas is ranked in the preseason for the 25th time in the 28-year history of the poll. The No 2 ranking marks the sixth time KU has been preseason No. 2 or higher in the coaches’ poll. Additionally, it is the 11th time in the Bill Self era the Jayhawks have been preseason seventh or higher, including each of the last five seasons. Kansas returns three starters and eight letter winners from last season’s 33-5 team which went 15-3 in Big 12 play, winning its unprecedented 12th-straight, 16th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 59th overall conference regular-season championship.

KANSAS’ Dwight Coleby (22) and Lagerald Vick (2) pressure Georgia’s Juwan Parker (3) as he shoots during the first half of an NCAA college game on Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 24, 2016, PAGE 5

Love scores 40, including 34 in 1st, James has triple-double By STEVE HERRICK Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love scored 40 points, including an NBA-record 34 in the first quarter, LeBron James recorded his 44th career triple-double, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 137125 on Wednesday night. Cleveland also set a franchise with 20 3-pointers and showed no signs of being rusty in its first game since Friday. Love fell three points shy of the league record for points in any quarter, set by Golden State’s Klay Thompson, who scored 37 in the third on Jan. 23, 2015. Love, who set a team record for points in a period, made 11 of 14 field goal attempts, including 8 of 10 on 3-pointers in the first quarter. He made his first six shots with five 3-pointers. James had 31 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists for his second triple-double this season. He also passed Guy Rodgers for 17th place on the career assist list. Damian Lillard scored 40 points for Portland, including 25 in the second half. Cleveland, which made its first nine 3-pointers, led 46-31 after one quarter and scored 81 points in the first half, two short of the franchise record. Love missed his only shot in a scoreless second quarter, scored six points in the

third and was scoreless again in the fourth. He made 12 of 20 shots, including 8 of 12 3-pointers. Love recorded his first 40-point game since April 14, 2014, with Minnesota. He scored a career-high 51 points while playing for the Timberwolves on March 23, 2012.

By COREY ELLIOT Associated Press

TIP-INS Trail Blazers: Portland finished 1-4 on a five-game road trip. ... F Al-Farouq Aminu (left calf strain) missed his ninth straight game. Coach Terry Stotts said there is no update on his status. . Stotts has 190 victories with Portland, tying him with Mike Dunleavy for fourth place in team history. Cavaliers: Love’s highestscoring game with Cleveland was 34, which came on Nov. 23, 2015, against Orlando. ...Cleveland’s record for points in a half is 83, set on Jan. 15, 1993. ... Tristan Thompson and Portland’s Maurice Harkless received double technical fouls after getting tied up under the basket in the second quarter. UP NEXT Trail Blazers: Host New Orleans on Friday, beginning a four-game, nine-day homestand. Portland is 4-3 at Moda Center this season. Cavaliers: Host Dallas on Friday. Love averaged 19.0 points and 14.5 rebounds in two games against the Mavericks last season.

CAVALIERS’ Kevin Love (0) shoots over Trail Blazers’ Mason Plumlee (24) during the first half of last night’s game in Cleveland. (AP)

Spurs stay perfect on road with 119-114 victory over the Hornets By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Charlotte Hornets 119-114 on Wednesday night for their seventh straight victory. LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 points and seven rebounds, and Danny Green had 16 points as the Spurs improved to 8-0 on the road. Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Frank Kaminsky had 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench, but the Hornets lost their third straight game after starting the season 8-3.

HOWARD HAS 23 POINTS AND 20 REBOUNDS, HAWKS BEAT PACERS

The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 84 in a tightly contested game that included 28 lead changes in the first three quarters. Aldridge gave the Spurs the lead for good with 2:53 left on a pair of free throws. Green knocked down a 3-point after an extra pass from Tony Parker and Leonard then hit a baseline jumper to push the lead to 108-102. The Hornets would battle back and pull within 112-111 with 50 seconds remaining when Walker converted a 4-point play and then scored on drive to the basket. But Aldridge’s free throw and a 3-pointer from the left corner by Parker pushed the Spurs’ lead to five with 22 seconds left. Parker iced the game with four free

throws in the final 10.2 seconds. TIP-INS Spurs: Aldridge has scored in double digits in all 15 games this season. ... Leonard came into the game with the top spot in NBA history for best winning percentage in his first 300 starts (23565). ... The Spurs entered the game leading the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage and free throw shooting percentage. They shot 41.9 percent (13 of 31) form 3-point range and 90 percent (18 of 20) from the foul line. Hornets: Jeremy Lamb was active after missing the last 10 games with a hamstring injury. He played only six minutes. ... Cody Zeller missed his third straight

game with a shoulder injury, but coach Steve Clifford said there is a chance he could return to action this week. ... Hornets owner Michael Jordan tipped his cap to the crowd after the scoreboard showed a highlight of the former NBA star receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor from Barack Obama on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. UP NEXT Spurs: The Spurs return to action Friday night when they travel to face the Boston Celtics. Hornets: Charlotte will head to Madison Square Garden for a Friday night game against the New York Knicks.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dwight Howard had 23 points and 20 rebounds to help the Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 96-85 on Wednesday night. Paul Millsap added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks. Indiana rallied to cut Atlanta’s lead to a point with 3:42 left in the third quarter, but the Hawks pulled away with a 19-2 run. The Pacers failed to make a basket in the first 4 minutes of the fourth quarter. Thaddeus Young led the Pacers with 24 points and had seven rebounds. Monta Ellis added 19 points, and Paul George had 18. The Hawks led by as many as 17 points in the first half, and Indiana clawed back and pulled within five points at halftime. Atlanta led by 13 in the third quarter, but Indiana once again battled back, pulling within one point after Monta Ellis grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup with 3:42 left in the third quarter. The Hawks outrebounded Indiana 56 to 37, and outscored the Pacers 48 to 34 in the paint, and 19 to 11 in second chance points. Indiana had just seven offensive rebounds.

ALEX LEN, ERIC BLEDSOE LEAD SUNS PAST MAGIC, 92-87 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Alex Len had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Eric Bledsoe added 16 points in the Phoenix Suns’ 92-87 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. Bledsoe made two free throws with 16 seconds left for a five-point lead, and Devin Booker added two more with 6.2 seconds to go. The Magic used a 9-4 run in the last 2:30 to pull to 88-85 with 18.3 seconds to go, but that was as close as they would come. The Suns snapped a twogame losing streak and finished 2-4 on a six-game trip. Evan Fournier scored 25 points for Orlando. Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Thomas scores 23, Celtics beat Nets for 3rd straight win By MICHAEL SCOTTO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points, Avery Bradley had 22 and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 11192 on Wednesday night. Al Horford added 17 points for the Celtics in their third straight victory. Jae Crowder had 15. Sean Kilpatrick scored 23 points for the Nets, who have lost five in a row. Trevor Booker had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Bojan Bogdanovic added 14 points. Boston raced to an 11-2 lead and was ahead 30-16 after one quarter, but the Nets answered with a 21-6 run and 12 points from Bogdanovic in the second quarter. The Nets came all the way back to tie it at 60 in the third, but the Celtics then went on a 19-6 run to regain control. Kilpatrick scored 13 points in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough for Brooklyn. TIP-INS Celtics: Guard Marcus Smart has made an effort to add the floater to his game. “He’s worked on it quite a bit,” coach Brad Stevens said. “It was a major focus going into his second year and he got better at it and then he’s continued that focus now going into his third

BROOKLYN Nets guard Yogi Ferrell, left, and Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas scramble for the ball during the first half of last night’s game in New York. (AP) year. The best part about a floater is it’s got a chance of going in, but it also leads to a shot block attempt so you’ve got a chance to get a rebound.” . Demetrius Jackson and Jordan Mickey were inactive. Nets: Brook Lopez is now

the only player in the league with 20 or more 3-pointers and blocks. . Booker has matched his single-season career high with his fifth double-double of the season. . Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) and Caris LeVert (left foot rehab)

were inactive. LIN UPDATE Coach Kenny Atkinson said there was “no specific time frame” for Lin’s return after he missed his ninth straight game. “He’s just progressing as

scheduled,” Atkinson said. “He’s anxious to play. We’re anxious to get him back, but we also understand the big picture long-term and, definitely, I think in these situations I know collectively we’re airing on the side of being cautious and smart.”

UP NEXT Celtics: Host San Antonio on Friday in an afternoon start. Nets: Visit Indiana on Friday. The Nets beat the Pacers last month for their first victory under Atkinson.

PAGE 6, Thursday, November 24, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 24, 2016, PAGE 7

Barcelona advances as Bayern, City settle for runner-up spots By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Failing to top a Champions League group often comes back to bite teams when the competition really gets going in the round of 16. Maybe not this season. Bayern Munich and Manchester City are two high-profile teams who are guaranteed to advance as runners-up following the latest round of group games in Europe’s top competition yesterday. Bayern surprisingly lost 3-2 at tournament newcomer FC Rostov and will finish in Group D behind Atletico Madrid, which beat PSV Eindhoven 2-0 and is the only team to have won all five of its group games. City drew 1-1 at Borussia Moenchengladbach and cannot now topple Barcelona, which secured first place in Group C by beating Celtic 2-0 thanks to Lionel Messi’s double. Arsenal is likely to finish in second place in Group

A after drawing with Paris Saint-Germain 2-2. Real Madrid, the reigning champion, is another top team sitting as runnerup in a group heading into the final round of games, while Juventus and Sevilla are battling for first and second place in Group H. It remains to be seen whether teams benefit this season from topping the group, which earns a last-16 match against a runner-up.

hosts Napoli and Besiktas visits Kiev.

spots on Matchday 6. Napoli could have advanced in record time a month ago, but is still not guaranteed a top-two finish after drawing 0-0 at home to Dynamo Kiev. Besiktas rallied from an early three-goal deficit to draw with Benfica 3-3, with Vincent Aboubakar scoring an 89th-minute equaliser. Napoli has eight points along with Benfica, with Besiktas a point adrift. Dynamo was eliminated. In the last round, Benfica

scoring more away goals in their two meetings. PSG and Arsenal drew 1-1 in Paris in September. Ludogorets Razgrad and FC Basel drew 0-0, leaving them on two points each and sending their fight for third place to the final round of group matches.

GROUP A PSG leads Arsenal thanks to a superior headto-head record after salvaging a draw at Emirates Stadium courtesy of Alex Iwobi’s own goal in the 77th minute. Edinson Cavani converted a cross from Blaise Matuidi to put the French team ahead, but Arsenal fought back via Olivier Giroud’s penalty and an own goal by Marco Verratti. Both teams have 11 points but PSG is top, after

GROUP B Qualification could have been determined in this group yesterday, but a couple of draws mean three teams are fighting for two

THe WeaTHer repOrT

5-Day Forecast

TOnIGHT

FrIday

saTurday

sunday

mOnday

Partly sunny, a shower; breezy

Partly cloudy, a shower; breezy

Mostly sunny and breezy

Partly sunny

Partly sunny with a stray shower

Partly sunny, a shower; breezy

High: 81°

Low: 69°

High: 82° Low: 69°

High: 81° Low: 66°

High: 79° Low: 67°

High: 80° Low: 68°

AccuWeather RealFeel

82° F

70° F

84°-75° F

95°-68° F

85°-65° F

81°-66° F

OrlandO

Tampa

High: 81° F/27° C low: 64° F/18° C

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.

almanac

aBaCO

High: 78° F/26° C low: 73° F/23° C

8-16 knots

High: 81° F/27° C low: 69° F/21° C

7-14 knots

FT. lauderdale

FreepOrT

High: 81° F/27° C low: 71° F/22° C

W S

WesT palm BeaCH

uV inDex toDay

TOday

High: 80° F/27° C low: 60° F/16° C

High: 81° F/27° C low: 67° F/19° C

mIamI

High: 81° F/27° C low: 70° F/21° C

6-12 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 81° F/27° C Low .................................................... 68° F/20° C Normal high ....................................... 80° F/27° C Normal low ........................................ 69° F/21° C Last year’s high ................................. 84° F/29° C Last year’s low ................................... 71° F/22° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 48.81” Normal year to date ................................... 37.95”

eleuTHera

nassau

High: 81° F/27° C low: 69° F/21° C

High: 79° F/26° C low: 74° F/23° C

Key WesT

High: 80° F/27° C low: 73° F/23° C

tiDes For nassau High

7-14 knots

8-16 knots

Low

Ht.(ft.)

4:02 a.m. 4:14 p.m.

2.7 2.5

10:18 a.m. 0.6 10:32 p.m. 0.2

Friday

4:50 a.m. 5:01 p.m.

2.7 2.4

11:08 a.m. 0.5 11:14 p.m. 0.2

Saturday

5:32 a.m. 5:44 p.m.

2.8 2.4

11:53 a.m. 0.4 11:53 p.m. 0.1

Sunday

6:12 a.m. 6:24 p.m.

2.9 2.4

12:35 p.m. 0.3 ---------

Monday

6:49 a.m. 7:03 p.m.

3.0 2.4

12:30 a.m. 0.0 1:14 p.m. 0.2

Tuesday

7:26 a.m. 7:41 p.m.

3.0 2.4

1:07 a.m. 1:52 p.m.

0.0 0.1

Wednesday 8:03 a.m. 8:19 p.m.

3.0 2.4

1:43 a.m. 2:30 p.m.

0.0 0.1

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:33 a.m. 5:20 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

2:21 a.m. 2:37 p.m.

new

First

Full

last

nov. 29

dec. 7

dec. 13

dec. 20

andrOs

san salVadOr

GreaT eXuma

High: 80° F/27° C low: 74° F/23° C

High: 80° F/27° C low: 75° F/24° C

High: 80° F/27° C low: 73° F/23° C

W S

lOnG Island

insurance management tracking map

High: 81° F/27° C low: 75° F/24° C

Ht.(ft.)

Today

High: 80° F/27° C low: 74° F/23° C

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

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

CaT Island

GROUP D Few would have imagined that FC Rostov’s first-ever victory in the Champions League would come at the expense of Bayern, a fivetime winner and one of the favorites this season. Bayern had already qualified but is guaranteed to finish second in the group. Rostov replied to Douglas Costa’s opener with goals by Sardar Azmoun and Dmitry Poloz, who scored from the penalty spot. Juan Bernat equalised for Bayern before Christian Noboa curled in a 67thminute free kick for the winning goal. Rostov lost 5-0 in the first match between the teams, two months ago. That meant Atletico needed only a point at home to PSV Eindhoven but the Spanish team got all three, and maintained its 100 per cent record in group play. Kevin Gameiro and Antoine Griezmann were the scorers in the second half.

GROUP C Messi steered Barcelona to a 13th straight appearance in the knockout stage by moving to nine goals for the competition this season, which is more than 20 of the 32 competing teams have managed. Messi drove in a 24thminute opener against Celtic before converting a penalty in the 55th, for his 92nd goal in the Champions League. Five of his nine goals in the group stage have come against Celtic, following his hat trick in a 7-0 win over the Scottish champion at Camp Nou in September. Barcelona is four points clear of City, which earned the point it needed to qualify against Moenchengladbach when David Silva scored in first-half injury time. That cancelled out Raffael’s goal. Both teams finished with 10 men, with ‘Gladbach’s Lars Stindl sent off and Fernandinho picking up two

BARCELONA’s Lionel Messi scores from a penalty yesterday during the Champions League Group C match against Celtic at Celtic Park stadium in Glasgow, Scotland. (AP)

• Here’s how yesterday’s action unfolded:

yellow cards for City.

8-16 knots

mayaGuana High: 81° F/27° C low: 77° F/25° C

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

CrOOKed Island / aCKlIns raGGed Island High: 81° F/27° C low: 75° F/24° C

High: 81° F/27° C low: 75° F/24° C

GreaT InaGua High: 84° F/29° C low: 76° F/24° C

10-20 knots

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

Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday:

WINDS E at 7-14 Knots E at 6-12 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 15-25 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 6-12 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 15-25 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots

WAVES 2-4 Feet 8-12 Feet 3-5 Feet 4-8 Feet 4-8 Feet 3-6 Feet 5-9 Feet 5-9 Feet 3-5 Feet 4-8 Feet 2-4 Feet 10-14 Feet 4-8 Feet 3-6 Feet 6-10 Feet 1-3 Feet 5-9 Feet 2-4 Feet 6-10 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 4-8 Feet 5-9 Feet 2-4 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet

VISIBILITY 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 79° F 79° F 83° F 81° F 83° F 81° F 80° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 82° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 80° F 80° F 82° F 80° F 82° F 82° F

PAGE 8, Thursday, November 24, 2016

THE TRIBUNE