08162017 sports by tribune242

SPORTS SECTION E

ALONZO RUSSELL: WE COULD REALLY HAVE USED GARDINER IN 4X400

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ALTHOUGH they went out and gave it their best shot, Grand Bahamian quarter-miler Alonzo Russell said the Bahamas team could really have used silver medalist Stevie Gardiner in the heats of the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay at the 16th IAAF World Championships. Following the team’s dismal showing in London, England on Saturday where they finished seventh in their heat and 11th overall, fingers have been pointed at Gardiner, who stated that after three grueling rounds of the 400m, he was only prepared to run in the final. But Russell claimed on their arrival in London the week leading up to the opening of the championships, Gardiner made it crystal clear to them that he wasn’t prepared to run with them at all. “I thought it was selfish because within the first couple of days when we arrived in London, we (Russell, Ojay Ferguson, Kendrick Thompson and Ramon Miller) were informed by him (Gardiner) directly that he did not have any plans to run with the relay team,” Russell said. “He said that as soon as the 400m is done, that will be it for him. I made sure I let the coaches (Dianne Woodside-Johnson and Rupert Gardiner) know the very moment it was said so that there would be no surprises at the end.” Russell said the coaches said not to worry bout it because they would handle it. Without Gardiner, Russell led the team of Mathieu, Ferguson and Miller to a seventh finish in their season’s best of three minutes and 03.02 seconds. That was 11th overall, leaving the Bahamas without one of the eight lanes in the final on the closing night of the championship Trinidad & Tobago went on to stun the United States of American for the gold. Great Britain picked up the bronze medal. “Being honest, I think we would have won the heat and qualified for the finals if he ran,” Russell said. “Looking at the numbers, Steve most likely would have shaved two seconds of the total time since his time of 43.89 is far beyond Michael’s season best of 45.9, Ramon’s 46.1, Ojay’s 46.4 and my own 45.5,” Russell projected. “Last year at the Olympics, we won the bronze medal with individual season’s best times of 45.25 for myself, Chris Brown’s 45.5, Michael’s 45.4 and Steven’s 44.4.” That was then and this is now. Another year, a different team. “We remained positive about it and just went in the race with the hopes of advancing to the final,” Russell said. “I assured the guys that I will pop off and put them in a good place to set the tone.” SEE PAGE E3

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017

WILLIAMS HEADS TO KENYA FOR HALF MARATHON TRAINING E3

Gaither reflects on ‘amazing’ Worlds By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WHEN she looks back at her performance at the 16th International Amateur Athletic Federation’s 16th World Championships, the one word that comes to mind of Grand Bahamian sprinter Ty’Nia Gaither is “amazing”. For a first time competitor, she surprised herself and made Bahamas history when she joined Shaunae Miller-Uibo as the first two Bahamian females to reach the final of the 200 metres. While Miller-Uibo went on to become the bronze medalist in a time of 22.15 seconds behind Dutchwoman Dafne Scheppers, who successfully defended her title in 22.05 and Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, who posted a national record of 22.08, Gaither finished eighth in 23.02. But for Gaither, it wasn’t so much the time or the position, but the fact that she made her breakthrough in her rookie season on the professional circuit after graduating from the University of Southern California a year ago. “I could do nothing but smile and be grateful because this was my first one, my first professional season, I got a new coach, still transitioning, trying to get used to a programme and I was able to do that,” she reflected. “I’m very satisfied.” The 24-year-old Grand Bahamian, sponsored on the international scene by Addidas, is being trained now by Darrel Wilson in Austin, Texas. She said she is in the right place at the right time. And having experienced what she did at the championships, running through the rounds, Gaither admitted that she gained a lot of mental strength. “I know that I belong now,” she said. “I feel like that was what I

“I could do nothing but smile and be grateful because this was my first one, my first professional season, I got a new coach, still transitioning, trying to get used to a programme and I was able to do that. I’m very satisfied.” Ty-Nia Gaither needed the most, just to know that I belong out there competing against the best.” Gaither said she’s looking to possibly compete in one or two more meets before she closes the account on her impressive season. “I’m not sure, yet. hopefully something will happen,” she stated. “I’m going to sit down and have a talk with my agent. Hopefully something will happen. I don’t know just yet. But whatever comes through, I know I will be prepared for it.” So far, Gaither said she would have acknowledge that it’s been an “up and down” struggle for her to transition from college to the pro ranks. “I’m a very independent person, so it’s been good to finally do some things on my own. I’m comfortable with that,” she declared. “But at the same time, it’s been very rough physically just trying to get back into top shape that I was in my college season. So I have to say it’s been ups and downs.” If there’s any lesson that Gaither felt she learnt during the season and even at the championships, it’s the fact that it’s all on her to accomplish her goals. SEE PAGE E6

SPRINTER Ty’Nia Gaither in action at the World Championships. PHOTO: Kermit Taylor/Bahamas Athletics

BAHAMAS LOSES OPENER IN U18 CENTROBASKET By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net TEAM Bahamas struggled to score for much of the second and third quarters and failed to keep pace as they lost their opening game of the FIBA U18 Centrobasket Championship for Women. They suffered a 53-39 loss to Costa Rica as the eight team tournament tipped off yesterday in Aguada, Puerto Rico. Tanea Bowleg led the Bahamas with seven points, while Terell Cox added six and Briontae Riley finished with five points and eight rebounds. Valeria Gonzalez led Costa Rica with 12 points while Fiorella Mendez and SEE PAGE E2

THE Bahamas in action against Costa Rica in their opening match of the FIBA U18 Centrobasket Championship for Women.

PAGE 2, Wednesday, August 16, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

BAHAMAS LOSES OPENER IN U18 CENTROBASKET FROM PAGE E1 Laura Castro each scored 10. The Bahamas scored just six points in both the second and third quarters as Costa Rica outscored them 27-12 during that timespan. After they fell behind by six points early, the Bahamas rallied to tie the game at 10 on a Cox layup. Tied again at 12, the Bahamas took their first lead of the game 15-12 on a Cox three point play with just over one minute left to play in the quarter. She scored the last five points for the team, and her free throw was the difference as they took the slim one point lead into the second. Costa Rica opened the second on a 14-5 run to take an eight point lead before Bowleg’s three pointer ended the drought for the Bahamas and kept them in contention. It was only one of two field goals for the team in the quarter that they scored just six points. Costa Rica took a 28-21 lead at the half. “The competition level is intense and that’s what the coaches kept stressing when we were back home,” Bowleg said, “We just weren’t hitting open shots and open layups, we were responding too late on our closeouts and they were hitting their shots. “I want to play in this gold medal game so as the captain I just have to tell my team we have to refocus and win these next three games.” Costa Rica took their first ten point lead on a Gonzalez three pointer to open the second half and the Bahamas never threatened again. Gonzalez made another three near the end of the quarter to build a 15 point lead at one point. They took a 47-21 lead into the fourth and both teams scored 12 points in the final period. Terrence McSweeney took over head coaching

PHOTOS from the Bahamas’ game against Costa Rica. duties and said the team would have to bring the same level of intensity and focus to the game that they have in their preparation thus far. “Our shootaround was awesome, the girls had a lot of energy but it all boils down to the third and fourth quarter, just like the senior team when I was with them in the USVI [at Centrobasket] we had no legs and we see the same thing here. My forte as a coach is to mentally and physically get the girls ready. “We realised at the end of the game the legs were just not there. We rotated 10 players which was not the norm, but we were trying to search for the correct lineup,” he said. “They have to bring the game. We cannot be timid at this level of basketball because when players see that they will take advantage. “Neither team shot it very well from the perimeter, our post up game was not where we wanted it to be, we missed easy shots we made at shootaround so now they have to soul search individually because they have to bring that these next few games.” Participating teams include the Bahamas, British

Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Suriname. The top-three teams from the tournament will qualify to FIBA Under-18

Women’s Americas Championship 2018. The Bahamas will face Suriname on Wednesday 2pm and Puerto Rico on Thursday 6pm to complete the group stage.

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Wednesday, August 16, 2017, PAGE 3

BD GLOBAL SPORTS TO HOST ‘ISLANDS OF THE BAHAMAS SHOWCASE’ By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas continues to be an attraction for major NCAA basketball and another event will be added to a stacked schedule this fall. Bd Global Sports will host the “Islands of the Bahamas Showcase” November 17-19 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. The event will feature eight mid-major NCAA Division I programmes over the course of the weekend.

Teams Several teams confirmed their participation in the event during their non-conference schedule release including the Bradley Braves, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, Iona Gaels, Northern Kentucky Norsemen, Texas-San Antonio Norsemen, Vermont Catamounts, Weber State Wildcats. An eighth team will be named later to replace Duquesne, who were named to the original field but will not participate. Bd Global, an event management and public relations firm, has become one of the largest providers of college basketball content in the United States and it’s previous work in the Bahamas has included two new Web.com Tour events. Last January, they opened the tour with The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay which was played January 8-11 followed by The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club on Winding Bay on January 22-25.

Exciting “This is a very exciting time for our business, and a natural evolution for us into the international sports and media marketplace,” Brooks Downing, founder and president of Bd Global Sports said when the golf tournaments and partnership in the Bahamas was announced, “We are finding unique opportunities throughout North America and the Caribbean to create firstclass platforms that will elevate brands and meet the goals and objectives for cities and communities to generate economic activity through sports.” According to its website, bdG’s primary focus has been largely in NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball. Last season alone, its tournaments ranged from the first college basketball game at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Duke vs. UNLV), to neutral-site tournaments, to round-robin events held at home sites. In the next six weeks, bdG has contracted 12 basketball events that feature 68 NCAA Division I teams playing a total of 127 games. bdG has established an impressive list of clients, including Nike, Gatorade, Bayer, Novartis, Papa John’s, and MGM Resorts International, among others. With an intense focus on charity through all of its event relationships, bdG continues to work closely with Coaches vs. Cancer, Play4Kay and the Lee Memorial Children’s Hospital in Southwest Florida. The Bahamas currently hosts the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s Summer of Thunder Series, the Battle 4 Atlantis and the Junkanoo Jam.

A DISAPPOINTED men’s 4 x 400m relay team of Ramon Miller, Ojay Ferguson, Michael Mathieu and Alonso Russell after their race at the World Championships.

RUSSELL: WE COULD REALLY HAVE USED GARDINER IN 4X400 FROM PAGE E1

Russell, in producing WhatsApp messages that they all shared in their group congratulating Gardiner after he lowered the national record in the semifinal and again after he won the silver medal, said they were hoping that the medal winner would have a change of heart and run with them. “Even if Steven decided that he wasn’t running the first round with

the team, I thought he should have show us some support and attend the relay practices, relay meetings organised by the coaching staff, but he wasn’t there,” Russell said. Russell said Mathieu sent him a text in the WhatsApp group, but he didn’t reply. Russell said he then tried reaching out to him, but he didn’t get any reply then either. Now back in Florida where he’s based, Russell said it was so unfortunate that they didn’t get the full support

of the country’s best quarter-miler. The Bahamas came into the championships ranked at number nine in the standings with their time of 2:58.49 that they ran in the semis of the Olympic Games last year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Bahamas got the bronze in the final. The Bahamas have not medaled in the championships since the team of Avard Moncur, Mathieu, Andrae Williams, Brown and Nathniel Mc-

WILLIAMS HEADS TO KENYA FOR HALF MARATHON TRAINING By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net ONEIL WILLIAMS is now en route to Kenya to resume his training and said this latest bout will be the deciding factor in his qualification for the IAAF Half Marathon Championships. Williams has set November 19, when he returns home for the Bahamas Roadmasters Championships, as his target date of qualification for the World Championships. The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is scheduled for March 24, 2018 in Valencia, Spain. The qualifying standard is 1:06.00 between the qualifying period of April 23, 2017 to January 31, 2018. Williams said the training in Kapasbet, Kenya has created a rededication in his focus with his personal regimen as he draws inspiration and strategy from some of the best distance runners in the world. “There has to be this level of dedication as far as making it with anything you do, I’ve run with world champions, record holders, people who stand out

ONEIL WILLIAMS among elite athletes and they had backstories before their great successes that are far worse than mine. “Wilson Kipsung, former record holder in marathon, was telling me about his struggles for years and about 5-6 years where he just lost continuously to guys he would routinely beat later, so he inspires me to just stick with it,” Williams said. “It was difficult adjusting to training and environment and the altitude. Coming from sea level to that was an adjustment

and after those years it became easier and I have benefitted from it. I would say from then to now I’m a far superior runner and now is the time to take it to the next level.” He most recently participated in the 2017 Asics Stockholm Marathon but said with his final trip to Kenya to “fine tune” strategy and training he expects a breakthrough for himself and for distance running in the country. “I just have to stay healthy . . . this three month course will be to get me completely ready moving forward,” he said, “The struggle is not getting too much attention. We look at the jumpers and the sprinters excelling. “I’ve always heard stories about distance running not getting a chance and I want to change that. It’ll open up some new avenues for distance runners I would like for the BAAAs to put financial backing behind a distance training programme for the developmental athletes. “We will not all be sprinters or jumpers.” Williams thanked his numerous private donors and corporate sponsors for their assistance thus far.

Kinney (who ran in the heats), got the silver in 2007 in Osaka, Japan. This was the second straight appearance that the Bahamas failed to get into the final at the championships. The team of Brown, Demetrius Pinder, Mathieu and Miller clocked 2:56.72 for a national record breaking performance as the Bahamas won its last global medal with the gold at the 2012 Olympics in London.

SPORTS NOTES

BOWLING COORS LIGHT

COMPETITION continues tonight Wednesday night in the Coors Light Bowling Tournament where teams are battling for a first place prize of $1100, a 2nd place prize of $500 and a 3rd place prize of $400. The Pin Crushers, led by a 237 second high game and a 636 high three game set from Lee Davis, continue their hold on 1st place after last Wednesday’s action. Other top performers were Raymond Adderley of Rum Runners with a 246 high game and a 631 second high set and Tara Culmer of Deloitte & Touché, who put in a solid performance with a huge 233 high game for the ladies. Standing for the top 4 teams after week 3 of 6 are: Pin Crushers - 197 Team Average Pocket Crushers - 194 Team Average The Rum Runners - 193 Team Average Deloitte & Touche - 192 Team Average

HILLTOPPERS GET A GLIMPSE OF DWIGHT COLEBY

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE Western Kentucky Hilltoppers’ coaching staff and fanbase got a glimpse of the impact graduate transfer Dwight Coleby expects to have on the programme this fall as he concludes his collegiate career. Coleby played limited minutes in the Hilltoppers’ three game exhibition series in Costa Rica due to a sprained heel but said he will be ready to be a major contributor once the season starts. “Look at the (2016-17) stats, you don’t really think of much,” Coleby told the Daily News, “But you have to understand I was coming off an injury and wasn’t healthy at all basically the whole year. I’ll have a chance to prove myself this year. People are going to see what I can really do.” He posted seven points and seven rebounds in just eight minutes of the first quarter against Laurentian University from Ontario, Canada. Coleby went through pregame warmups against the Costa Rican national team and the second game against Laurentian. “Dwight’s come in here and I like him a bunch,” Hilltoppers head coach Rick Stansbury said, “I know he averaged 1.7 points last year for Kansas. I’ll be shocked if

he doesn’t beat that. He has great energy. I think he can score that ball multiple ways. He’s big and strong and he’s a great kid – great attitude, great work ethic.” Per NCAA rules, programmes are allowed to take a foreign tour once every four years, although this is the first such trip for WKU since the Hilltoppers traveled to Spain prior to the 2005-06 season. “The value of this is the 10 days in practice, and that’s really valuable with this brand-new team – every person,” Stansbury said. “Nowadays, these college guys go into their own world so much with social media. So have the ability to spend some time away from all that, do some things away from basketball, I think that’s good. I think that’ll help bring some togetherness.” Coleby announced his intention to leave the Kansas Jayhawks following his graduation from the institution in Lawrence, Kansas in May.

“Dwight’s come in here and I like him a bunch. I know he averaged 1.7 points last year for Kansas. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t beat that. He has great energy. I think he can score that ball multiple ways. He’s big and strong and he’s a great kid – great attitude, great work ethic.”

Hilltoppers head coach Rick Stansbury Stansbury was previously linked to Coleby after he originally recruited him during his tenure at Mississippi State while Coleby attended the Piney Woods School in Mississippi. Western Kentucky finished last season with a 15-17 record and lost in the second round of the Conference-USA tournament. Last season as a junior, Coleby averaged 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in his first season in a Jayhawks uniform. He 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 workout in October 2015 and

had to undergo a grueling rehab process. Following a standout high school career, Coleby signed with the Ole Miss Rebels out of the Piney Woods School in Mississippi. He entered Ole Miss as a highly touted recruit following his senior season at Piney Woods High School. He was the first commitment for the Rebels and was the top recruit on the team’s recruiting list for the 2013 season. He was listed as a three-star recruit by Scout.com and ranked number 23 amongst centres. ESPN.com also listed him as a three star recruit, with a grade of 78 overall, ranked 36th in the Southeast region, 15th nationally at his position, and second at his position within the state of Mississippi. In his freshman season with the Rebels, Coleby played in 28 games with four starts and averaged 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 10.4 minutes. He shot 47 per cent from the floor and finished with 18 blocked shots, fifth on the team. As a sophomore, he averaged 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds and was also named an SEC Academic Honour Roll selection in two seasons with the Rebels. Following his sophomore campaign, he announced his intention to transfer to the Jayhawks.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, August 16, 2017

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TEXANS, PATS TUNE UP FOR PRESEASON GAME WITH JOINT PRACTICE By KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — After missing 13 games last season after back surgery, J.J. Watt relishes any chance to compete. So Houston’s star defensive end was positively giddy on Tuesday after he and the Texans had the first of two joint practices with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. “It’s always good to go out there and get some reps against somebody of that caliber,” Watt said. “It’s a lot of fun. Anytime you put two good teams together on the practice field and get great reps like we had today, you’re going to get better.” The defending Super Bowl champions came to West Virginia for the week to prepare with the Texans before the teams meet in the second preseason game on Saturday night in Houston. They worked for about two hours together on Tuesday amid light to moderate rain showers. Both teams believe these practices are a valuable tool for preparing for the season and breaking the monotony of training camp. “That’s the great thing about these practices ... that you have an opportunity to get out of training camp,” New England receiver Julian Edelman said. “It’s almost like when you’re in school and you go on a field trip. You may be learning things, but it’s like 10 times better than being in class.” Texans quarterback Tom Savage was excited to get some work in against another defence and also had fun being on the same field with Brady, whom he called “the greatest quarterback of all time.” “What’s better than that ... even though I’m a starting quarterback in this league, I’m still a fan of this game,” Savage said. “It’s fun to watch.” Brady didn’t speak to reporters on Tuesday, but he didn’t seem to enjoy the practice quite as much as many of the players did. He barked at his teammates after some lessthan-stellar plays during the practice, but the Patriots didn’t seem to mind. “When you’ve got a leader that wants to go out and practice at the ultimate, highest level, when something that you should do doesn’t go right, there’s going to be a little fire under that and that’s what you need from your leader,” Edelman said. “That’s just Tommy being Tommy.” Tuesday was also a chance for New England coach Bill Belichick to reunite with Houston coach Bill O’Brien, who was an assistant on his staff from 2007-11. He also got to catch up with Houston defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, who played for him from 2001-08 and offensive/special teams assistant Wes Welker, who spent 2007-12 playing for the Patriots. Belichick was very complimentary of O’Brien and two former players who have joined him in Houston and added that he knew Vrabel would end up in coaching. “The programme has gotten stronger every year,” Belichick said. “I’m sure they’re continuing to head up. We have a lot of respect for Bill and his coaching staff, this football team, the programme he runs — a tremendous amount of respect.” O’Brien, whose first NFL job came when he joined Belichick’s staff as an offensive assistant in 2007, appreciated the praise from his former boss, but was more concerned about his team on Tuesday than walking down memory lane.

BACKUP AGAIN: COWBOYS QB MOORE HEALTHY, NOW BEHIND PRESCOTT DALLAS Cowboys quarterback Kellen Moore throws a pass during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, in Los Angeles on Saturday. Moore’s injury a year ago sparked a transformation that turned America’s Team into Dak Prescott’s team. Now he’s healthy again, and the backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys again, this time behind Prescott instead of Tony Romo. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) By SCHUYLER DIXON, AP Pro Football Writer OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Kellen Moore is the backup quarterback the Dallas Cowboys hope won’t have to take a meaningful snap in 2017, just as he was a year ago before an injury at training camp ended his season. The radical difference since Moore broke his right ankle early last August is the incumbent in front of him: Dak Prescott, whose sensational rookie season kept 10-year starter Tony Romo on the bench when he was ready to return from a back injury and ultimately led the club’s career passing leader to retire and go into broadcasting. The changing face of the franchise didn’t alter Moore’s outlook much. He’s always known his job role either way. “He’s just back here healthy, irregardless of whom the starter was a year ago or who it is now,” offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. “He knows he’s got a significant role for us. I don’t think he’s approaching it any different.” Linehan is the constant through

the unexpected transition, and the reason Moore is going into his third season with the Cowboys. Undersized by QB standards (listed generously at 6-foot), the undrafted Moore made a connection with Linehan in Detroit out of Boise State in 2012. Both are from eastern Washington, and Linehan likes to joke about his family’s issues with his close relationship with a hated rival since Linehan went to Idaho. Kidding aside, Linehan simply thinks there isn’t a quarterback smarter than Moore, or better-suited to carry out his game plan. “For me it’s coming up on five of my six years,” the 28-year-old Moore said of his link to Linehan. “You kind of understand the way he thinks of football, his process and his way of thinking and his terminology. All of that stuff kind of adds up when you speak the same language. It’s important.” Moore didn’t take a regular-season snap all three years he was with the Lions, and only got into games with the Cowboys at the end of a lost 2015 season when Romo was hurt most of the season and backups

Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel failed badly. The 28-year-old Moore lost the final two games as a starter in a 4-12 season, throwing six interceptions in three games overall. But he did have a 400-yard passing game in the finale and four touchdowns total. And the Cowboys obviously have faith in him, because they signed him as a free agent coming off the ankle injury. Last season, Moore was one of the voices in an interesting quarterback room for the suddenly blooming Prescott. Romo, whose back injury in a preseason game completed Prescott’s ascension , was in his 14th season; Moore had several years in Linehan’s system; and backup Mark Sanchez had experience as a rookie starter. Instead of sitting in the background with Romo in control, Moore had a much more active role as a voice for Prescott. “Kellen does such a good job just contributing,” said coach Jason Garrett, who was the backup to Troy Aikman when the Cowboys were winning Super Bowls in the 1990s. “And he can contribute a lot of

different ways as a backup quarterback, just in that room, making that room feel like it is a good place for the guy that’s starting and everything he goes through and then just having a positive impact on everybody on offence and throughout the team.” It’s easy to forget that Moore’s injury gave Prescott significantly more playing time in the first two preseason games last year. And the former Mississippi State standout impressed enough for the Cowboys to give him the job when Romo went down. Moore isn’t really the type to wonder what might have been without his ankle injury. Mostly he’s just glad to be back in camp, where he has a better appreciation of the gritty daily details after so much idle time last August. “It was your first August where you sat on the couch and watched ‘Fixer Upper’ all day and didn’t really watch football,” Moore said. “It was kind of a weird deal and you had to deal with that. Obviously you’re enjoying it this year.” Even if a backup is all anyone wants him to be.

JETS OC MORTON ON HACKENBERG: ‘BASICALLY, HE’S A ROOKIE’

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr., AP Sports Writer

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The re-education of Christian Hackenberg is well underway. The New York Jets’ second-year quarterback took the field in a game for the first time in nearly a year last Saturday night, getting extensive action in the win over Tennessee. And as far as offensive coordinator John Morton was concerned, there was plenty to like. “He did a really good job,” Morton said Tuesday. “He was decisive on his throws. I thought he was accurate. I thought he did a really nice job.” Consider this Year 1: Rebooted for Hackenberg, who never took a snap in the regular season last year. “He was poised, and that’s what you want to see,” Morton said. “Basically, he’s a rookie, and we thought he did a really nice job with that.” Still, Hackenberg appeared to be caught off guard a bit by the suggestion that this is basically like his first year in the NFL from an experience standpoint. “No, I don’t think I’d say that,” Hackenberg said. “I just feel good with the opportunities that I’ve been given and being able to go out and take advantage of them this year. So, yeah.” Hackenberg, a secondround pick out of Penn State last year, was 18 of 25 for 127 yards while running Morton’s mostly conservative offence against the Titans. He produced no points in eight possessions in the 7-3 win, but also had no turnovers. Still No. 2 in the Jets’ three-man quarterback competition, Hackenberg is doing all he can to make Josh McCown starting in Week 1 at Buffalo less of the near-certainty that it

NEW York Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg (5) is sacked by Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Aaron Wallace (52) during the third quarter on Saturday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

now appears. “I think it’s really just trying to do everything that I’ve been trying to do up until this point,” Hackenberg said, “which is just go out and operate, do what’s asked of me, take what the defence gives me and continue to grow and see things and make adjustments when it’s called upon.” Hackenberg came to the Jets as what many considered was a project, a player who needed to sit and learn while improving his physical skills. It was basically a redshirt season for the young QB. New York is using this training camp to get a bet-

ter sense if he could be the face of the franchise or if it needs to look elsewhere next offseason. Hackenberg is getting lots of snaps throughout practices, with an increasing number with the starting offence. That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that he’s any closer to becoming the Jets’ starter. “It’s too early to tell,” Morton said. “We’re in this training camp mode and we have to play a couple more preseason games and then we’ll have a better feel and see where we’re at. It’s a whole different story when you get in games and evaluate guys. “That’s the real evalua-

tion.” Coach Todd Bowles hasn’t revealed the team’s quarterback rotation for its next game Saturday night in Detroit, but it’s likely McCown will start again and play more than just the one touchdown-leading series he got against Tennessee. While Morton acknowledged that Hackenberg “gets better every day,” Bowles was not as generous with his praise when asked how much he has improved since last year. “I don’t know if he’s better at anything,” the coach said. “He’s just learning the offence and having the whole spring and taking

the reps more, he’s getting to play more and as he plays more, everything becomes easier for him so he’s better mentally from that standpoint.” Hackenberg prefers to not dwell on the past. He’s solely focused on the future — and becoming the player the Jets are hoping for, whether that means in Week 1 or later this season. “I just think it’s two totally different situations,” Hackenberg said. “I don’t really like comparing last year to this year. It’s a new year. I learned from last year those things that have helped put me in the situation I’m in now. I feel good.”

PAGE 6, Wednesday, August 16, 2017 TY’NIA GAITHER at the World Championships in London. PHOTO: Kermit Taylor/ Bahamas Athletics

THE TRIBUNE TY’NIA GAITHER embraces Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou. Photo: Kermit Taylor/ Bahamas Athletics

GAITHER REFLECTS ON ‘AMAZING’ WORLDS FROM PAGE E1

“You have to put in the work and you have to want it,” she stressed. “If you don’t want it, it’s not going to happen. “I went out there wanting it very badly. Despite all of my obstacles, I wanted it and I came out with an eighth place finish.”Shedding tears of joy as she came into the mixed zone to talk to the reporters after the final, Gaither said she was so delighted that she got into the final that she didn’t know how to celebrate her achievement. The championships, however, ended for Gaither when the women’s 4 x 100m team that she anchored, didn’t get to finish after the exchange between Carmiesha Cox and Janae Ambrose never connected. The team, which also featured Devynne Charlton on the first leg, was disqualified. Obviously peeved about the way the coaching staff put the team together at the last minute, Gaither said it put a damper on her championships, but it won’t affect her going forward because she did what she set out to do - get into the final of her individual event in the 200m. “I felt like I did okay. I feel like there will be more in the future for me,” she projected. “Next time I think I will be in the money.” While this was her first appearance at the World’s, Gaither represented the Bahamas at the Olympic Games in Rio de

Janeiro, Brazil last year where she made it to the semifinal. Last year, she also contested the 60m in the World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, but she didn’t advance out of the heats. As a junior athlete, Gaither made her international debut for the Bahamas at the Carifta Games in the Cayman Islands in 2010, picking up a silver in the 200m and another on the women’s 4 x 100m relay team. That same year, she also competed at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada – reaching the semifinal. She closed out the year as a silver medalist at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Sinapore. The following year, Gaither went to Kingston, Jamaica for her second stint in the Carifta Games, coming in fifth in the 100m. Coming into the championships, Gaither had her season’s best time of 22.71 that she ran at the inaugural Grenada Invitational on April 4 to qualify for London. When she left, she was the eighth ranked 200m runner in the world. As the runner-up to Miller-Uibo at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Track and Field Championships that were held in Grand Bahama in June, Gaither still has a personal best of 22.61 that the 5-feet, 2-inch speedster hopes to improve upon in the future. Gaither, who also claimed the national title in the 100m, has a PR of 11.21 that she posted in Los Angeles in 2015.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, August 16, 2017, PAGE 7

INJURIES, UPSETS FOR MEN IN CINCINNATI; HALEP, KONTA ADVANCE MASON, Ohio (AP) — Injuries and upsets are wrecking the men’s side of the Western & Southern Open. On Tuesday, Milos Raonic became the seventh player ranked in the top 10 to withdraw from the tournament, right before fellow seeded players David Goffin, Tomas Berdych and Jack Sock were knocked out in first-round matches. Juan Martin del Potro advanced to the second round with a 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-0 upset of the 10th-seeded Berdych. Yuichi Sugita followed with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over the 13thseeded Sock. Del Potro shook off a first-set loss, jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the second set before settling for a win in the tiebreak, which he led 5-0 and clinched with an ace. He built on his momentum by rolling through the third set against the Wimbledon semifinalist, improving to 12-0 in first-round matches this season. Berdych was playing his first match since withdrawing from last week’s Rogers Cup in Montreal with a rib injury. Sugita clinched his win by breaking Sock with a shot that clipped the baseline, a call that was confirmed by review. “I tried to make a serve and the first shot is the most important thing,” Sugita said. “I tried to go into the net and be aggressive on the court.” The ninth-seeded Goffin became the first seeded man to be knocked

out in Cincinnati, falling to Nick Kyrgios, 6-2, 6-3 in a first-round match. Kyrgios will meet qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov in the second round after Dolgopolov defeated Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-6 (6). Also, Karen Khachanov beat Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. Eleventh-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta and 14th-seeded John Isner managed to avoid the rash of upsets. Carreno Busta ousted Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-3. The hard-serving Isner won 93 percent of his first serves and uncorked 16 aces while building a 30-9 lead in total winners while defeating wild-card Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-3 to become the first man in the third round. Ivo Karlovic joined him there with yet another upset, pulling out a 6-4, 7-6 (9) win over eighth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. On the women’s side, secondseeded Simona Halep and seventhseeded Johanna Konta became the first players to reach the third round of this U.S. Open warmup. Halep dispatched qualifier Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-1, while Wimbledon semifinalist Konta beat Kiki Bertens 6-3, 6-3. Ninth-seeded Venus Williams cruised into the second round, needing just 66 minutes to dispatch fellow American Alison Riske 6-2, 6-0. Williams will next face Ashleigh Barty, who beat Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 6-4 in a matchup of two qualifiers. “I hadn’t played in a while, so I

SIMONA HALEP, of Romania, in action in Toronto at the weekend. Yesterday, she defeated Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-1. (Nathan Denette/ The Canadian Press via AP) Kei Nishikori withdrew Monday, the first full day of matches. No. 1 Andy Murray, No. 4 Stan Wawrinka, No. 5 Novak Djokovic and No. 6 Marin Cilic — the defending champion — withdrew before the tournament started. No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the topseeded player, remains in the draw and will return to No. 1 when new ATP rankings are released Aug. 21. In other men’s first-round action Tuesday, David Ferrer outlasted Steve Johnson for a 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 win that took two hours, 22 minutes. Albert Ramos-Vinolas needed three sets to get past qualifier Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and wild card Jared Donaldson beat Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (5), 6-3. Other men making the second round were Adrian Mannarino with

wasn’t really sure what to expect,” said Williams, the Wimbledon finalist who lost in the round of 16 last week at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. “I know she likes a flat ball and is a retriever and is just feisty, and the courts are really slow, too. Today was like about being measured and being patient and trying to just capitalise on the match.” Another qualifier, Aleksandra Krunic, advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 upset of 12th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko, while 10th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was knocked out by unseeded Julia Goerges 6-4, 6-4. The sixth-seeded Raonic withdrew from the Masters series tournament because of a left wrist injury, tournament officials said. No. 3 Roger Federer and No. 9

a 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-2 win over Robin Haase, and Nikoloz Basilashvili with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over Borna Coric. On the women’s side, Natalia Vikhlyantseva, who lost in qualifying but earned a berth when Maria Sharapova withdrew, advanced with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 win over qualifier Donna Vekic, Alize Cornet beat CiCi Bellis 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-2, and 15th-seeded Anastasia Sevastova needed three sets to overcome Shuai Peng 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Also reaching the women’s second round were wild card Sloane Stephens, 6-4, 7-6 (5) over Lucie Safarova; Elena Vesnia, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 over Caroline Garcia, and qualifier Francoise Amanda, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 over fellow qualifier Magda Linette.

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 93° F/34° C Low: 76° F/24° C

TAMPA

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Clouds and sun with a shower

Mostly cloudy

Partly sunny with a few showers

Sun and clouds with a few showers

Mostly cloudy with a thunderstorm

Intervals of clouds and sunshine

High: 93°

Low: 80°

High: 93° Low: 80°

High: 93° Low: 81°

High: 91° Low: 80°

High: 92° Low: 82°

AccuWeather RealFeel

109° F

94° F

109°-93° F

109°-89° F

102°-90° F

108°-89° F

High: 92° F/33° C Low: 80° F/27° 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: 88° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

4-8 knots

High: 91° F/33° C Low: 78° F/26° C

4-8 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 91° F/33° C Low: 79° F/26° C

W S

WEST PALM BEACH

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 89° F/32° C Low: 80° F/27° C

MIAMI

High: 92° F/33° C Low: 80° F/27° C

4-8 knots

KEY WEST

High: 90° F/32° C Low: 82° F/28° C

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 91° F/33° C Low .................................................... 78° F/26° C Normal high ....................................... 89° F/32° C Normal low ........................................ 76° F/24° C Last year’s high ................................. 93° F/34° C Last year’s low ................................... 78° F/26° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 19.63” Normal year to date ................................... 22.19”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 93° F/34° C Low: 80° F/27° C

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

tiDes

For

nassau

High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

2:55 a.m. 3:43 p.m.

2.8 3.3

9:12 a.m. 0.3 10:11 p.m. 0.7

Thursday

4:02 a.m. 4:47 p.m.

2.8 3.4

10:17 a.m. 0.3 11:16 p.m. 0.6

Friday

5:08 a.m. 5:48 p.m.

2.8 3.6

11:20 a.m. 0.2 ---------

Saturday

6:09 a.m. 6:45 p.m.

3.0 3.7

12:16 a.m. 0.4 12:21 p.m. 0.0

Sunday

7:06 a.m. 7:38 p.m.

3.1 3.7

1:12 a.m. 1:17 p.m.

0.2 -0.1

Monday

8:00 a.m. 8:27 p.m.

3.2 3.7

2:03 a.m. 2:11 p.m.

0.1 -0.1

Tuesday

8:50 a.m. 9:15 p.m.

3.3 3.7

2:51 a.m. 3:02 p.m.

0.0 -0.1

sun

anD

Sunrise Sunset

moon

6:44 a.m. 7:44 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

1:31 a.m. 3:08 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

Aug. 21

Aug. 29

Sep. 6

Sep. 13

CAT ISLAND

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

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

6-12 knots

7-14 knots

ANDROS

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

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

High: 90° F/32° C Low: 82° F/28° C

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

7-14 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 88° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

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

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 87° F/31° C Low: 83° F/28° C

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 91° F/33° C Low: 82° F/28° C

N W

N E

E S

8-16 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday:

WINDS S at 4-8 Knots SSE at 4-8 Knots E at 6-12 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots ESE at 7-14 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 10-20 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots ESE at 7-14 Knots S at 3-6 Knots SSE at 4-8 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 10-20 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ESE at 4-8 Knots ESE at 4-8 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 10-20 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots

WAVES 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet

VISIBILITY 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 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 89° F 86° F 87° F 87° F 86° F 85° F 83° F 86° F 85° F 85° F 86° F 83° F 87° F 87° F 85° F 85° F 87° F 87° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 86° F

PAGE 8, Wednesday, August 16, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

LIVERPOOL BEAT HOFFENHEIM 2-1, CLOSE IN ON CHAMPIONS LEAGUE By STEVE DOUGLAS, AP Sports Writer

IN THE absence of unsettled playmaker Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool turned to an 18-year-old right back making his European debut for some set-piece magic in its Champions League playoff win against Hoffenheim on Tuesday. Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t disappoint. Talked up at Anfield as a potential star of the future, AlexanderArnold curled in a free kick from 30 yards to set Liverpool on its way to a 2-1 victory over a German side making its debut in European competition. “Our little hero,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said of Alexander-Arnold, who has been at the English club since the age of 6, has played for England’s youth teams and is making his full breakthrough in the first team this season while Nathaniel Clyne is injured. It was his first goal for the club, on his ninth start. “The free kick is no coincidence, he’s been doing that every day in training,” said Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson, one of a number of senior players who are happy to hand over free kicks and corners to the teenager. “Now he’s done it on the big stage.” Coutinho usually hogs the set pieces for Liverpool, but the Brazil international is currently not available, with the club saying he has a back injury. Coutinho put in a transfer request last week after he was the subject of a second bid from Barcelona, which Liverpool rejected before saying he was not for sale. Liverpool — a five-time European champion— is on course to reach the group stage without its star player after Havard Nordtveit inadvertently deflected substitute James Milner’s cross from the left high into his own net to make it 2-0 in the 74th minute. Substitute Mark Uth gave Hoffenheim a glimmer of hope going into next week’s second leg at Anfield when he chested down a long ball forward and drilled an angled shot into the corner in the 87th. Liverpool is looking to become the fifth English team to qualify for the group stage — joining Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and Europa League winner Manchester United — and return to Europe’s top competition for

LIVERPOOL’S TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD, left, scores his side’s opening goal with a free kick during the Champions League’s qualifier first leg match between 1899 Hoffenheim and FC Liverpool, in the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, in Sinsheim, Germany. (AP) the first time since the 2014-15 season. Hoffenheim is in unknown territory after reaching the Champions League playoffs courtesy of a fourth-place finish in the Bundesliga under Julian Nagelsmann, its 30-year-old coach. It was the highest-ever finish by the team from a village of around 4,000 people in southwest Germany. This was Hoffenheim’s first loss at home in any competition since May 2016. A look at the other playoff first legs: OUNG BOYS 0, Y CSKA MOSCOW 1 CSKA benefited from a comical own goal in added time to close in on a fifth straight appearance in the group stage. An aimless ball forward was headed into the air by Young Boys center back Kasim Nuhu, who compounded that clumsy touch by heading the ball for a second time, this time over goalkeeper David von Ballmoos and over the line. Van Ballmoos scrambled back and tried to claw the ball into play, but it was adjudged to have crossed the line. ARABAG 1, Q FC COPENHAGEN 0 Azerbaijani club Qarabag FK

moved closer to its first appearance in the group stage thanks to Mahir Madatov’s goal in the 26th minute. This is the fourth time Qarabag has made it into Champions League qualifying, though the team has never progressed beyond the third round. Copenhagen has advanced from two of its six appearances in the playoffs, in 2010 and last year. POEL NICOSIA 2, A SLAVIA PRAGUE 0 Former Champions League quarterfinalist APOEL is within touching distance of a return to the competition after goals by Igor De Camargo and Stathis Aloneftis in the first 10 minutes. Muris Mesanovic struck the post for Slavia, the closest the Czech visitors came to reducing the deficit. PORTING LISBON 0, S STEAUA BUCHAREST 0 Steaua survived the final 10 minutes with 10 men after midfielder Mihai Pintilii’s red card for two bookings. Sporting, who have lost in both of their previous appearances in the playoffs in 2009 and 2015, struck the post through Argentina international Marcos Acuna in the first half.

LIVERPOOL’s Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates his goal. (AP)