SPORTS SECTION E
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2016
Davis Cup tie set for Doral Country Club By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas showdown for the first round of the American Zone II Davis Cup tie will be played next month at the Doral Country Club in Miami, Florida, instead of the home surface of Venezuela. Venezuela is the designated host of the tie, scheduled for February 3-5, but because of the economic crisis, they consented to play on neutral grounds in Miami. “I think it’s very important that it is being played on a neutral site that is very close to us,” said Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association president Elwood Donaldson. “Considering the conditions
that they are experiencing in Venezuela, we had requested for them to allow us to host it, but they decided to go with the neutral site, which works out very good for us.” With the tie now being played in Miami, Donaldson said the Bahamas would be able to have a lot more fans in attendance than they would have if it were in Venezuela. And he noted that it being in Miami, it works out better for the Newman brothers – Baker and Spencer – whose training base is in Florida. “We can now send a very large contingent to support the team because it’s very close,” Donaldson said. “So that turned out well for us with the Davis Cup being held in Miami.”
The team, comprising of the Newman brothers, Kevin ‘KJ’ Major and player/captain Marvin Rolle, was decided last month at the BLTA’s Annual Giorgio Baldacci National Open Tennis Tournament. However, Baker Spencer is still in school at Vanderbilt and Major is expected to enrol in Seminole State Junior College in Oklahoma in the next week. Donaldson said the BLTA is anticipating that both players will be cleared in time to participate, but in the event that either one can’t make it they will add Philip Major Jr to the team. “We are hoping that to have both KJ and Baker, but if not, we have Philip, who was our fifth qualifier and he’s at their level
too, so he would fill in,” Donaldson said. “He’s been touring professionally, he won a regional qualifier, so we are still looking forward to sending a very good team.” This will be the eighth time that the Bahamas has faced Venezuela. The Bahamas holds a 5-2 advantage, having won the last tie between the two countries February 8-10, 2008 at the National Tennis Centre when the Bahamas pulled off a 4-1 decision in the first round of Group II. Prior to that, Venezuela won 4-0 in Maracaibo, Venezuela in the Group One final September 19-21 and 3-2 in Nassau in Group One first round tie February 8-10,
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We are the champions
TIGER WOODS
New Year, Pg 4
‘HANDS ACROSS THE NET, FRIENDSHIP ACROSS THE OCEAN’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE focus of attention at the National Tennis Centre will switch to the hosting of the fourth edition of the International Tennis Club, featuring some of the top former players from the Bahamas, US, Canada, Barbados and an international team, comprising of players of various nationalities. The event, which has a motto of ‘Hands Across the Net, Friendship Across the Ocean,’ is being organised by Kit Spencer and will run from Monday to Friday with the Bahamian team led by John Antonas and Kim O’Kelly, former Bahamian Davis and Cup players and captains. “It’s the fourth biannual event we’re running and we have a pretty strong Bahamian team this time,” Spencer said. “Last year, we were runnersup to a strong United States team, but we feel this team is good enough to win it this year.”
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BASKETBALL COMMUNITY SAYS FAREWELL TO THE LATE RANDOLPH SWABY JR
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: The CI Gibson Rattlers with their awards.
CI Gibson Rattlers emerge as winners of Providence Basketball Tournament By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
T
he CI Gibson Rattlers, still riding a perfect season on the local scene although they are coming off two losses overseas, emerged as champions of their own Providence Basketball Tournament. The Rattlers pulled off a 76-67 victory over the Jordan Prince Williams Falcons in a match-up of two undefeated teams in the respective Government Secondary Schools Sports Association and the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools. CI Gibson, the GSSSA runners-up, advanced to the final with a 80-47 rout over the CV Bethel Stingrays and Jordan Prince Williams, the BAISS champions, clinched their berth with a 71-54 clobbering of the CC Sweeting Cobras. Most valuable player Asher
Scavalla canned 23 points in the win and Adam Johnson pumped in a game high 27 in the loss. “I have a very young team once again. I lost two really good players to school in the United States, but the guys who are stepping up are really playing some good basketball,” said Rattlers’ head coach Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson. “They really understand what it takes to try to get the job done by winning the game, one game at a time. They are young and they are making their mistakes, but as the games go on, we are only getting better as a team. I see that they are doing that and hopefully at the end of the day, we will be ready to finish strong at the GSSSA Championships, Hugh Campbell and the Nationals.” As for the level of competition exhibited in the tournament, Johnson said if it was any indication, the road to the Hugh Campbell in February will be an interesting one. “We played a very good team,
very well coached,” Johnson said. “I think Prince Williams have one of the best centres or small forward in Adam (Johnson) in the country. He’s very athletic. We had to come out with a very good game plan and we did that to pull off the win. “But hats off to Prince Williams. They are a very good team with some very good guards. We executed down the stretch and we did what was necessary for us to win. We just need to mature a little more, understanding what it is the coach is trying to tell them and playing the game the way we should.” The four teams mentioned above emerged as the pool champions with the Rattlers beating the Westminster Diplomats 73-44, the Falcons flew past the Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves 68-66, the Stingrays stunned the Mt Carmel Cavaliers 60-40 and the Cobras roared over the Queen’s College Comets 73-68. In games played during the
pool play, Queen’s College def. Government High 64-49; CI Gibson def. Akhepran 76-11; RM Bailey def. St Anne’s, Queen’s College def. Teleos 63-47; Anatol def. RM Bailey 68-37; Westminster def. Akhepran 53-44; Anatol def. St Anne’s; Prince Williams def. RM Bailey 82-35; CV Bethel def, Temple Christian 58-56; CC Sweeting def, Teleos 84-67; Anatol def. Jordan Prince Williams 74-70; CC Sweeting def. Government High 72-52; CV Bethel def. Mt Carmel 58-53; Jordan Prince Williams def. St Anne’s 73-46; Mt Carmel def. Temple Christian 7044; CV Bethel def. Akhepran 6560; CI Gibson def. West Minster 86-43 and Queen’s College def. CC Sweeting 51-50. As the tournament director, Johnson said he was pleased with the level of competition that he saw on display. But as the season progresses, he said it will be interesting to see how everybody
THE basketball community joins in offering its condolences to the family of the late Randolph Swaby Jr, who passed away 4am Wednesday at Princess Margaret Hospital at the age of 59. He was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer. Swaby followed in the footsteps of his famed basketball coach and father Randolph Swaby Sr, as he assisted his oldest brother Anthony Swaby when the New Providence Women’s Basketball Association was formed. The Swaby brothers were able to combine their expertise to help the Burger King Angels win the inaugural league title that featured such players as Charlene ‘Swish’ Smith, Kimberly Rolle, Kayla Campbell and Sherelle Cash. Although he never continued coaching, Swaby was a permanent figure in the DW Davis Gymnasium whenever the Angels, now known as the Bommer G Lady Operators, were playing in the league. Swaby was the fourth of seven boys born to the parentage of Randolph Sr and Joyce,
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