03132017 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

Buddy, Pg 16

MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017

36-MEMBER CARIFTA SWIM TEAM NAMED

Bahamas bid for United Soccer League team

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net A PROFESSIONAL soccer franchise could be heading to the Bahamas as one of the leading leagues in North America looks to continue its expansion effort, The Tribune can reveal.

Local businessman Burton Rodgers is leading the bidding process for his group that seeks to establish a United Soccer League (USL) team based in the Bahamas.

Should the bid receive approval and plans follow through accordingly, the Thomas A Robinson Stadium would become the home of the first professional Bahamian franchise to play in a North American league.

“The conversation about this

has been going for a while and we have been undertaking the lengthy process of trying to make this happen,” Rodgers told The Tribune yesterday. “The planning is still in the very early stages and there is much left to be done, but all of the project’s stakeholders are very excited to be involved in this process. I’m a sports fanatic and I’m attracted to everything in the sports world. I attended several of the major soccer matches at the stadium - Totteham versus Jamaica and the Bahamas against the US Olympic team - and I realised firsthand the potential the sport could have here. It’s the number one sport in the world of course but the growth recently in North America has also been tremendous.”

Rodgers is working in conjunction with Anschutz Entertainment

Group (AEG), one of the world’s leading sports and entertainment presenters, the government, the National Sports Authority and the Bahamas Football Association on the project. In May, 2015, the government of the Bahamas signed a consultancy and management services agreement with AEG. Rodgers said the vision for the franchise began with a meeting between himself and Alan Kates, Managing Director of AEG Bahamas.

“I approached Alan and the conversation started. When the suggestion came about, everyone was responsive to the idea. You have an elite place to play in; the facility is the biggest concern for any venture of this magnitude. It’s obviously the first time I’ve been involved in something like this so it

takes having a team of people that have been involved in the process with something like this. There is no guarantee that it will happen but you go through the process, through the checks and balances, hope for the best and thus far it has been going extremely well. If we can land it it would be one of the biggest sporting milestones in the history of the Bahamas.

“We have never had a North American sports team based here in the Bahamas and owned by a Bahamian. AEG was one of the co-founders and lead investors in Major League Soccer (MLS), so to have them as a consultant and adviser is a golden opportunity for a local Bahamian investor. It’s like parterning with Bill Gates

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net COMPRISING of qualifiers only from New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco and featuring some competitors who attend boarding high school in the United States, 36 swimmers have been selected to represent the Bahamas BTC team at the 2017 CARIFTA Swim Championships.

The team was selected yesterday by the Bahamas Swimming Federation following the final trials over the weekend at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex. Also selected to compete is a 13-member water polo and 12-member open water swim team.

The swim competition is scheduled for April 1519 at the Betty Kelly swim complex following the water polo competition from April 7-9. The open swim competition is set for Long Wharf on April 19.

The BSF is out to reclaim the CARIFTA title that they last held for two years before relinquishing it to Martinique last year.

A total of 25 countries are expected in town to participate in this year’s big event.

“It’s a very, very strong team with only qualifiers and so we feel very confident that we can win CARIFTA again,” Cargill said. “It was an unanimous choice by all of the coaches during the selection process.”

According to Cargill, sisters Lilly and Albury Higgs are expected to anchor the girls’ side of the team, while Izaak Bastian and Samuel Gibson will spearhead the boys, bringing a wealth of experience as multiple CARIFTA medallists.

But he added they have a good crop of young swimmers who are eager to make their presence felt at the meet, so they are confident that the team will win the title again here at home.

SEE PAGE 18

Charlton breaks her national record in the 60m hurdles

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

D

evynne Charlton posted a Purdue University and national record in finishing as runner-up ahead of fellow Bahamian Pedrya Seymour from the University of Illinois in the women’s 60-meter hurdles final on Saturday at the NCAA Championships.

The two led a field of five Bahamians competing in the two-day meet at the Gilliam Indoor Stadium in College Station, Texas.

The others were Danielle Gibson at Penn State in the women’s triple jump, Kaiwan Culmer for the University of Nebraska in the men’s triple jump and Auburn’s Teray Smith in the men’s 200m.

While Charlton completed her senior year for the Boilermakers by clocking 9.93 seconds to break the two records by 0.04 seconds, Seymour turned in a personal best of 9.97 for third in the race.

It was won by Sasha Wallace of Oregon in 7.90, just 0.03 seconds ahead of Charlton, who led through the first four hurdles. After clipping it, Wallace was able to surge ahead for the close victory.

Charlton, 21, admitted that the clip cost her big time.

“I think I had a pretty good race technically,” said Charlton, who earned her first team All-America honours, her second in the event after finishing third last year. “It all came down to that fourth hurdle. I

BAHAMIANS Devynne Charlton (left) and Pedrya Seymour compete in the NCAA National Indoor Track and Field Championships at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, March 10-11.

Photo: Walt Middleton Photography think without that it would have been a near perfect race.”

Back at full strength after going down with a back injury last year at the completion of indoors, she said she knew it was her last chance to do something big in a Purdue uniform indoors so she tried to make it her best race ever.

“I was disappointed to finish second. I saw the time and thought about all that it stood for,” said Charlton, the St Augustine’s College graduate

whose parents Laura and David Charlton were in the stands. “I have mixed emotions at this point, but I’m still content with what I did.

“I am happy with the team because our goal was to be top 15 and we met that goal. I think for us to be that good indoors is big because we’re a much better outdoor team. I think outdoors we’ll only get better.”

Purdue, coached by Bahamians Lonnie Greene (head) and Norbert Elliot

(assistant) saw their women finish with 12 points and tied for 14th in the country, the most points at the national meet in school history and the second highest finish.

“I thought we competed well,” Greene said. “Savannah (Carson) yesterday in the long jump and Devynne today helped us have a good indoor campaign.

Two more points would have gotten us 10th, but I’m pleased with our performance.”

Seymour’s third place

TEAM BAHAMAS

Manager – Lynne Fraino

finish was the third AllAmerican honours of her career and the best by an Illini since 2003. Her performance helped Illini to place 36th overall in the 60-team field.

“Making it to nationals indoor is huge because indoor is really competitive and to place third is special,” said Seymour, who is coming off her breakout year as a novice in the high honours in 2016 competing at the IAAF World

SEE PAGE 18

Head coaches – Jorge Rodriquez and Travano McPhee Girls 11-12 - Abayomi Brown, Salene Gibson, Rachel Lundy, Liya Moncur and Zayle ElizabethThompson Girls 13-14 - Katelyn Cabral, Jamilah Hepburn, Anya MacPhail, Jolise Newbold and Katherine Slatter

SEE PAGE 18

Bahamian players and their teams in ‘March Madness’

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net WHEN the dust settled on “Selection Sunday,” three Bahamian players and their respective universities received bids into the 68-team field for the NCAA Men’s Division I Tournament, commonly referred to as “March Madness.”

Dwight Coleby and the Kansas Jayhawks and Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn’s Michigan State Spartans received at large bids while Stephen Strachan and the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders received an automatic bid as a conference tournament champion.

The Jayhawks were named the No.1 seed in the Midwest region, hosted in Tulsa, Oklahoma and are the No.2 overall seed in the field. They will face the winner

of the No.16 seed play in a game between North Carolina Central and University of California Davis on March 17.

The Jayhawks finished the season at 28-4, won their 13th straight Big 12 regular season title but were upset by the TCU Horned Frogs in the conference tournament quarter-finals.

Coleby averaged 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in his first season in a Jayhawks uniform after transferring from Ole Miss and sitting out last season due to transfer rules and a knee injury.

With two of the Bahamian players in the same bracket, it has created the possibility for them to meet in the second round.

The Spartans are ranked No.9, also in the Midwest Region and will play the No. 8 ranked Miami Hurricanes, March 17 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

A win for both the Jayhawks

MICHIGAN State coach Tom Izzo talks with Lourawls Nairn Jr. (AP) and Spartans would mean a meeting between the two next week.

It marks the 20th straight NCAA appearance for the Spartans and head coach Tom Izzo.

The Spartans finished the regular season at 19-14, but lost three of their last four games.

In the Big 10 tournament, the Spartans won the opener over Penn State before they lost in the quarfer-finals to Minnesota.

Nairn averaged 3.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists as a junior this season.

Friday’s game will mark the second-ever meeting between Michigan State and Miami. The Hurricanes defeated the Spartans (67-59) on November 28, 2012, in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge in Miami.

The Blue Raiders come into the South Region as the No.12 seed and will face the No.5 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, March 16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Blue Raiders are making consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in

school history after they won their second consecutive Conference USA Tournament championship.

Middle Tennessee has a current record of 30-4. They were one of the Cinderella stories in last year’s tournament when as a No.15 seed, they upset the No.2 seed Spartans.

This will be the sixth meeting between the two programmes.

The Golden Gophers lead the alltime series 4-1, and the last meeting was on March 21, 2012, in the National Invitation Tournament, a 78-72 Minnesota win.

The NCAA tournament is scheduled to begin on March 16 and will conclude with the championship game on April 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Phoenix Arizona.

Several other Bahamian players competed in conference championships this week. However, they did not advance.

PAGE 16, Monday, March 13, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Lady Operators hold off Lady Cheetahs 64-56

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Bommer G Lady Operators avenged their loss for the season by holding off the Career Builders Lady Cheetahs 64-56 on Saturday night as the New Providence Women’s Basketball Association continued their regular season at the DW Davis Gymnasium.

In what was the marquee match-up so far in the season, the Lady Operators were able to withstand every challenge presented by the Lady Cheetahs as they never relinquished their lead, although the game had one tie.

Philicia Kelly scored 22 points and Chrisandra Rahming added 11 points in the win for Bommer G, who improved their front running win-loss record to 9-1.

“I like to compete. I don’t like games where we have a blowout,” said Lady Operators’ head coach Donnie Culmer, assisted by veteran Anthony Swaby. “Close games bring out the best in you as a team. We want to get better every day. But we don’t intend to lose any more for the rest of the season.”

For Career Builders, who slipped to 7-3, Leashja Grant, home from school

at TexasTech, sparked the attack with a game high 30 points. Shantelle Rolle added eight and both Tanea Bowleg and Briontae Riley had five apiece.

“We made too many turnovers and we got beat on the transitional end,” said Lady Cheetahs’ coach Deven Johnson. “We got outrebounded too, especially in that third quarter when our bigs got in foul trouble.

We made it a good game down the stretch. Hopefully by the players, we will get everything together because we were missing some key players tonight.”

Bommer G took advantage of Career Builders from the openings of the first quarter, opening a 9-6 lead before Grant canned a three-pointer for a 9-9 tie.

However, the Lady Operators dialed up a 12-3 run the rest of the way to push ahead to a 21-12 lead at the end of the first break as Rahming fuelled the run with two consecutive baskets.

In a run of their own to start the second quarter, the Lady Cheetahs held the Lady Operators to two points as they used a 7-2 spurt to come within three (23-19). But it was short lived as Bommer G went on another tear, extending their lead to 43-38 at the half, thanks to Kelly’s nine

BOMMER G Lady Operators beat the Career Builders Lady Cheetahs 64-56 on Saturday night as the New Providence Women’s Basketball Association continued its regular season at the DW Davis Gymnasium.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff points in the spurt.

The big turnaround came in the third quarter as Career Building was held to just two points, but Bommer G only had nine to their credit for a52-40 advantage in what was a defensive period that saw both teams make a number of mistakes.

The Lady Cheetahs got

the better half of the first four minutes of the fourth quarter as they cut the lead to one (55-54) with Grant contributing six and Rolle canning a three-pointer.

That seemed to have inspired Bommer G as they closed out the final four minutes on a 9-2 run, sparked by a three-pointer

from Sherelle Cash and ended on baskets from Rahming, Kelly and Ferguson.

Every time the Lady Cheetahs made a run, the Lady Operators answered back to secure the win.

The league also played two games in the junior segment with the following re-

sults posted: Consolidated Water def. the Jordan Prince Williams Falcons 21-14 as Antonicia Moultrie canned nine points in the victory.

And Family Guardian won 25-21 over Jordan Prince William. Danika Lightbourne scored a game high 14 points in the win.

NPBA: GIANTS AND REGULATORS ON COLLISION COURSE FOR BIG SHOWDOWN

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Commonwealth Bank Giants and Mr Ship It Freight Regulators are on a collision course for a big showdown in the John Archer Division of the New Providence Basketball Association’s 2017 postseason.

In their first round playoffs that got started on Friday night at the AF Adderley Gymnasium, the Giants stomped past the Pirates 104-87, while the Regulators put the grip on the defending champions PJ Stingers with a 108-86 victory.

The four teams will be back in action for game two of their bestof-three series on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, the Vince Ferguson playoffs will get underway tonight when the Shockers entertain the Rockets in the 7pm opener and the Mail Boat Cybots face the University of the Bahamas Mingoes in the feature contest.

The men’s division two league playoffs will begin on Friday.

• Here’s a summary of the games played: Giants 104 Pirates 87 Commonwealth Bank, winners

of the pennant, made a statement as head coach Perry Thompson said their goal is to recapture the title after losing the last two seasons to the Cyobts and Stingers respectively.

They didn’t have any mercy on the Pirates as they controlled the tempo from start to finish.

“For us, it’s important to win the first one. We liked the intensity that we started out with, although we got relaxed in the third quarter, but we regained and got it together to put them away in the fourth quarter,” Thompson stressed.

Thompson admit that it’s even more important for them to come back out in game two and repeat what they did in the opener so they can prepare for the next round.

“We can’t take any team for granted but we feel pretty confident in our guys. They are eager to win the championship and get the title back,” he said. “So we’re looking forward to the next round.

“The teams are really stacked this year, so once we can continue to stay strong, healthy and play as a unit, we should have no problems getting back to the finals.

We are overdue. We have to come back and get our things.”

Michael ‘Ferley’ Bain, who went down with an injury when the Gi-

WESTERN CONFERENCE

ants started their two-straight losing streak, is now back at full strength and was unstoppable Friday night as he led a balanced scoring attack in their rout.

Bain, playing just over 35 minutes, exploded for a side high 30 points as he connected on 9-of-20 from the field and 12-of-15 from the free throw line. He also pulled down 12 rebounds, dished out six assists, blocked three shots and striped one pass.

What he didn’t do was made up

by David Taylor with 15 points, four rebounds and three steals.

Jeffrey Henfield contributed 13 points, Quintin Demeritte had 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists and as many steals, Trent Cox also had 11 points, Gibran Smith had eight points and five rebounds and Kevin Hinsey had seven points and six rebounds.

Commonwealth Bank opened a 33-14 lead after the first quarter, extended it to 60-32 at the half, but watched as the Pirates got back into the contest to trail 76-68 at the end of the third before they blew them out in the fourth.

In 36 minutes, Dominique Fernander matched the game high honours with 30 for the Pirates.

He was 11-for-18 from the field and 7-for-9 from the foul line with a three-pointer. Fernander also had 14 rebounds.

Kronoff Dean had 27 points with five rebounds and Tevin Hudson chipped in with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists.

The Giants outrebounded the Pirates 55-46 and they made just 18 turnovers, compared to 24 by their opponents.

Regulators 108, Stingers 86 Mr Ship It Freight led from start to finish, but it wasn’t until late in the fourth that they got to put PJ’s away. They led 25-19 after the first quarter, 44-40 at the half and 76-59 at the end of the third.

The Regulators outrebounded the Stingers 55-37, but had four more (34-30) turnovers than their opponents.

Eugene Bain powered inside for a game high 31 points as he shot 12-for-19 from the field and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. He also yanked down 15 rebounds.

Gameliel, providing a big 1-2 punch in their big frontcourt, followed with 21 points and seven rebounds, Renaldo Baillou, hitting three consecutive three-pointers in a streak in the fourth as they surged to their rout, added 17 points and four rebounds, Patrick ‘PJ’ Brice had nine points, Miguel Mackey, with 11 assists, had six points, along with Cruz Simon

NBA CAPSULES

EASTERN CONFERENCE

CELTICS 100, BULLS 80 BOSTON (AP) — Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points and later joined fans doing the wave as it circled TD Garden, and the Boston Celtics beat Chicago 10080 on Sunday for the Bulls’ fifth straight loss.

The Celtics rushed to a 13-0 lead, shutting out Chicago until Dwyane Wade’s jumper nearly six minutes into the game.

Thomas, the team’s leading scorer at 29.2 points per game, played only 24 minutes and sat the entire final quarter. He had some fun with the fans in the closing minutes of the blowout, taking part with teammate Jae Crowder in the crowd’s cheer.

Avery Bradley had 17 points. Robin Lopez and Denzel Valentine led the Bulls with 13 points apiece.

NETS 120, KNICKS 112 NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Lin ended an 0-for9 start with a 3-pointer that halted a Knicks comeback, and Brooklyn beat New York for its first home victory of 2017.

The Nets ended a 16game losing streak at Barclays Center. They hadn’t won here since Dec. 26, when Lin strained his hamstring in a victory over Charlotte.

Brook Lopez had 25

and Truillio Darville.

Rashad Ingraham had 19 points and six rebounds to lead the Stingers, who got into foul trouble with four of their players fouled out in the fourth and one of them getting ejected and will have to sit out game two.

Domnick Bridgewater had 18 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists and steals and Devon Ferguson had 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. Before they fouled out, Samuel Curtis had 11 points and six rebounds and Randy Williams had 10 points and seven steals.

“The first one is also the most important one. That’s a pivotal one. That’s the one you need,” said Mr Ship It Ship head coach Don ‘Robo Cop’ Dorsett.

“As one of the new teams in the league, we have a lot of expectations on us, so that first one was huge.”

Now that they have it under their belt, Dorsett said they have to continue to apply the pressure on the defending champions.

“I expect the Stingers to come out and give us another fight.

That’s a team you can have down by 20 points and they will come back fighting,” he said. “No matter what time it is in the game. So I expect a big fight on Wednesday night.”

KINGS guard Buddy Hield flashes three fingers after scoring a 3-point basket during the first half of Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets in Sacramento, California. The Bahamian rookie guard scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds with three assists in 30 minutes on the court. (AP) points for the Nets. Carmelo Anthony had 27 for the Knicks.

PACERS 102, HEAT 98 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Paul George had 28 points and 10 rebounds in

Indiana’s victory over Miami.

Myles Turner added 15 points for Indiana, and Jeff Teague had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Hassan Whiteside led the Heat with 26 points and 21 rebounds.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, March 13, 2017, PAGE 17

New England Patriots - ‘Retooled’ THERE is just no better way to say this, the New England Patriots have drawn a line in the sand and adopted the premise, no retreat no surrender, placing the entire league on notice that they are all in for the 2017, 2018 and perhaps the 2019 National Football League regular seasons – the remainder of Tom Brady’s mythical career.

Up to this point, the team that secured its fifth Lombardi in epic comeback fashion last month has retooled - adding the off-season’s most coveted defensive free agent, former Bills standout Stephon Gilmore; virtually stealing one of the league’s best deep threats from the New Orleans Saints, Brandin Cooks and showing Martellus Bennett that they don’t get emotional, they get better, with the acquisition of red zone threat Dwayne Allen.

All of this done while keeping Jimmy Garoppolo, Malcolm Butler, Duron Harmon, Alan Branch and remaining in the hunt for Super Bowl LI unsung hero, linebacker Donta Hightower.

There goes the “resting on their laurels” theory.

In my opinion, the plan moving forward is to give Tom Brady everything he needs to get it done a couple more times. The fact that it took more heart and

experience than skill and athleticism to propel Patriots past the Falcons.

That Patriots now know for sure that what they faced in the Falcons will become the way of the league very shortly.

Fast, strong and turnover happy defences – the Seahawk model, and offences built to put up points fast and from any location on the field.

Bill Belichick knows that in order to survive this impending wave, one has to reinvent themselves and this, the work we have seen thus far this offseason, is just that.

The Patriots are now taking aim on what the NFL has now become.

RED ZONE Points a plenty The New England Patriots finished last season ranked 10th in red zone scoring percentage, right around 64 per cent. Now while this is a commendable stat, the number one rule in football is to outscore your opponent, and the best way to do just that is by leaving absolutely no opportunity on the table.

With acquisition of primarily Allen, along with the expected return of Rob Gronkowski next season, the Patriots are now expected to wreak havoc within the 20-yard line.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS

BY RICARDO WELLSedia.net rwells@tribunem

“TO ALL DOLPHINS, STEELERS, COWBOYS, GIANTS, JETS, 49ERS, AND THE ONE OR TWO OF YOU COLT LOYALISTS OUT THERE, MY PATS ARE PRIMED AND READY TO TACK ON TO BRADY AND BELICHICK’S LEGACIES AND EN ROUTE, SECURE THE TITLE OF GREATEST FOOTBALL DYNASTY OF ALL TIME. THE ‘BLITZ FOR SIX’ IS ON.” Additionally, with the pressure once again off of Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman, the ‘flash core,’ as I like to call them, will have a platform to display the spoils of a well-orchestrated route running scheme in the red zone.

Deep Threats There is no secret that the Patriots have struggled

to get the ball deep down the field since the departure of Randy Moss some time ago. In fact, the team has often attempted to recast the mold with the likes of Khembriel Thompkins, Brandon LaFell and now, Malcolm Mitchell – tall, lanky, quick receivers built with the capability to literally take the top off of a defence.

Well guess, last Friday

Track Nationals will be combined with IAAF World Relays test run next week

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture has announced that the postponed National High Schools Championships will now be combined with the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ (BAAA) test run for the third IAAF World Relays next week at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

At a joint press conference Friday at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson confirmed that the Nationals would run Wednesday to Friday with the test run set to follow on Saturday and Sunday.

“This exciting High School Relays will give the operators of the National Sports Authority the chance to make sure that all of the systems are operating, all of our volunteers and persons who are managing those meets have everything under wraps so that once the main event, the IAAF World Relays, arrive that everything is system go,” said Tim Munnings, the director of sports.

Dr Johnson indicated that the postponement has created a problem as they are heavily into the promotion of sports in which they are experiencing an over-subscription of their events.

He mentioned the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship last month that was held at the newlybuilt national stadium that had to turn away spectators for the free-for-all event.

Dr Johnson recalled how the public and private

SHOWN (l-r) are BAAA first vice president Tonique Williams, BAAA president Rosamunde Carey, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson and Timothy Munnings, director of sports. Photo: Derek Smith/BIS schools were split into two separate organisations but they made a conscious decision to ensure that the nationals is open to all schools and they will pay for the schools and the athletes to come in from the Family Islands.

Last weekend, the Ministry of Education Science and Technology hosted a successful 2nd Annual National High School Basketball Championships in Grand Bahama and there are also plans for the soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball nationals over the next few months.

“We didn’t think the track was going to be this big,” he pointed out. “We ended up with one of the Family Islands, who wanted to send 300 children. We had to say ‘no hold on, we’re not set up for that. We don’t have the rooms, we don’t have the capacity to do this,’ so we had to call the BAAA. “So next week, what you will see is what I call the ‘combine’ like in sailing where they have the ‘Best of the Best’ regatta with that great week where all of the best boats sail against

the best boats. In track and field, you all will have evolved a schedule where people could see the best of the best.”

All the ministry is doing, according to Dr Johnson, is to ensure that all of the athletes from the Family Islands will have the same opportunities to compete as the athletes in New Providence. However, he said after they found out that the event was over-subscribed, they had to make the decision to postpone so that they could accommodate the amount of people that they are bringing.

BAAA president Rosamunde Carey said they were delighted to be able to assist the Ministry in hosting the nationals with the estimated 45 teams, 24 from the Family Islands, and over 600 athletes competing. “We are excited about the fireball of activities that will be taking place,” Carey said. “So it’s not just your schools that will be here, but it’s all of the major Family Islands.

“So we’re asking all of the Bahamas, all of our people here, to not just come out and support your schools,

but the Family Island where you are born.”

Frank ‘Pancho’ Rahming, the technical director, said with the two events being staged one after the other they are prepared to accommodate the two.

The Nationals will comprise the under-14, under-16, under-18 and under-20 categories for boys and girls with all of the events contested except the relays for the under-20 divisions, which will be staged during the test event.

The Nationals will start at 9am and end around 10pm on the three days. The test event will be held on Saturday at 6.30pm and Sunday at 3.30pm. Also included in the test event will be the Mixed Relays that will be introduced to the IAAF World Relays next month.

“The test event will remain as planned,” Rahming stressed. “The coaches will have to decide who they want to run in the High School Nationals, how they are going to set up their teams for the test event for the relays because most of the coaches would want their teams to come back and compete in the junior competition for the relays itself.”

Two weeks after the Nationals and the test event, the BAAA will host the final CARIFTA trials for the team that will travel to Curacao over the Easter holiday weekend, April 15-17.

And on the heels of CARIFTA, the BAAA will host the third edition of the IAAF World Relays April 22-23. In preparation for the World Relays, the BAAA will hold a camp for all athletes at the expense of the ministry.

Bill Belichick, by all intents and purposes, admitted that he is done searching and will concede that it is better to find them than it is to build them with the acquisition of Brandin Cooks.

Please, take a minute and log on to YouTube right now and search for Brandin Cooks’ trophies highlight mix. Good.

A 23-year-old with two 1,000 yard seasons under his belt while in an often one-trick offence.

Cooks, in his new role in New England, will act as a Julio Jones of sorts - a quick route to the open field, get him the ball and watch him go off to the races.

Yes, that is who the great Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr will be throwing lobs to this year. Need we discuss this any further? I thought not.

Defence – coverage first, pressure while they wait If the Patriots find a way to appease Malcolm Butler with a good enough pay raise as a means to keep him in town over the next two to three seasons, the team would have constructed what can only be defined as the best secondary in the league.

Not just with the presence of Butler and newcomer Gilmore, but these two alongside the likes of Devin McCourtey, Duron Har-

mon, Patrick Chung and a host of other serviceable pass defenders, the Pats are now capable of filling in those long standing gap issues we have seen so often from the team over the last three seasons.

This, in combination with a fiery pass rush built on the premise of stopping the run on the way to the quarterback.

Along with all their other moves over the last week, the Patriots also announced that they had shipped their second-round pick south in exchange for pass-rusher Kony Ealy and Carolina’s third-round selection, and signed defensive tackle Lawrence Guy to a fouryear deal that can max out at $20 million.

Both men, while little in name, have played vital roles in the former schemes for much of the last two seasons.

In conclusion, by now, you all know my love for New England, so my enthusiasm in this case need not be stated.

To all Dolphins, Steelers, Cowboys, Giants, Jets, 49ers, and the one or two of you Colt loyalists out there, my Pats are primed and ready to tack on to Brady and Belichick’s legacies and en route, secure the title of greatest football dynasty of all time.

The ‘Blitz for Six’ is on.

FREE ENTRY TO FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP BAHAMAS TICKETS for the highly anticipated FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017 will be available free of charge for the entire competition April 27 to May 7.

Whether it’s the high-energy group matches, the exciting quarter-finals or the nail-biting final rounds, tickets will be free for all spectators on a first come, first served basis each day.

“It’s the people’s event and we want to make it accessible to as many Bahamians as possible from all walks of life. Local fans can go out to the stadium and support Team Bahamas and enjoy exciting games with other teams. Of course, we are expecting a lot of visitors as well and free entry will hopefully encourage them to attend the matches every day,” said Anton Sealey, president of the Bahamas Football Association (BFA).

Fans will be required to collect their free ticket at the Malcolm Park Beach Soccer Stadium’s entrance gate. A ticket is valid for one entrance only. Spectators who leave the stadium will be required to collect another ticket for re-entry.

Beach soccer fans can also enjoy the ultimate FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup experience by purchasing one of the event’s VIP hospitality packages. Details on the exclusive packages will be made available shortly. The 11-day tournament will feature the 16 best beach soccer teams in the world, and spectators are guaranteed to enjoy amazing tricks, goals and the best in Bahamian entertainment each day.

With less than 50 days to kick-off, The Bahamas, Tahiti, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Nigeria, Senegal, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Panama, Mexico, and now Iran, UAE and Japan, are all in full preparation mode for the tournament.

Setting the stage for the main event was the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship that took place February 20-26. Scores of Bahamians and visiting fans came out to watch the 16 teams from the Caribbean, North and Central America vie for a spot in the World Cup. The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017 promises to be even more exciting and will include a large fan zone area to accommodate more beach soccer fans. Fans who do not get a seat in the stadium will be able to watch the high-energy matches in the Fan Zone, which will also have vendors, entertainment and lots of activities.

The Bahamas will play against Switzerland on Thursday, April 27, Senegal on Saturday, April 29 and Ecuador on Monday, May 1. The 16 teams are divided into four groups for the world cup. The first and second place finishers from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.

For more information on the FIFA Beach Soccer World cup Bahamas 2017, visit www.FIFA.com/ beachsoccerworldcup or www.BahamasFA.com You can follow Team Bahamas at www.facebook. com/Bahamasbeachsoccer2017

BAAA HIGH SCHOOL RELAYS ALL SET FOR MARCH 18-19 AT TAR STADIUM THE BAAA High School Relays will serve as the test event for the IAAF World Relays for the third consecutive time. The BAAA High School Relays is scheduled for Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19 at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

In 2014 and 2015, the BAAA High School Relays was critical to test the preparedness of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to host the Relays. The event would closely mimic the IAAF World Relays, testing areas such as competition, information technology, logistics and operations. For this year’s event, these systems will be tested again.

The IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2017 LOC, headed by Chief

Executive Officer, Rosamunde Carey, and her team are working feverishly to ensure that this event goes off without a hitch.

“With the World Relays exactly four weeks away from the test event, this will give the organisers a chance to test the logistics, accreditation, transportation, accommodations and every aspect of the games,” Carey noted.

“They will still have time to make adjustments to any areas in need of attention.

“One of the critical areas is the security. We realised last time that we needed to ensure our security detail and protocols needed to be a little more efficient. We have worked on this and will also use the test event as an opportunity to tweak anything in this area that

might need adjusting.”

Carey said in 2015 the test event allowed the organiser to test the robustness of its IT system. It actually crashed during the test event, giving them an opportunity to correct the deficiencies ahead of the big event.

So far, 44 schools have confirmed their participation. Twenty-two of those schools are from the major Family Islands and the remaining 22 are from New Providence.

Over 600 athletes are confirmed for this event. This number is very close to the numbers expected to participate in the IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2017 with 42 countries already confirmed and an expected 700-plus athletes.

The event schedule will be

closely aligned with the schools for the IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2017.

For the first time the BAAA High School Relays will feature a mixed gender race, the newest feature of the IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2017. The only difference, the sprint medley in the test event will replace the 4x800m race on the IAAF World Relays schedule.

Carey continued: “Aside from the opportunity this provides for the LOC to test its readiness, it gives the younger athletes a chance to compete and display their talents. Not to mention the excitement it builds among the fans. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

“This year is even more excit-

ing as the test event comes on the heels of the High School Nationals. The test event will bring the under 20 seniors together in the same races as the world relays, including the mixed relays featuring male and females for the first time.”

Top schools and islands in each event competing at the BAAA High Schools Relays will once again contend for the opportunity to part of the Junior Programme at the IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2017 - an incentive to compete on the world stage to millions of viewers worldwide.

For more information please contact Mrs Margarita Wilson, junior programme coordinator, at the Balmoral Club at 1-242- 6031315/603-1312.

PAGE 18, Monday, March 13, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Bahamas bid for United Soccer League team FROM PAGE 15 and Microsoft in the information technology industry; you’re working with the leaders of a specific field.”

Rodgers has been involved in developing major real estate projects domestically and internationally. In late 2013, he founded a company called Out Island Resorts Company Ltd with the objective of managing and acquiring hotel properties in the Family Islands of the Bahamas and creating an outstanding atmosphere for tourists travelling to the archipelago. He currently serves as an executive of the February Point Development in Exuma.

“This is much bigger than what happens on the field, there are opportunities all around this,” he said. “Furthermore, this team is here in the Bahamas but we want to get the entire region in-

volved with this. Everyone in the Bahamas will have to be involved because it won’t be my team, the franchise will belong to the country. The Lakers represent Los Angeles, the Knicks represent New York so this team so in that same regard, has an opportunity to represent the Bahamas.

“You can’t always sit back and wait for things to happen, sometimes you have to create your opportunity and you seize the moment. I want to be successful and run a profitable business of course, but I also want to do something great for the country, something that the country can be proud of. When you’re in business you can’t be afraid of risk and I’m willing to take that risk. You eliminate a lot of that risk by putting the right team together. There is support from the government, the private sector and as time goes by we will continue to pursue even

more support in a unified effort.”

The USL is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States and Canada that kicked off in 2011. USL is sanctioned as a Division II Professional League by the United States Soccer Federation, placing it under Major League Soccer and equal to the North American Soccer League (also Division II) in the hierarchy.

The league was formed to consolidate USL’s position within the American professional soccer landscape and focus on stability, commercial growth and the professional development of soccer in four main regions throughout the United States and Canada.

Based in Tampa, Florida, it has 30 teams, mostly US-based but three in Canada, and continues seeking expansion franchises.

The USL is the feeder league to the MLS and is split in tow conferences, Eastern and Western, with

Tampa and Orlando the closest to the Bahamas. The 30-week season runs from March to October.

An average team roster would have 22 or 23 players governed by a salary cap and teams would play an equal number of home and away games over the regular season, in the Bahamas probably in the evenings. The name and colours of the team would have to be decided.

While no immediate timeline has been set, the bidding process has been on schedule and according to Kates, is wholly supported

by AEG. However, a kick off in 2019 could be considered a realistic target.

“Mr Rodgers is in the midst of preparing a bid to attain a pro franchise for the Bahamas and AEG is fully committed to assisting him in ensuring that he has the best means and support to bring a said franchise to the Bahamas

and we are very excited to assist in that regard,” he told The Tribune.

“I would say that there are numerous hurdles to cross and I know that Mr Rodgers is preparing with the assistance of some wonderful global supporters to ensure that the best possible presentation is made to the USL and to ensure that he has the best bid to see.

“He is in the beginning stages of this. I would safely say that the Thomas A Robinson Stadium would be a premier venue for a professional soccer team. Of course, AEG has connections in the soccer world and sports and entertainment business, so we are more than confident in putting this forward with the support of the Bahamas Football Association and the government of the Bahamas. Realistically it is in the very early stages, but there is rapid progress being made in taking it to the next level.”

36-MEMBER CARIFTA SWIMMING TEAM IS NAMED FROM PAGE 15 Girls 15-17 - Jasmine Gibson, Lilly Higgs, Albury Higgs, Brianna Nesbitt, Victoria Russell and Virginia Stamp Boys 11-12 - Brayden Dam, Nigel Forbes, Jarad Reckley, Ishan Roy, Jake Thompson and Erald Thompson III

TEAM ENGLAND with the Calcutta Cup after they won the Six Nations rugby union international between England and Scotland 61-21 at Twickenham stadium in London on Saturday.

(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Boys 13-14 – Trent Albury, DeVante Carey, Kevon Lockhart, Sean Neely, Ian Pinder, Tristan Russell and Lemar Taylor

England win Six Nations in style ENGLAND go for a second consecutive Six Nations rugby grand slam and the world record for successive international wins next weekend after claiming the northern hemisphere championship with style and swagger at Twickenham on Saturday.

They equalled New Zealand’s world record of 18 consecutive Test wins with a seven-try demolition of sorry Scotland and for the first time in this campaign showed why they have risen to second in the international rankings.

A hat-trick of tries for Jonathan Joseph, and one apiece for replacements Anthony Watson and Billy Vunipola and two for Danny Care put the visitors to the sword at Twickenham as Owen Farrell kicked 26 points in a 61-21 demolition of the improved Scots.

It was England’s high-

est score in this oldest of international fixtures and equalled their biggest winning margin against Scotland. England face Ireland in Dublin in the final round of matches on Saturday with much to play for and celebrate.

It was a chastening afternoon for Scotland despite them scoring three converted tries, their hopes of a first Triple Crown since 1990 wrecked by a dismal first-half performance.

They lost both Stuart Hogg and his replacement Mark Bennett early and were forced to play the majority of the contest with scrumhalf Ali Price on the wing, their winless run at Twickenham now stretching past 34 years.

There has been much debate about England’s form this Six Nations despite their long unbeaten run.

But in front of a celebrat-

BRITAIN’s Prince Harry watches as England’s Dylan Hartley holds up the Calcutta Cup. (AP) ing capacity crowd they cut loose, running in three tries as they scored 30 points in a one-sided first half. Four more tries and 31 more points followed in the second period as they established an unassailable lead atop the Six Nations table after Wales had ended Ireland’s challenge on Friday night.

STANDINGS

England

Ireland

France

Wales

Scotland Italy

P W L F A Bns Pts 4 4 0 137 68 2 18 4 2

2 113 68 2 10 4 2 2 87 72 2 10 4 2 2 84 66 1 9 4 2 2 93 118 1 9 4 0 4 50 172 0 0

Never before have England scored more than 44 points against the Scots, and only once before won by a 40-point margin. Two tries from Huw Jones were scant consolation for Scotland coach Vern Cotter, his team only offering any sort of threat when the match was gone. John Barclay, the Scottish captain, described his side’s display as “useless”.

George North scored two tries as an improved Wales beat Ireland 22-9 in Cardiff and they will hope to finish on a high against France next Saturday. Winger North took his try tally for Wales to 30 as he and his team-mates responded to the criticism that followed losses to England and Scotland.

The win ensured Wales will be in the top-eight ranked teams at the 2019 World Cup draw, to be held in May. Joe Schmidt, Ireland’s head coach, rued his team’s errors. “We undid ourselves effectively and set ourselves up to be scored against,” he said as Ireland crucially conceded 10 points while Johnny Sexton was in the sin-bin at the start of the second half.

France ended their dismal Six Nations away form with a bonus-point 40-18 win against hapless Italy in Rome after skipper Sergio Parisse scored the quickest try of the 2017 tournament.

Camille Lopez kicked 20 points as France avoided a sixth straight away defeat and romped to victory.

Italy produced encouraging displays in gallant defeats against England and Wales, holding halftime leads in both matches before fading away again in the second half. They have ‘lost’ the second halves of their four matches this year by a combined 115-12, compared to a 57-38 firsthalf deficit.

RESULTS: Wales 22 Ireland 9, England 61 Scotland 21, Italy 18 France 40 FIXTURES: March 18: Scotland v Italy, France v Wales, Ireland v England

Boys 15-17 – Miller Albury, Izaak Bastian, Samuel Gibson, Peter Morley, Joshua Roberts, William Russell and Alec Sands.

• Here’s the team that will represent the Bahamas in the Open Water Swim competition: Head coach – Andy Loveitt Girls 13-14 - Giovanna Eneas, Anya MacPhail and Jazmine Trotman.

Girls 15-17 - Jasmine Gibson, Tenniya Martin and Keitra Lloyd.

Boys 13-14 - Rommel Ferguson, Tristan Russell and Lemar Taylor.

Boys 15-17 - Darren Laing, Shimon Lopez and Kris Smith.

• Here’s a look at the Water Polo team Head coach - Laszlo Borberly Stearlin Lewis, Marcel Ingraham, Saequan Miller, Joshua Knowles, Kenrick Stubbs, Adonis Sasso, Sean Knowles, Loron Bain, Johnathon Demeritte, Thor Sasso, Damian Gomez, Gabriel Sastre and Alexander Turnquest.

DEVYNNE CHARLTON BREAKS HER NATIONAL RECORD IN THE 60M HURDLES FROM PAGE 15 Indoors and after a spill in the NCAA Outdoor Nationals, went on to finish fourth in the 100m hurdles final at the Olympic Games.

“I’m grateful that I was able to line up with great hurdlers who are ranked nationally and internationally. I was really pleased with my start because that’s usually my weakest part of the race.

It was a great run and I’m exceptionally proud of the work coach Gillon and I have put in to make this happen.”

Seymour lauded Randy Gillon, the associate head coach at Illinois, said Seymour did a very good job.

“In her run yesterday, there was a little bit of nerves that had to be worked out,” he said. “We had a good conversation after the semifinal race to set her up for today,

and she did a great job coming back. I’m really proud of the way she carried herself. It’s the sign of a champion that she was able to gather herself and come back to place third.”

The third-place finish is the best by an Illini since Stephanie Richartz took third in the pole vault in 2015, and the best in the 60m hurdles since Illini event record-holder Perdita Felicien placed third in the 2003 final.

The All-America finish is the third of 21-year-old Seymour’s career after the redshirt junior earned All-America honours in both the 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles last season.

Illinois’ head coach Ron Garner joined in singing the praises of Seymour.

“It’s fantastic for the programme,” he said. “She’s been an ambassador for Illinois for the past year. After her success last year, to come back and have the indoor season she’s had is an in-

credible accomplishment.”

Seymour, a graduate of St Anne’s High School, is the daughter of Pedro and Cecily Seymour.

Gibson places 8th Dannielle Gibson, in her final NCAA Indoor Championships, finished with an All-American honours with a leap of 43’-5” (13.23m) to become just the third Penn State women to earn AllAmerican honours in the triple jump. “It was a great atmosphere to be amongst such high calibre athletes,” Gibson said. “My performance was not what I wanted because I’m capable of so much more. However, I was grateful for the opportunity to compete and perform at this level.”

Gibson, who turns 21 on April 5, said she definitely took a lot from the experience in terms of her mental and physical awareness of her jumps and it has made her more hungry to compete outdoors.

The St Augustine’s College graduate is the daughter of Dwight and Tami Gibson.

Culmer ends up 6th Kaiwan Culmer, a junior at the University of Nebraska, got sixth in the men’s triple jump, posting a best mark of 52-4 1/2 (15.96m) on his final attempt to clinch firstteam All-America honours.

He is the first Nebraska men’s triple jumper to achieve indoor first-team All-America honours since Daniel Roper in 2005. His three team points put the Husker men in a tie for 49th to finish the meet.

It was Culmer’s first NCAA Indoor Championships appearance after finishing eighth at the outdoor championships last year to earn his first All-America accolade. This season, Culmer won the triple jump competition in two of the four regular-season meets he competed in.

He cleared at least 50 feet at

every meet and his personal best of 52-8 3/4 (16.07m) ranks seventh in school history. Culmer finished fourth at this year’s conference championship after winning the indoor title in 2016.

The 20-year-old Culmer is the son of Kirkland and Eleanor Culmer. He’s following in the footsteps of his big sister, Kenya Culmer, who completed her sting at Southern Illinois in the women’s high jump in 2013.

Smith misses the final Grand Bahamian Teray Smith, coming off his Olympic Games’ debut last year, finished 13th overall after he was fourth in his heat of the men’s 200m in 20.93.

The 22-year-old senior, the only other Bahamian to compete in the meet, ended up earning his first indoor All-American, a second team honour.

Smith, who made it to the Olympics last year, is the son of Terria Grant.