03232023 NEWS AND SPORT

OBITUARIES

‘HUMBLE APOLOGY’ TO FURIOUS PM BY SMITH

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN entrepreneur yesterday made a “humble apology” after the Prime Minister reacted furiously to assertions he had “betrayed” him by failing to honour earlier pledges to approve his $3m Paradise Island project.

Toby Smith, the Paradise Island Lighthouse

and Beach Club principal, told Philip Davis KC his assertions were born out of “frustration” from working on the project for 11 years without being granted all the necessary approvals to proceed. His climb down came after the Prime Minister revealed he was “deeply disturbed” by the remarks, and hit back by saying he himself felt “betrayed” by Mr Smith.

COP ‘ACTED CORRECTLY’ IN CASE OF UNLAWFULLY DETAINED OFFICER

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander believes he acted correctly in a case that has left taxpayers on the hook for damages after a judge ruled a police officer was unlawfully detained.

Sergeant Theodore Neily sued the government, saying police detained him for declaring support for attorney Maria Daxon.

He said on September 1, 2016, he was talking to

a colleague at the Central Detective Unit about Ms Daxon’s arrest when he declared: “They should free Maria Daxon. No justice, no peace.”

Police had arrested Ms Daxon for allegedly defaming senior police officers.

After leaving work that day, Sgt Neily said he was summoned back to the office to meet Mr Fernander, then the Chief Superintendent of Police responsible for CDU.

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said although it will be difficult for Mexico to win a case seeking to hold US gun traffickers accountable for the spread of guns in the region, The Bahamas needed to support the action to send a strong message to US lawmakers.

He spoke during a press

ROW ERUPTS OVER MINNIS DURING FNM MEETING

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

TENSIONS in the Free National Movement boiled over on Tuesday night when deputy chairman Don Saunders publicly argued with a constituency association chairman about whether party leaders want to sideline Dr Hubert Minnis.

Mr Saunders was telling reporters he knew nothing about efforts to prevent Dr Minnis from speaking at association meetings when Peter Outten, the chairman of the Carmichael

SIX PIT BULL ATTACK ENDS WITH TWO EUTHANISED

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

TWO pit bulls will be euthanised after attacking a woman, leaving her hospitalised with severe injuries. Animal Control Services has authorised the Humane Society of Grand Bahama to euthanise the dogs.

Following the attack, stakeholders met Tuesday to discuss solutions to various animal-related issues in Grand Bahama.

The two dogs, described as large, cross-bred pit

FRONT PORCH

conference at police headquarters yesterday where Commissioner Clayton Fernander revealed that 90 per cent of weapons seized in The Bahamas have been traced to the United States, the highest rate in the region.

“We are sending a strong message that we will not tolerate the unchecked flow of illegal firearms into our nations and that we expect the international community,

including gun manufacturers, to respect and support our efforts to protect our citizens,” Mr Davis said.

Mexico is appealing its case against US gun manufacturers after a US District Court dismissed their matter in September, concluding that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act barred such lawsuits. The Bahamas is among several

SEE PAGE THREE

“Deeply disturbed’ Davis; I’m the one left betrayed by developer’s comments

COMMISSIONER of Police Clayton Fernander holding an automatic rifle recovered from the streets of Nassau. Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis lambasted US gun manufacturers as The Bahamas joined a lawsuit filed by Mexico.

Photo: Lorenzo McKenzie

Search continues for two men from Bimini missing at sea

BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

MULTIPLE agencies are still searching for two Bimini men who went missing at sea on Monday. Bahamas Air Sea

Rescue Association (BASRA) official Eddie Whan said the US Coast Guard, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and private boat charters have been unsuccessful so far in their search for the men, James Toote, 31, and Naz’r Robins,

25. Police reported that the men left Grand Bahama for Bimini on Monday aboard a 24ft white and blue sports vessel. Shortly after 12am that day, authorities received a report that the men failed to

ANNOUNCEMENT

arrive in Bimini.

“Unfortunately, the last two-and-a-half days out there have not been pleasant,” Mr Whan said. “I just came into Bimini in a boat and it is rough out there. So, we are trying our best and we are searching.”

DR DURAN MITCHELL

OPENING OF

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DR MITCHELL IS THE 1ST ANESTHEOLOGIST PRACTISING IN THE BAHAMAS THAT IS DOUBLE BOARD CERTIFIED BY THE AMERICAN BOARD OF ANESTHIOLOGISTS IN ANESTHESIOLOGY AND PAIN MEDICINE. HE BRINGS WITH HIM SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES TOGETHER WITH CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED METHODS OF TREATING PAIN IN VARIOUS FORMS THAT BRING RELIEF DESIRED BY MANY PATIENTS. PROCEDURES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

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• Back Injections (Epidurals) - Fluoroscopically guided

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His education and training were completed at:

Undergraduate - Duke University

Medical School - University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine

Residency - Stonybrook Hospital Long Island, New York Fellowship - Duke University Medical Center

Dr Mitchell is married to Daria Jefferson-Mitchell. The couple has 2 children. London Beau and Lennox Bear.

AN APPOINTMENT TODAY AND GET THE RELIEF YOU DESERVE

NAZAR ROBINS

JAMES TOOTE, JR

Davis acknowledges uphill battle on US gun makers case

regional countries that have joined the case as amicus curiae, or “friends of the court”.

“I acknowledge,” Mr Davis said, “that the case will not be easily won … But we think that by joining our voices together, it will attract the attention of the lawmakers in the United States to demonstrate how serious we are about this concern and it highlights to them our major concerns and it could move a lobby to see how these laws could change to make gun manufacturers more responsible.”

Gun rights are a divisive issue in US politics. Mr Davis was careful to say The Bahamas is not expressing a view on the right of US residents to bear arms.

“This is not an action against the United States,” he said. “Of course, I would have said directly to the US authorities on any number of occasions, we

are not concerned about their interpretation of the right to bear arms, which is their constitutional right, and we’re not interfering or in any way joining in that discussion or debate about what that means. But what we are (urging) in our view is that the right to bear arms cannot mean a right to traffic in arms to the extent that it has the consequences that it is having in our jurisdictions.”

Mr Davis said since raising the issue last year, the US Embassy in Nassau has informed him that US lawmakers have taken steps to address the problem.

He said a law was passed in the United States to curtail the sale of guns “to what they call straw purchasers”. He added: “We’re now examining that legislation it is intended to address that issue. We’re just going to see how effective that will be. In the meantime, we also would wish to see that some effective laws are enforced in the United States where we are able to identify a trafficker. Yes,

the trafficker may have the right to bear arms in the United States (but) the commissioner would be able to tell you we’ve been able to trace individuals buying up to 40 or 30 weapons within a space of two, three months and one of those weapons has found its way being used here for several offences.

“Once that information is discovered and the name of the purchaser is put into their databank, they could find out who has bought all these weapons. We think in those instances, some steps should be made to have the person account not only for the weapon that came into The Bahamas, but for the weapons they acquired to determine where they are. And if they’re not in possession of those weapons, certain inferences should be drawn from that fact.”

Meanwhile, Commissioner Fernander said 400 weapons were confiscated in 2022, including pistols, rifles and shotguns. He said 74 weapons have been seized so far this year.

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis lambasted US gun manufacturers as The Bahamas has joined a lawsuit filed by Mexico. Police unveiled yesterday a sample of the many weapons they have taken off the streets.

Photos: Lorenzo McKenzie

Immigration repatriated 1,100 in the last two months and numbers could exceed last year

IMMIGRATION Minister Keith Bell said 1100 people have been repatriated so far this year.

He also said 82 people were convicted in Abaco on February 13 for illegal immigration offences, including illegal entry, overstaying and attempting to mislead an immigration officer.

“Since the launch of Operation Secure, we have received various requests (for) operations to be undertaken in other islands.

I can assure the public that our immigration officers on the Family Islands are also doing their part, as during the past months, persons have been arrested in Bimini, Eleuthera, and Grand Bahama, and have been brought to New Providence for further processing. Operation Secure is the beginning and not the end of special operations on the family islands,” Mr Bell said.

“You’ll recall that last year, we repatriated some 4,700 plus persons from The Bahamas at a cost of $1.5 million. In January of this year, we have repatriated some 570 persons at a cost of $326,000.”

“For this year alone we have repatriated in excess of 1,100 persons in the last two months. And if current trends continue, there is a very strong likelihood that we will exceed the numbers of last year in a very significant way.”

Mr Bell also spoke about the number of people currently detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Center.

“On Tuesday, the 21st of March 2023...a total of 202 persons were detained at our detention center, and they came from countries including South America, China and Africa,” he said. “The highest numbers (were) Ecuadorians, Brazilians, Haitians, Cubans and Jamaicans. There are 24 persons in our safe house; of course, we’re talking about women and children.”

Mr Bell also defended immigration officers for denying landing entry to visitors. His comment was likely a response to international headlines about two Moldovan models who were denied entry to the country recently.

“I wish to take this opportunity to inform the public that our immigration officers are equipped

Keith Bell

with BITMAP devices to share biographic and biometric data of suspected individuals from literally all over the world, (including) Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America. We can track…criminals and criminal threats trying to enter our territory, either by land or sea,” he said.

“Therefore, when a person is not landed or denied entry into The Bahamas, it’s for a good and valid reason of which the public would not be aware. And I will say no more on that subject.”

INQUESTS ON POLICE INVOLVED SHOOTINGS HAVE RESUMED

STATE Minister for Legal Affairs Jomo

Campbell says inquests into police-involved killings have resumed following a lengthy delay.

Inquests were halted during the COVID19 pandemic but Mr Campbell said they finally resumed on March 6th. His comment followed the latest US report on human rights in The Bahamas which revealed that 74 policeinvolved killings are awaiting inquests in the Coroner’s Court.

“We have resumed hearing of inquests since late 2021 and more particularly police shootings since March 2023,” Mr Campbell said. “We have an ambitious calendar to hear six (cases) between

27th March 2023 and (the) end of June 2023.”

“Additionally, we propose moving forward at the same pace save for the unavailability of counsel who may appear on behalf of interested parties. Delays are due largely in part due to counsel for the interested party. And counsel for family court calendar already being fixed with other matters at the Supreme Court.”

Mr Campbell noted that, for most lawyers, matters in the Supreme Court take precedence over Coroner’s Court matters, a factor that may contribute to delays.

“We actually started an outstanding matter and had to adjourn it abruptly due to a juror issue,” he said.

MINISTER of State for Legal Affairs Jomo Campbell says that pandemic delayed inquest on police-involved killings have resumed as of March 6.

MINISTER of Immigration Keith Bell gave an update on repatriation exercises noting that 1,100 migrants have been repatriated so far this year. he added that ‘Operation Secure’ is yielding results in Nassau and the fmaly islands.

MINISTER of Immigration

Row erupts over Minnis during FNM meeting

from page one

constituency association, emerged to say: “That interview was nonsense.”

The subsequent backand-forth between the two men followed a Mount Moriah constituency association meeting where Dr Minnis spoke.

The Nassau Guardian reported earlier this month that Dr Minnis has complained about being prevented from speaking at association meetings, exposing tension between the former leader and his successor.

While Mr Saunders acknowledged party leaders discourage speeches at association meetings, he denied letters were sent to presiding officers demanding they restrict Dr Minnis’ ability to address supporters.

“(It’s) not that we don’t want individuals to speak,” he said. “But we want everybody to be focused on the vision of building associations so we wanted them to be as we vision moving forward.”

Not satisfied with Mr Saunders’ response, Mr Outten said the former Tall Pines MP had “shamed” the party.

“Don’t you ever lie to the Bahamian people again for this organisation,” he said.

“It’s not nonsense;

it’s facts,” Mr Saunders replied. “We are not concerned

about stopping persons from speaking at meetings,” he told reporters.

COP ‘ACTED CORRECTLY’ IN CASE OF UNLAWFULLY DETAINED OFFICER

from page one

He said Mr Fernander questioned him about his comments then accompanied him to police headquarters to see former Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson.

He said he was not allowed to drive his own car to headquarters but was instead driven there in a police jeep. He claimed senior police officers defamed him at headquarters.

Supreme Court Justice Camille Darville-Gomez rejected his defamation claim.

However, she ruled that he was unlawfully detained, writing: “It was pellucid from the evidence that the plaintiff was not reasonably suspected of having committed or being about to commit a criminal offence which would cause the plaintiff’s transportation from CDU to the police headquarters to be lawful. The plaintiff was not permitted to drive in his own vehicle and was unaware of the reason or purpose of his meeting with the

Commissioner of Police.”

The case has been adjourned to consider damages.

Reacting to the ruling yesterday, Commissioner Fernander said: “No, it was not (an abuse of power) and that matter is being further addressed by the Attorney General’s office and I will leave it at that.”

Asked if he believes he acted correctly, he said: “Absolutely, and that’s why the Attorney General’s office is looking further into the matter and they are looking at a view of appealing the matter.”

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe supports the commissioner, saying he told him to instruct the attorney general to appeal the matter.

“A policeman on duty has to obey the order of his superior,” Mr Munroe said. “If the judge is correct, then if a senior officer were to say to a junior, ‘we are going on patrol,’ the officer could say, ‘I choose to ride in my own car’.”

“Discipline is necessary in those agencies. You don’t get to decide how you do what you do. When they go

SIX PIT BULL ATTACK ENDS WITH TWO EUTHANISED

from page one

bulls weighing 90-100lb, were among six pit bulls that attacked a woman and a man walking on Balao Road shortly after 8am on Friday, according to police.

Elliot Hepburn, a 63-year-old Freeport man, has been charged with two

counts of allowing a dangerous dog to be at large, two counts of having an unlicensed dog, one count of negligently causing harm and one count of negligently causing grievous harm.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges. His case was adjourned to June 19, 2023.

on some operations, their phones are taken from them; all sorts of things that couldn’t happen to me or you, but then we’re not members of a disciplined force.”

Attorney General Ryan Pinder said lawyers are reviewing the ruling and considering prospects for appeal.

“Our concerns, I’ve said this before, are when you have individuals or

their agents using these meetings as grounds to facilitate, orchestrate,

and to develop political campaigns specifically for leadership.”

DON Saunders pictured previously. He said he knew nothing about efforts to prevent Dr Hubert Minnis from speaking at association meetings.

COMMISSIONER of Police Clayton Fernander.

The Tribune Limited

China’s sway over Russia grows

IT WAS a revealing moment during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s tightly scripted visit to Moscow: Standing in the doorway of the Grand Kremlin Palace, he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the two of them were “witnessing the changes that haven’t been seen in more than a century, and we are pushing them together.”

“I agree,” Putin responded.

The remarks — caught on a Kremlin camera over a bodyguard’s shoulder — offered a rare glimpse into Xi’s ambitions and his relationship with Russia after more than a year of fighting in Ukraine.

While Moscow increasingly looks like a junior partner to Beijing, Xi is likely to offer a strong lifeline to Putin, his key partner in efforts to reshape the world to try to limit US domination.

Xi’s unusually blunt statement capped more than ten hours of Kremlin talks, which ended with long declarations filled with florid rhetoric about expanding the “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Russia and China, pledges to champion a multilateral approach to global affairs and criticism of Washington.

In his concluding statement, Putin hailed the Chinese proposal for a settlement in Ukraine, which the West had all but rejected as a non-starter. The Russian leader also rolled out a slew of initiatives that cemented his country’s role as a key source of energy and other raw materials for China’s giant economy. He proposed building new energy pipelines, invited the Chinese to fill the niche left after the exodus of Western businesses, and vowed to boost the export of agricultural products to China.

Xi remained tight-lipped, avoiding any firm commitments regarding specific projects and mostly sticking to general and vague rhetoric about expanding ties.

“A lot of things that Vladimir Putin would have liked to happen did not, in fact, happen,” Rana Mitter, professor of Chinese history and politics at Oxford University, told The Associated Press. “There was no point at which Xi explicitly said that he accepted Russia’s position on the Ukraine war over the position of Ukraine.”

In fact, there was “a sense that China was reserving for itself the right to step away from a complete endorsement” of the Russian position, Mitter added.

Moscow and Beijing said they would increase contacts between their militaries and stage more joint sea and air patrols and drills, but there wasn’t even the slightest hint from China about helping Russia with weapons, as the US and other Western allies feared.

Speaking Wednesday before a Senate committee, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China so far has heeded strong US warnings against providing lethal material support for Russia in Ukraine. “We have not seen them cross that — cross that line,” he said.

A top analyst at the US Defense Intelligence Agency said Beijing wants to be seen as a peacemaker and diplomatic heavyweight.

“So I think China would be very reluctant to be seen openly supporting Russia with lethal aid,” said Doug Wade, head of the DIA’s China mission group. “It would undermine their whole narrative about their role in the world that they’re trying so hard to sell.”

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby described the Putin-Xi relationship as “a marriage of convenience”, in which they pool efforts to challenge US leadership, and the Russians “certainly are the junior partner.” He added at a briefing earlier this week that Putin sees Xi as “a lifeline of sorts” amid the fighting in Ukraine.

Many commentators argued that the summit marked Putin’s failure to win any specific aid from Beijing and

Pandemic and GB woes

cemented Russia’s increasingly subordinate role in the alliance with China.

“China’s domination of Russia is complete,” tweeted Sam Greene, professor in Russian politics at King’s College London. “While there were undoubtedly agreements we are not meant to know about, there is no indication here of a significant increase in military support for Russia — nor even of a willingness on Xi’s part to ramp up diplomatic support. A swing and a miss for Putin.”

After more than a year of fighting in Ukraine and bruising Western sanctions, Russia’s dependence on China has increased significantly. Facing Western restrictions on its oil, gas and other exports, Russia has shifted its energy flows to China and sharply expanded other exports, resulting in a 30% hike in bilateral trade.

Western price caps on Russia’s oil forced Moscow to offer it to China and other customers at a sharp discount, but despite those lower prices, the vast Chinese market ensured a stable flow of oil revenue to the Kremlin’s coffers.

As long as Russia can trade with China and other Asian states, it will face “no danger of running out of money or being forced to concede on the battlefield, said Chris Weafer, CEO of the consulting firm Macro-Advisory.

While profiting handsomely from Moscow’s desperate situation, Beijing would be certain to ramp up its support if it sees Russia dangerously weakened.

“The nightmare scenario for China is that collapse of Russia militarily leads to collapse of the regime and installment of some pro-Western government,” said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment.

Gabuev argued that Beijing would be unlikely to provide any direct military assistance to Moscow anytime soon simply because it doesn’t feel the pressing need to do so. “Russia is not doing great on the battlefield, but it’s obviously not losing it, so the need to support the Russian military efforts so far is questionable from both sides,” he said.

More than ammunition, tanks and rockets, Russia badly needs China’s help in skirting Western sanctions to maintain the flow of high-tech components for its weapons industries and other economic sectors. Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, predicted that China could be expected to act more resolutely to help Russia get them.

“Russia doesn’t need weapons from China,” Markov wrote on his messaging app channel. “It needs microchips and components, and they will come.”

Some observers say that while Beijing has been coy about supporting Moscow, it has vital interest in shoring up its ally to avoid being left alone in any potential confrontation with the United States.

Mikhail Korostikov, an expert on Russia-China ties, said in a commentary for the Carnegie Endowment that China has been closely watching Russia’s experience in facing massive Western sanctions. “For Beijing, a close study and partial use of instruments and decisions used by Russia is a reasonable course in a situation when China’s confrontation with the West looks inevitable,” he said.

Korostikov noted that while Moscow’s dependence on Beijing is growing, China’s room for maneuvering is also shrinking.

“There is no alternative to Russia as a partner providing resources that China will critically need in case of an escalation in its confrontation with the West,” he said. “It helps balance the situation and allows Moscow to hope that Beijing will not overuse its newly-acquired economic levers.”

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

EDITOR, The Tribune.

A POLITICAL operative on Facebook claimed that a Progressive Liberal Party Cabinet minister at the Grand Bahama Business Outlook blamed the island’s protracted economic depression on the COVID-19 pandemic, which is patently false. Grand Bahama has been in the economic doldrums since 2001, the year of the terrorist attacks on the US by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda.

Grand Bahamians are understandably pessimistic about the news of the $200m redevelopment of the Grand Bahama International Airport by a firm out of the United Kingdom and a $300m eco-resort development in West Grand Bahama by Tourism Minister Chester Cooper.

The announcement of $1 billion worth of investments in the pipeline amounts to nothing more than a promise. And Grand Bahamians know all too well that a promise is a comfort to a fool. If the PLP and the Free National Movement have been unable to end Freeport’s economic depression over the past 23 years, what is there to think that the current government will do so in the three and half years left in its tenure?

At this juncture I am

done criticising both political parties. What I would like to do instead is to offer an outlandish proposal that I believe will revolutionise Grand Bahama.

Instead of criticising the Port Authority or the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, why not sell the island of Grand Bahama to the US government?

The US currently has five permanently inhabited territories: American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

The first three territories are in the Pacific Ocean while the remaining two are in the Caribbean. The US purchased the Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix from Denmark in 1917 or thereabouts for $25m.

Under Denmark, these islands were dubbed the Danish West Indies in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The US government wanted a presence in the Caribbean. Grand Bahama is just 50 miles off the coast of Florida. It could serve as a military buffer between the mainland North America and thousands of Haitian refugees fleeing their impoverished

homeland. Under US jurisdiction, I am sure that Grand Bahama would experience phenomenal economic growth, similar to what is occurring in the Florida Keys. The government should put this proposal to a referendum to the people of Grand Bahama. Let them decide if they want to align themselves with the US or remain citizens of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

With Grand Bahama becoming a territory of the US, American citizenship will inevitably follow for the residents of the island, in addition to possibly millions of Americans relocating to the island. Granted, it will be emotionally difficult severing national ties with The Bahamas. After all, Grand Bahamians are Bahamians.

But after two plus decades of an economic depression coupled with the continued vibrant economy of New Providence, Abaco, Bimini, Exuma and other Family Islands, Grand Bahamians are at their wits end with the unbroken promises of prosperity that seems only to elude their island. They’re fed up with being treated like stepchildren.

KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama, March 21, 2023.

Home rental regulation

EDITOR, The Tribune.

PERMIT me space in your newspaper to comment on the proposed Tourism Development Corporation of the Bahamas Bill which I understand was pulled from the House today.

Having read through this draft it appears to me that other than preparing us for paying a tax of some kind there is little benefit for either the Treasury or the Vacation Rental hosts. It is my belief that “Gubment” just wants a piece of this income that someone thinks is huge and unlimited.

Believe me, it is not. I operated a vacation rental property in the islands for many years and found that, at the end of the day, I was making very little money.

Once you pay the gardener, the house cleaners, the insurance company and all the other costs associated with an out-island house you might break even. Mostly I operated this

property to give a couple of people a small income. I have since de-listed my property from all the sites as the effort was too high and the income too low to be so charitable. This is a very competitive market and properties throughout the region are much less expensive than here.

If the “Gubment” really wants to regulate something, please take my following suggestions:

Regulate the Jet Ski operators who are a huge nuisance to people on the beach as well as all other boat operators who fly through Nassau Harbour at 90 mph creating six-foot waves. (This is the only harbour in the world where this is permitted).

Regulate the motorists who drive in a manner endangering all persons, other cars, dogs, cats and children.

Regulate the traffic lights that often do not work.

Regulate the street lights which often do not work.

Regulate the criminals who shoot each other with impunity on any given day and sometimes two or three times a day.

Regulate the constant cruelty shown to animals. This is the biggest complaint we get from tourists - the state of our starving pot cakes. Helping out the BHS would certainly not hurt either.

The vacation rental properties are self-regulating. If the property gets a bad review, it doesn’t get rented. They do not need someone to come and inspect the properties. The renters do that… I predict a lot of properties will remove themselves from the inventory if a lot of red tape and taxes are added to the cost of doing business in this sector. Thanks for the space.

* acknowledgement to Pam Burnside for use of the word “Gubment”.

LESLIE L FRASER Nassau, March 21, 2023.

Harbour Bay parking

EDITOR, The Tribune.

ANNOYANCE is a mild description when trying to shop at Harbour Bay Shopping Centre – where do the potential shoppers park?

I tested what’s going on – the result is obvious the employees of the office space are parking where shoppers should be and shoppers can’t find parking — you waste a lot of time, but there are certainly businesses that are in Harbour Bay and you have to try to shop there.

Surely, the owners have employee parking somewhere? Someone told me there is adequate employee parking to the rear of the buildings, but it is perceived as being unsafe.

Owners, please take immediate steps to make Harbour Bay somewhere you will want to try to shop.

VAT On Health Insurance Claims - The Financial Secretary does not have to wait till Budget makes the obvious decision. First why is there VAT on Health policies

for starters? Why should anyone think that the Health Insurance provider is liable to pay VAT on an amount being paid back to the insured on which VAT has been paid - no double charging on VAT we were told!

Clear up Harbour Bay, please, and Financial Secretary make the only sensible decision... you have already collected, sir.

M THOMPSON Nassau, March 20, 2023.

PEOPLE take their picture along the Tidal Basin as cherry blossoms enter their peak bloom in Washington yesterday.

Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

YOUNG PERFORMERS SHINE IN CONTEST

SCENES from yesterday’s adjudications of the E Clement Bethel Awards in New Providence, with Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg in attendence.

Photos: Eric Rose/BIS

Catholic Social Teaching promotes, protects and defends the radical dignity of the human person

IN A 55-minute speech during a 2015 pastoral visit to Bolivia, Pope Francis addressed a crowd of farmers, indigenous people and activists with this ringing plea: “You are social poets: creators of work, builders of housing, producers of food, above all for people left behind by the world market.

“You, the lowly, the exploited, the poor and underprivileged, can do, and are doing, a lot. I would even say that the future of humanity is in great measure in your own hands, through your ability to organise and carry out creative alternatives, through your daily efforts to ensure the three ‘Ls’ (labour, lodging, land)…”

Francis, an Argentinian Jesuit, was employing Catholic Social Doctrine or Catholic Social Teaching (CST) to reflect on human dignity, the dignity of labour, the need for human solidarity, concern for the poor and vulnerable and other principles of the Catholic Social Imagination.

The faith and teachings of Roman Catholicism and the Gospels of Jesus Christ should not be limited or reduced to either moral theology or the social teachings of the Church.

But human and social ethics are essential components of a broader tradition and faith infused with what is articulated in the Jesuit tradition of St Ignatius of Loyola as, “Finding God in all things”.

For Roman Catholics, there is the radical presence of God in the created order, inclusive of the human person.

Catholic Social Teaching is a way of seeing the world, a lens, a framework

for reflecting on perennial social questions and the social questions of the day, ranging from questions of economic justice to questions of environmental stewardship.

The great emphasis of the Church on concern and caring for the poor has manifested itself in social outreach through organisations like the St Vincent de Paul Society and a plethora of Catholic charities.

But the Church is not a charity. It is intended as an instrument of God’s love which cares for the poor and seeks the transformation of unjust structures which sustain inequality and poverty.

Because of the Roman Catholic understanding of the human person, the Church has placed an enormous emphasis on education from primary to tertiary education.

The Roman Catholic Church in the Bahamas has served the poor and the vulnerable, with the Sisters of Charity, the Benedictine monks and sisters, other religious, diocesan priests and the laity, offering social ministries ranging

from food distribution to the Agnes Hardecker Clinic to the Samaritan Ministry for people with HIV and AIDS.

Though the third largest Christian denomination in the country, the Roman Catholic Church still operates the largest private school system in The Bahamas. Roman Catholics often see the world, creation and the human person in a more varied light because of the emphasis placed on the Church’s social teachings and worldview in their spiritual and religious formation.

They would all share a passionate commitment to social justice, and to the common good, which the bishops of the US Catholic

Conference have defined as: “The common good is understood as the social conditions that allow people to reach their full human potential and to realise their human dignity.”

In Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, Reflections of the US Catholic Bishops, the bishops note that CST is: “Founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ; inspired by the social teaching of our Church, including papal encyclicals, conciliar documents and episcopal statements that have explored and expressed the social demands of our faith; shaped by those who have come before us, by St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine [and others] and lived by the People of God, who seek to build the kingdom of God …”

Because of the experience of Christ in the Eucharist, and a sense of the radical dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God, Roman Catholicism promotes, protects and defends the radical dignity of the human person at all stages of life.

The Tradition views the human person in a communal and social context, reminiscent of the JudeoChristian understanding of the communal nature of human salvation.

As the US Catholic Bishops note: “God reveals himself to us as one who is not alone, but rather as one who is relational, one who is Trinity.

“Therefore, we who are made in God’s image share this communal, social nature. We are called to reach out and to build relationships of love and justice.”

This communal vision is different from a fundamentalist Christian worldview which places more emphasis on the individual and their relationship with Christ, often to the sidelining or exclusion of the broader human community working together for the kingdom of God inclusive of the work of social justice.

The CST vision of human dignity animated the consistent life ethic popularized by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin. This ethic opposes abortion, assisted

suicide, euthanasia, capital punishment and unjust wars as offences to human dignity.

CST is rooted in Scripture and the life of the Church. The tradition took on a new expression in the modern world as humanity faced more complex global social questions, mostly dealing with questions of economics, social development and war and peace.

RIGHTS AND DUTIES

A seminal moment in the tradition was the publication of Rerum Novarum, entitled in English, Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour, an 1891 papal encyclical by Pope Leo XIII.

Rerum Novarum was “an open letter, passed to all Catholic Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops and Bishops, that addressed the condition of the working classes”.

“It discussed the relationships and mutual duties between labour and capital, as well as government and its citizens.

“Of primary concern was the need for some amelioration of ‘The misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class.’ It supported the rights of labour to form unions, rejected socialism and unrestricted capitalism, whilst affirming the right to private property.”

Since its publication, popes, bishops, episcopal conferences, synods and Vatican Council II have added a rich tapestry and treasury of teachings to the tradition, which is founded on a complex of related principles, which serve as an ethical framework for the Church’s reflections on the social questions of the day.

The principles of CST include: the dignity of the human person, the commitment to human equality, the preservation and protection of the family, the balancing of the rights and responsibilities, the call to community and participation as citizens, the dignity of work and worker’s rights, solidarity with the human community; and an option for the poor.

DIGNITY OF MIGRANTS

During his tenure as Bishop of Nassau, the late Bishop Paul Leonard Hagarty, OSB, spoke out

against a proposed constitutional referendum by the Pindling administration, the possible results of which Bishop Hagarty argued were unacceptable and immoral because many people could have been left stateless.

Archbishop Burke spoke in defense of the dignity of migrants, frequently championed legal aid and restorative justice, and spoke against discrimination of those living with HIV and AIDs, and in opposition to corporal punishment in the prison system.

Archbishop Pinder has written and spoken on the Church’s position on capital punishment, on the need for the environmental stewardship, and of the importance of “responsive and responsible citizenship”. The three ordinaries were animated by the Church’s Social Tradition. While refraining from being involved in partisan politics, they understood from the tradition that they could not absent the Church from offering an ethical perspective on the social questions in the society. And while the bishops rightly refrained from offering public policy prescriptions, they offered ethical insights which might help to guide the Catholic faithful and laity, and public authorities.

During his pontificate, Pope Francis, who took the name of the 13th century saint of peace and intentional poverty, St Francis of Assisi, has through word, witness and gestures of love deepened the treasury of the Catholic Social Tradition through his simplicity of lifestyle, his social outreach and his defense of the dignity of the poor and migrants.

He has extended the tradition through his travels as an instrument of peace to non-Christian countries like South Sudan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, witnessing to the dignity and protection of the vulnerable and the oppressed.

The treasury of CST is one of the Church’s finest gifts to a world often besieged by injustice, war and inequality. This treasury and tapestry contain balm and grace and a framework for a culture of life and human possibility.

POPE Francis arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican yesterday.

Photo: Alessandra Tarantino/AP

RADICAL DIGNITY OF HUMANITY

Potcake rescue tourist attraction in

TCI leads to US puppy adoptions

The Turks and Caicos:

It’s kind of like our little brother. A neighboring archipelago, for many years a tropical backwater, now more recently blossoming into a desirable tourist destination.

But why has TCI suddenly become of interest in Washington? Stay tuned.

Turks and Caicos are still a British territory. Before Jamaican independence in 1962, the British governor in Kingston oversaw TCI. Later on, the British governor of The Bahamas was also made governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

When we got independence in 1973, the British appointed the islands’ own governor.

There has been controversy in TCI that in some respects resembled some of our own turmoil. The “T” in the American DEA’s OPBAT counter-drug operation here stands for Turks and Caicos.

The British suspended local government from 1986 to 1988 following allegations of government involvement with drug trafficking which resulted in the arrest of Chief Minister Norman Saunders.

By 2002 the islands were re-designated a British Overseas Territory, with islanders gaining full British citizenship. But troubles followed again, and in 2009 the Premier resigned after he was hit with charges of corruption. Local government was restored in 2012.

With tourism on the rise, TCI has been relatively stable since. But the islands made headlines over the weekend in Washington.

Why? Potcakes!

A Washington Post reporter discovered and interviewed Jane ParkerRauw, the founder and director of a highly creative and inspiring business called Potcake Place K9 Rescue. She started this nonprofit organisation in 2004, but “I was rescuing

STATESIDE

dogs for probably about five years before that, just unofficially,” Parker-Rauw said.

This is her story, told to the Post reporter. Is it possible that something similar could happen here in The Bahamas?

Parker-Rauw, originally from England, moved to Providenciales in 1996 for a job in the spa industry, initially committing for only 12 months but never leaving. Her story so far is hardly unfamiliar here.

Soon after moving to Turks and Caicos, however, she noticed all the stray dogs roaming around. She learned where potcakes get their name.

“Just seeing the problem, I wanted to try to do something to help,” ParkerRauw told the Post. Like many Englishmen and women, she has always been an animal lover, although she had no prior practical experience working with dogs.

She began volunteering at the local SPCA, and would canvas residential areas to spread the word about spay and neuter services. Parker-Rauw became an evangelist for potcakes.

“Every house seemed to have six to 13 puppies, and the SPCA had nowhere to put them,” said ParkerRauw, whose volunteer job at the time was to have the puppies euthanized. “It wasn’t out of cruelty. They just had nowhere to put all these pups.”

“I understood why it had to be done,” she said. “But it didn’t sit too well with me.”

Parker-Rauw eventually founded Potcake Place, a charity staffed entirely by volunteers and funded by private donations. A group of about 15 volunteers rescue the puppies, which they often hear about through the local SPCA. Locals and tourists also alert them when they spot a litter. Parker-Rauw said some people leave boxes overnight outside the adoption center that are filled with abandoned puppies.

At any given time, there are between 60 and 100 puppies and dogs at Potcake Place. They are mostly fostered in local volunteer homes until they are adopted.

Although the adoption requirements are rigid, “we adopt out every single one of our puppies”, ParkerRauw said. Potcake Place has a storefront in a busy shopping area, and tourists line up in the mornings to have a chance to take a pup on a walk on the beach. Sometimes the line extends around the block.

American tourist Brandon Kay told the Post that his wife had heard about the charity before their trip, and she suggested they go visit the adoption center in popular tourist area Grace Bay to see the cute puppies.

Puppy walks sponsored by Potcake Place have become a popular tourist attraction in the area. Word has spread about Potcake Place and the walks are becoming part of the tourist experience in Provo. “Ultimately, you’re helping these puppies get adopted by

socializing them,” said one volunteer.

Parker-Rauw and her team have placed more than one thousand dogs. She said most people take their dogs home with them (pets under 20 pounds can sit in the cabin of commercial flights of most airlines), but some rely on volunteer couriers to transport them.

“At least 40 percent of people that adopt with us are with couriers,” said Parker-Rauw. The charity tries to find a willing tourist to volunteer to serve as an escort and take the adopted dog with them on their way home. Arrangements can then be made for the dog to be reunited with its new family. Generally, the adopters pay the $125 cabin fee.

In its own way, ParkerRauw said, being a courier is “very rewarding,” particularly for individuals who don’t feel ready to adopt. “You can help in lots of ways other than adopting.”

“Not everyone can do everything,” she said. “But everyone can do something.”

What an astonishing story. And given the Post’s wide readership, it’s certain to stimulate more visits to Potcake Place in Provo and to lead to more touching stories of canine adoptions.

We are all aware of our Bahamas Humane Society and its worthy efforts to rescue and rehabilitate stray, unwanted or abused animals.

The BHS was founded in 1924 as the Dumb Friends’ League, “speaking for those who could not speak for themselves”. According to

this praiseworthy organisation’s website, “the main reason for forming the society was to help care for and protect the donkeys, mules and horses used to pull carriages and carts. From old newspaper accounts, it is apparent that the cruelty was overwhelming in those days. The wives of some local businessmen used to also go down to the docks to feed sandwiches to the stray dogs”.

The Bahamas’ Humane Society is approaching its centennial next year. What would it be like if a group of Bahamians borrowed an idea from our neighbors in TCI and started something like Potcake Place here? What a birthday present that would be for the often-beleaguered BHS! And what a tribute it would be to our fine tradition of caring for our many outcast and deserving dogs.

OVERLOOKED WBC OFFERED INTENSE BASEBALL MOMENTS

REAL life exceeded sports hyperbole on Tuesday night in Miami. In a tournament that got lost in the mix of NFL free agency, NBA’s final playoff push and America’s unique March Madness college basketball championship tournament, the World Baseball Classic shone. 20 teams qualified for this tournament, including Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Canada, the UK, China and “China Taiwan”. The title game featured the US and Japan.

In a highly-anticipated matchup in the championship game of the fifth Classic, superhuman Japanese two-way pitcher and slugger Shohei Ohtani came on to protect a 3-2 lead for his team in the ninth inning against a US squad that included MLB stars like the inimitable Mike Trout, 31, already the ten-time all-star and threetime league most valuable player for the Los Angeles Angels.

“Fans come to the ballpark obviously cheering for their team, you know, like, obviously the Angels. But then you’ve got families and people coming to the

ballpark [for the WBC] to cheer for their country. It’s different. It’s just - I can’t really express what was different about that. You just feel it in your veins, you know? It’s a special, special feeling,” Trout said.

The Angels are the same team for which Ohtani has starred at the plate and on the pitcher’s mound for several years after his highly-publicized move from the Japanese top league.

Ohtani walked the New York Mets’ 2022 batting champion Jeff McNeil to open the final inning. The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts was next. The owner of the third-richest contract in the history of North American professional sports, Betts promptly grounded into an easy double play. Trout was next to bat.

The Angels’ pitcher prevailed over the Angels’ hitter, striking out Trout on an off-speed slider after setting him up with half a dozen 100 mph fastballs. Japan won its third WBC. The US has won the other two. This often-overlooked event will likely attract far more attention next time, three years hence.

with Charlie Harper

JANE Parker-Rauw founder of Potcake Place K9 Rescue has turned the resuce into a tourist atraction that has also led to many potcakes finding homes abroad.

A CUTE potcake pup enjoying some playtime on the beach in Turks and Caicos

BAIL GRANTED FOR MAN ON CHARGE OF ASSAULT WITH GUN

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted $7,000 bail yesterday after he allegedly assaulted another man with a loaded gun last week.

Layton Cox, 47, faced Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on charges of assault with a deadly

weapon, possession of an unlicenced firearm and possession of ammunition.

On March 18, in New Providence, it is alleged that Cox, while armed with a handgun, assaulted George Munroe. Later that same day, it is further alleged that police arrested the accused for having the same firearm as well as seven unfired rounds of

DRUGS AND FIREARM RECOVERED AFTER SHOTSPOTTER ALERT

carried out on a residence.

9mm ammunition. He pleaded not guilty and bail of $7,000 was granted. Under the conditions of this bail, he is expected to sign in at his local police station every Sunday by 7pm. The accused was also ordered to be fitted with an electronic monitoring device.

Cox’s trial is set to start on April 26.

SERIAL THIEF JAILED FOR TWO YEARS AND FINED FOR DRUGS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A SERIAL thief was jailed for two years yesterday after he admitted to his latest attempted raid last year.

Tiffalo Johnson, 40, appeared before Senior Magistrate Carolyn VogtEvans on charges of unlawful entry, damage, receiving and two counts of possession of dangerous drugs.

In October, in

New Providence, the accused broke into a residence in an attempt to steal, damaging the property. Then, in November, the accused was arrested after he was found with 1 gram and 4 grams of two separate drugs. Johnson reversed his earlier position and pleaded guilty to all charges yesterday.

Prosecutors

ASP

McKenzie Lewis and Sgt Coakley told the magistrate the accused had previously been sentenced

to five years in prison in 2018 after being convicted for a five-month string of housebreaking and theft charges that year. Magistrate Vogt-Evans admonished Johnson for his continued criminal behaviour, and jailed him for two years for the October charges to be served concurrently. Johnson was further ordered to pay fines of $1,000 and $2,500 for the drug charges or risk an additional five - or eightmonth prison terms.

MAN DENIED BAIL ON $5,000 WORTH OF STOLEN CAR PARTS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was denied bail in court yesterday after being accused of stealing over $5,000 worth of car parts, alcohol and electronics on Poet Drive last week.

Conley Adderley, 25, stood before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on four counts of stealing.

Between March 14 at 8pm

and March 15 at 5.30am on Poet Drive, Adderley is accused of stealing $1,700 worth of car parts from a black Suzuki Swift belonging to Joshua Harvey.

During the same timeframe, Adderley is further alleged to have stolen $170.15 worth of alcohol and $572 worth of car parts from a white Nissan Note, which belonged to Leroy Archer, Sr.

Adderley is also alleged to have stolen an HP EliteBook 840, a 256GB 9th generation iPad and another laptop all belonging to Commonwealth Brewery. These items are valued at $2,644.94.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Magistrate Vogt-Evans denied bail and Adderley was sent to prison. His trial is set to begin on June 12.

MAN ON BAIL ON MURDER CHARGE GRANTED $8,000 BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN facing a pending murder charge was accused of breaching his bail conditions in court yesterday - and was again granted bail.

Jacob Rolle, 29, stood before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans

charged with 10 counts of violation of bail granted by the Supreme Court after he was accused of the fatal shooting of Randy Rolle on Balfour Avenue on October 24, 2017.

While on release for that charge, it is alleged that between December 21, 2022, and February 8, 2023, the accused failed to charge his electronic monitoring

device on six occasions.

It is further alleged that between January 27 and February 6, he breached his nightly residential curfew on four occasions.

In court, Rolle pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Bail was granted in the sum of $8,000 and his trial is scheduled for April 26.

POLICE reported drugs were found along with an illegal firearm and ammunition on Tuesday off Nassau Street by officers attached to Operation Ceasefire.

After being alerted by ShotSpotter technology, officers investigated an open yard in the area of McQuay Street. A search resulted in a quantity of suspected marijuana being found along with a black, high-powered weapon and 55 rounds of ammunition. No arrests were made. The quantity of drugs is unknown at the time of going to press.

• Bimini police arrested a 43-year-old man from Porgy Bay after he was found with a quantity of suspected cocaine on Wednesday. Shortly after 5am, officers acting on a warrant searched a residence in Porgy Bay, and 32 Ziplock packages of suspected cocaine were confiscated. The drugs weighted 25g with an estimated street value of $300.

• Six Haitian suspected migrants have been arrested in Bailey Town, Bimini, after a search warrant was

Three men and three women believed to be migrants in the country illegally were handed over to the Bahamas Department of Immigration.

• Police announced the seizure of a quantity of marijuana during patrols by the dog section on Tuesday.

Shortly before 6pm, officers in the area of East Street south, near Domingo Heights, conducted a search of an open yard and found an estimated eight ounces of marijuana with a street value of $520. No arrests were made.

• A 39-year-old man and a 16-year-old juvenile, both of Nassau Village, were arrested on Wednesday morning for possession of an unlicenced firearm and ammunition.

Shortly after 1.10am, officers were alerted by ShotSpotter technology to shots being discharged in the area of Verbena Street, off Mackey Street. On arrival, 12 spent 9mm casings were recovered.

Acting on intelligence, officers attached to Operation Ceasefire arrested the two males at their residences.

• The Mobile Division

arrested six suspects over a 24-hour period for stealing from a vehicle and outstanding warrants. A total of 136 vehicles were stopped and searched during the period, and 63 drivers were cited for traffic infractions.

• Police in Grand Bahama arrested a 25-year-old man of Emerald Bay for possession of an unlicenced firearm and ammunition on Tuesday. Shortly after 11pm, officers acting on information went to a business on East Atlantic Drive. A man dressed in dark clothing was searched and officers found a pistol with eight live rounds of ammunition.

• Two men were arrested by Grand Bahama police for possession of dangerous drugs on Tuesday. Shortly after noon, officers on patrol in the area of West Beach Drive, Midshipman Road, stopped a black Nissan Fuga with two male occupants, aged 41 and 33. A quantity of suspected Indian Hemp was discovered during a search. The weight and value is unknown at present.

THE Ministry of Transport and Housing and the National Maritime Policy Implementation Committee (NMPIC) hosted a National Maritime Exhibition and Career Fair from March 14-16 at The Mall at Marathon.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis chatted with people at the exhibition on March 16, along with Minister of Transport and Housing JoBeth ColebyDavis, and Minister of

State in the Office of the Prime Minister Myles LaRoda. Present was chair of the NMPIC, Reverend Angela Palacious, other committee officials and maritime industry stakeholders. The fair plays an important part in exposing the public, young and old, to aspects and opportunities of the maritime sector.

Photos: Anthon Thompson/ BIS

CADETS GET READY TO BATTLE

THE LJM Maritime Academy will be hosting its annual Founders Day ceremony “since the pandemic” today.

The event will include the Cadets Pinning Ceremony - with cadets to be awarded “ribbons” on their

academic accomplishments thus far.

Tomorrow is the academy’s annual Battle of The Cadets, in which cadets will endure a full day of physical and mental challenges, in an in-house fun-filled series of activities.

Fair shows maritime career path STANDARDS EXPERT IS WELCOMED TO INTERNATIONAL ROLE

THE Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ) executive director Dr Renae Ferguson-Bufford, pictured, was recently welcomed to the International Organization for Standardization DEVCO Chair’s Advisory Group for the 2023-2024 term. The tenmember Chair's Advisory Group (CAG) assists DEVCO in monitoring the implementation of that plan.

Mrs Julia Bonner Douett, DEVCO chair, and Sergio Mujica, ISO secretary-general expressed confidence in Dr Ferguson-Bufford’s ability to serve on the CAG.

The statement read:

“As the Executive Director of the Bahamas Bureau of Standards & Quality (BBSQ), and with her experience in both the notfor-profit and public sectors, Dr Ferguson-Bufford brings a wealth of knowledge to the CAG. Dr Ferguson-Bufford’s expertise of quality infrastructure (QI) systems, the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement, as well as strategy and policy matters at the national, regional, and international levels will be of great value in furthering the objectives of the ISO

Action Plan for developing countries 2021-2025.

“The DEVCO Secretariat looks forward to working together with Dr FergusonBufford to achieve ISO’s vision of making people’s lives easier, safer and better by leveraging the power of international standards in support of developing countries.”

As the CAG’s Caribbean representative, Dr Ferguson-Bufford completes the ten-member committee which comprises seven developing country members (one per region) and three members from developed countries.

"During the meeting, we discussed opportunities to support developing countries in joining ISO, priority areas for standards development, and the ISO toolkit for supporting standards and policy makers. Topics covered included trade, capacity building, conformity assessment, and key areas such as climate change, food safety, energy, environmental management, digital strategies, and gender actions. Each member was allowed to participate, making the meeting both informative and engaging,” said Dr Ferguson-Bufford.

Ex-Haitian mayor found liable in killings charged with fraud

BOSTON Associated Press

A former Haitian mayor was criminally charged Wednesday with lying on his application to become a legal resident of the U.S., just one day after he was found liable for a killing and two attempted slayings in his homeland.

Jean Morose Viliena, 50, was indicted on three counts of visa fraud, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston. Conviction on the charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

“Gaining lawful entry into our country is a privilege, not a right,” U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. “Our nation offers protection, assistance and asylum to those who are persecuted. People that perpetrate acts of violence and harm — and then allegedly lie about their conduct to U.S. immigration officials — in their countries are not welcome here.”

An email seeking comment was sent to Viliena’s attorney.

Viliena went to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in June 2008 to apply for a visa that would gain him entry to the U.S., federal prosecutors said. When asked on the application form whether he was excluded from admission to the U.S. for having “ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people,” he said he was not, prosecutors said. He then swore that his application was true and signed it, authorities said. The visa was approved the next day. He moved to the U.S. in July 2008 and was granted a Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card.

Viliena has been living in Malden, just north of Boston, authorities said.

But federal prosecutors allege that while mayor of the town of Les Irois — a community of about 22,000 on Haiti’s western tip — Viliena was involved in acts of violence against political foes.

In 2007, prosecutors said,

he led a group of his allies to the home of a political opponent, where he and his associates shot and killed the opponent’s younger brother, then smashed his skull with a rock.

Prosecutors also allege that in 2008, Viliena and his allies went armed with guns, machetes, picks and sledgehammers to a community radio station that he opposed to shut it down. He allegedly pistolwhipped and punched a man and ordered an associate to shoot and kill the man and one other person.

Both survived, but one of the men lost a leg and the other was blinded in one eye. Viliena was found liable by an American jury in a civil trial on Tuesday for his role in the killing and the two attempted killings and assessed $15.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

The suit was filed by the San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability on behalf of David Boniface, Juders Ysemé and Nissage Martyr in Boston in 2017.

Nissage Martyr died, and his son, Nissandère Martyr, replaced him as a plaintiff.

The suit was filed under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991, which allows lawsuits to be filed in the U.S. against foreign officials who allegedly committed wrongdoing in their homeland if all legal avenues in their country have been exhausted.

“The Center for Justice and Accountability welcomes action by the Justice Department but calls for human rights criminal charges to be brought given the strong evidence presented against Viliena for torture and other abuses during the civil trial,” the center said in a statement Wednesday.

The center also called on the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to work with the government of Haiti to ensure the safety of their clients and family members, who have been subjected to retaliation and intimidation.

Boniface, Ysemé and Martyr continue to live in

hiding and said in statements Wednesday that while pleased with Viliena’s arrest, they are concerned about their families.

Martyr’s mother and sisters still live in Les Irois.

“His associates in Les Irois have said that if Jean Morose Viliena is arrested, what they have

done before will be nothing compared to what they will do now,” Martyr said in a statement that was translated from Haitian Creole into English. “They said they will burn the city of Les Irois and the families of the people who sought justice.”

A 5,000-MILE SEAWEED BELT IS HEADED TOWARD FLORIDA

WASHINGTON

Associated Press

A 5,000-MILE seaweed belt lurking in the Atlantic Ocean is expected in the next few months to wash onto beaches in the Caribbean Sea, South Florida, and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.

The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt — as the biomass stretching from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico is called — contains scattered patches of seaweed on the open sea, rather than one continuous blob of sargassum. It’s not a new occurrence, but satellite images captured in February showed an earlier start than usual for such a large accumulation in the open ocean.

Once it washes ashore, sargassum is a nuisance — a thick, brown algae that carpets beaches, releasing a pungent smell as it decays and entangling humans and animals who step into it. For hotels and resorts, clearing the stuff off beaches can amount to a round-the-clock operation.

Here’s a look at this year’s sargassum seaweed bloom:

WHAT IS SARGASSUM?

A leafy brown seaweed festooned with what look like berries. The seaweed floats on the open ocean and — unlike other seaweeds — reproduces on the water’s surface, helped by air-filled structures that give it buoyancy.

Sargassum originates in a vast stretch of the Atlantic Ocean called the Sargasso Sea, which lies well off the southeast U.S. The Sargasso has no land boundaries; instead, four prevailing ocean currents form its boundaries.

The matted brown seaweed stretches for miles across the ocean and provides breeding ground, food and habitat for fish, sea turtles and marine birds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“It’s a dynamic, constantly changing set of pieces of this large mass,” said Rick

Lumpkin, director of the Physical Oceanography Division at NOAA. “It’s not one big continuous blob heading straight to South Florida.”

WHY IS IT A PROBLEM?

Sargassum piles up on beaches where it quickly decomposes under hot sun, releasing gases that smell like rotten eggs.

In recent years, sargassum has carpeted beaches on some Caribbean islands and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula in the spring and summer months. Beach towns and cities and hotels have struggled to keep up with the huge amounts of seaweed that wash ashore.

WHAT ABOUT THIS YEAR?

Some sargassum has already reached beaches in Key West, said Chuanmin Hu, a professor of oceanography at the University of South Florida. But most of it will arrive in the summer, Hu said.

“What is unusual this year compared to previous years is it started early,” Hu said. The algae generally blooms in the spring and summer, but “this year, in the winter, we already have a lot.”

Southern Florida, the Caribbean and the Yucatán Peninsula typically see sargassum piling up in the summer months and could expect the same this year, Hu said.

IS THIS MUCH SARGASSUM UNUSUAL?

It’s a lot, but it’s been worse. Scientists estimate there’s more than 10 million metric tons of sargassum in the belt this year. Lumpkin called it “one of the strongest years, but not the strongest” since scientists began closely observing the biomass via satellite imagery in 2011. He said there was more in 2018. The years 2019 and 2021 also saw a great deal of sargassum, he said.

WHAT CAUSES IT?

Scientists aren’t exactly

sure, in part because it wasn’t closely monitored until 2011.

“We do know that to get a lot of seaweed, you need nutrients, and you need sunlight. Of course, as you get close to the equator, there’s going to be more sunlight,” said Mike Parsons, a professor of marine science at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Parsons and other experts say agricultural runoff seeping into the Amazon and Orinoco rivers and eventually the ocean could explain the increased growth of the belt on the western side. Parsons said warming waters likely help the seaweed grow faster. Changes in wind patterns, sea currents, rainfall and drought could also affect blooms.

“It may be the entire belt is fed more some years than others by dust that contains iron and other nutrients that comes from the Sahara Desert,” said Lumpkin, of NOAA.

It’s not clear whether climate change is playing any part. Hu said extreme weather that is happening more frequently due to climate change — high wind events, storms, more precipitation — could be a contributor.

IS SARGASSUM HARMFUL TO HUMAN HEALTH?

It can be. When sargassum decomposes, it releases ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which accounts for the rotten-egg stench. Brief exposure isn’t enough to make people sick, but prolonged exposure — especially for those with respiratory issues — can be dangerous, scientists say.

Hu said it could be an issue for hotel workers and others who may spend hours removing the decomposing sargassum from beaches.

Left to rot on the beach, sargassum can turn into a problem. It can harm coastal marine ecosystems and also supports the growth of fecal bacteria.

FORMER Haitian Mayor Jean Morose Viliena departs federal court, Monday, in Boston. Viliena, a lawful permanent resident of the US who now lives in Malden, Massachusetts, was sued by three Haitian citizens who say they or their relatives were persecuted by him and his political allies.

Photo: Steven Senne/AP

A TREE stands in a lake in Usingen near Frankfurt, Germany, yesterday, the World Water Day. World Water Day was established in 1992 by the United Nations to spread awareness about the water condition all over the world.

Photo: Michael Probst/AP

A tree stands in a lake in Usingen near Frankfurt, Germany,

SARGASUM sitting on a beach at Miami in August 2022.

Photo: Pedro Portal/AP

SPORTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2023

Men’s soccer showdown tomorrow

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Football Association (BFA) will host the CONCACAF Nations League match between the Bahamas men’s national soccer team and Trinidad & Tobago at 4pm this Friday.

The two men’s soccer teams will face off tomorrow evening at Thomas A. Robinson Stadium.

The matchup between the senior men’s team is anticipated to be an exciting one as Bahamians are urged to come out and support their national team.

Kevin Davies, assistant coach of the men’s soccer team, talked about what Bahamians can expect from Friday’s showdown.

“The Bahamian public can expect a group of young men who have been

working hard, they are ready to put everything on the line for this game [and] they are excited. The guys are hungry and they want to prove that they can play with the big boys in the region,” Davies said. He added that the Bahamas’ players have been adequately prepared and

are ready to go in Friday’s big competition.

Ahead of Friday’s matchup, the Bahamas men’s national soccer team has been preparing for this soccer game for the last four to five months.

Additionally, a camp was held over the Christmas holidays to accommodate

the players who are abroad at school.

The senior men’s soccer team is focused and in their final stages of training as they prepare to matchup against Trinidad and Tobago.

Omari Bain, a member of the men’s national soccer team, talked about what his experience and preparation has been like since joining the team in February.

Bain said he has been very happy with the way the team is preparing ahead of the matchup against Trinidad and Tobago. He said the preparation has not only been physical but also mental and it has been a good experience so far. He added that he has no doubt in his mind in terms of the willingness of the men’s

SEE PAGE 17

Fun run/walk on final morning of CARIFTA

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) has officially launched the “Let’s Move Bahamas” fun run/walk.

The unique event is scheduled for Easter weekend at 6am on the final morning of April’s 50th CARIFTA Games.

With the event taking place on the highly anticipated CARIFTA weekend, event organisers are asking that former CARIFTA participants join the “Let’s Move Bahamas” event on Arawak Cay.

During a press conference held yesterday at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium, special events

coordinator Damarius Cash encouraged former CARIFTA members to come out and support the event.

“We are asking you to come out and show yourself, make yourself known to the BAAA and we are gonna highlight you at this event so we want all to come out and support,” Cash said.

With 4,000 plus Bahamian athletes competing in the CARIFTA Games from 1972 to 2023, according to BAAA president Drumeco Archer, officials are expecting a great turnout on the final morning of the CARIFTA Games. For former CARIFTA participants and others that are interested in registering for the fun run/walk event, the process is simple. The first step of the registration

process requires potential registrants to send an email to info@bahamastrackandfield.org.

After sending an email the individual will receive a registration link where they will have to fill out a registration form for the event.

The fun run/walk event is free in efforts to target and honour former CARIFTA athletes on the final morning of this year’s 50th CARIFTA Games.

Persons who are unable to register online will have another opportunity at 5:30am on the morning of the event at Arawak Cay.

Registrants for the “Let’s Move Bahamas” event can look forward to a free t-shirt, and the first thousand participants to cross the finish line will receive a medal.

Also, as participants pass the finish line they will receive a raffle ticket for them to participate in.

Mike Sands, president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC), talked about what the public can expect from this year’s “Let’s Move Bahamas” fun run/walk event.

“I think it’s something that I am encouraging all Bahamians to let us unite as one Bahamas and let us join in,” Sands said.

He added that there are a number of persons who have already expressed their interest in joining the fun run/walk event up to this point.

The CARIFTA Games will be held April 7-10 at the Thomas A Robinson stadium.

Following parents’ lead, Ole Miss’ McPhee-McCuin making mark

By JANIE MCCAULEY AP Sports Writer

STANFORD, Calif.

(AP) — The game finally decided, Gladstone McPhee’s arms shot into the air and he released a scream of jubilation a long time coming for the proud father and lifelong basketball coach himself. His daughter is on the big stage now, beautifully representing the family and their homeland in The Bahamas.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin remembers so well being 10 when her dad lost in a championship and cried in an empty gym. She went over and cried along with him that day.

They both did so again Sunday night, this time shedding celebratory tears as Ole Miss advanced to

its first Sweet 16 in 16 years. Now, with her oldest daughter that same age, McPhee-McCuin has no problem showing her own emotions for 10-year-old Yasmine and younger sister Yuri, 5. They are getting a front-row seat — literally — to mom’s remarkable coaching journey that has taken her to seven different stops.

“You can’t be what you can’t see, and I really believe that. So my daughters are learning how to be strong and go after dreams and also how to be a wife and how to balance,” she said.

“I cry in front of my kids.

Had we lost, my 10-year-old would have cried tonight. My 5-year-old is just living the dream right now. But

FOSTER DORSETT, BAAA first vice president, and the Dame of CARIFTA, Pauline Davis at the press conference to announce the Let’s Move Bahamas Fun Run/walk.

Jordan considering sale of Hornets, no deal imminent

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer

MICHAEL Jordan is considering selling the Charlotte Hornets.

The six-time NBA champion is in negotiations to sell at least a portion of the franchise to a group that includes Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin.

“Four years ago, Michael Jordan sold a stake in the Charlotte Hornets to a Gabe Plotkin-led group,” Jump Management, which is Michael Jordan’s family office, said in a statement to The Associated Press yesterday. “As a natural step in a process due to that transaction, Michael and Gabe are

in discussions about his group potentially buying an additional stake.”

No deal is imminent.

“At this time, it is unclear whether an additional sale will take place,” the statement read.

Jordan declined interview requests to discuss the potential sale of the team through his spokesperson, Estee Portnoy.

In 2019, Jordan sold a portion of the Hornets to Plotkin, a founder of Melvin Capital, and Daniel Sundheim of DI Capital, but Jordan still controlled the majority of the team’s equity.

It’s unclear at this point if Jordan is looking to sell

GLADSTONE MCPHEE, father of Mississippi head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, celebrates the team’s win during the secondround college basketball game against Stanford in the women’s NCAA Tournament Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

SHOWN, from left to right, are men’s national soccer team player Omari Bain, Bruce Swan, BFA technical director, Adam Miller, sports officer, Kevin Davies, assistant coach, and men’s national team player Nicolas Lopez.

Nassau Gymnastics seeks funding for better facilities and exposure

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

NASSAU Gymnastics seeks financial support and equipment for young gymnasts after their Gasparilla Classics and Florida Crown performances.

With gymnasts practicing every evening at the Nassau Gymnastics facility in the Oakes Field Shopping Center, team coaches and parents are advocating for more funding for the sport in the country.

At the Gasparilla Classics, the young gymnasts shined in the competition.

Kayla Culmer came 12th all around in her age group. With all possible scores being out of 10, Culmer notched 8.90 in the 6th vault, 7.10 in the 12 bars, 8.325 in the 10th beam, and 9.60 in the 5th floor.

She was joined by A’Niyah Williams who placed 8th all around. In the 5th vault, she notched 8.95, 9.25 in the 6th bars, 8.40 in the 8th beam, and 9.125 in the 11th floor.

Despite the young ladies shining at the Gasparilla Classics, Samantha Cartwright, a parent of one of the gymnasts, talked about how the Nassau Gymnastics programme needs to be improved.

Cartwright said persons that wish to donate can do so towards equipment which is very costly and includes beam equipment, bar equipment, springboards and gym upkeep so that the young gymnasts can have the equipment necessary to ensure that they represent The Bahamas in the way that they should.

She added that despite the gymnasts using old equipment, she is still proud of them for performing well and making The Bahamas look good.

Head coach Trevor Ramsey talked about the need for a better gym facility for the gymnasts.

“The facilities here on the island are very much below par. Florida is one of the strongest gymnastic regions and most of the kids we compete with come from state-of-the-art gym facilities and they are all over Florida,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey added that although the kids from Florida have better

LAST MATCH PLAY, LAST CHANCE FOR KUCHAR AT TIGER’S RECORD

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) —

Matt Kuchar has a chance to break at least one record belonging to Tiger Woods, and the Dell Technologies Match Play will be his last chance.

That’s because this is the last edition of the Match Play. And for starters, Kuchar feels lucky just to be part of the 64-man field at Austin Country Club.

At stake: He needs to win three matches to set the record for most matches won in a tournament that dates to 1999. Kuchar is guaranteed three matches, starting yesterday, in the group format. Kuchar has reached the Final Four four times, winning the championship in 2013, losing to Kevin Kisner in 2019 and twice losing in the semifinals. His career mark is 34-11-4. Woods, the only three-time winner of Match Play, has a 36-12 mark.

“This is an event I love, an event that’s been really good to me,” Kuchar said Tuesday as he ducked inside from a steady drizzle. “It’s something I had my eye on and had to do some asking around, ‘Hey, how do I look to get in this thing?’ I’m awfully excited it worked out.”

Match Play was the most unusual of the World Golf Championships when the series began in 1999, and it was the last of them to go.

The WGC at Firestone moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 2019 and then was converted two years later to a FedEx Cup playoff event.

equipment and facilities, the Bahamian gymnasts are still able to go to Florida and be on par with them but, if they had better facilities, things would be better.

While at the Florida Crown Gymnastics competition, the Bahamian gymnasts performed well once again.

Mikala Cartwright placed 2nd all around in the competition. In the 2nd Vault 9.35, 5th Bars 9.00,

1st Beam champion 9.60, and 5th floor 9.625.

Tiana Nixon placed 6th all around. In the 8th vault

8.925, 8.725 in 8th bars,

9.275 in the 4th beam, and

9.575 7th floor.

Additionally, Taylor Robinson placed 5th all around.

Team coach Rashad Cunningham talked about how important it is for gymnasts to have exposure in the country. “One of the biggest competitions

I would have done would have been the junior Olympic festival which was held in Mexico and I am the first Bahamian male that was born here that made it that far and while being there no one knew,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham added that sports in the country is focused on track, swimming, basketball, and baseball which makes gymnastics the forgotten sport a lot of times but if

we wanted the Shaunae Millers and Steven Gardiners we need to have some funding to help these kids as well because gymnastics is very expensive.

The Nassau Gymnastics gymnasts will look towards being in their next competition in the next three weeks.

For persons that wish to donate to Nassau Gymnastics, they can reach out at 242-525-7279 or email at nassaunastics@yahoo.com

The WGC that initially alternated between the U.S. and Europe moved to Doral (and absorbed a regular PGA Tour event), and then headed to Mexico City when a sponsor could not be found for the Donald Trump-owned course, and then was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The HSBC Champions in Shanghai hasn’t been played since 2019 due to the pandemic, and the China Golf Association hasn’t allowed it to resume. PGA

his entire majority stake in the team, or just a portion of it.

Jordan is the NBA’s only Black owner.

He purchased the expansion team from Bob Johnson for $180 million in 2010. The team had a net worth of $1.7 billion after the 2021-22 season, according to Forbes.

Jordan experienced plenty of success as an NBA player, leading the Chicago Bulls to three-peat championships twice while being named an NBA AllStar 14 times.

He also has had success with his Jordan Brand line of merchandise and has a current net worth of $2 billion, per Forbes.

But the 60-year-old Jordan hasn’t had much success as an NBA owner.

Since 2010, the Hornets are 419-595 and they will miss the playoffs this season for the seventh straight year. The Hornets have reached the playoffs only twice in 13 seasons under Jordan and have never advanced to the second round.

The Hornets are listed as the 27th-most valuable NBA franchise in the 30-team league.

But franchises are a hot commodity.

Mat Ishbia, a mortgage executive, agreed to purchase the majority stake of the Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury from embattled owner Robert Sarver for $4 billion in December. The league approved the sale last month.

And Joe Tsai, the cofounder of Alibaba, agreed in 2019 to buy the remaining 51% of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center for about $3.4 billion.

Tsai had previously purchased 49% of the team from Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov in 2018, with the option to become controlling owner in 2021.

Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan doesn’t expect that event to continue with the move toward so many elevated events in the new schedule.

And now the Dell Match Play is done after this year, a blow for fans who enjoy the most unpredictable nature of 18-hole matches and for Austin, which will be without the highest level of golf.

It ends with a 64-man field that had to dip down to No. 77 in the world ranking to fill the field, and another sign of these divisive times in golf.

That means 11 players would not be in Austin if not for LIV Golf, including Kuchar.

“I guess I’m grateful for LIV for a lot of things,” Kuchar said with a laugh, a reference to the $20 million purse this week.

SHOWN, from left to right, are Nassau Gymnastics’ Daelyn Jones, Anai Ingraham, Peyton Pickstock and Mikelle Cartwright on their return home as medallists after competing in the Florida Crown.

BASKETBALL legend Michael Jordan speaks during a press conference ahead of an NBA basketball game between the Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks in Paris, January 24, 2020. Jordan is considering selling the Charlotte Hornets. (AP Photo/ Thibault Camus)

March Madness Mix: Dominant Gamecocks amid Sweet 16 parity

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)

— South Carolina is keenly aware that everyone remaining in the women’s NCAA Tournament field is coming after the undefeated Gamecocks — and hard.

That conviction has been boosted after two of the top four seeds in Indiana and Stanford were ousted — something that hasn’t happened since 1998. If they didn’t before, each of the Sweet 16 teams believe they can knock out the defending national champions, no matter how dominant the Gamecocks have been.

It makes for good theatre — which is good for the sport.

Rebecca Lobo, the former UConn star turned ESPN analyst, calls South Carolina’s dominance combined with Sweet 16 parity “an interesting dichotomy.”

“It’s like parallel paths, you have this overwhelming favourite to win it all, yet you have UConn losing to Marquette or Stanford losing in the second round,” she said. “It’s an interesting time for women’s basketball.”

South Carolina with its 40 straight victories isn’t concerned about history, ratings or if the Gamecocks’ drive for a second straight championship is good for the game.

“We’re just about basketball,” coach Dawn Staley says with admiration. “We really are.”

Women’s basketball is thriving even with the Gamecocks’ dominance in the midst of rarely seen tournament chaos.

South Carolina’s fourteam pod in Greenville, South Carolina, is all chalk. The top-seeded Gamecocks (34-0) play No. 4 seeded UCLA on Saturday with No. 2 seed Maryland taking on third-seeded Notre Dame.

South Carolina has threetime All-American Aliyah Boston, high-scoring Zia Cooke and a bench full of players who could start for

most NCAA Tournament teams. That’s helped the Gamecocks show a relentless push toward a third straight Final Four. If they run the table, South Carolina would be the 10th undefeated Division I women’s champion. The men have had just one in D-I: Indiana in 1976.

Analyst Debbie Antonelli believes women’s basketball fans love the new faces and schools still alive in this tournament. She isn’t sure how fans would react if the Gamecocks’ seemingly inevitable championship run gets derailed short of the national title game.

“As someone who cares about ratings, I’d be curious,” Antonelli said. South Carolina is trying to join an exclusive club. The nine undefeated champions hail from just four schools: Texas, UConn, Tennessee and Baylor:

— UConn, which has gone undefeated an unprecedented six times.

In 1995, the Huskies went 35-0 with Lobo leading the way. UConn went 39-0 in 2002, 2009 and 2010 with a slew of All-Americans, including Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Swin Cash. UConn followed those title runs by going 40-0 in 2014 and 38-0 in 2016.

— Texas was the first perfect champion, going 34-0 in 1986.

— Tennessee finished 39-0 in 1998 with the three “Meeks” in Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall.

— Baylor and Brittney Griner went 40-0 in 2012.

Coaches and players say there are no shortcuts for going undefeated.

Lobo, Jennifer Rizzotti and Kara Wolters anchored the 1995 UConn team. There had only been one team prior to the Huskies as undefeated champions, so Lobo and her teammates never discussed that possibility.

“It was fun winning, it was fun not losing, but I can honestly tell you the undefeated portion was not something we thought about,” she said in a phone

interview with The Associated Press.

Kellie Harper agrees. She was part of Pat Summitt’s Tennessee team that was the first to go 39-0.

Harper said coaches don’t enter seasons telling their players, “Let’s be perfect this year.”

However, as the point guard on that 1997-98 team, having star players can be a difference-maker.

“Going down the stretch with three All-Americans, that made my job a lot easier,” stated Harper, now coaching her alma mater.

Harper added:

“But it gave me a lot of confidence that we can do anything.”

Staley’s not sure all undefeated seasons are created equal. She recalls other perfect runs celebrated more than her team’s current streak.

“My player, Aliyah Boston is not the one that’s being talked about on

men’s games, OK? She’s not,” Staley said.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has taken some of the national attention away from the perfect Gamecocks with her barrage of long-range jumpers and triple-doubles.

The Gamecocks have overcome several challenges this season.

They trailed by 10 through three quarters at Stanford last November before pulling out a 76-71 win in overtime. UConn held an 11-point first-half lead in February before South Carolina rallied for an 81-77 victory.

The Gamecocks advanced to their 10th Sweet 16 in 11 tournaments with a 76-45 win over feisty South Florida, which trailed by just 33-29 at the half. There was also an 64-57 overtime win at Ole Miss, which knocked off Stanford.

Yes, there is pressure to stay perfect.

SWEET

FORMAT AND HISTORIC FIELD

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

THE Sweet 16 features a new format and a bit of history when it begins later this week.

The NCAA changed its setup for the women’s tournament this season, trimming the traditional four regional sites to two. Seattle and Greenville — a city of 71,000 in South Carolina about halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina — will each host eight teams before sending the winners on to Dallas for the Final Four.

It is also just the second time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994 that two of the No. 1 seeds didn’t reach the regional semifinals after Mississippi and Miami knocked out Stanford and Indiana, respectively. It also happened in 1998.

(AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

“But it’s also a lot of fun,” sophomore reserve Bree Hall said.

South Carolina’s experienced roster — including Boston, Cooke and fellow senior Brea Beal — knows what it takes to win. They’ve started since their freshman year in 2020, when their first title run was canceled by COVID19. South Carolina was No. 1 in the rankings at 31-1 and on a 26-game win streak.

The Gamecocks will need that experience as the pressure ratchets up.

In 1995, UConn’s two closest contests was a 67-63 win over Virginia in the Elite Eight and in the championship win, 70-64, over Tennessee.

Both UConn and Tennessee, that pesky Ole Miss squad and the rest of the Sweet 16 field would welcome a shot South Carolina — which is nothing new for the Gamecocks.

The other top seeds — South Carolina and Virginia Tech — advanced. The Gamecocks, led by star Aliyah Boston, are four wins from completing their own historic journey and back-to-back national championships. They are seeking just the 10th undefeated season ever in women’s basketball, and the next steps for coach Dawn Staley’s team are just a 90-minute trip from campus. There are a lot of teams that have ended long Sweet 16 droughts, like the Hokies, Hurricanes, Colorado and Villanova. UConn, on the other hand, will be playing in its 29th consecutive regional semifinal.

Despite the parity that took place during the regular season and the exit of those two No. 1 seeds, it is the second time in the past six years that no double-digit seed reached the round of 16. It’s also the first time since the Big 12 was formed in 1996 that no teams from the conference reached the second weekend.

There’s plenty of star power across the field with Angel Reese, Maddy Siegrist, Caitlin Clark and Elizabeth Kitley joining Boston in the regional semifinals.

GREENVILLE 1

The Gamecocks are the heavy favourite to come out of this region and, for that matter, to win another title. The regional semifinal opponent is No. 4 seed UCLA. The Bruins gave the Gamecocks a competitive game back in November, leading at halftime by four before losing by nine. No. 2 seed Maryland will play No. 3 seed Notre Dame in the other semifinal. The Terrapins, led by Diamond Miller, used a strong second half to get by Arizona in the second round. The Fighting Irish overcame season-ending injuries to Olivia Miles and Dara Mabrey to get to the Sweet 16. Notre Dame got a strong effort from post Lauren Ebo, who set a school NCAA tourney record with 18 rebounds in a win over Mississippi State.

GREENVILLE 2

With Indiana losing, the bracket is more open, with Villanova and Siegrist playing the Hurricanes in one of the semifinals. Siegrist, who leads the nation in scoring, has the Wildcats back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003. Miami’s drought was even longer, not making it this far since 1992.

The other semifinal in the region pits two of the most talented forwards in the country against each other: LSU’s Angel Reese and Utah’s Alissa Pili. Reese helped the Tigers reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2014. The “Bayou Barbie” had 25 points, an eye-popping 24 rebounds

SOUTH Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, laughs with Georgia guard Diamond Battles during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Columbia, S.C., on February 26. South Carolina is keenly aware that everyone remaining in the women’s NCAA Tournament field is coming after the undefeated Gamecocks — and hard. “We’re just about basketball,” coach Staley says with admiration. “We really are.”

Yolett and Lady Rebels stun Stanford, reach first Sweet 16 in 16 years

By JANIE MCCAULEY AP Sports Writer

STANFORD, Calif.

(AP) — Sobbing as she received hugs from friends, family and administrators, Mississippi coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin tried to grasp the magnitude of her team’s stunning win against top-seeded Stanford when someone reminded her there’s more basketball to be played. Her two young daughters danced for joy on the floor.

Her proud father provided a shoutout to everybody back home in The Bahamas.

Her team posed at midcourt and shouted, “Seattle!” That’s where the Rebels are headed next.

Madison Scott hit a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left that gave Mississippi the lead for good, Angel Baker scored 13 points, and the Rebels delivered on their declaration to get defensive, stunning top-seeded Stanford 54-49 on Sunday night to reach the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time in 16 years.

“First of all just incredibly grateful. I have a lot of mentors in my life and one of my mentors would always say to me that the person with the experience is at the mercy of the one with the anointing,” the 40-year-old McPheeMcCuin said in reference to Hall of Famer and winningest women’s coach Tara VanDerveer. “He spoke that over my life maybe 10 years ago. And so to be in this situation right now, to take down an historical programme like Stanford, a coach and a woman that I admire I have watched is incredible.”

Behind the entire game and never with a lead, Stanford called timeout with 28 seconds left then Hannah

MCPHEE MCCUIN

FROM PAGE 14

my 10-year-old, she would have been an emotional wreck.” The No. 8 seed Rebels (25-8) stunned top-seeded Stanford 54-49 to extend this special March run out West.

Senior Angel Baker told her coach how proud she is of her leading the programme. The team’s top scorer, Baker transferred from Wright State for her final two seasons to play for McPhee-McCuin. The coach is relatable to these young women: She played community college basketball then at Rhode Island, first becoming the first Bahamian woman to sign a Division I letter of intent and later the first to coach in D-I.

“One of the reasons why I came to Ole Miss is I wanted to be under a coach that looked like me. I feel like Coach Yo really is a believer, a fighter, and that’s somebody who I want to represent,” Baker said. “We try our best to resemble her on the court with a lot of passion, just toughness.”

Almost everyone who witnessed the Ole Miss triumph at Maples Pavilion couldn’t help but feel that energy from a spirited,

SWEET 16

FROM PAGE 16

and six blocks in the third-seeded Tigers’ rout of Michigan. Second-seeded Utah is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006 after edging Princeton in the second round.

SEATTLE 3

Second-seeded UConn, which has dealt with injuries all season, will face third-seeded Ohio State in one semifinal. The Buckeyes needed a shot in the final few seconds by Jacy

Jump turned the ball over and Scott converted. Haley Jones lost the ball out of bounds on the Cardinal’s last possession with a chance to tie then again in the waning moments.

Marquesha Davis hit a pair of free throws with 15.4 seconds to play as Ole Miss overcame not making a field goal over the final 5:47, going 0 for 8.

“This is such a big accomplishment. A lot of us came here to make history and that’s what we’re doing,” freshman Ayanna Thompson said.

These upstart Rebels (25-8) advance to the Seattle Regional semifinal next weekend, while VanDerveer’s Stanford team (29-6) is eliminated far earlier than this group envisioned — the season ending on the Cardinal’s home floor. Jones fought tears after her final game, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds but five turnovers.

“Some of the things we did were self-inflicted. The turnovers really hurt us,” VanDerveer said. “They’re really a tough team, they’re a lot better than (No.) 8 teams we’ve played before. Sometimes you don’t have a really good matchup.”

Only four No. 1 seeds had lost before the Sweet 16 since 1994, with Duke the last one in 2009. Stanford did so once before, falling to 16th-seeded Harvard in the first round of the 1998 tournament.

The Cardinal had reached 14 straight Sweet 16s and hadn’t lost in the first or second rounds since No. 10 seed Florida State shocked the fifth-seeded Cardinal 68-61 at Maples Pavilion in the second round exactly 16 years ago to the day before on March 19, 2007.

Cameron Brink came back from a one-game absence because of a

defensive-minded group so determined to bring this programme back to national relevance.

With McPhee-McCuin’s Mississippi team headed to an improbable Sweet 16, she will be taking a few minutes out of game-planning to write a thoughtful note to her girls’ principal: They’ll be missing another week of school, “See you when I see you, because we going to Seattle,” she cracked.

“Everybody asks me where I get my passion from. Man, I tell this story over and over again. My dad lost in a championship game. The gym cleared out and he cried, and I was Yasmine’s age, my 10-yearold’s age, and I remember walking over and crying with him,” McPheeMcCuin recalled. “That’s when I learned passion and love for the game. And so my daughter is the same way. And I don’t care if she doesn’t coach, but what she is learning, what they are learning, is let’s normalise women in leadership.”

Her father sat courtside as his 40-year-old daughter and her gutsy Ole Miss gals took down the powerhouse Cardinal led by Hall of Famer and winningest women’s coach Tara VanDerveer.

It’s been quite a crosscountry path to reach

Sheldon to advance this far for the fourth straight season.

Top seed Virginia Tech is the newcomer here, making its first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 1999 after two impressive home wins in the first two rounds. Kitley and Co. head across the country for a rematch against Tennessee. The two teams played Dec. 4 and the Hokies came away with a three-point win. The Lady Vols were missing Rickea Jackson for that game and it was the final one that Tamari

stomach bug to finish with 20 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots, but Stanford never led and tried to come from behind all night.

The programme’s career blocks leader, the junior star finished with 118 on the season and has 297 total.

“Cam wasn’t 100% today but I thought she really battled,” VanDerveer said. Stanford had won 21 consecutive NCAA games on its home floor and is 41-5 all-time at Maples during March Madness.

Ole Miss led the entire first half on the way to a 29-20 advantage at the break at raucous Maples Pavilion, where the crowd went wild when Brink blocked three straight shots in the same sequence by Rita Igbokwe midway through the second quarter. About two minutes later, Igbokwe grabbed at her mouth after being hit.The

Rebels got a scare when senior guard Myah Taylor went down hard grabbing at her chest with 6:41 left in the third after colliding with Francesca Belibi while moving to defend Indya Nivar. After a short break to catch her breath, Taylor was back running the point. The Rebels declared from Day 1 arriving in the Bay Area they were ready to play their tenacious defence to make a mark on the NCAA Tournament.

Stanford’s layups regularly rolled out. The Cardinal got called for repeated offensive fouls. They made mistakes when it mattered most. “It brought tears to my eyes,” said Gladstone McPhee, coach McPheeMcCuin’s father. “It’s beautiful. This is what you wait for.”

BIG PICTURE Ole Miss: Parents Gladstone and Daisy cheered on fifth-year coach McPheeMcCuin as her team

reached the second round after last year’s first-round exit by South Dakota. Her daughters, 10-year-old Yasmine and Yuri, 5, rooted the team all the way, with Yasmine yelling, “That’s my mom!” when Ole Miss came out before tipoff. ... The Rebels advanced to the Elite Eight in 2007. After grabbing 24 offensive rebounds in the win against Gonzaga, the Rebels crashed the boards again to create second chances with 20 more.

Stanford: The Cardinal also never led in the first half of 55-46 loss at USC on Jan. 15. ... They had a 14-game home winning streak since a 76-71 overtime loss to No. 1 South Carolina on November 20.

VanDerveer announced Jump plans to return for another year of eligibility. Jones will turn pro and Belibi has been accepted into a programme at Harvard.

fifth-seeded Louisville, which beat No. 4 Texas 73-51 on the Longhorns’ home floor Monday.

“I’m a right now-type person, because I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. So we’re about to party like it’s 1999 tonight, and then tomorrow, we’ll party again,” the coach said. “And then we’ll all watch Texas ask Louisville together to see who we’re going to play and then we’ll get right back to work. When we win, we party, and then we let it go.”

MIAMI GARDENS,

Fla. (AP) — Defending champion Iga Swiatek withdrew from the Miami Open yesterday because of a rib injury that she is hoping will heal during a break from competition. The No. 1-ranked Swiatek, a 21-year-old from Poland, also will sit out her country’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier matches against Kazakhstan on April 13-14. “I wanted to wait ‘til the last minute” to decide whether to play in Miami,” Swiatek said at a news conference at the site of the hard-court tournament that began Tuesday. “We were kind of checking if this is the kind of injury you can still play with or this is kind when you can get things worse. So I think the smart move for me is to pull out of this tournament because I want to rest and take care of it properly.”

She was supposed to face Claire Liu in the second round today.

As a seeded player, threetime Grand Slam champion Swiatek received a firstround bye at an event she won a year ago during a 37-match unbeaten run that was the longest in women’s tennis in a quarter of a century.

“I was also aware at the beginning of the season that it’s going to be hard for me to defend all these (ranking) points,” she said, “because ... these streaks, winning all these tournaments — looking logically and statistically, it’s not like it’s going to happen every year.”

Swiatek said after a 6-2, 6-2 loss to eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals Friday that her rib was bothering her. She explained in Miami that the problem first surfaced late in her quarterfinal victory against Sorana Cirstea a day earlier in California.

“Basically, it’s not like it happened in one minute or one second. It’s not, like, a serious thing, because we caught it ... pretty early. So I felt like it was a process,” Swiatek said Wednesday. “At first with these minor things, your body doesn’t feel anything.”

She said the issue was a problem “in certain movements,” including a “little bit when I served,” but Swiatek also said she’s not too worried about how long she will be sidelined.

The next Grand Slam tournament is the French Open, which Swiatek won last year for the second time. Play begins in Paris on May 28.

this place, too. McPheeMcCuin has coached at Frank Phillips College in Texas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Portland and Pittsburgh. Then Clemson, Jacksonville and Ole Miss.

She actually called up Ole Miss and pushed for a job. And those very administrators who gave her the chance were right there on the court with congratulatory hugs once the final buzzer sounded sealing the second-round win.

“I think everyone loves a story that they can relate to. I didn’t play on Team USA. I didn’t play for the late, great, Pat Summitt. Geno didn’t endorse me,” she said of UConn coach Geno Auriemma. “Like I really got it out of the

Key played in before being sidelined for the season with blood clots.

Tennessee has run through the first two rounds, becoming just the fourth team to win each of its first two games by 45 points or more. UConn did it the other three times, according to ESPN.

SEATTLE 4

Ole Miss crashed the party with its upset of Stanford and is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007. Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s defensive-minded squad

mud. Y’all, I’m an immigrant. I migrated from The Bahamas and came over here and started in junior college and worked my way up. You know how I got this job at Ole Miss? I called Ole Miss and said: ‘What are you guys doing? I’m hot and y’all could get me for cheap, and I’m recruiting my butt off with a $20,000 recruiting budget. Give me yours and watch what I do.’ So I’ve always been bold, and I also share my story with a lot of people.”

She hopes to keep telling it all the way to the Final Four in Dallas. The Rebels reached their first Sweet 16 since a trip to the Elite Eight in 2007. Next up for Ole Miss is a date with

will face a Louisville team that routed Texas on the Longhorns’ home court. Cardinals star Hailey Van Lith grew up in Central Washington, a few hours from Seattle.

The other matchup will feature Clark and her logo-range shooting for Iowa against Colorado. Iowa edged Georgia in the second round, erasing the memory of last season’s round of 32 defeat to Creighton. The Hawkeyes will face a Colorado team in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003.

As this celebratory night began to wrap up, the coach’s daughters took a turn in front of the microphones in their own pretend press conference.

And, with a little bit of thoughtful coaching of course, Yuri announced with glee: “We’re going to Seattle!”

CONCACAF FROM PAGE 14

team or their technical ability.

The Bahamas national men’s soccer team will consist of goalkeepers Ian Lowe, Michael Butler and Vance Wheaton. The forwards are Jordin Wilson, Wood Julmis and Nahum Johnson. The team’s defenders will include Troy Pinder, Lesley St. Fleur, Miguel Thompson, Phieron WIlson, Quinton Carey, Roen Davis, Elijah Mitchell and Ian Harris.

Additionally, the midfielders are Michael Massey, Deron Ferguson, Omari Bain, Christopher Rahming, Reuben Edgecombe, William Bayles, Marcel Joseph and Nicolas Lopez.

Lopez, who was in attendance at yesterday’s press conference, was also excited for the upcoming soccer match as he was injured during the last faceoff.

“It’s been great to be back in The Bahamas and obviously train with the team. I had my first training

Instead of playing Swiatek, Liu will go up against 94th-ranked Julia Grabher, who lost in qualifying but now gets to move into the draw. Liu advanced Tuesday when her firstround opponent, Katerina Siniakova, stopped playing in the second set because of a hurt wrist.

with the team yesterday since coming back. Training so far has been good and I am looking forward to the meet coming up.”

Despite not being able to practice as much as his other teammates, Lopez remains confident that Team Bahamas will shine at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium on Friday. Persons who are interested in purchasing tickets for Friday’s event can go to bahamasfa.net to purchase digitally. Meanwhile, for physical ticket purchases, fans can go to the NSA office at the Western Grandstand of the stadium where tickets will be sold until the day of the match. Tickets for this remarkable event will include the VIP Section for $25, General Admission (Adults) $15, and kids under 12 are $7. The BFA along with coaches and players are excited for this Friday’s soccer game against Trinidad and Tobago and it is hoped that Bahamians will come out and support this event.

YOLETT McPhee-McCuin gets emotional with her dad Gladstone McPhee, right, after beating Stanford on Sunday. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

MISSISSIPPI coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin gestures during the first half of the team’s secondround college basketball game against Stanford in the women’s NCAA Tournament, on Sunday, March 19 in Stanford, California. (AP Photo/ Josie Lepe)

NYC guards lead Michigan State, K-State to the Sweet 16 at MSG

By RALPH D RUSSO AP College Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP)

— Stories of New York City point guards have an almost mythical quality.

There are Hall of Famers and trailblazers such as Bob Cousy and Nate “Tiny” Archibald. In the 1980s, Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson followed a similar path — from the same Catholic high school in Queens to the Atlantic Coast Conference to the NBA.

From Pearl Washington to Mark Jackson, Stephon Marbury to Sue Bird, tenacious players forged by rugged games played at the famous courts at Rucker Park and West Fourth Street are a part of basketball lore.

And while New York City high schools haven’t been pumping out stars in recent years the way they used to, three of the four teams that have reached the NCAA Tournament’s East Regional at Madison Square Garden have point guards with Big Apple backgrounds.

Michigan State’s Tyson Walker and Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell will renew their acquaintance in the Sweet 16 when the seventh-seeded Spartans (21-12) face the third-seeded Wildcats (25-9) tonight.

“I grew up playing in parks with him,” Nowell said. “I just want to give a big shoutout to New York City for breeding tough and gritty guards and just give him a shoutout.”

The other point guard who’s making a homecoming this week will only be able to watch his team at The Garden. No. 4 seed

Tennessee managed to reach the second weekend of the tournament without the injured Zakai Zeigler, who blew out his left knee on February 28.

“I had no doubt in my mind that we were going to be here in this situation,” said Zeigler, who grew up on Long Island and finished his high school career in the Bronx. “So now that I’m back here and I can

have some pizza, I feel great.”

The Volunteers (25-10) face ninth-seeded FAU (33-3) in the late game of the doubleheader.

The 5-foot-8 Nowell became one of the breakout stars of this NCAA Tournament when he went off for 27 points in a second-round victory against Kentucky.

Nowell, whose Twitter handle is @MrNewYorkCityy and is @mr.newyorkcity on Instagram, grew up in Harlem, attended high school in the Bronx and went to college at Arkansas Little-Rock before transferring to Manhattan — Kansas, that is.

“I made a promise to myself back when I was in high school that I was going to do anything and everything in my power to be the best player that came out of New York,” Nowell said.

“So I kind of keep that edge and that kind of just reminds me every day that I wake up that I still have

more work to do. Guys like Carmelo (Anthony), Bernard King and all the greats came out of New York, so that just keeps me grounded and keeps me working hard.”

Ask Nowell about the New York City point guards he idolised in high school and he brings up the Mavericks’ Kemba Walker, who led UConn to a national championship and was a first-round pick in the NBA draft in 2011, and the Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado, who played at Georgia Tech. Alvarado went to Christ the King High School in Queens, a power in both boys and girls basketball that also produced Bird and the Spartans’ Walker.

Like Nowell, Walker started his college career at a mid-major (Northeastern) and transferred after two seasons to Michigan State in 2021.

According to 247 Sports rankings, the last top-30 national recruit to come from a New York City high

school was Moses Brown, a 7-footer who went to UCLA from Archbishop Molloy, where Smith and Anderson starred in the ‘80s.

“Are we as good as we once was? Well, if you take away all the kids that grew up in New York that go to prep school outside of New York ... and consider them New York, yes, we are,” said Cardozo High School coach Ron Neclario, the winningest NYC public school coach ever.

“Do we have as many high, high, high majors? Maybe not, but we have plenty of low-majors. We have plenty of mid-majors.” Where Nowell leans into his New York roots, Walker takes a low-key approach.

“Just got to be tough. Got a different type of finesse with you,” he said. Walker was also a difference-maker in the second round of the tournament, scoring 23 points to lead Michigan State past second-seeded Marquette.

ASTROS STAR ALTUVE HAS SURGERY ON BROKEN THUMB, A WBC INJURY

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON Astros star

Jose Altuve had surgery yesterday on his broken right thumb, an injury that occurred in the World Baseball Classic and will significantly delay the second baseman’s 2023 debut.

The Astros announced that the 32-year-old Altuve had the procedure done in Houston and will stay there to begin his rehabilitation, with only one week left in spring training.

The Astros will fly there on Sunday following their final Grapefruit League game in Florida, before playing a pair of exhibitions against their Triple-A team, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, in Texas.

“I think sometimes the New York swagger is a very cocky swagger, and sometimes that’s good,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “He’s kind of had the happy medium. He’s got enough cockiness to be confident, and yet he’s an unbelievable kid.”

Izzo joked after beating Marquette about how Walker owed him cab ride and a slice of pizza for helping him earn a trip home.

“Got me my pizza last night,” Izzo said. “I’m looking for the cab ride today.”

Nowell is one of four Kansas State players from the New York area, along with Tykei Greene, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Ismael Massoud. None has ever played at The Garden, only dreamed about it.

“I had my big brother, my father, my uncles working me out every day for a moment like this,” Nowell said. “Standing here, being here at Madison Square Garden.”

Altuve was hit by a pitch on Saturday while playing for Venezuela in the WBC. He might not be ready to return to the lineup until at least late May.

The eight-time AllStar and 2017 American League MVP batted .300 with 103 runs, 28 homers and 18 steals for the World Series champion Astros last season.

Mauricio Dubón and David Hensley are the leading candidates to fill in for Altuve at second base.

Altuve isn’t the only Major League Baseball star who was hurt in WBC play, of course. Mets closer Edwin Díaz will miss the 2023 season because of a torn patellar tendon in his right knee as the freak result of an on-field celebration following a WBC win by the Puerto Rico national team.

BROWN DOWN

The Astros also scratched right-hander Hunter Brown from his scheduled start yesterday against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Manager Dusty Baker told reporters that Brown, who is ranked by MLB as the organisation’s top prospect and competing for the last spot in the rotation, has discomfort in his lower back.

THE BUXTON PLAN

The Minnesota Twins have been bringing centre fielder Byron Buxton along slowly, after the oft-injured star had arthroscopic surgery last September on the right knee that hindered him last season, but he made an immediate smash in his first exhibition game Tuesday night with a double in his first at-bat right before Carlos Correa drove him in with a homer. Buxton, who played in a minor league game Wednesday, is at full strength. But the Twins are being cautious by limiting his activity to designated hitter duty for now, a plan that will continue into the early part of the regular season.

“The best thing to do is to make sure he’s in the lineup as much as possible, continue to keep him in a great spot physically, and then see what the rest of April and what May brings,” manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters in Fort Myers, Florida.

NOT QUITE READY

The New York Mets sent catcher Francisco Álvarez to Triple-A Syracuse, quashing for now the possibility of putting the prized 21-year-old on the opening day roster. Álvarez, who made his major league debut with the Mets near the end of last season, had just three hits in 28 at-bats in Grapefruit League exhibition games.

KANSAS State guard Markquis Nowell, front centre, practices before a Sweet 16 college basketball game at the NCAA East Regional of the NCAA Tournament yesterday in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

BUDDY FINED $25,000

By IAN HARRISON Associated

TORONTO (AP) — Rookie guard Andrew Nembhard had 25 points and 10 assists in his first NBA game back home in Canada, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Toronto Raptors 118-114 last night to snap their home winning streak at seven.

Myles Turner scored 16 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 15 and Buddy Hield had 13 for the Pacers, who swept the three-game season series between the teams.

Hield was fined $25,000 for making an obscene gesture while sitting on the bench during the second quarter of Monday’s loss at Charlotte.

TV cameras caught him raising his middle finger to someone on the court.

Canadian-born players Mathurin, Nembhard and Oshae Brissett all started for Indiana as the Raptors celebrated Canada Basketball Night.

It was the first time since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970-71 that three Canadians started for the same team.

“For it to happen in Toronto, it’s pretty cool,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “All three of those guys played well. Nembhard had a great game. Mathurin was terrific. I thought Brissett did what he does. He gave us energy, rebounded, he scored the first five points of the game. That was great.”

Pascal Siakam scored 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter but the Raptors lost their second straight. Siakam also had 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Fred VanVleet had 28 points and 11 assists for Toronto, and Jakob Poeltl scored 23.

Poeltl missed two free throws with 1:24 left when Toronto could have cut the deficit to two. After a missed 3 by VanVleet, Nembhard connected from

long range to give the Pacers a 114-107 lead with 33 seconds to play.

“That was the shot that put the game away,” Carlisle said. “Just an amazing night for him and his family.”

Nembhard shot 11 for 17, going 3 of 5 from long range.

“I didn’t really feel too much pressure to play out of character tonight,” he said. “I just wanted to be aggressive.”

Fellow rookie Mathurin made three of his five shots and earned praise from Carlisle for his defensive effort on VanVleet.

“It was really fun just to play in Toronto my first time,” Mathurin said. “The fact that we got the win makes it even more exciting.”

The short-handed Raptors were without forward Scottie Barnes, who exited Sunday’s loss at Milwaukee because of a sore left wrist.

Toronto was also without forward Precious Achiuwa (right hamstring) and guard Gary Trent Jr. (right elbow).

Toronto lost at home for the first time since February 10 against Utah, when the Jazz overcame a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat the Raptors 122-116.

“Didn’t feel super organised at either end at the start or for a while,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

“I thought that we let a lot of chances go.”

The Raptors shot 7 for 34 from 3-point range. Chris Boucher’s buzzer-beating shot helped Toronto avoid matching a season low for makes and setting a new low for shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

Nembhard scored 14 points in the first, the most he’s ever had in a single quarter, as the Pacers led 36-26 after one.

“Nembhard obviously at the start was big,” Nurse said.

Indiana led 58-52 at halftime and took an 83-78 lead into the fourth.

Press

INDIANA Pacers guard Buddy Hield scores past Toronto Raptors guard Malachi Flynn in the second half yesterday. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)