SPORTS SECTION E
BOWLING
SEE PAGE 2
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
Darrell Sears Showcase could expand beyond basketball court By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
had two official offers yesterday. We had a lot of kids get opportunities to even look at playing football now. So we’re branching off. The showcase could be moving into some football to try and give kids a better opportunity.” Sears said. “We have a lot of kids who are undersized. Here, they could be 6 foot four inches (6’4”) and play power forward, they may not progress to be a guard (in college), because the skill-set is not there. But they can go and play football, because they are so athletic and can get a scholarship in football. So we’re branching off and we’re going to start with girls again next year, boys and then football.” Two participants at this year’s event, Troy Trembly and Lathaniel Bastian, received offers while
ANOTHER group of young basketball players took full advantage of their opportunity to boost their recruitment stock at the Darrell Sears Showcase but the event could look to expand beyond the basketball court for future editions. Sears, the longtime coach of the St George’s Jaguars, said that while many student athletes earned opportunities through basketball, the personnel of the participants and their skillset may provide further opportunities on the football field. “The showcase started off a little rocky, but as always the coaches enjoyed it. Like I said, we
a host of other athletes received interest from colleges and high schools. This year’s showcase also expanded on the court as well and featured the promising group of junior players in grades 7-9. “The younger group is what the coaches were excited about. That’s why we wanted them to come in so we could make those coaches come back. You had so many of these kids who are younger, even someone who is out of school, never played high school, picked up and offered a scholarship. “This is a kid who is playing night league, we decided at the last minute to give him a chance because that’s what the showcase is about, giving them an opportunity.” Sears said.
“We have some of the most naturally gifted players in the world. I’ve said the coaching has gotten better over the years, I’ve seen it. The coaches are getting better so they’re teaching their kids better. So the skill-set is starting to get better. But what we’re excited about is that it will bring these coaches back to see just how much they have improved since then. The more coaches we can get in the better it is for our programme and our kids.” Sears began the practice of travelling with his players to the US to gain exposure for his players in the late 1990s. Since then, he has been able to forge a network of connections that now affords a greater number of players those same opportunities by showcasing their skills at home. Over the
course of the weekend, players engaged in individual skill development, as well as scrimmages. Since its inception, the showcase has facilitated over $2 million in scholarships to over 100 student athletes to attend various levels of colleges and high schools in the United States. Event sponsors included the Freeport Council, Nesbitt Rentals, Kosha and the Ministry of Tourism. At the end of the 2017 event, a record five participants were offered scholarships by representatives of visiting programmes. Approximately 60 players took part in the showcase which featured scouts, coaches, and representatives from 25 high schools and colleges in the United States, ranging from JuCo to Division I.
Athletes shine in the US By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net number of Bahamian elite and collegiate athletes were in action at various meets in the United States where they turned in credible performances. At the Torrin Lawrence Memorial in Athens, Georgia, Warren Fraser and Bianca ‘BB’ Stuart led the way as they competed for the first time since their participation last month in the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia. Running unattached, 26-year-old Fraser clocked a season’s best of 10.16 seconds to take the tape in the straight away race, just shy of his lifetime best of 10.14 that he ran here at home at the BAAA Nationals on June 27, 2014. In Saturday’s race, Fraser beat out Kendal Williams, a junior at the University of Georgia, who trailed in 10.22 for second. His senior teammate Cejhae Green was third in 10.28. Fraser, coming off a semi-final appearance at the Commonwealth Games where he had a best of 10.37, said he’s learning to trust the process” as he juggles his professional career with his post-graduate studies at the University of Georgia. “I felt alright. I finally got some time to focus on track and so I just have to trust the process,” Fraser said. “I felt good. I felt that everything I’ve been doing is starting to add up. “I had start and I just went out there and run a good race. But I still feel that I have a lot more in the tank. I just have to continue to work hard and hopefully everything will fall into place.”
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By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
BIANCA STUART
WARREN FRASER In trying to keep up his grades and concentrate on training, Fraser said it has not been easy. But he’s making the best of his training regimen under coach Ken Harding. “I had a little break last week and I think that took a lot off my shoulders,” he stated. “I was able to concentrate a little better and I went out and executed a great race.” In the women’s long jump, Stuart soared 6.66 metres or 21-feet, 10 1/4inches on her sixth and final attempt for second place. She fouled her first attempt, cleared 6.36m (20-10 1/2) on her second, 6.62m (21-8 3/4) on her third, 6.40m (21-0) on her fourth and passed on her fifth. Chanice Porter, competing unattached like Stuart, had the best mark of 6.75m (22-1 3/4) on her second attempt for the win. Kate Hall, a sophomore at the University of Georgia, was third with 6.63m (21-9).
CLIFF RESAIS, shown at left, with his silver medal in the men’s 20om. Resais 2ND and 3RD At the Southland Conference Track and Field Championships at the Tom Benson Stadium, Southeastern Louisiana University’s Cliff Resais got second and third in the men’s 200 and 100m respectively. In the shorter race, Resais won his heat in 10.44 to qualify for the final with the fourth fastest time. In the final, he had to settle for third in 10.22 behind Micah Larkins of Northwestern State (10.12) and Chris Jefferson of Sam Houston State (10.15). And in the 200m,
Resais again won his heat in 21.22 for the fifth fastest qualifying time. In the final of the half-lap race, Resais clocked 20.46 for second behind Jefferson’s winning time of 20.37. Angel Collie, also of Southeastern Louisiana University, was fourth in her heat of the women’s 400m in 57.71. That placed her 18th overall. Collie also ran the first leg for Southern Louisiana’s 4 x 400m relay team that placed seventh overall in 3:46.97. The other members of the team were Milica Ozegovic, Dekayta Alex and Aareion Jackson.
Bowleg and Colebrook clash At the 2018 LSU Invitational at the Bernie Moore Stadium, Maverick Bowleg and Andre Colebrook, both running unattached, faced off in the men’s 400m. Bowleg got the best of the duel, finishing fourth in 47.39 with Colebrook trailing in 47.55. Trevor Stewart, a freshman of North Carolina A&T, won in 45.82 with Richard Rose, a junior at Texas A&M, second in 46.43 and his team-mate Kyree Johnson, a freshman, third in 46.84.
Bahamian gridiron star visits home of the Volunteers By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net AS his junior college career comes to a close this upcoming
Playoffs, Page 3
NATIONAL BODYBUILDING AND FITNESS CHAMPIONSHIPS ON SATURDAY
season, Bahamian gridiron star David Swaby will have his choice of several elite Division I programmes when he makes the transition to the next level. Swaby is currently on an official visit with the University of Tennessee Volunteers, but has garnered the attention of many elite programmes across the United States. The 6’10”, 330-pound lineman for the Navarro Junior College Bulldogs has also received offers from fellow SEC powerhouse Ole Miss, Baylor, Houston, Arkansas State, New Mexico, SMU, North Texas, Texas State and Southern Mississippi. Swaby moved from the Bahamas to south Florida where he played football for three years at St Thomas Aquinas before a senior season spent at Salesian in Los Angeles, California. He originally committed to the New Mexico
Lobos, but was unable to qualify academically and eventually settled on Navarro. Swaby outlined his story with Austin Price of Volsquest.com and previewed his visit to Tennessee. “They [Tennessee] told me they have one spot left. Coach [Jeremy] Pruitt said it can’t be a position where they hit or miss. It has to be a home run. They are extremely excited to get me on campus and for me to get a feel for the place by meeting the coaches and players.” “The situation I’m in right now is I’m a four for three. The coaches can decide to redshirt me and let me get bigger and develop me or I can play right away and have a year to play with somewhere. I’ve been talking to coach Pruitt and coach [Tyson Helton. He came down and saw me and he is the one that texts me on a regular basis. He tells me what they need at Tennessee and
how they have a need for offensive lineman.” Swaby has additional visits set, most notably with Ole Miss on June 1, and said there is much more deliberation left before he decides where to hone his craft at the next level for the next few years. The Bahamian gridiron connection at Navarro College has also included former offensive line Rico Forbes. Coming out of Christian Life Center Academy in Houston, Texas, Forbes signed with Baylor but was not cleared by the NCAA Clearing House and played two seasons at Navarro. As a sophomore he helped Navarro to an 11-1 record and the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship. He found his way back to NCAA Division I when he enrolled at Washington State in 2011.
ON Saturday night at the Melia hotel, the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation is all set to hold its Novice and National Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships. The joint event will put the beginners and veteran bodybuilders on the same stage at the same time because federation public relations officer Leonardo ‘Nardo’ Dean said a lot of the competitors were not sure which event they would participate in. “We have quite a few new people coming into a sport and quite a few who are returning, so it’s going to be a good mix,” Dean pointed out. “So it should be a very exciting night.” With some changes to the IFBB and the NPC, which is expected to split the sport into bodybuilding and fitness, Dean said there was some competitors who were unsure which event they would participate in and what side of the federation they will go with. “With us being under the IFBB, we just have to continue with our event,” he said. “We know that a lot of the athletes were kind of between the two sides, so it put us back a little bit in our planning. “We were also having difficulty in getting the sponsorship of the events, so we decided that instead of having two small events, we would just put all of our efforts and put on one big show.” Based on what the initial response has been so far, Dean said they could end up with another 50-60 competitors on stage for the championships. He indicated that at least half of them have already confirmed to compete in the novice. “A lot of the competitors will probably make up their mind to do the nationals,” he said. “We still have some athletes who are in the valley of decision, so we expect one or two people who will pop in at the last minute.” Men and women’s physique, women’s wellness, women’s bikini, women’s figure, men’s bodybuilding, men’s classic bodybuilding, men’s physique and men’s muscular physique will all be contested. The pre-judging is scheduled for 9am Saturday and the final will be staged from 7pm. A press conference is set for Wednesday when more details for the championship are expected to be revealed.