SPORTS SECTION E
BAAA
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2017
Jr Nationals, Page 12
Woodside-Johnson to head IAAF Worlds team By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
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he has held the distinction of being the first Bahamian female to serve on the coaching staff of an Olympic team. Now Diane WoodsideJohnson is going back to London, England, where she will add to her resumé - the first female to serve as head coach of an International Amateur Athletic Federation World Championship team. Woodside-Johnson has been selected by the Bahamas Coaches Association and ratified by the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations to serve as the head coach for the team that will travel to the IAAF World Championships in London, England. While the team has not yet been officially selected by the BAAA,
Woodside-Johnson the head coach,” she will have a good idea lamented. “Just to of who will probbe a part of the enably be travelling to vironment of worldLondon August 5-13 class athletes again when the National is very important to Open Track and me. It’s an honour Field Championand a privilege to be ships is staged this there.” weekend. Woodside-JohnThe Nationals, son broke internaall set for Friday tional barriers for and Saturday at the Bahamas in 2011 the Grand Bahama WOODSIDE-JOHNSON when she served as Sports Complex, the first female aswill serve as the trials for the team, sistant coach at the IAAF World although there will be a few more Championships in Daegu, Korea. opportunities for athletes to attain That followed with her biggest feat the standard by the deadline of to date when she served as the feSunday, July 23. male coach of the athletic team at “I feel wonderful for the hon- the London Olympics in 2012. our. After years of working with “I think the Bahamas will do the athletes, who too have made extremely well at these champiit to this stage, it’s a wonderful op- onships,” Woodside-Johnson proportunity to be around them again jected. “We have two of the top and to mentor them at this stage as performers in the women’s and
men’s 400 metres in Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner and we hope they can continue on with their successes. “Of course we also have the 200 metres for women with a good crop of female sprinters who will be representing us at the championships and they should form the nucleus of our 4 x 100 metre relay team.” Although there are a number of athletes who have attained the qualifying standards so far, Woodside-Johnson said the trials would provide that opportunity for those who are close to attempt to join those that have qualified. “This weekend should prove to be very exciting because we should have some competitive athletes competing in events like the men’s 400m, the women’s 200 and 400m, the men’s 100m and the high jump for men,” she said. “Those should
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BAHAMIAN basketball star Jonquel Jones has been named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Jonquel Jones named WNBA Eastern Player of the Week JONQUEL Jones of the Connecticut Sun and Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks were yesterday named the WNBA’s Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week respectively, for games played June 12-18. Jones earned Player of the Week honours for the first time in her two WNBA seasons. In leading the Sun to a 2-0 week, Jones paced the Eastern Conference in rebounding (10.0 rpg) and blocks (2.5 bpg) and shared the lead in steals (2.0 spg). She also ranked sixth in scoring (17.5 ppg) and third in field goal percentage (.737, 14-of-19). The 6-6 forward/centre opened her week with 19 points, a gamehigh 12 rebounds and three assists in a 96-76 home win over the New York Liberty on June 14. Three days later, the former George Washington University star helped Connecticut hand the WNBAleading Minnesota Lynx its first loss of the season. In the Sun’s 9893 road victory, Jones finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and four steals as Connecti-
cut improved to 5-5 for the season with its fifth win in six games. Parker earned Player of the Week honours for the 19th time in her 10-year career. Behind the 6-4 forward/centre, the Sparks went 3-0 for the week and improved to 8-3 overall, the second-best record in the WNBA. Among West players, the two-time WNBA MVP was seventh in scoring (18.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). She also tied for second in blocks (2.0 bpg) and for third in assists (5.0 apg). Parker was eighth in three-point shooting (.417, 5-of-12) and made 13 of her 14 attempts from the free throw line (.929). On June 13, the former University of Tennessee standout tallied 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Sparks defeated the Dallas Wings 97-87 in Los Ange-
les. Two days later, Parker contributed 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks to help guide the host Sparks past the San Antonio Stars 8075. Parker closed the week with 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks as Los Angeles beat the Phoenix Mercury 90-59 on June 18 in a game that also saw Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi become the WNBA’s career scoring leader. Other candidates for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas, Dallas’ Skylar Diggins-Smith, the Indiana Fever’s Tiffany Mitchell, Los Angeles’ Chelsea Gray and Nneka Ogwumike, New York’s Tina Charles and Shavonte Zellous, and the Washington Mystics’ Tayler Hill. Jones and the Sun have made
the most of a difficult early season schedule. Connecticut spent 17 of 19 days on the road and had to play Minnesota three times in the first 10 games. But they are sitting at .500. They started the season 0-4 and have won five of six despite missing starters Morgan Tuck — knee bruise — and Alex Bentley — EuroBasket tournament. Connecticut also has been without its top post reserve as Lynetta Kizer is dealing with a back issue. “We lost three close games early in the year by two points,” Connecticut coach Curt Miller said. “This young group is learning how to get to the finish line and learning how to win games close. More than anything they’ve just stuck together, believe and stayed in the system for what we wanted to accomplish.” The Sun moved up to seventh in The Associated Press WNBA power poll this week, their best ranking ever since the poll started last year. Connecticut visits New York on Friday for its lone game this week.
BBF SET TO HOST ANNUAL NATIONALS IN GRAND BAHAMA By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net DESPITE the rumbling over who holds and deserves the sanctioning rights for international baseball in the country, the Bahamas Baseball Federation is pressing on with its National Baseball Championships. The federation, which was embattled with the Bahamas Baseball Association over the governance of the sport, will host their 15th Annual Nationals in Grand Bahama at the EMERA Caribbean Baseball Complex. Teams from the Grand Bahama Amateur Baseball Association, Grand Bahama Little League, Legacy Baseball League, Eleuthera Junior Baseball League, North Abaco Baseball League and the Junior Baseball League of Nassau will make up this year’s package. Conspicuously missing once again is Freedom Farm. But while there has been a bigger issue to deal with, federation president Theodore ‘Teddy’ Sweeting said they are still committed to providing the highest level of competition for the young players to participate in at the nationals. “There is a lot that has to unravel and to see exactly where baseball will be headed over the next year,” he said. “It’s difficult to speak on it because everybody is trying to see the benefits of what has transpired will bring to the sport. “We’ve had a lot of success at the structure of the federation with governance by the leagues. I think it’s a wait and see process of how the agreements will unfold by those who made those decisions.” Sweeting said he’s still looking for all of the factions to come together for the betterment of the sport because there’s nothing wrong with the growth and development of baseball in the country nationally. “The issue is internationally and trying to receive international benefits, international travel to these tournaments that are controlled from the governing body, the IABF,” he pointed out. “That is where it all lays. I know we had garnered the complete respect of inter-
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Donaldson wins opener, Armbrister suffers heartbreaker By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WHILE Sierra Donaldson won her opening match in the girls’ singles, Donte Armbrister suffered a heartbreaking loss as the Bahamas began play at the JITIC Under-18 Regional Championships in Trinidad & Tobago. After getting a bye in the first round, No. 16 seed Donaldson went on to win her second round match with a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Osenvonve Nwokolo of Trinidad and Tobago. “At first I was nervous, but I had to overcome that so I could play my match and win my game,” Donaldson said. “The player I played was a tall and strong girl, so I had to use consistency and height to try to beat her. “She was a really hard hitter and she hit some lucky shots on
me, which caught me off guard. But I had to be quick on my feet so I could play.” Donaldson said she felt she played a much better match and had more intensity at the end to pull off the match. She was scheduled to play either No.1 seed Rut Galindo or Brendamaria Cuadra. Armbrister, also seeded at No.16 in the boys’ singles, lost 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4 to Mauricio Hernandez of Mexico. “I played a good match. It was different styles, a lot of variety of shots in the match,” he said. “It was different playing a server and volley player. I never played one before, but I think I adjusted very well in the match and I hope that I can away the experience to help me to play better in the future.” Armbrister is teaming up with Tomas Del Olmo. They were scheduled to play their first match yesterday against Edward Laquis
SHOWN (l-r) are Afrika Smith, Donte Armbrister and Sierra Donaldson. from Trinidad & Tobago and Curt Seifert from Barbados.
Afrika Smith, the other member of Team Bahamas, got a bye
in the first round. She was scheduled to play her first match yesterday against Claudia Cecilia Rosas Garcia, the No.13 seed from Mexico. However, no results were available up to press time. “At this moment, I feel like I’m ready to play whoever I have to play,” Smith said. “My frame of mind is just play her game, no matter what type of player she is. You’re not playing the player, but you’re playing the ball. “I’m ready to face whatever. I’m going out there with a positive mind that whatever I do, I will do my best and leave it all out there on the court.” Donaldson and Smith are combining as a team from the Bahamas to play in the girls’ doubles. Their first match is expected to be against the Trinidad & Tobago duo of Abigail Jones and Jade Tom Yew.