SPORTS SECTION E
NBA, Page 5
TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2018
Birthday girl Joanna Evans wins another silver at the CAC Games By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net irthday girl Joanna Evans added another silver medal to her ledger, this time in the rarely swum 400 metre individual medley and was joined by Albury Higgs with a bronze to push Team Bahamas’ total to five on the medal table at the 23rd Central American and Caribbean Games. Their combined performance yesterday in the swimming competition in Barranquilla, Colombia enabled the Bahamas to occupy 10th place in the standings. The other three medals came from Evans, who struck two gold and another silver respectively in the first three days of competition. Evans, who turns 21 today, picked up her second consecutive medal in the women’s 400m IM as she clocked four minutes and 50.38 seconds to finish behind gold
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medallist Kristen Elena Romano, who established a new games record in 4:46.31. Monika Gonzalez got the bronze in 4:52.13. “It was kind of fun, like the 100 yesterday, to swim something different,” Evans said. “Obviously, it’s a way different race than what I did yesterday. I posted a best time and was competitive. That was all I tried to do.” Looking at her performance, Evans said she enjoyed the freestyle, but admitted that her backstroke was the worst. “For me, you have to work every 100 of the stroke as if that’s the only thing you’re swimming,” she stated. “You just have to stay competitive and I know that my freestyle is good at the end, so I know that once I’m somewhere in there, we should hopefully be good.” With four medals, inclusive of two gold and two silver in her collection, Evans said today she will have double duties competing in the 200m IM and the 800m free.
TOP swimmer Joanna Evans, of the Bahamas, shows off one of the medals she won at the CAC Games. “It’s going to be a rough day, but we are going to see,” she stated. “I will do some racing and see. Do some racing and finish it out. The plan is just to swim in the morning and make it back. All I need is a lane for the finals and then swim as if that’s the only thing you are
swimming and then warm down and get ready for the next one.” Higgs and Laura Morley, who competed together in a couple of events over the first three days, finally got the next medal for the Bahamas. Higgs claimed the bronze in the women’s 200m breaststroke in 2:30.83. Morley trailed her in fourth place in 2:31.02. Byanca Rodriquez, in a games’ record of 2:25.60 and teammate Esther Gonzalez (2:29.72) won the gold and silver for Mexico. In the men’s B final of the men’s 50m breaststroke, Izaak Bastian came through with a sixth place finish for the Bahamas. Also yesterday, Jimmy Lowe and Michael McSweeney were both in action in the snipe open where they placed ninth. They retired in the first race and didn’t start the next three. They are now in 11th place overall with 57 points. And Spencer Cartwright is in 10th place in the men’s laser class with 73 points after he got 12th and sixth in his two races yesterday.
BAHAMIANS TEAM UP AT WATER POLO JUNIOR OLYMPICS By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIAN water polo players continue to progress through the preliminary rounds at the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics. The six members of the Bahamian Mantas Water Polo Club - Saequan Miller, Gabriel Sastre, Alexander Turnquest, Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield, Gabriel Encinar, Damian Gomez and Thor Sasso - have joined the Houston Storms to form a select team “BahTex ManStorm” to contest the Under-16 Classic division at the event in San Jose, California. They opened the tournament with a 7-3 loss to the N San Diego Stars but followed later that afternoon with a 9-6 win over Praetorian WPC. They advanced to the upper 24 teams division with a 5-4 win over Raptor A. In the final group of 24, the team suffered consecutive losses to Vanguard Red (11-4) and CDM Aquatic White (8-7). The losses placed the ManStorm in Group S and in contention for 24-21 place out of the 48-team field bracket. The team suffered a 12-10 loss to NIPC yesterday and had an evening matchup against WPF B team, however results were unavailable up to press time last night. The USA Water Polo Junior Olympic Championships is the largest age group water polo tournament in America with over 400 teams competing over the course of the four-day
THE SIX members of the Bahamian Mantas Water Polo Club - Saequan Miller, Gabriel Sastre, Alexander Turnquest, Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield, Gabriel Encinar, Damian Gomez and Thor Sasso - have joined the Houston Storms to form a select team “BahTex ManStorm” to contest the Under-16 Classic division at the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics in San Jose, California. event. Athletes and teams come from across the country to compete on the national stage. The Junior Olympics Tournament consists of two divisions - the Championship Division and the Classic Division. The Bahamian players first joined the Storms at the Southwest Zone Junior Olympics Qualifier tournament in Houston, Texas last month where they finished fourth out of 10 teams. They opened the tournament with a 21-4 win over CFWPC, followed by
a 16-9 win over the Longhorns and a 21-0 win over Viper Pigeon Black. They lost the final match of the group stage 27-6 to Thunder Black. In the semi-final they suffered a 17-6 loss to Trident and in the bronze medal final, came up short to Viper Pigeon Green, 18-6. Encinar, Gomez, Sasso, Sastre, Turnquest and Wallace-Whitfield are on the Under-16 boys team that also placed in the Southwest Zone Qualifier, which placed them in the U-16 Classic bracket.
Miller, Sastre, Turnquest and Wallace-Whitfield all competed with the U-18 Storm team that won the silver medal in the qualifier which seeded them in the Under-18 championship bracket at the JO tournament. The tournament starts on Saturday, July 21 and the Under-18 Storm team will take on the 8th ranked LA Premier. Thomas Illing also competed in the Houston tournament. However, he was unable to attend the Junior Olympics this year. While in California, the team will attend an expo
being held by USA Water Polo. This expo will feature presentations on the path to college water polo, being a triple impact competitor, elevating your game and a mental skills clinic. Additionally, there will be a college coach meet-and-greet for rising grade 12 players. Bahamas Water Polo senior captain Saequan Miller was recently awarded a college scholarship to play water polo for Salem University. The Houston Storm is under the direction of head coach Edwin Barrera.
‘MAJOR PAIN’ HAS FISTS SET ON LAST DANCE IN THE RING By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ONE of the Bahamas’ most successful professional boxing careers will come to a close on Saturday, October 6 as Meacher Major stages his “last dance” in the ring where it all got started at the CI Gibson Gymnasium. Major, now in training camp in Buffalo, New York, will take on an un-named opponent in the main event of the Major Pain Promotions and Entertainment (MPPE) as he gets ready to celebrate his 37th birthday on Sunday, October 28. “It’s going to be a great show. I’m looking to go out there and put on a great performance for the last time,” he told The Tribune. “I just want to thank God and thank the Bahamian people for all their support for allowing me to be here strong. I’m coming off my last injury, but I’ve never been knocked out before and never hurt in a fight. “So I’m just grateful for the opportunity that I’ve had to represent the Bahamas throughout my career. I just want to push forward to help boxing in the Bahamas because that is where my heart is.” The show, promoted by Howard Thompson Jr, will feature Major in an eightround lightweight main event. An announcement is expected shortly on his opponent and the rest of the undercard. But Major got his career started under the tutelage of Ray Minus Jr and Michelle Minus on his birthday in 2000 when he pulled off a technical knockout (TKO) over Juan Trevino at the CI Gibson Gymnasium. He made his debut overseas with a unanimous decision over Mario Jones two years later on March 23, 2002 at the West Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. At the time, he was working in the Warriors Boxing Club in Hollywood, Florida under the supervision of Jesse Robinson, who gave him his nickname, “Major Pain.” However, he suffered his first loss in his next fight in a split decision to Edner Cherry on August 9, 2002 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa before he went on another threewin streak. He then got his first and only draw on his birthday again in 2004 at the Seminole Hark Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida against Felix Lora before he reeled off two more victories here at the Wyndham resort.
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Jones one of the top performers at Summer Hoops Festival By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net EACH appearance on the prep grassroots circuit continues to net NCAA Division I offers for Kai Jones. Jones was one of the top performers at the Summer Hoops Festival in Orlando, Florida last weekend for Under Armour’s “Team Breakdown.” Jones finished with 13 points and six blocked shots and was awarded Player of the Day honours in the Game of the Day. His Team Breakdown won 68-67 over Team Loaded Virginia. With 1:15 to play, Jones completed a three-point play to give
Breakdown a two-point lead at 65-63 and with less than 10 seconds left to play, Jones sealed the win with a blocked shot. “Not surprisingly, our Players of the Day come from our Games of the Day. Kai Jones of Team Breakdown may not have put up jaw-dropping numbers (13 points) but his six blocks were big time, especially his last one.,” Sourcehoops.com said. “Also, its easy to see why coaches love his potential for what he could be in two to three years. “Jones has a solid jump shot out to 15 feet and he also has proven this live period that he can put the ball on the floor and score after a dribble or two. A big
KAI JONES
man that can shoot free throws, run the floor, protect the rim and cover a lot of ground defensively is highly desirable and that is just what Jones is.” Following the tournament, Jones received an offer from the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. Just last week, the Syracuse Orangemen and Kansas Jayhawks were the latest elite programmes to target the versatile 6’11 forward. Jones has also received offers from Arizona, Georgetown, Ole Miss, Illinois, Louisville, Miami (Florida), Rhode Island, South Florida, Texas, Vanderbilt, Virginia Commonwealth and Florida Gulf Coast.
A 4.0 student in the classroom, Jones will transfer to Brewster Academy in Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, after spending the last season at Orlando Christian Prep in Orlando, Florida. In his lone season with the Warriors in Orlando, Florida, the team finished the season at 21-9 and claimed the Class 3A boys basketball state championship. Jones continues his meteoric rise up the recruiting charts for the class of 2019. Earlier this summer, he was invited to the NBA’s Global Camp in Treviso, Italy, and made an impression on some of the most notable names in the industry.