SPORTS SECTION E
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016
NFL PICKS
Week 1, Pages 2 & 3
Fitzgerald to join Hoosiers swim programme in Fall 2017 By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net ONE of the country’s elite swimmers at the junior level, Jared Fitzgerald recently announced his decision on where he plans to continue his career at the collegiate level. Fitzgerald committed to join the University of Indiana Hoosiers’ men’s swimming programme for the Fall 2017 semester. He most recently competed at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships as one of six members of Team Bahamas where he made the B final in both the 50m and 100m Free. Fitzgerald is now in his senior year at a renowned boarding institution, The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey. Peddie boasts a nationally-acclaimed swimming programme with students or alumni representing their nations in every
Olympics since 1992. The Peddie’s boys’ swim team won the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015. At this year’s event, Fitzgerald earned two fourth place finishes (in the 100m free and 200m free) and was a member of Peddie’s first-place 400m free relay and 200 free relay, the latter of which he set the meet record. Fitzgerald outlined the reasons behind his decision with SwimSwam.com, ranging from a connection with the coaching staff to a recommendation from fellow national team member Laura Morley. “I made my decision to commit to Indiana because I felt as though IU was the place for me. After taking a trip and meeting the team and coaches, and seeing what IU has to offer, I was certain that I was going to be happy for the next four years of my collegiate
“I MADE MY DECISION TO COMMIT TO INDIANA BECAUSE I FELT AS THOUGH IU WAS THE PLACE FOR ME. AFTER TAKING A TRIP AND MEETING THE TEAM AND COACHES, AND SEEING WHAT IU HAS TO OFFER, I WAS CERTAIN THAT I WAS GOING TO BE HAPPY FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS OF MY COLLEGIATE SWIMMING CAREER. THE COACHES BELIEVED IN MY POTENTIAL, AND I’M VERY HAPPY AND HUMBLED THAT THEY OFFERED ME A SPOT TO SWIM FOR THEIR GREAT TEAM.”
- Jared Fitzgerald
JARED FITZGERALD swimming career. The coaches believed in my potential, and I’m
very happy and humbled that they offered me a spot to swim for their great team,” he said. “I have two very close friends on the team, Laura Morley, and Joe Lane. Laura helped with my decision a lot because we are both a part of the Bahamas national team, and she supported me a lot through this decision. I could not be more excited to swim there!” In addition to Fitzgerald, the Hoosiers have recruited interna-
tionally with their sprint group as of late, bringing in Bruno Blaskovic from Croatia, Mohamed Samy from Egypt, and Harold Duke from Emory University to add to the already outstanding squad of Blake Pieroni, Ali Khalafalla, Anze Tavcar, Oliver Patrouch and Sam Lorentz. He is the son of Minister of Education, Science and Technology Jerome Fitzgerald and Zaria Fitzgerald.
J Jones posts double double in loss to Lynx
AYTON AND WILDCATS IN BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS
By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net he WNBA defending champions Minnesota Lynx got payback on the Connecticut Sun for a loss two weeks ago. However, our very own Jonquel Jones produced one of her better games of the season. Jones logged her second double double of the year with 14 points and a team high 11 rebounds in the Sun’s 93-79 loss to the Lynx. The first double double of her WNBA career came in a July 22 win over the Chicago Sky when she posted 20 points and 11 rebounds. Despite playing just over 13 minutes per game, Jones has been one of the most efficient players on the team, according to Advanced Stats. Jones is the second leading player on the team with a PIE rating of 13.2. In its simplest terms, PIE shows what percentage or share of game events the player was responsible for. The stats being analysed in the rating are the traditional basketball statistics, including points, rebounds, assists, turnovers and others. Advanced Stats is a way to study basketball through objective analysis. It is a more in-depth way to look at a simple box score, and more accurately evaluates the skill and production of a player or team. The Sun posted an 8-4 record since the start of July and was tied for the second best mark in the WNBA during that timespan. With the league’s new playoff rules, the Sun are in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Sun are currently 11-18 in sixth place in the Western Conference. The top eight teams in the entire league, irrespective of division, qualify for the playoffs and are seeded one to eight. Regular season records determine the seedings of the teams. The new format will re-seed after each round and includes byes for the top-ranked teams. According to SBnation: “Under the new format, teams will be seeded 1-8 regardless of conference affiliation. The top two seeds will receive double byes to the semi-finals, while the No. 3 and 4 seeds get single byes. The No. 5 seed will play the No. 8 seed and the No. 6 seed will play the No. 7 seed in a singleelimination first round. The higher-seeded winner then plays the No. 4 seed in the next round, while the lower-seeded winner then plays the No. 3 seed. They, too, would each play a single game. The Lynx, Los Angeles Sparks and New York Liberty have clinched playoff berths. The Seattle Storm currently occupy the No.8 spot at 12-17, just one game ahead of Jones and the Storm and with just five games left to play in the regular season.
WHEN Arizona won the DeAndre Ayton sweepstakes, it assured that the Battle 4 Atlantis will feature a Bahamian player for the fourth consecutive time. The 2017 tournament field was announced in June and will feature Ayton’s Arizona Wildcats (PAC 12), Villanova Wildcats (Big East), Purdue Boliermakers (Big 10), North Carolina State Wolfpack (ACC), Tennessee Volunteers (SEC), SMU Mustangs (AAC), Western Kentucky Hilltopers (C-USA), and Northern Iowa Panthers (MVC). This means Bahamians will get a first look at the top overall high school basketball prospect in America during what many expect to be his lone season of NCAA basketball. Already touted as one of the top early season tournaments in NCAA basketball, this year’s tournament takes place at the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort, November 23-25. The 2016 tournament includes the Michigan State Spartans, the Louisville Cardinals, the Wichita State Shockers, St John’s Red Storm, Virginia Commonwealth University Rams, Baylor Bears, LSU Tigers and Old Dominion Monarchs. This year’s tournament will include Bahamian guard Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn who enters his senior season with the Spartans. The 2016 field will also mark the second time the Cardinals will play in the Battle 4 Atlantis following their appearance in 2012. They fell to Duke in the tournament finale in Nassau but went on to win the NCAA national title. The 2015 tournament featured a strong Bahamian presence with the Texas A and M Aggies’ Tavario Miller and Texas Longhorns’ Shaquille Cleare. Buddy Hield of the Oklahoma Sooners and Wannah Bail of the UCLA Bruins became the first Bahamians to play in the tournament when they competed in 2014. The tournament is staged at the 3,900-seat Imperial Arena, a ballroom converted to a basketball venue. The event is televised live on ESPN and AXS TV. ESPN2 airs opening round games while ESPN airs the semi-finals, third place and championship games. Ayton announced his decision to attend Arizona, in a
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CONNECTICUT Sun’s Jonquel Jones, of the Bahamas, goes for a basket after being fouled by Minnesota Lynx’s Seimone Augustus (33) during the first half of Sunday’s WNBA game in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
SEE PAGE 3