SPORTS SECTION E
NAUGHTY
Column, Page 3
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
Men’s national softball team splits double header By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
T
he men’s national softball team split another double header yesterday, dropping to an even .500 mark with a 2-2 win-loss record at the WBSC 10th Pan Am Tournament in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The team, managed by Perry Seymour, lost 8-1 to Canada in their opener but bounced back to thrash Belize 8-0 in the other game. In their game against Canada, Thomas Davis, who has recovered from the injury he sustained in a team practice here, got the starting nod, but after the team got off sluggishly in the first inning giving
up four runs to fall into a hole, Martin Burrows came in and completed the game. Against Belize as they avenged their earlier defeat, Desmond Russell from Grand Bahama cracked another home run and Sherman Ferguson belted two, including a three-run walk off homer. Lyle Sawyer from Abaco was the winning pitcher. At this point in the tournament, Seymour said the coaching staff made up of Richard ‘the Lion-Heart’ Johnson and Haziel McDonald from Abaco, are just waiting on the youthful squad to put the timely hits together. “In the first game, we only gave up one hit, but we didn’t play that well,” Seymour said. “Usually when we get off to a slow start, we
TEAM BAHAMAS manager Perry Seymour (right) speaks with coach Haziel McDonald.
come back. But we played against Canada and they took advantage of the mistakes we made and we couldn’t come back. But the team played extremely well in the second game against Belize. We needed that kind of effort against Canada.” Today, the team, which had its share of problems getting out of the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, will be back for their third straight double header today when they take on Mexico in the opener at 8:30pm, followed by Argentina at 12:45 pm. “We need to win against one of them and beat Panama in our last game in the round robin on Wednesday in order to make the playoffs,” Seymour said. “We have a chance in both of the games, but we will need our
pitching to hold up and if we can get some timely hits, we should be able to do something.” After getting stuck here for about two days as they ended up missing the first two days of competition, Seymour admitted that the players were a bit despondent, but now they are even more concerned with Hurricane Maria threatening. “From the information we got, we might just get a piece of it from the outside,” Seymour said. “They changed the schedule because of the hurricane. That is why we’re playing so many double headers every day. “The weather is supposed to hit us on Thursday and they feel they might get plenty rain, so they are
Sebastian Gray: ‘I am one of the leaders of the team’ By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net ENTERING his sophomore season at the JuCo level, Sebastian Gray is expected to take on a greater leadership role with his Northern Oklahoma-Enid Jets men’s basketball programme. Gray is one of just five sophomores and is the second leading scorer of all returning players on this year’s squad. “My approach this year is way different than last year. This year I am more aggressive with scoring, rebounding and defending at a high level. I am one of the leaders of the team so I will have to lead this young group of individuals onto the right path for us to be successful,” he said. The 6’6” swingman was one of the driving forces leading the Jets to the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament, where they advanced to the second round. “One of my expectations this year is to make it back to nationals. This is a young talented group of freshmen that came in so we have a strong possibility of winning our conference so I expect big things coming from my team and me,” Gray said. He appeared in 25 games as a freshman last season and averaged 11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He shot 43 per cent from the field, 75 per cent from the free throw line and 33 per cent from three. Looking to build on those numbers, Gray expects to transition to the NCAA Division I level after a successful sophomore season. “My recruitment has stepped up recently over the last two months. I received calls from Loyola Chicago, Mercer University, and Southeastern New Mexico. But I have two schools right now that have been more aggressive with recruiting me - Southeastern Louisiana University and
Arkansas-Little Rock, which I plan to visit next month,” he said. Gray reached the 20-point plateau in three games, scored in double figures 16 times and posted six double doubles. He returns with fellow sophomores Dyaire Holt, Denzil Haynes, Bryshon Bryant and Quincy Dockins. Jets head coach Greg Shamburg told EnidNews.com that the team’s progression to the nationals increased the profile and held recruiting, but the strength of the team will lie with its leadership of the returning players. “[Making it to nationals] didn’t hurt us obviously, but we have been getting good players. That didn’t completely change. The key with recruiting is having enough money to get out and recruit. We have good freshmen,” he said. “They [Gray and the other sophomores] have done a good job leading us in the weight room and on and off the floor,’’ Shamburg said. “We will be a little deeper than we were last year and more
SOPHOMORE Sebastian Gray is expected to take on a greater leadership role with the Northern Oklahoma-Enid Jets men’s basketball programme. athletic. We have a chance to be pretty good.’’ The Jets open the season on November 2 at Rhema Bible College. Gray and fellow Bahamian Robert Joseph helped the Jets to a No.23 ranking in last year’s tournament. The Jets scored a 95-90 win over No.10 Southern Idaho
Golden Eagles in an upset win. Gray finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocked shots while Joseph added two points off the bench. In the second round, they were eliminated 82-76 at the hands of the Vincennes Trailblazers, ranked No.7 in the bracket. Gray finished with seven points and 11 rebounds.
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VAREL DAVIS RETURNS AS THE GSSSA PRESIDENT By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net AFTER turning the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association around over the last two years, Varel Davis was rewarded as she was returned as president for her second two-year term in office. At the annual general meeting and election of officers yesterday, Davis - a physical education teacher at CH Reeves - beat out Trevor Grant from CR Walker 12-2 for the top post. “I feel good. I still have a lot of work to finish,” Davis told The Tribune. “Like the saying goes, your work should speak for you. When I took over the association, our finances weren’t looking good. It was in the negative. “But the past two years was a plus. I got to introduce a lot of things in terms of cheering and the cross country, which was a plus. But I really want to get away from the trophies and present championship rings to our seniors and have an end of the year banquet when we recognise all of our top student-athletes, schools, coaches and even sponsors..” Three new officers were elected with Kendal Campbell from TA Thompson as first vice president, Shekeira Farrington is the second vice president and Fiona Tucker from DW Davis is the assistant secretary. Returning to office along with Davis is Keisha Pratt from RM Bailey, still the secretary, Tia Rolle from CR Walker is treasurer and
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DeAndre Ayton’s Wildcats ‘to be top offensive team’ By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net DEANDRE Ayton is expected to be an individual standout for the Arizona Wildcats this season, but his presence among a highly touted recruiting class has pundits ranking them among the top teams in all of college basketball. ESPN projects the Wildcats to be the top offensive team in the NCAA and several publications, including Athlon and Street and Smith, rank the Wildcats as the number one team this preseason. Ayton is expected to fill the void in the frontcourt left by 2016 NBA Lottery Pick Lauri Markkanen and join potential All-Americans wings Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins to lead the Wildcats attack.
ESPN Insider John Gasaway said Ayton is one of the main reasons many expect this to be the strongest Wildcats team ever for head coach Sean Miller. “Ayton, 7-1, is projected as a top-three pick in the 2018 draft. Keep in mind that in Pac-12 play last season, the Wildcats’ only (and I do mean only) brush with statistical mediocrity came in the form of 2-point accuracy (50.1 per cent). “Ayton will see to it that this number rises in 2017-18. This could be Miller’s strongest team yet in Tucson,” he said. The Wildcats fanbase had an opportunity to witness Ayton’s impact during Arizona’s foreign tour in August. He averaged 14 points and nine rebounds in two games against Cobinado Valenciano and the Mataro All-Stars.
DEANDRE AYTON in action.
In another preseason projection, CBS Sports selected Ayton as the best centre in college basketball this season. CBS’ Gary Parrish said Ayton’s combination of size and skillset may be unmatched at the pivot spot in the 2017-18 season. “Everything I’ve heard out of Arizona is that Ayton has been tremendous in offseason workouts. “He should be the Wildcats next one-and-done and possibly the key to Sean Miller’s first Final Four,” Parrish said. Miller added: “He’s obsessed with being a great player and because of that I think his future is incredibly bright. “We are all looking forward to providing him with an environment where he can grow and also give our team and recruiting class
that special player who can go inside and out.” He closed out his high school career earlier this summer with appearances at the top level elite showcases for prep players. He scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the West’s 124-116 win over the East at the Jordan Brand Classic and at the McDonald’s All-American Game he finished with eight points and 11 rebounds. The unofficial start to the season for the Wildcats begins with the annual McDonald’s RedBlue Game on Friday, October 20. They officially begin the season with a trio of home games versus Northern Arizona on November 10, UMBC on November 12 and Cal State Bakersfield on November 16.