SPORTS SECTION E
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2026
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‘Coach Yo’ and Rebels rebuilding roster
!"#$%&'()'&# !*++%,(./0123#-45.67#+345.63. jburrows@ tribunemedia.net BAHAMIAN head coach Yolett McPhee McCuin is preparing to lead Ole Miss into another competitive Southeastern Conference women’s basketball season, with the Rebels facing the challenge of rebuilding their roster after reaching the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year. McPhee McCuin, affectionately known as ‘Coach Yo’, addressed the team’s preparations for the 2026 to 2027 campaign at SEC Tipoff ‘27 on Tuesday at Hotel Wildemont in Birmingham, Alabama, where she discussed the programme’s new additions
and continued development under her leadership. The Freeport native is entering her ninth season as head coach of the University of Mississippi and will have a considerably different group to work with this year, with 10 newcomers joining two returning players who saw limited playing time last season. The Rebels will have no returning starters, leaving McPhee McCuin and her coaching staff with the task of establishing new combinations, building chemistry and identifying the players who will lead the team on the court. “We have 10 newcomers and two returners that didn’t play a lot of minutes. So basically I have a brand new team,” McPhee McCuin said.
Despite the significant turnover, the Bahamian coach believes the new roster has the personnel to give Ole Miss a different look offensively while maintaining the defensive intensity that has become a defining feature of the programme. “We have height. We have shooting. We have point guard play. I mean, we have scorers. We have a little bit of everything, and that’s something that we focus on building with this roster,” she said. Ole Miss has continued to make the transfer portal a major part of its recruitment strategy, securing the top transfer class in the SEC for the second consecutive year. One of the key additions is guard Talaysia Cooper,
Franco Miller Jr adjusting to pro basketball in China !"#$%&'()'&# !*++%,(./0123#-45.67#+345.63. jburrows@ tribunemedia.net BAHAMIAN guard Franco Miller Jr finished the Ningbo Rockets’ preseason schedule with a 15-point, eight-assist performance against the Zhejiang Golden Bulls on Sunday as he continues to adjust to professional basketball in China. Ningbo fell 86-76 to Zhejiang on October 11, completing a winless three game preseason schedule ahead of the Chinese Basketball Association regular season. Miller, 27, had four rebounds to go with his 15 points and eight assists, providing another productive outing after opening his preseason campaign with 20 points, four rebounds and six assists in an 82-95 loss to the Beijing Ducks on October 9. The Bahamian guard’s latest performance followed a quieter outing against the Jiangsu Dragons on October 10, when he finished with seven points, four rebounds and two assists in a 76-87 defeat. Against Zhejiang, Miller helped Ningbo make a strong start, with the Rockets opening a 28-15 lead in the first quarter. However, Zhejiang responded in the second quarter, outscoring Ningbo 27-12 to take a 42-40 advantage into the half.
FRANCO MILLER Ningbo continued to compete after the break, with Miller connecting from beyond the arc as the Rockets attempted to keep pace. Zhejiang maintained its advantage through the final two quarters to secure the 10 point victory. Miller’s eight assists were particularly notable as he demonstrated his ability to contribute as a facilitator alongside his scoring. His three preseason appearances produced different statistical returns, but he finished with a strong performance in his final game before the regular season. Ningbo opened its preseason with the loss to Beijing before falling to Jiangsu and Zhejiang on consecutive days. The
results leave the Rockets with work to do as they prepare for the new campaign. Miller joined Ningbo after spending the 202526 season with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League. He averaged 9.1 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 29 regular season appearances, gaining experience in the Golden State Warriors’ developmental system. The move to China marks another step in the Bahamian’s professional career, which began in Spain with Fibwi Palma during the 2024-25 season. Miller previously explained that finding the right opportunity was important as he began his professional journey in Spain. “My decision was really based on finding the right situation to get my foot in the door in terms of my professional career,” Miller told The Tribune in 2024. “I am just trying to move up the ladder and find the right situation that puts me in a position to win.” Those comments predate his move to Ningbo, but his latest transition represents another opportunity to build his experience overseas. The Rockets are scheduled to open their regular season against the Beijing Royal Fighters on October 17. Miller will look to carry his preseason production into the regular season as Ningbo begins its campaign in the CBA.
who arrives after playing in the SEC at Tennessee. Cooper said her experience competing against McPhee McCuin’s teams gave her an understanding of the coach’s approach before joining the programme. “I have been in the SEC my whole college career, so just playing against her and knowing how she coaches her team and how she holds herself accountable for certain things,” Cooper said. She also expressed excitement about the opportunity to play under McPhee McCuin, describing her as a strong leader whose approach to the game is something she can learn from. “Coach Yo, I’m just excited to be here. She’s a great coach, she’s a great leader. Strong willed coach. Just somebody I can look up to, so I’m just happy to be here,” Cooper said. Guard Jada Richard is another important addition to the roster, having previously been recruited by McPhee McCuin out of high school before choosing another programme. The coach said bringing Richard to Oxford became an obvious decision when the guard entered the transfer portal. “I recruited Jada out of high school, and she chose to go somewhere else. For me, it was a no brainer once she got in the portal that I would want to recruit her, just because I believed in her before she even got to college,” McPhee McCuin said. Richard is expected to assume a prominent role in the backcourt, with the coach identifying her as the team’s primary
point guard and leader. “She’s definitely PG 1. She’s the leader of the team, for sure,” McPhee McCuin said. The new additions will be expected to build on the foundation established during the 2025 to 2026 season. Ole Miss finished with a 24 and 12 overall record, including an 8 and 8 mark in SEC play, before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels opened their tournament campaign with an 81 to 66 victory over Gonzaga but subsequently suffered a narrow 65 to 63 defeat against Minnesota, ending their hopes of advancing further. That performance extended the programme’s run of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances to five seasons and continued a period of sustained success under McPhee McCuin, who has guided Ole Miss to two Sweet 16 appearances in three years. With another demanding SEC schedule approaching, McPhee McCuin said the focus is on improving the programme rather than becoming preoccupied with results or external expectations. Her theme for the upcoming season is “RISE”, an acronym representing resilience, intensity, sacrifice and execution. “Five consecutive NCAA Tournaments, two Sweet 16s in three years. What’s next for us? “The only thing we can do is continue to level up, and the word ‘RISE’ just stuck with me,” she said. “Really, it has nothing to do with the outcome. It’s just a process every single day for my young women to just focus on being their best selves.”
McPhee McCuin also acknowledged that the new roster is younger than the groups she has traditionally preferred to coach, although she believes the decision could help the programme improve player retention moving forward. The challenge will be turning those individual qualities into a cohesive unit capable of competing consistently in one of the country’s strongest conferences. The coach also credited the support of Ole Miss’s administration, staff, players and local community for helping her remain in Oxford for nine seasons. “I just think it’s a blessing every single day, for sure,” she said. Beyond basketball, McPhee McCuin remains committed to community involvement through her No Ceilings with Coach Yo Foundation, which supports women and children through basketball clinics and educational initiatives in the United States and The Bahamas. The Rebels were selected to finish seventh in the preseason SEC media poll, setting a benchmark for a team that must integrate a largely new roster before the regular season begins. Ole Miss is scheduled to host Lane College in its lone exhibition game on Wednesday, October 28, before opening its regular season. McPhee McCuin enters the campaign with the backing of a programme that has established itself as a consistent NCAA Tournament contender, but the success of the latest roster will depend on how quickly its newcomers adapt to her system and translate their individual strengths into results.
Ramsingh-Pierre named president of Caribbean Equestrian Association THE member feder- Equestrian Bahamas, has ations of the Caribbean served as president of the Equestrian Association Bahamas’ national feder(CEA) elected a new ation for equestrian sport executive board for the since its recognition in 2026-2028 term at the 2019 by the Fédération CEA’s recent Annual Équestre Internationale General Meeting, naming (FEI). Bahamian Catherine She previously served Ramsingh-Pierre as as Group IV representapresident. tive on the FEI Solidarity Ramsingh-Pierre, a founding member of EQUESTRIAN - SEE PAGE 2
PAGE 2, Thursday, October 15, 2026
THE TRIBUNE
Geno Bullard Jr: ‘When I’m coaching, I don’t see them as women, but rather as athletes’ !"#!$%&'#(')!!( *+,-.#(/0123#%4,201 !"#$!!"%#&'!$()*)+',-()# GENO Bullard Jr, a former Bahamian three-star athlete, continues to make an impression on the coaching fraternity in the United States of America. After spending the past four seasons as the top assistant coach for St Catherine University's women's basketball team in St Paul's, Minnesota, Bullard is now the new assistant coach for head coach Mallie Doucette at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "I'm extremely elated to be a part of this
programme," Bullard Jr said. "Thrilled to be added to the coaching staff and to work alongside coach Mallie Doucette, helping student athletes succeed on and off the court, while continuing to push the programme to new heights. "I am grateful for this opportunity to continue to serve student-athletes and the community." Bullard Jr served as an assistant under Donald Mulhern at St. Catherine, as the Wildcats went 55-46 overall and 39-39 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play in his four seasons. The Wildcats went 19-8 overall and 14-6 in MIAC
Catherine Ramsingh-Pierre named CEA president EQUESTRIAN - FROM E1 Committee from 2021– 2025, and most recently as vice-president of the CEA from 2024–2026 before her election to the presidency. A lifelong rider and respected administrator and educator, Ramsingh-Pierre brings a strong blend of analytical skill, educational expertise, and deep passion for equestrian sport. Her leadership philosophy emphasizes athlete development, transparency in governance, grassroot access, and the transformative educational value of equestrian sport. The newly elected CEA Executive Board is as follows: President: Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre (Bahamas) Vice-President: Inga Serrette Fletcher (Trinidad & Tobago)
Secretary: Jodie McTaggart (Cayman Islands) Treasurer: Nathanaël Permal (Martinique) The CEA represents 11 member nations, working collaboratively to strengthen equestrian sport across the Caribbean through competition, education, and regional development initiatives. Ramsingh-Pierre expressed her enthusiasm for the upcoming term, stating her commitment to building a “stronger, more connected, and more empowered equestrian community in the region.” Her election marks a proud moment for Bahamian equestrian sport, highlighting the country’s growing influence and leadership within the international equestrian landscape.
play in 2023-24, reaching the MIAC playoff semifinals. Bullard Jr served as the team's operations assistant, assisting with recruiting, video scouting and player development, and also served at St. Catherine as the AthleticDiversity and Inclusion Director during the 2025-26 school year. Bullard Jr, who follows in the footsteps of his father and mentor Geno Bullard Sr as a coach, said he's grateful to Mulhern for introducing him to Doucette, along with the rest of the Athletic Department, for giving him another opportunity to coach at the NCAA Division III level. "I was able to meet the administration team, the coaching and the players and it really felt like home," Bullard Jr insisted. "I was then selected for coaching so this is a great opportunity to continue my coaching career." Just three weeks on the job, Bullard Jr said he's loving it because while starting his coaching career with the men at Coastal Bend College, an NJCAA school in Beeville, Texas, he has found out that the women pay more attention to details and they listen. "But when I'm coaching, I don’t see them as women, but rather as athletes," he stressed. "So to me, I don't look at them as women, but as student-athletes. "I treat all of them the same. So the same expectations that I have for the men, I have for the women. I hold all athletes to the same standard. That is something that I planned when I started coaching women." At St Catherine, Bullard Jr helped to develop five AllMIAC and two All-MIAC Honorable Mention selections during his four seasons,
including three-time AllMIAC and 2023-24 MIAC Rookie of the Year Hattie Fox. The Wildcats also excelled in the classroom in 2023-24, with the highest grade-point average among MIAC teams (3.72), ranking 13th among all NCAA Division III women's basketball programmes nationally. Prior to moving to St Catherine, Bullard Jr served the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach for men's basketball at Coastal Bend College where he helped the squad to a regional tournament appearance. He was in charge of basketball operations, player development, social media management and fundraising at Coastal Bend. His coaching ladder also includes three seasons as a graduate assistant at Minnesota State University, Mankato, a season as boys' and girls' basketball head coach at San Antonio (Texas) Preparatory School, and coaching at camps in both Minnesota and The Bahamas. Before venturing into coaching, Bullard Jr completed his high school and AAU days in St Catherine, Ontario (Ridley College HS). He was a member of two FIBA Americas tournaments representing The Bahamas, and has also served as a player for the national team. Bullard Jr earned his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies (marketing/communications/business) from MSU Mankato in 2018, and his master's degree in educational leadership from MSU Mankato in 2020. Now living in St Paul, Bullard Jr said he's looking forward to interacting with the local players here in The
Bahamas to see how he can recruit some of them to play for Augsburg. He thanked his father for steering him in the right direction. "I saw him do it for so many years from when I was a young kid when he coached me and so many other players," said Bullard Jr of Bullard Sr. "I got a chance to see a glimpse of what it takes to be a coach at home and on the international level, so I took it all in. I was a fly on the wall being an athlete. It was something I loved, but I had a father who was a coach, so I was able to articulate it from a young age." Bullard Sr, who is the founder and president of Noble Preparatory School where he's still involved in coaching the Spartans athletics teams, said he's very proud of his son's success so far. "From a very young child, he was a very good basketball player, playing the point guard, so the game came very easy for him," Bullard Sr said. "As he got older going into his teens, he went off to Ridley College where he really understood the game. And being around me with all of the trips we went on managing the teams, he was on the same mindset and put all of his knowledge to work." Bullard Sr said he's very comfortable and confident in Bullard Jr's ability to coach at the collegiate level. "He references me from time to time asking me about the different things about the coaching arena," Bullard Sr said. "I told him there's going to be many days where there's going to be ups and downs. "The only thing is to overcome and keep pushing. Over the years, looking at Geno's résumé, he's done very well
GENO BULLARD JR so far, but I tell him there's still a whole lot more to go. But I'm very proud of his accomplishments, but he still has a lot more to go." As a father, Bullard Sr said he's looking to see where his son's journey will take him because he feels he has the ability to be an excellent coach and to take the programme at Augsburg University to another level. Bullard Jr said there were so many other people who poured into his life from Ridley College in St Catherine's Canada, who helped to impact his life, especially when he ventured to the USA. "They made me accountable and to be on time," Bullard Jr said. "There were a lot of things that I learned along the way from my coaches at AAU and other basketball camps and my family, but my dad was the best impact for him, watching him and seeing what it took to be a coach." While he's getting his feet wet coaching women, Bullard Jr said he would like to be a part of The Bahamas women's national basketball team in the future. The team's head coach is Grand Bahama native Yolett McPhee-McCuin, who also followed her father Gladstone “Moon” McPhee, into the coaching ranks and is the head coach for the Ole Miss Lady Rebels women's division one team. Bullard Jr, 33, was a former basketball and softball player and sprinter/ long jumper in track and field during his tenure in schools at St Thomas More, St John's and Westminster College.