05242019 SPORTS

SPORTS SECTION E

FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2019

PAGES 4 & 5

Student athletes get set for NCAA East, West Regionals

BAHAMIANS ARE A HIT IN NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

everal Bahamian student athletes will participate in the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field East and West Regionals this weekend, looking to qualify for the Division I Championships.

The East Regional is hosted at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, while the West Regional is hosted by Sacramento State University in Sacramento, California.

Athletes gained entry into the competition by having one of the top-48 best marks of the region (East or West) in their respective events. In order to advance to the final round in Austin, Texas, an athlete must finish among the top-12 best (per region) in their respective events.

Five Bahamians will compete at the East Regionals.

For the Purdue Boilermakers, Samson Colebrooke will contest both the 100m and 200m while Tamar Greene will compete in the triple jump.

At the Big 10 Championships, Greene took first place in the triple jump with a leap of 16.15m and ran the first leg of the winning 4x100m relay team.

Colebrooke, the junior sprinter in his first year with the programme, finished fourth in the 100m in 10.29 seconds and fourth in the 200m.

Both were members of the first place 4x100m relay team.

Donavon Storr also qualified for the Southeastern Louisiana in the 200m and 400m.

“We are extremely excited about this group,” said SLU track head coach Corey Mistretta. “Donovan has had an exceptional training year. He is starting to realise the fruits of his labour and I think it will pay off this weekend.”

Storr ran a personal best 46.74 in the 400m in the conference championships on May 5. The second team All-Southland selection also qualified in the 200m running a 20.98 April 27 at the Southern Miss Open in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Jyles Etienne will contest the high jump for the Indiana Hoosiers.

Etienne recorded his season best height at the Big Ten Championships where he cleared a height of 2.20m (7’ 2.5”).

The Liberty Flames’ Denzel Pratt looks to return to the NCAA championships for the second

NCAA Division I baseball has moved into various conference tournaments across the United States and several Bahamian players are looking to advance with their respective programmes.

Tevin Symonette and the Lipscomb Bisons lost its opening round game of the ASUN Championship to Jacksonville 12-11 in extra innings Wednesday night.

He went 2-4 and scored two runs. With the loss, Lipscomb faced elimination against the No.6 Stetson Hatters last night. Results were unavailable up to press time.

Symonette was named an ASUN All-Conference first team in his final season at Lipscomb after putting together a standout season.

He saw action in 43 games during his senior campaign and made 42 starts in left field. He finished with a .286 batting average and led the team in home runs (7), doubles (12) and slugging percentage (.524).

After missing nearly two weeks with an injury in the

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JYLES ETIENNE, of the Bahamas, is expected to contest the high jump for the Indiana Hoosiers. consecutive year. He finished third at the 2018 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet in Tampa, Florida.

This season, Pratt has won four of his six javelin competitions, and won the ASUN title most recently.

Pratt will attempt to improve upon his own Bahamas national record (232-0) set in 2017.

The Liberty school record of 234-11 is also in play.

The West Regionals will feature nine Bahamians highlighted by three from Oral Roberts University.

Sasha Wells qualified for the 100m hurdles while Kayvon Stubbs will compete in the 200m.

On the men’s side, Bradley Dormeus will compete in the 400m and the 4x400m relay.

Wells was named the 2019 Summit League Outdoor Track Championship MVP. She shattered the meet record with a time of 13.44 in the 100m hurdles, tying her personal best which she ran at the 2018 CARIFTA games.

Individually, Wells also took first place in the 100m (11.83), second in the 200m (24.48).

Stubbs took first place in the 200m in 23.99 and was second in the 100m in 11.85.

Dormeus finished second in the 400m in 47.67.

Arkansas’ Laquan Nairn will compete in the long jump and triple jump. At the SEC Championships, Nairn set a new personal best and finished fifth in the triple jump with his jump of 15.68m.

Charisma Taylor, of the Washington State Cougars, will compete in the triple jump.

Texas Southern’s Alexis Gray qualified in the 100m and 200m.At the SWAC championships, Gray came away with a pair of silver medals in sprinting events for the Lady Tigers. Her second-place time in the 100m dash was 11.77, Gray finished the 200m dash with a time of 23.74, also good for second place.

Shakeem Smith and Dreshanae Rolle will both compete for the University of Texas El-Paso in the 400m hurdles.

Smith won the 400m hurdles in 50.86 at the Conference-USA championships and was sixth in the 110m Hurdles in 14.40.

At the junior college level, several Bahamian student athletes also earned All-America honours for the 2019 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field season.

The awards were announced Wednesday by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Kyle Alcine, Chanice Forbes and Kenisha Stubbs claimed the honour for Cloud County Community CC, Oneika Rolle did the same for Highland CC while Devonte Smith and Denvaungh Whymms won the award for South Plains CC. Student athletes earned USTFCCCA All-America honours by virtue of finishing among the top-8 of their respective individual events – including as a member of a relay – at the 2019 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships this past weekend in Hobbs, New Mexico.

Cloud County (Kan.) won its first outdoor national title in programme history, while the New Mexico JC women made it three in a row and protected their hometrack advantage.

Bahamas Bowl all set for December 20 THE bowl season will begin in the Bahamas this year as the 2019 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl has been set for 2pm ET on Friday, December 20.

The longest-running international bowl game in college football history will play its sixth edition once again in Nassau’s 15,000-seat Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, and the game will be broadcast in the United States for the sixth consecutive year by ESPN. For the fourth straight year, the game date falls on a Friday at the start of a long holiday period in the Bahamas.

“We are proud to be the opening game of the bowl season during the celebration of 150 years of college football in 2019,” said Makers

Wanted Bahamas Bowl executive director Richard Giannini.

“Keeping our game on Friday allows more Bahamians and their families to attend as the starting event of the holidays, and the later kickoff time will also give more people an opportunity to attend.

Our bowl is now a fixture on the Bahamas sporting calendar, it has provided exciting competition in a great Bahamian gameday atmosphere for our fans in attendance, and it continues to be a yearly showcase of the Bahamas on ESPN. Thanks to the assistance of Elk Grove Village and Makers Wanted, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and the Atlantis, we know that the 2019 bowl will let everyone know why ‘‘Bowl Games are Better in The Bahamas’.”

Each year, thousands of American football fans travel to Nassau to see their universities play in the only current bowl game played outside the United States.

The inaugural bowl game in 2014 saw WKU beat Central Michigan 49-48 in a memorable offensive shootout. In 2015, Western Michigan beat Middle Tennessee 45-31, Old Dominion held off Eastern Michigan 24-20 in the 2016 game, Ohio beat UAB 41-6 in 2017 and FIU rallied to beat Toledo 35-32 in last year’s game.

As with the first five editions, the 2019 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl will feature teams from Conference USA and the MidAmerican Conference.

For more information on the 2019 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl, visit MakersWantedBahamasBowl.com. The game is one of 15 postseason bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.

SEE PAGE 3

IVANIQUE KEMP TO TRY OUT FOR RUGBY TEAM

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FORMER female high hurdles national record holder Ivanique Kemp, already a talented track and field athlete who made the switch to rugby, will be joining Carly Johnson on a trip to Washington DC to try out for the Furies women’s rugby team.

Their coach Kevin Salabie, congratulating the two players, said it wasn’t an easy selection because of the large number of women who participate in the game.

“They will be travelling in June for a week to practice with the Washington DC Furies women’s rugby team. This practice will be their first heading to the USA Club Nationals,” Salabie said.

“They will then come back to me to prepare for the Olympic qualifier in Grand Cayman July 6-7 and back to DC on July 10 for 5 weeks of training before the USA Nationals in August.”

Salabie revealed that it all started with a conversation on Facebook between himself and Matthew Williams from England. According to Salabie, Williams had

SEE PAGE 3

PAGE 2, Friday, May 24, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

BONES Babes excited about this year’s tournament.

CHEERS to our team.

TUNA CLASSIC STARTS TODAY THE Bones Babes, an all Bahamian female fishing team, are preparing to head back on the boat for the 2019 Harbourside Marine, Tuna Classic.

This year, they plan to fish while raising money for a great cause and showing the guys that they can fish too!

The 2019 Tuna Classic, a fundraiser for the Bahamas East Rotary Club, is scheduled for May 24-25, with six weigh in stations throughout the islands of Nassau, Abaco, Freeport, Eleuthera, Bimini and the Berry Islands.

There is an official start of 6am on the Saturday morning, and fish must be weighed in by the weighmaster at each island’s station.

Over 30 teams will compete for the largest: Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, Snapper/ Grouper categories, with overall points determining the winning boat.

The ‘Bones Babes’ team consists of captain Siobhan Antoni-Bates, Nikki Waugh, Kristi Long, and Nikki Rose who performed well in their first event last year. “We love fishing,” said Mrs Bates. “It’s a bonus to raise money for

a good cause so this event is a perfect fit. We’re up and out early, cut our own bait, and have always come back with fish in the boat.

This year we plan to do the same and come home with the big one!” With each of their husbands also fishing the tournament on different boats, they are eager to make their mark and show The Bahamas that ladies can fish too.

Bones Bar is the official weigh in station for Freeport, and the bar has also been their lead sponsor. “We have always tried to be out of the box, and a little quirky,” said Bones Bar owner Jason Franklin.

“A hard-working mums fishing team ticks all the boxes in what a male dominated sport is. I’d love to see them bring in a large haul and I am so pleased that the ladies are rallying even more support.”

Proud to be sponsoring the team are also Wave Life, Panama Jack, Kelly’s True Value, Senor Frogs, Del Sol, Bahamian Life, Freeport Ship Services, Katy’s Equipment, the Antoni family, Freeport Vet Hospital, Barefoot Marketing, and 242NewsBahamas.

“Many of these companies

sponsoring us also have female presidents or owners,” said team organiser Waugh.

“It’s great to get the support of fellow women in this community. Due to the great response on sponsorship the ‘Bones Babes’ are also hoping to give back in a huge way, to the Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas, with more than just an entrance fee.”

For the last several years, Freeport boats have swept the awards for this annual event, and the ladies hope to bring home some prizes this year as well.

“Over the past few years we watched our husbands plan for and participate in this tournament,” said Bones Babe, Nikki Rose.

“Until we thought, why not us? We love to fish, and this is a great way to show our sons and daughters – MOM’s can do it all!”

Tournament results will be announced during special ceremonies at Green Parrot on June 1.

To learn more about the tournament, visit the Rotary’s official website at www.bahamasrotaryfishing. com or follow Harbourside Marine via their Facebook page.

NIKKI Rose shows off her catch.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, May 24, 2019, PAGE 3

Leonard scores 35, Raptors beat Bucks 105-99 for 3-2 lead

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 105-99 last night to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Leonard showed no obvious signs of the leg soreness that bothered him in Toronto’s victories in the previous two games, hitting the 30-point mark for the fourth time in the series.

He made five 3-pointers and had seven rebounds and nine assists.

Fred VanVleet scored 21 points, hitting seven 3s.

Kyle Lowry added 17 as the Raptors put themselves in position to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time. A victory at home Saturday would set up a matchup with twotime defending champion Golden State.

“This was a super-hard win tonight,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

The Raptors battled out of an early 14-point hole, then got 15 points from Leonard in the fourth quarter to send the topseeded Bucks to their first

KEMP from PAGE 1 heard about how amazing the Bahamas was and our athletes and he was interested. “As the conversation continued, he asked for two females to join his team in DC,” Salabie said. “Before the conversation was over, he said I am coming to the Bahamas. I thought he was joking until the next day I received his itinerary.”

Williams met both Kemp and Johnson and now they’re headed to Washington DC. “I feel great that I’m not going by myself this time,” said Johnson who, in 2018, was the only player from

three-game losing streak of the season.

“We weathered the storm early,” Leonard said.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points for Milwaukee hours after being announced as a unanimous first-team, All-NBA selection.

Eric Bledsoe scored 20 and Malcolm Brogdon added 18 points and 11 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup.

“It’s first to four. We’ve got to go to Toronto, get a game. I think the group will be ready,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

The Raptors were clinging to a two-point lead in the closing minute after Khris Middleton drove around Leonard on the baseline for a layup.

Toronto was initially called for a shot-clock violation when Leonard missed a fadeaway jumper with 35 seconds left. That got overturned by a replay review, and Brook Lopez was called for a foul, instead, for bumping Marc Gasol after he retrieved the loose ball.

Gasol hit both free throws to make it 100-97.

Another replay review went in Toronto’s favor

the Bahamas to travel to Dubai for their sevens tournament as a winger.

The year before, Johnson travelled on the national team, coached by Salabie, to Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico, and Barbados.

“A fantastic athlete that has the genetics and aggression to become a very talented rugby player,” Salabie wrote about Johnson. “Carly has a wonderful and smiley personality. The challenge is there are some areas that need to be improved within her decision-making and basic skills. Carly has the power, pace and aggression that if guided could really give us a point of difference.”

With just one year in the sport under her belt, Kemp

when officials determined a ball went out of bounds off Brogdon with 26.8 seconds left. Brogdon pulled his hand away, thinking his dribble had gone off Pascal Siakam’s foot.

Siakam then drove for a dunk, making it 102-97, and the Raptors hung on from there.

Milwaukee was leading 81-79 with about 8 1/2 minutes left when Leonard nailed back-to-back 3-pointers. He hit two free throws before Siakam threw down a put-back dunk to make it 89-81.

The Bucks tied it at 93-all with 2:44 left on a 3-pointer by Lopez. VanVleet answered with one of his own before Antetokounmpo threw down an alley-oop dunk to cut it

TORONTO Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is fouled

by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference final in Milwaukee on May 15. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

joined rugby after competing as a 100-metre hurdles specialist from 2008 to 2017, representing the Bahamas at the CARIFTA Games, Junior and Senior Central American and Caribbean Games, the Pan American Games and the World Junior Championships.

In 2012, she qualified for the London Summer Olympic Games where she finished as a semifinalist in the 100m hurdles.

Additionally, Kemp competed in the South Eastern Conference as a Lady Razorback at the University of Arkansas.

She earned the USTFCCCA All-American honors (2010-2013). She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business

Young has his most productive offensive outing of the season

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net CHAVEZ Young had his most productive offensive outing of the season and Lucius Fox got the better in the first game of his headto-head series against Jazz Chisholm in minor league baseball play.

Young finished 3-5 with one home run, three RBI and scored two runs as the Dunedin Blue Jays took three of four games to close out the series with the St Lucie Mets.

In a three hour and 35 minute game, which was the longest game of the year for Dunedin, Young helped to break the game open with a nine run fourth inning to put the Blue Jays ahead for good.

It was the most runs scored by Dunedin in a single inning this season.

After a single from teammate Christopher Bec, Young then took a 3-2 pitch to left field for his second home run of the year and give Dunedin a 2-0 lead.

The lineup came around and in Young’s second plate appearance of the inning, he delivered an RBI single to plate Bec once again.

The totals for the inning included eight hits and four walks.

Young also tacked on a single in the top of the fifth inning.

FOX GOES HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH CHISHOLM

IVANIQUE KEMP administration and a Master of Science in operations management. In the fall of 2018, she transitioned from athletics to women’s rugby where she currently holds the position as a wing/ prop.

Kemp, who has posted a personal best time of 11.69 seconds in the 100m, previously held the Bahamas national record in the 100m hurdles in a time of 13.10.

According to Salabie, Kemp has the repertoire to be a great rugby player.

“Very new to rugby, but as we are all aware of Pace/ Speed kills in this format of the game, her attitude is spot on and being an Olympian proves she is mentally strong and understands that to get somewhere you have

In game two, the Blue Jays’ only loss of the series, Young was Dunedin’s only player to record an extrabase hit for Dunedin with a two-out double in the 8th inning.

The Mets won 3-0.

The Blue Jays won the series opening double header Monday night, 5-2 and 2-0.

Young was assigned to the Blue Jays of the Florida State League in Class A-Advanced for the first time this season.

He was listed as the Toronto Blue Jays’ No.23 prospect in the preseason and the franchise’s farm system was listed as No.5 overall.

Fox and his Montgomery Biscuits took game one of their series against Jazz Chisholm and the Jackson Generals Wednesday night

in the Double A Southern League.

Fox finished 1-3 with one run and two stolen bases of the Biscuits’ 3-0 win over the Generals.

After he came up empty in his first two appearances at the plate, Fox was walked in the bottom of the sixth and stole second to reach scoring position.

He singled in the bottom of the eighth and stole second again but was eventually plated by Rene Pinto.

Just last week, Fox and the Biscuits went head-tohead with and Anfernee Seymour and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

The Biscuits got the edge, 3-2 in the five game series.

Seymour had a productive series at the plate, 4-12, with one RBI and two runs scored through three games.

TIP-INS Raptors: Lowry now has 1,126 points in 66 playoff games for Toronto, surpassing DeMar DeRozan (1,117) as the franchise’s postseason scoring leader.

Bucks: Brogdon started all 64 games he played in during the regular season, before missing basically all of the first two rounds because of a heel injury.

With Brogdon back in the lineup, Nikola Mirotic came off the bench.

UP NEXT Game 6 is at Toronto on Saturday.

a year later and she immediately fell in love with the sport.

“I feel great and I feel more comfortable because at first, I was just using my talent and the feet,” she said. “By now that my coach has broken down things for me, they showed me how to throw the ball and break down tackles.

“So I feel very confident going over there and implementing the new things that they have taught me so that I can excel this time around.”

Having pioneered the way for Bahamian women in flag football, Johnson said she wasn’t pleased with her initial trip because she didn’t get to show what she is really capable of doing.

“Now I have a second opportunity and I’m willing to take advantage of this opportunity to represent the country to the best of my abilities,” she said.

“I’m just excited to have Ivanique going with me. I know that we will both go out there and represent the country very well because we are very competitive. I am really excited because I know that we are going to compete well for the Bahamas.”

Bahamians are a hit in NCAA Division I baseball FROM PAGE 1

CHAVEZ YOUNG in action.

to push and work hard,” he wrote.

“Ivy is a wonderful person and the environment is just a great place for her to learn and improve and develop as a rugby player.”

Johnson said she’s delighted that Kemp will be making the trip with her.

She also had some advice to give her, although they have never played together in the sport, their paths crossed in athletics.

“I just want her to put the things she was taught in practice into the game,” Johnson said of Kemp. “I think it will be a good experience for both of us.”

Even though she was an athlete competing from the first grade at the age of five, Johnson said she was able to grow and develop her skills at the Hugh Campbell School in Grand Bahama.

At the age of 15, she made her first national team for the CARIFTA Games, winning gold in 2010. After graduating from high school, she went on to Taylor University where she earned All-American status.

On her return home after graduating, Johnson was introduced to flag football

to 96-95 with just over two minutes remaining.

The Bucks set a fast pace early on and led by 10 after the first quarter, delighting the towel-waving fans chanting “Fear The Deer!

Fear the Deer!” They withstood a 16-2 run by Toronto to start the second, with Antetokounmpo nailing a 3 to stop it.

The Bucks also went on a 14-2 run early in the third, with the Greek Freak throwing down a hard dunk off a feed by Middleton for a 63-51 lead. But the Raptors got right back into it.

middle of the season, the Freeport, Bahamas native turned it on down the stretch.

Against conference opponents he compiled a .301 batting average with five home runs and 13 RBI, while slugging .616. His five long balls were tied for the third most against league foes and he ranked second in slugging percentage.

On April 29 he earned his first career ASUN Player of the Week award after carrying Lipscomb to a series sweep of Stetson.

He hit .500 with three home runs and four RBI during the series, as well as recording double-digit putouts in the outfield with some spectacular diving catches.

Symonette homered in each of the three games and his solo shot in the series was the difference in a 3-2 victory.

Cole Dubet and the St Louis Billikens were eliminated from the Atlantic 10 tournament after a pair of losses Wednesday night.

St Louis, the No. 7-seed in the bracket, lost its first game 2-0 against No.2 seed Davidson at Fordham University’s Houlihan Park.

They followed with a 2-1 loss to Rhode Island in the 10th inning.

The Billikens conclude their season with a 25-30 record.

Dubet was named an A-10 All-Conference Second Team selection.

The four-year starter hit .324 this season.

And he was tied for the team lead with seven home runs.

For his career, Dubet has played in a total of 214 games for the Billikens, good for fifth all-time.

BJ Murray and the top seeded FAU Owls won the opening game of the Conference-USA tournament with a 6-5 win over the UTSA Roadrunners.

“What a game, two of the First Team All-Conference guys square off and they don’t factor in (the end).

“Our guys kept charging, their guys kept charging, and we get the double play at the end. It’s a great

victory,” said Owls head coach John McCormick.

FAU is nationally ranked at No.29 and faced the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers last night in round two.

The Owls won the regular season Conference USA championship and finished the season 37-18, 22-8 C-USA. Allbry Major and the Xavier Musketeers made their Big East tournament debut last night against the No. 3 St. John’s Red Storm.

Results were unavailable up to press time.

Xavier, the No. 2 seed, finished the regular season at 25-29 overall and 12-4 in BIG EAST play. Ellison Hanna and the Indiana State Sycamores advanced to the second round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. They defeated Evansville 7-0 in the opening round. They took on the No.2 seed Illinois State Redbirds last night, however results were unavailable to press time.

The Sycamores entered postseason play at 36-15 after a third-place finish (13-8) in the MVC.

PAGE 4, Friday, May 24, 2019

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35TH ANNUAL FRANK ‘PANCHO’ RAHMING PRIMARY SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

THE Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture held an opening ceremony for the 35th annual Frank “Pancho” Rahming Primary School Track and Field Championships Wednesday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

Photos by Kristaan Ingraham/BIS

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Friday, May 24, 2019, PAGE 5

35TH ANNUAL FRANK ‘PANCHO’ RAHMING PRIMARY SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

THE Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture held an opening ceremony for the 35th annual Frank “Pancho” Rahming Primary School Track and Field Championships on Wednesday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium. Athletes from over 60 primary schools throughout the island nation participated in a march-past and were welcomed by the Tim Munnings, the director of sports, who acknowledged that “this is the largest number of participating schools.”

Some schools were first time participants. Renee Bullard, under secretary in the ministry, officially opened the event on behalf of Minister of Youth Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle.

Participating athletes are pictured during their events.

Photos by Kristaan Ingraham/BIS

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Friday, May 24, 2019, PAGE 7

Lillard, Kemba, LeBron among noteworthy All-NBA picks

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden got the most votes, and Damian Lillard and Kemba Walker also were big winners when the All-NBA teams were announced.

Those guards can cash in with supermax contracts based on their selections to one of the three All-NBA teams that were announced yesterday.

LeBron James also was voted to the third team, tying the NBA record with his 15th All-NBA selection.

Rounding out the first team were Stephen Curry, Paul George and Nikola Jokic, who was Denver’s first All-NBA selection since Carmelo Anthony in 2010.

Antetokounmpo and Harden were unanimous selections, receiving all 100 votes from a panel of writers and broadcasters who had to choose two guards, two forwards and one centre for each of the three teams.

Walker was the final selection but all that matters is that he made it. By doing so, he became eligible to receive a five-year contract extension worth about $221 million from

the Hornets if he opts to stay in Charlotte, a reward the NBA put in recently as further incentive to keep players with their current teams. The Hornets could have offered him about $30 million less if he wasn’t selected and failed to earn the criteria for the largest possible contract.

Lillard, a second-team selection, can get more than $190 million over four years with a new contract in Portland.

Antetokounmpo will have his chance for a mega deal in Milwaukee after next season. He’s an MVP finalist who was also a first-team All-Defensive selection for a Bucks team that had the best record in the league.

“It’s a pretty incredible season but he’s much more focused on tonight and getting ready to go,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

Golden State’s Klay Thompson, Washington’s Bradley Beal and Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns were also in position to cash in with those lucrative extensions, but none was an All-NBA selection.

James has been a lock for most of his career, but was no sure thing after an injury-shortened first season in Los Angeles.

His streak of 11 consecutive seasons as a first-team player, a record he shared with Karl Malone, came to an end. He did, however, make his 15th consecutive appearance on the All-NBA roster — joining Kobe Bryant as the only players to make that many teams in consecutive fashion. The 15th All-NBA nod also tied James with Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan for the most in

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league history. The secondlongest active streak now belongs to Curry, who’s been on each of the past six All-NBA teams. That means he wouldn’t be able to catch Bryant and James’ longevity mark until 2028.

Philadelphia centre Joel Embiid led the second team that along with Lillard included Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving. Leonard was also a second-team selection to

the All-Defensive team in his first season in Toronto.

“He seemed to cruise to 30 points a lot of nights,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

“Thirty is a lot in this league. That’s why I kept saying that it just feels like there’s another gear with this guy that we’re going to see.”

James and Walker headlined a third team that featured Russell

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Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 82° F/28° C Low .................................................... 77° F/25° C Normal high ....................................... 85° F/29° C Normal low ........................................ 72° F/22° C Last year’s high ................................. 83° F/28° C Last year’s low ................................... 76° F/25° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 10.64” Normal year to date ..................................... 7.86”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 74° F/23° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

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KEY WEST

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 78° F/26° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 77° F/25° C

N

S

E

W

8-16 knots

S

8-16 knots

uV inDex toDay

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High Today

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

12:20 a.m.

12:49 p.m.

2.7 2.1

6:54 a.m.

6:48 p.m.

0.3 0.5

Saturday

1:09 a.m.

1:42 p.m.

2.5 2.0

7:44 a.m.

7:42 p.m.

0.4 0.6

Sunday

2:00 a.m.

2:38 p.m.

2.4 2.1

8:34 a.m.

8:40 p.m.

0.5 0.7

Monday

2:52 a.m.

3:33 p.m.

2.3 2.2

9:24 a.m.

9:39 p.m.

0.5 0.7

Tuesday

3:45 a.m.

4:25 p.m.

2.3 2.3

10:12 a.m. 0.4 10:36 p.m. 0.7

Wednesday 4:35 a.m.

5:13 p.m.

2.3 2.5

10:56 a.m. 0.3 11:29 p.m. 0.5

Thursday

2.3 2.7

11:39 a.m. 0.1 ---------

5:23 a.m.

5:58 p.m.

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:22 a.m.

7:52 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

12:17 a.m.

11:20 a.m.

Last

New

First

Full

May 26

Jun. 3

Jun. 10

Jun. 17

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

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High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

H

Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Rudy Gobert.

CAT ISLAND

E

W

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

GENEVA (AP) — Top-seeded Alexander Zverev advanced to the Geneva Open semifinals by beating Hugo Dellien 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday.

The fifth-ranked Zverev saved a set point when trailing 5-3 against the 92nd-ranked Bolivian in the first. He then got the key service break to take a 3-1 lead in the decider.

“I struggled a little bit but still ended up finding a way to win, and that’s most important for me right now,” said Zverev, who has yet to win a title in 2019.

Zverev next faces Federico Delbonis or Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who could not complete their quarterfinal in fading light. Delbonis led 7-6 (5), 2-3.

Fifth-seeded Radu Albot beat Bosnian qualifier Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 7-5. The 45th-ranked Moldovan next faces Nicolas Jarry of Chile, who won 6-1, 7-5 against Japan’s Taro Daniel.

CHARLOTTE Hornets’ Kemba Walker answers a question during end of season interviews for the NBA basketball team on April 11.

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TOP-SEEDED ZVEREV REACHES GENEVA OPEN SEMI-FINALS

8-16 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 85° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

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E

W

E

W

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S

S

8-16 knots

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marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:

WINDS NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots

WAVES 4-7 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 77° F 77° F 83° F 83° F 80° F 80° F 82° F 82° F 79° F 79° F 81° F 81° F 82° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 82° F 82° F 81° F 81° F 83° F 83° F 81° F 81° F

PAGE 8, Friday, May 24, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Is it a Cricket World Cup if much of the world is missing?

By FOSTER NIUMATA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — All the usual suspects have gathered for the World Cup at the home of cricket, and yet something is missing.

The rest of the world.

When the first ball is bowled at The Oval on Thursday, only 10 teams will be vying to be world champion, the smallest number since 1992.

After the hugely popular, successful, and entertaining 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the format was slashed from 14 teams to 10. Qualifying was a prize for only two teams.

No Associate members qualified.

So, no Zimbabwe for the first time in 36 years. No Ireland for the first time in 12. No other recent competitors such as Scotland, Kenya, Netherlands, or Canada.

Yes, more often than not those teams were fodder for the big guns, but they were improvers who delivered some of the World Cup’s greatest moments.

The moments broadcasters love to replay during rain delays, and moments when the world took notice of the Cricket World Cup. Occasions when Ireland upset Pakistan in 2007, England in 2011 with Kevin O’Brien’s comeback century, and the West Indies in 2015; when Zimbabwe beat Australia in 1983, England in 1992 with Eddo Brandes’ four-for, and India and South Africa in 1999; and when Kenya beat Sri Lanka in 2003. Add Canada’s John Davison teeing off against the West Indies in 2003 with what was then the World Cup’s fastest century.

Who doesn’t like surprises?

Well, cricket powerbrokers India, England, and Australia didn’t.

They led a demand in 2010 for “more competitive” World Cups by reducing the field to the size of the Champions Trophy. That way, they could ensure that, as the favourite teams for TV and advertisers, they would be in the tournament for at least a month of the six-week saga.

But at a time when FIFA is planning to add 16 extra teams to the soccer World Cup, the Rugby World Cup wants to add four, and the Olympics added five new sports, reducing numbers in cricket’s showpiece is contrary to administrative mantras about developing the global game.

In spite of all this, the 12th Cricket World Cup ought to be a smash hit.

The English hosts have done more than most to make it so. Immediately after the humiliating group-stage exit four years ago, England transformed itself by selecting shortform cricket specialists, and adopting the positive, aggressive approach of 2015 finalists Australia and New Zealand. They have not lost a home series in four years, won 57 of 86 ODIs, returned to No. 1 a year ago, and broken the world record total twice. Seven players in the England squad have scored centuries, the most of any team.

“We’re in as strong a position as we could be at this stage,” captain Eoin Morgan says.

If anything will stop them, it will be the weight of expectations. England still seeks a first major ODI title. It has lost three World

VIRAT KOHLI and India come looking for a third World Cup crown with the most experienced squad in the competition.

(AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

Cup finals and two Champions Trophy finals. It was favoured at the 2017 Champions Trophy, also at home, and fell to Pakistan on a slow pitch in the semi-finals.

Conditions have changed.

Swing and seam are less impactful as English pitches have become flatter, encouraging higher scores: 300 has become a par score for an ODI. In the EnglandPakistan series this month, seven of the eight totals were 300-plus. The other was 297.

India come looking for a third World Cup crown with the most experienced squad in the competition.

But there’s a feeling that if bowlers can get through the mighty top order of Shikhar Dhawan, captain Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, then the middle order is vulnerable.

There’s a wave of newcomers who are set to light up the tournament, among them Afghanistan bowling allrounder Rashid Khan, the top allrounder in ODIs already at age 20, and Jasprit Bumrah, the No. 1-ranked ODI bowler who is on track to become the fastest Indian to 100 wickets. While they make their World Cup debut, others will make their bow.

This will be the last World Cup for the likes of West Indies blaster Chris Gayle, South Africa’s JP Duminy, Imran Tahir and Dale Steyn, Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik, and Bangladesh’s golden generation which has yet to strike gold.

Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Tamim Iqbal beat and eliminated India in the 2007 World Cup. This is their last shot at glory. A toast for good luck.