SPORTS SECTION E
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025
Simmons, Page 5
Swim team off to T&T By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
T
he Bahamas’ 36-member swim team left town yesterday for Trinidad & Tobago on their quest for their seventh straight title over the Easter holiday weekend. And, according to team manager Celestia Darville and head coach Travano McPhee, the swimmers are all eager to start the competition on Saturday at the National Swim Complex. Having completed all of their formalities on The Bahamas end, Darville said they have been coordinating with Trinidad & Tobago for their entry to be as seamless as possible. “The team in Trinidad has been amazing with us,” she pointed out. “Now it’s just our execution. All of the prep work has been done.”
NEW PROVIDENCE BASKETBALL – SEE PAGE E2
Once they arrive in Trinidad & Tobago and their hour ride to their hotel, they will prepare for practice today and look forward to competing starting on Saturday. “Everything has already been said. The only thing we are trying to do is to make sure their mental aspect is in the right place,” Darville said. “We just want to make sure that they are ready to execute.” McPhee, who has been the head coach for the past six CARIFTA championship teams, said everyday as they get closer to the competition, the swimmers are looking faster and well rested. “So the mindset going into Trinidad is that once we get there, we will get a practice on tomorrow (today) so that they can get familiar with the environment and the starting blocks,” he said. “We’re looking good. This is the first time we are travelling three days before competition. Normally we go two days before competition. This will help us to get better prepared and have more time in the competition pool, especially our younger swimmers in the long course pool.” McPhee assured the Bahamian public that the team is going to Trinidad with one goal in mind and that is to return home with its seventh straight title because the team “is focused and they look like they are ready to go and do what they have to do.” Dr Keir Miller called this the best team he’s been a
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SHOWN, from left to right, are Christopher DeMarco, Chavano “Buddy” Hield, Deandre Ayton, LJ Rose and John Marc Nutt.
Ayton Family Foundation holds fundraiser to support national basketball team THE Ayton Family Foundation, founded by Bahamian National Basketball Association (NBA) player Deandre Ayton, held a fundraiser to support the Bahamas’ national basketball team and youth basketball development initiatives. The event was hosted by ESPN’s Kendra Andrews at The Ritz-Carlton in Portland and brought together NBA stars from the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors, national team representatives, and community supporters for an
inspiring and impactful evening. The event raised $75,000 to support the Bahamas senior men’s national team’s journey to qualify for the 2027 FIBA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, along with youth (boys and girls) basketball initiatives and coaching development in The Bahamas. The Ayton Family Foundation’s broader mission includes nourishing minds and bodies through culturally relevant programmes in Portland, The Bahamas and Jamaica.
Along with Ayton, the NBA centre for the Trail Blazers, and co-captain for The Bahamas’ national team, also in attendance were Grand Bahamian Chavano “Buddy” Hield, NBA guard with the Golden State Warriors and co-captain of The Bahamas’ national team, Chris DeMarco, the assistant coach of the Warriors and head coach of The Bahamas’ national team LJ Rose, a scout for the Houston Rockets and general manager of the Bahamas national team and Andrea Ayton, the co-founder of
the Ayton Family Foundation, and Deandre’s mother. During the show, there was a question and answer period, spotlighting Bahamas basketball’s growth and global aspirations, featuring Ayton, Hield, Rose and DeMarco. And there was a live auction featuring one-ofa-kind experiences and memorabilia, including Trail Blazers and Warriors game-day VIP packages, a cooking experience with Andrea Ayton, a Baha Mar resort getaway and a signed Kobe Bryant jersey.
TRAVANO MCPHEE: ‘LIKE I ALWAYS TELL HER, SHE WILL BE BETTER THAN ME By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net HEAD coach Travano McPhee said it will be interesting to finally get to coach his daughter Isabell Munroe when they travel to Trinidad & Tobago for the Bahamas swimming team’s quest for its seventh straight CARIFTA title. Munroe, the youngest female swimmer at the age of 11, was selected to Team
Bahamas and will compete in the girls’ 11-12 division during the swimming competition from Saturday to Tuesday. “This is a very special moment in my life. It’s good to see her following in her father’s footsteps,”
THE SPORTS April CALENDAR BASEBALL/ SOFTBALL RELOADED INVITATIONAL THE Reloaded baseball and softball programme for boys and girls is scheduled to hold its fourth invitational tournament April 18-21 at the Baillou
Hills Sporting Complex. The event, organised by Stephen “Bishop” Beneby, is being sanctioned by the Bahamas Baseball Assocation, headed by Clarence “CJ’ McKenzie, and will be sponsored by the
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COACH Travano McPhee with his daughter Isabella Munroe. said McPhee, a former CARIFTA swimmer now coaching for the past decade. “Like I always tell her, she will be better than me. She’s way ahead of where I was for her age. I expect more out of her than I would have for me.” Munroe, the youngest female on the team at 11, said with her having her dad as her coach, she gets more than just a pep talk. “I get to spend more time with him,” said the St Andrew’s sixth grader. “So I think that is one of the
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