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SPORTS SECTION E

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Travis Munnings declares for NBA Draft By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net TRAVIS Munnings has decided to test the professional ranks sooner than expected and become one of hundreds of early entrants to declare for the NBA Draft. The University of Louisiana Monroe Warhawks junior forward made the announcement via social media in an Instagram post from his account. “You are not like everyone else. The Most High, God has not only handpicked you, he not only chose you, but he set you apart, he made you uncommon,” he said. “I would like to thank the Lord for everything he has done. A huge thanks to my coaches, teammates, fans and everyone that supported me on this journey. With that being

said, I am declaring for The NBA Draft the 2018 NBA Draft takes place June 21 at and do not wish to hire the Barclays Center in an agent at this time.” Brooklyn, New York. Munnings just beat Munnings was named out the deadline for a Louisiana Sports underclassmen to Writers Association declare for the NBA (LSWA) Men’s ColDraft, but made the lege Basketball Team announcement public Third-team selection to on Wednesday. add to his postseason Over 130 players accolades. have declared for the The junior forward MUNNINGS draft, including those averaged 15.9 points, who have opted not to 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 sign with agents. assists per game. He was previThe next in the draft process will ously honoured as Second-team be the testing and evaluation done All-Sun Belt Conference selection at the May 16 NBA combine. and won Sun Belt Player of the Following the combine, and Week. based on the feedback they En route to winning Conferreceive, underclassmen can decide ence Player of the Week honours, to remain in the draft and hire an Munnings averaged 21 points and agent or return to school. 5.5 rebounds while helping ULM

to a homecourt sweep over UT Arlington (84-71) and Texas State (79-71). He also made 9-of-21 three pointers (41 per cent) during that two-game stretch. ULM basketball coach Keith Richard is already looking ahead to the continued growth of the Grand Bahama native as he heads into his senior season. “I had him in and we talked about having a team around him as a senior that can make a run at this championship,” Richard said about the team’s series of exit interviews. Munnings led the team in both scoring and rebounding and is a member of the 1,000-point club. As a freshman, the 6’6” forward averaged 7.2 points and 5.4 rebounds and increased those numbers to 13.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore.

Bucks force Game 7 By GENARO C ARMAS AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 14 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away late to beat the Boston Celtics 97-86 last night to force a Game 7 in the first-round series. Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon each added 16 points, with Brogdon hitting a momentum-swinging 3 from the left corner to give the Bucks a two-possession lead with 5:22 left. The Bucks held the Celtics at bay from there to force the winner-take-all game Saturday night in Boston. The up-and-coming Bucks haven’t played a seventh game in the playoffs since losing to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round in 2010. Both teams went on extended runs to take big leads. The Bucks made the last big push to close out the Celtics. Boston had to settle for perimeter looks down the stretch. They couldn’t hit enough 3s, finishing 10 of 36 (28 per cent) on the night, and the Bucks limited Boston on the glass. On offence, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks’ charge right at the heart of the Celtics’ defence. After Eric Bledsoe picked off Jayson Tatum’s inbounds pass, Antetokounmpo converted an offensive rebound with a putback off the glass for an 89-81 lead with 3:08 left. It was part of an 11-3 run late to help the Bucks pull away for 10-point advantage. With his team facing

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‘BOUNCE BACK KING’ LAUNCHES CLOTHING LINE By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net NO longer under contract with Muzino, triple jumper Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands has decided to start his own apparel line. It’s called: “Sands Pro Athletics Clothing Brand” and the slogan on the back is labelled: “Zero Excuses. Only Results.” If anybody knows Sands, he is one who prides himself on striving under all circumstances that he has been faced with in his life. So this latest venture is something that he feels defies his personality and it’s something that he wants to share with as many people as he can who have followed his career. “It’s been in the making for over a year and-a-half now,” Sands said. “Since I put it out there, a lot of people have been buying them, so I want the Bahamian public to start buying them too.” Designed in Auburn, Alabama, where he resides with his wife and children, the products are manufactured in Ohio. In the middle of the design is Sands’ silhouette image from his bronze medal performance in the men’s triple jump at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. It also includes wings in the Bahamian flag colours, which depicts Sands flying into the pit. And it has the Bahamas embroidered on

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3RD ANNUAL TOP ELITE SHOWCASE ENDS TODAY By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MILWAUKEE Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks last night in the first half of Game 6 of a first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. Boston lost 97-86. AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Gardiner: Best yet to come from Mingoes’ Mullings By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net DESPITE all the feats Ken Mullings has achieved thus far this

Playoffs, Page 4

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season, University of the Bahamas track and field coach Rupert Gardiner said the best is yet to come from the Mingoes decathlete. Mullings most recently won the gold medal in the college men’s decathlon in the Penn Relays yesterday at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gardiner called him a “hard worker” and a “natural talent”, a combination he said should lead to Mullings becoming the national outdoor record holder in the very near future. “Ken had a remarkable performance at the Penn Relays, and we can tell with how he is performing that he’s close to the record. He reached a personal record in both the pole vault and in the 400m which we are extremely proud of. “All of his events he did great in but to perform so well in those two events, we were excited to

see that from him. It was raining, this weather wasn’t too condusive to him performing well in some events, particularly in the throws. “Based on his numbers they are some of his weaker events but we know he can improve on those and reach his potential in those events,” Gardiner said. “Ken is well on his way to that outdoor record so in one of these competitions in the near future, either at Nationals or at CAC in Colombia or NACAC Under-20 in Canada, we are looking forward to breaking that record.” Mullings posted a total score of 6,930 points, 491 points shy of the national outdoor record. Christopher Gabor of Mount St Mary’s finished 427 points behind Mullings with 6,503 points and Darryl Workcuff, also of Mount St Mary’s, was third with a total of 6,454 points.

Mullings took first place in two of the 10 events. He had the top clearance in the high jump at 1.99m and was first in the 110mH in 15.04 seconds. Mullings was also second in the 100m (11.13), long jump (7.03m), 400m (50.84) and javelin (49.55m). He finished third in the shot put (12.15m), discus (34.16m) and 1,500m (5:00.84). He rounded out his numbers in the competition with a clearance of 3.80m. Mullings continues a stellar 2018 season that also included breaking the Bahamas men’s heptathlon national indoor record in February in the 2018 Fred Wilt Invitational at the Lambert Fieldhouse at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school hosted “Ken Mullings Day” in his honour to commemorate the feat.

SOME of the top high school basketball players have a chance to showcase their skills at the AF Adderley Gymnasium as the third annual Top Elite Showcase takes place. At least 12 coaches from high schools and colleges in the United States are in town for the event that got started on Wednesday and will wrap up today. And starting at 10am on Saturday, there will be a primary school exhibition. The top 20 players from the camp will go on to represent the Bahamas in the AAU Tournament in the US in the summer. Rodney Curry, the coordinator of the showcase, said this is an opportunity to provide an avenue for those players who are interested in heading off to school to be seen by the college coaches who are in town to provide athletic scholarships to the deserving players to further their education. “These players have dreams of playing overseas and so we decided to provide an avenue for them to be seen,” said Curry, who is assisted by a committee that includes Peter ‘Macaroni’ Gilcud, Laron ‘Preacher’ Colebrooke and Dorinda Darling. “So far, we’ve had about 25 players who have been out. “I was looking for more girls than boys because we

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PAGE 2, Friday, April 27, 2018

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65TH ANNUAL FAMILY ISLAND REGATTA IN GEORGETOWN, EXUMA

JUDGEMENT D won the first series race in Class E yesterday.

ABACOâ€™s Lonesome Dove won the first series race in Class B.

Xena, Judgment D, Lonesome Dove in win column Photos by Patrick Hanna/BIS

BUL Reg finished second in the first series race for Class C.

XENA, out of Mangrove Bush, Long Island, won the first series race for Class C.

THE FLEET of Class C boats in the first series race.

MOBILE

APP

Take us with you Everywhere you go!

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Friday, April 27, 2018, PAGE 3

‘Golden Knights’ mural ‘better late than never’ I WANT to take this opportunity to commend the Grand Bahama Port Authority for taking the initiative to recognise the ‘Golden Knights’ for their victory in the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay at the Olympic Games, even if it was six years later since they accomplished the feat in London, England. Like the saying goes: “Better late than never.” It’s obvious that a lot of energy went into producing the mural and the fourlane track surface that is erected at the round-a-bout at Coral Road and Settler’s Way. Kudos to artist Jackie Boss, Jose Construction, who built the mural wall, Anton Gray of Benchmark Builders, who constructed the track around the mural and Greg Dames and crew at SSC, who installed the lanes on the track. What was done for Grand Bahamians Michael Mathieu and Demetrius Pinder, along with Eleuthera’s Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown and Nassau’s Ramon Miller is unique in that it will provide people with a permanent structure that they can stop back and view whenever they can at their leisure. This should provide some incentive for those in New Providence to mimic the idea and produce something similar at one of the entrances at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre on Thompson Boulevard where they can replace the portraits of some of our outstanding athletes, which were either destroyed or taken down from last year because of the passing of the hurricane and not completely reconstructed. By far, this has been the best designed recognition that could be given to our athletes for a job well done. Hopefully more of this type of work can be produced as more and more accomplishments are achieved or recognitions dating to the

past are brought back to the forefront. Thank you Grand Bahama for taking the lead in showing exactly how it should be done. TWIN TOWERS Can you imagine seeing twin towers Jonquel Jones and Waltiea Rolle teaming up together to play for the Bahamas women’s national basketball team? Watching the two 6-foot, 6-inch forward/centre work out together this week at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium under the supervision of coach Marvin Henfield brought goosebumps. Here was Jones, the Grand Bahama native currently making her presence felt in the Women’s National Basketball Association, training with Rolle, the pioneer for women’s basketball as the first Bahamian drafted and to play in the WNBA. Yolett McPhee, the current head coach of the women’s national team, could add a few pieces around the duo like Lashanda Higgs and Leashja Grant and the Bahamas could end up with one of its best teams ever assembled. It’s just a pity that it won’t happen right now.

Whatever it takes, the Bahamas Basketball Federation should be looking at ways to ensure that the Bahamas puts together its best team to represent the island nation and players like Jones and Rolle need to be a part of it. Too much of the emphasis has been placed on the men and the women are taking a back seat. Speaking to both women, they are keen about competing for the Bahamas, but they admitted that there needs to be a little more professionalism shown to them because they are professional players. I’m sure that the federation will refute those allegations, indicating that they have done all they can to entice the women to play. But unless they are actually on the court playing, all that could be done has not been done. Like all sports, not just basketball, we have to make sure that we do all of the necessary things to make our athletes, especially when they have reached a certain level on the international scene, to treat them with the respect that they rightfully deserve or we won’t get them to perform at their best.

Gray commits to Dustdevils By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net SEBASTIAN Gray made the most of his opportunities at the junior college level and will now elevate his game to NCAA Division II. Gray committed to the Texas A&M International Dustdevils Wednesday following his two-year tenure with the Northern Oklahoma College Jets. This season, Gray averaged 9.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game through 28 contests and shot 40 per cent from the field. He posted five double doubles on the season, including 11 points and 16 rebounds in an 87-81 win over Hesston College, 19 points and 13 rebounds in an 81-77 loss to Murray State College 81-77, 17 points and 11 rebounds in a 70-64 loss to Connors State College, 11 points and 11 rebounds in a 70-66 loss to Northern Oklahoma A and M and 14 points with 10 rebounds in a 92-80 win over Northern Oklahoma State College. He took on a greater leadership role with the Jets this season as one of 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 in the offseason. He was one of the driving forces leading the Jets to the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament, where they advanced to the second round. 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. Texas A&M International University men’s basketball ended last season with an

SEBASTIAN Gray has committed to the Texas A&M International Dustdevils following his two year tenure with the Northern Oklahoma College Jets. 84-72 lost to No. 22 Dallas Baptist in the Heartland Conference quarter-finals. The Dustdevils finished the season 11-18 overall and 4-12 in conference play. The programme is amidst restructuring as veteran coach Bryan Weakley resigned following his six-year tenure. Weakley compiled a 98-75 overall record in his seasons, including a 58-48 record in the Heartland Conference. Over his sixyear career as head coach, Weakley has brought Laredo a Regular Season Championship (2016-17), a Heartland Conference Tournament Championship (2013-14), and one NCAA Tournament berth (2013-14).

BOWLING: Leno defeats Deloitte & Touché for title THE Financial Bowling League concluded its championships with Leno Corporate Services defeating Deloitte & Touché 4-1 in a best-of-seven game series. Despite losing, Deloitte was outstanding with all of its games scored above the team average. Leno however was not the same

as seen during the season. The team was on fire, playing exceptionally well, and toppled the pins for scores well above team average to overcome an impressive Deloitte & Touch lineup. Tyrone Knowles led Leno Corporate Services and all scorers with a 196 average for the five games. Assistance came from Phil Sands

with a 170 average for the series. Clayton Gardiner, who missed the first three games, averaged 201 for the final two games. A 175 average from Corey Bruney, a 165 average from Mark Munnings and a 164 average from Jason Wisdom led Deloitte & Touché.

FITTING HONOUR: The ‘Golden Knights’ have been recognised for their golden victory in the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay at the 2012 London Olympics. The Grand Bahama Port Authority took the initiative to honour the four track stars.

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WESTBROOK SCORES 45, THUNDER BEAT JAZZ TO AVOID ELIMINATION By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook scored 45 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from 25 points down in the second half to fight off elimination and beat the Utah Jazz 107-99 on Wednesday night. Westbrook also had 15 rebounds and seven assists. Paul George added 34 points and eight rebounds. Utah takes a 3-2 lead back to Salt Lake City for Game 6 tonight. Oklahoma City took advantage after Utah’s post players, Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, got into foul trouble. Both finished

with five fouls, and Oklahoma City was able to get to the basket consistently for the first time in the series. Jae Crowder had a career playoff-high 27 points for Utah. Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, and Joe Ingles added 16. Utah opened the second half on an 8-1 run to go up 64-42, and Crowder’s 3-pointer made it 71-46 with 8:34 left in the third quarter. Westbrook hit back-toback 3-pointers, then made a layup with 5:07 left in the third quarter to cut Utah’s lead to 73-60. Gobert picked up his fifth foul with 3:46 left in the third quarter. Westbrook’s 3-pointer tied the game at 78 heading into

the fourth quarter. Westbrook scored 20 points in the third quarter. Westbrook scored immediately at the start of the fourth to finally put the Thunder in front. Back-toback threes by Westbrook and Alex Abrines put Oklahoma City up 96-91, and a jumper by Westbrook with 1:24 left put Oklahoma City up 107-99. TIP-INS Jazz: Shot 57 per cent in the first quarter to take a 34-29 lead. Crowder scored 15 points in the first quarter. Mitchell was fouled on a 3-pointer with 11.1 seconds left in the first half. Before Mitchell shot his free throws, Thunder coach

OKLAHOMA City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, right, defends against Utah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Billy Donovan was called for a technical. Mitchell made all four free throws, and Utah led 56-41 at the break.

Thunder: Former Thunder forward Enes Kanter, who was sent to New York in the deal that brought Anthony to Oklahoma City,

attended the game. Kanter played for Utah before playing for the Thunder. George made a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer.

Capela scores 26 as Rockets eliminate TimberWolves By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer

ROCKETS centre Nene (42) and Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson vie for a rebound during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

HOUSTON (AP) — Clint Capela had 26 points and 15 rebounds, James Harden added 24 points and the Houston Rockets pulled away in the third quarter to get another lopsided win and eliminate the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 122-104 victory in Game 5 of the first-round series Wednesday night. The top-seeded Rockets are headed to the second round for the second year in a row after taking care of the eighth-seeded Timberwolves. Minnesota was in the postseason for the first time since 2004. Houston will await the winner of the Utah-Oklahoma City series, which the Jazz lead 3-2 after the Thunder rallied from a big deficit Wednesday night to avoid elimination. After scoring 22 points in Houston’s 50-point third quarter in a Game

4 blowout Monday night, Harden poured in half of Houston’s 30 points in the third quarter on Wednesday night to put the Rockets up for good. His 15 thirdquarter points matched Minnesota’s output in the frame and he finished with 12 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Jamal Crawford added 20 points off the bench. Andrew Wiggins scored the last four points of the third quarter to cut the lead to 85-74 entering the fourth quarter. The Rockets used a 7-2 spurt, highlighted by a 3 from Ryan Anderson, to start the fourth and make it 92-76 with 9 1/2 minutes left. A basket by Derrick Rose got Minnesota within 14 later in the fourth when Houston went on a 10-4 run to push the lead to 108-88 with less than five minutes to go. The Wolves got consecutive 3s by Jamal Crawford

and Wiggins to cut the lead after that, but the Rockets scored the next five points to end that run and cruise to the victory. The Rockets opened the second half with a 10-2 run to erase a halftime deficit and take a 65-61 lead with about nine minutes left in the third. Chris Paul, who finished with 12 points and nine assists, had four points in that stretch and Harden and P.J. Tucker added 3-pointers. Minnesota scored the next five points to go back on top, but Harden scored five quick points after that to leave the Rockets ahead 70-66. Harden, who had just five points at halftime, hit a 3 before throwing down a one-handed dunk over Taj Gibson that prompted Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau to call a timeout. The timeout didn’t do anything to slow Harden and the Rockets down, and he added another 3 on Houston’s first possession

after the timeout. Towns added a basket after that before Houston scored the next eight points to extend the lead to 81-68 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the quarter. Things got a little testy after that when Crawford pushed Paul to the court and stood over him jawing. Paul got to his feet and got in his face, but the two were quickly separated and Crawford was given an offensive foul and a technical. TIP-INS Timberwolves: Jimmy Butler had eight points and Wiggins finished with 14. Rockets: Coach Mike D’Antoni said that Luc Mbah a Moute, who missed the entire first round after dislocating his right shoulder, is getting better and will be re-evaluated next week. UP NEXT Rockets host the first two games of the Western Conference semi-finals against the winner of the JazzThunder series.

SOME of the top high school basketball players have a chance to showcase their skills in front of coaches from high schools and colleges in the United States as the third annual Top Elite Showcase takes place at the AF Adderley Gymnasium. Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff

SHOWCASE FROM PAGE 1

have St Thomas University here and they are one of two high schools who are looking for girls to give them scholarships. But we’ve only had two girls out. We want to provide an opportunity for these girls to play at a higher level, but I don’t know if the coaches have been telling them not to come out.” Clyde Glover from Bookie T Washington High School in Miami, Florida, said he enjoys coming to the Bahamas because there is so much talent available and if he can find a point guard and a post player, he will take them back with him right away.

“I’m looking for some players with some ball-handling skills and although I have some bigs, we still need a post player,” he said. “I can take some players with some basic skills and I can work with them. So if I find any players who can fit those descriptions, I want them.” Glover will be concentrating more on the younger players still eligible for high school, but Denise Hannah, an assistant coach at St Thomas University in Miami, Florida, said she’s ready to take some players to be a part of their college programme. “I am looking for a shooting guard and a point guard,” she said. “The kids here are athletic and we want to get some good quality kids who are willing to learn to improve their game. This

is our first time here. We have kids from all over the world, but we have never had anybody from the islands. This will be good for us to continue to diversify our programme.” And Adrian White, also an assistant coach on the Bobcats men’s team at St Thomas University, said they are looking for some big men, but if he finds anybody that can fit their programme, he will try to recruit them. “We are really appreciative of the opportunity to come to the island and look at the players,” he said. “This island has a lot of talented players and we would be glad to see if we can incorporate some of them into our system.” Also here is Mt San Antonio in California, represented by Major Whitlock. This is his first trip here

and he indicated that he’s quite pleased with what he’s seen so far. “We had a chance to work with some talented players,” he said. “I’m looking forward to trying to help out as much as I can because I’m very impressed with what coach Rodney Curry is doing with the programme. I’m happy that he invited us to come here and to be a part of it. We will continue to do what we can to help the young players from the Bahamas.” James ‘JJ’ Thatcher, of Florida National University, is also making his initial appearance here at the showcase and he likes what he’s seen so far. “I’ve played with three Bahamian players and a couple years ago, I had a Bahamian player on our team,” he said. “I’m looking for a post player and a guard. They have to be one of

the most untapped players. If I can find any of them, I’m ready to sign them up to play for us.” The players went through a series of drills and game situations to display their skills in front of the coaches. At the end of today’s sessions, the coaches will make their final evaluation and inform any and all of the players whom they are interested in offering scholarships. Jeff Rodgers, representing the Ministry of Tourism, was on hand to welcome the coaches to the Bahamas and he wished all of the players every success in their bid to be recruited. Rodgers will also provide an opportunity for the players to display their skills during his annual summer basketball camp at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

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Friday, April 27, 2018, PAGE 5

NFL draft: Mayfield goes 1st to begin rush for quarterbacks By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Quarterback desperation means NFL teams can’t pass on taking a passer — even a flawed one — in the draft. The Browns, Jets, Bills and Cardinals heeded that notion last night, even as more highly rated players at other positions remained on the board. Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield became Cleveland’s latest attempt to find its franchise quarterback. Sam Darnold of Southern California is trying to revive the Jets, while in upstate New York — where the Bills gave up on Tyrod Taylor — the future belongs to Wyoming’s Josh Allen. Just after Buffalo traded up to grab Allen, Arizona moved up to get UCLA’s Josh Rosen, a potential replacement for the retired Carson Palmer. Four quarterbacks in the first 10 selections. Never mind that the best players were considered Penn State running back Saquon Barkley (second overall to the Giants) and North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb (fifth to Denver). In today’s NFL, it’s all about the QBs. Even though none of these four is considered a sure success. “They all had something, a knock on (them),” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. “We just think (Allen’s) makeup is going to help him work on his flaws. That’ll be part of our job here to accentuate his strengths.” Same deal in Cleveland, the Meadowlands and the desert. The Browns’ nearly two-decade search for that quarterback led them to Mayfield. Until the last few days, the Oklahoma product was considered a longshot to be the top pick. He goes from a former walkon to No. 1 overall. Mayfield is the first Heisman recipient taken first in the following draft since Cam Newton went to Carolina in 2010. Mayfield, who could sit behind the newly acquired Taylor, joins a team that went 0-16 in 2017. “I’m going to come in with the mindset to compete and the hunger to learn” from Taylor. The Browns, who haven’t had a top-flight quarterback since

COMMISSIONER Roger Goodell speaks at the podium after the Cleveland Browns selected Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield as their No.1 pick last night. (AP Photo/David J Phillip) returning to the league in 1999, were sold on his leadership skills and creativity inside the pocket and outside. “With Baker Mayfield, we have a guy who loves the game of football, who is an ultra-competitor, is revered by his teammates and anybody who has ever been around him,” Browns GM John Dorsey said. “He’s a guy that has earned everything he has ever had since high school to college and now up here. He is a winner, he’s competitive.” He was not at AT&T Stadium, leaving Commissioner Roger Goodell on stage, hearing cheers cascade throughout the building after announcing the Browns’ choice. It was one of the few times Goodell heard cheers. Even though Cowboys Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman and current star tight end Jason Witten accompanied the commissioner onto the stage at opening of the draft, loud booing filled the stadium. Goodell is despised in Dallas after he ruled that Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott should be suspended for six games last season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. More booing accompanied the next pick, but not for Goodell: Dallas’ archrival the New York Giants chose Barkley, considered the best talent in this year’s class. It capped quite a few days for Barkley, whose girlfriend gave birth to

a baby girl earlier this week. “I’ve been able to be accepted into the fatherhood and have my first child, my daughter,” he said. “From here on now, I’ve got to do everything to represent her and try to set an example for her, for the good things I do and the mistakes I make in my life that she can learn from.” Darnold, pegged by many to be the top pick for months, went third to the other New York team. The Jets had traded with Indianapolis, going from sixth to third with the expressed intent to find a passer. Like Mayfield, Darnold might sit behind a veteran, Josh McCown. “I think whatever the coaches want me to do, if they want me to sit, want me to play, I’ll do my role,” he said. Buffalo traded up with Tampa Bay to get Allen at No. 7. Allen is considered the passer with the most upside. “Well, we’re going to find out in a few years if this class will pan out,” Allen said. “I definitely think it will. I want the most success for these guys, except when they’re playing me.” Although Allen played against smaller schools and had issues with completion percentage, his arm strength, size (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) and leadership skills won over the Bills. Their hope is he becomes the next Jim Kelly, a Hall of Famer from the renowned 1983 class that had six first-round quarterbacks. “He can make all the throws and all that type of stuff,” Bills

coach Sean McDermott said of Allen. “Certainly, as we know, no one’s perfect. If you take the right approach, the right attitude, you can get a chance to improve the right areas.” The bartering wasn’t over. Arizona, also in a QB quandary, moved from 15th to 10th, trading with Oakland, for Rosen. Many NFL personnel people believe Rosen is the most ready to play next season. The Cardinals also signed former Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford. “Today I think was an indication of how we felt about Josh Rosen, trading from 15 to 10 and in our opinion grabbing one of the best players in this draft, a guy who’s got great intangibles, a three-year starter, a two-time captain, and in my opinion one of the most mechanically sound quarterbacks to come out in some time,” GM Steve Keim said. Rosen said he was annoyed to slip down. “I was really angry teams were passing on me, and I was honestly expecting to get picked at some point and have to fake a smile and go up there and pretend to be happy,” he said. “But for some reason when I got picked, all of that went away and that it just went to straight excitement and relief.” Also chosen in the top 10 were Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward, fourth to Cleveland; Chubb, considered the best pass rusher, to Denver at No. 5; Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson sixth to the Colts — won’t Andrew Luck be smiling about that; Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, eighth to Chicago; and Notre Dame tackle Mike McGlinchey, a somewhat surprising ninth to San Francisco. Teams continued to shuffle spots deep into the first round. There were eight trades Thursday night in the top 22 picks, with Baltimore moving down twice before taking South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst. National champion Alabama had four first-rounders: safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami, DT Da’Ron Payne to Washington, linebacker Rashaan Evans to Tennessee, and wide receiver Calvin Ridley to Atlanta.

Dolphins draft Alabama safety Fitzpatrick in the 1st round By STEVEN WINE AP Sports Writer DAVIE, Florida (AP) — Minkah Fitzpatrick dressed right for his role Thursday at the NFL draft in Dallas, wearing a white double-breasted suit that looked like it was straight out of “Miami Vice.” Next stop: South Florida. The Dolphins selected the versatile All-America safety from Alabama with the 11th overall pick. Fitzpatrick was widely projected as a likely top-10 pick and said he had no inkling he would wind up with Miami, which made his eye-catching choice of outfits a happy accident. “I was just trying to do something that wasn’t too bright, wasn’t too flashy, but also stood out a little bit,” he said with a laugh. What the Dolphins liked most about Fitzpatrick’s look were the two national championship rings he wore. He became a starter as a freshman and helped the Crimson Tide win titles in 2015 and 2017. He had a school-record four interception returns for touchdowns at Alabama and gives the Dolphins a playmaker in the secondary, where he’ll be paired with Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones. “My dream wasn’t just to make it to the NFL, but to be a great player in the NFL,” Fitzpatrick said. “This is just the beginning.” The Dolphins need the defensive help. They allowed 24.6 points last year to rank fourth-worst in the NFL, and salary cap concerns then led them to release their best defensive player, five-time Pro Bowl tackle Ndamukong Suh. At Alabama, Fitzpatrick ranked among coach Nick Saban’s favorite players. Last season he won the Bednarik Award and Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive player and defensive back. In Miami he’s expected to be deployed on occasion as

COWBOYS GO LINEBACKER, NOT RECEIVER, GET BOISE’S VANDER ESCH By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys decided linebacker was a bigger priority than receiver even after releasing franchise touchdown catch leader Dez Bryant. The Cowboys took Leighton Vander Esch of Boise State with the 19th pick in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night. The Mountain West defensive player of the year will have a chance to start right away alongside 2016 All-Pro Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith, who is getting ready for his second season after sitting out as a rookie following a major knee injury in his final game at Notre Dame. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Vander Esch was fifth in the country in tackles and had three interceptions and four sacks for a defense that ranked 22nd nationally. All the top receivers were still available when the Cowboys selected, including Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, who was Bryant’s prediction on Twitter if Dallas went with a receiver. Instead, the Cowboys picked the position that involved another significant loss in the offseason. Dallas let the versatile and durable Anthony Hitchens go to Kansas City in free agency. The Cowboys targeted receivers in free agency, adding Allen Hurns from Jacksonville and journeyman Deonte Thompson. They’re also likely to go after another pass-catcher in the second or third rounds. Dallas released Bryant earlier this month in a costcutting move after three sub-par seasons since the $70 million, five-year contract he signed following an All-Pro season in 2014.

BUCKS FORCE GAME 7 FROM PAGE 1 elimination, Antetokounmpo vowed to be more aggressive following a five-point loss in Game 5. The two-time All-Star produced in the crunch time, scoring 20 points in the second half on 8-of-14 shooting. Tatum finished with 22 points, and Terry Rozier had 18 for the Celtics. After holding the edge on the glass for most of the series, Boston got outrebounded 48-39. TIP INS Celtics: Coach Brad Stevens stuck with the same starting five he used for Game 5, with Semi Ojeleye in for Aron Baynes for a quicker frontcourt on defense. ... Former President Bill Clinton attended the game and exchanged handshakes with guard Marcus Smart. ... Jaylen Brown added 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Bucks: C John Henson (back) missed his fourth straight game, with Thon Maker getting his first start of the series over Tyler Zeller. Maker finished with four points and one block. ... Held a 25-4 edge on transition points. ... Jabari Parker had another strong game off the bench with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Tony Snell had 13 points. UP NEXT Game 7 is Saturday night at the TD Garden in Boston.

COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL, left, poses with Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick after Fitzpatrick was selected by the Miami Dolphins during the first round of the NFL football draft last night in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J Phillip) a linebacker, as a blitzer or against big receivers. “He’s like a Swiss army knife,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said. “He does a lot of things really good. His skill set gives your defense a chance to be flexible and do a lot of different things.” Miami took Fitzpatrick over Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea despite glaring needs at those positions. With the addition of Fitzpatrick, veteran T.J.

McDonald might be moved to linebacker. He started the final eight games at safety last year. There had been speculation Miami might devote its firstround pick to a quarterback for only the second time since 1984, but four QBs were taken in the top 10 picks . “We didn’t think any of the quarterbacks would make it to us,” Grier said. “We talked to a couple of teams about maybe moving up or down, but nothing real serious. If one of those guys was there, we would have

talked about it, but we just didn’t think anybody would be there.” The Dolphins will instead wait until a later round to draft a potential eventual successor to Ryan Tannehill — if they do so at all — and Luke Falk of Washington State might be the choice. They’ll also try to address needs at linebacker, defensive tackle and tight end in coming rounds. Their picks in the second and third rounds Friday are Nos. 42 and 73 overall.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, April 27, 2018, PAGE 7

NADAL CRUISES INTO BARCELONA OPEN QUARTER-FINALS BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal cruised into the Barcelona Open quarter-finals by defeating fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1, 6-3 yesterday. The top-ranked Nadal converted on his second match point to clinch his 16th straight victory on clay and set up an encounter with Martin Klizan, who eliminated Novak Djokovic in the second round. “I came out with the conviction that I could play a lot better than I did yesterday (against Roberto Carballes Baena), and that’s what happened,” Nadal said. Coming off his 11th Monte Carlo title, Nadal has won 11 of his 12 ATP Tour matches this season, with the only loss coming from an injury retirement in the Australian Open quarter-finals. He has won 40 consecutive sets on clay to extend his own record, and has won 33 of his last 34 matches on the dirt.

“I had more options in the second set but a player like Nadal doesn’t give you many chances,” the 69thranked Garcia-Lopez said. Nadal needs to win his 11th Barcelona title this week to retain his No. 1 ranking. Klizan, the 140th-ranked Slovak who defeated Nadal in Beijing in 2014, reached the last eight by ousting veteran Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4. Second-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria saved two match points to defeat Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (8), while thirdseeded Dominic Thiem of Austria got past Jozef Kovalik of Slovakia 7-6 (5), 6-2 for his 12th win in 15 clay-court matches this season. David Goffin of Belgium made it to the quarter-finals by coming from behind to defeat Karen Khachanov of Russia 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0, and 19-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece upset local Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4, 7-5.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dexter Fowler’s 13th-inning single capped a comeback from a pair of deficits yesterday and gave the St Louis Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets. St Louis trailed 2-0 in the seventh and 3-2 in the 10th. Tommy Pham had four hits and scored twice, a day after leaving a game after cutting his head with his bat while warning up in an indoor batting game. He played with a large bandage on his head. Jose Martinez walked with one out in the 13th against Paul Sewald (0-1), took second on a single by Marcell Ozuna and scored when Fowler singled to right for his sixth gameending RBI. John Gant (1-0), recalled from Triple-A Memphis before the game, pitched three perfect innings of relief for his second big league win.

RAFAEL NADAL, of Spain, returns the ball to Guillermo Garcia Lopez during the Barcelona Open Tennis Tournament yesterday. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 59° F/15° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Clouds and sun with a thunderstorm

A couple of showers and a t‑storm

A shower and thun‑ derstorm around

Partly sunny, a t‑storm in spots

Mostly sunny; breezy in the p.m.

Sunshine, breezy and pleasant

High: 86°

Low: 74°

High: 87° Low: 74°

High: 86° Low: 72°

High: 86° Low: 71°

High: 85° Low: 71°

AccuWeather RealFeel

101° F

77° F

98°-81° F

101°-73° F

91°-69° F

87°-69° F

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 65° F/18° C

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

almanac

ABACO

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 74° F/23° C

6‑12 knots

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 63° F/17° C

6‑12 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 68° F/20° C

W S

WEST PALM BEACH

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 71° F/22° C

MIAMI

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 67° F/19° C

6‑12 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 82° F/28° C Low .................................................... 75° F/24° C Normal high ....................................... 82° F/28° C Normal low ........................................ 70° F/21° C Last year’s high ................................. 87° F/31° C Last year’s low ................................... 71° F/21° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.47” Year to date ............................................... 10.09” Normal year to date ..................................... 5.99”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

KEY WEST

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C

uV inDex toDay

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

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

6:34 a.m. 7:04 p.m.

2.8 3.0

12:30 a.m. ‑0.1 12:52 p.m. ‑0.4

Saturday

7:23 a.m. 7:50 p.m.

2.8 3.1

1:23 a.m. ‑0.3 1:37 p.m. ‑0.4

Sunday

8:08 a.m. 8:34 p.m.

2.7 3.1

2:11 a.m. ‑0.3 2:19 p.m. ‑0.5

Monday

8:51 a.m. 9:15 p.m.

2.6 3.1

2:56 a.m. ‑0.3 2:59 p.m. ‑0.4

Tuesday

9:33 a.m. 9:55 p.m.

2.5 3.0

3:39 a.m. ‑0.3 3:38 p.m. ‑0.3

Wednesday 10:14 a.m. 10:36 p.m.

2.4 2.9

4:21 a.m. ‑0.2 4:17 p.m. ‑0.1

Thursday

2.3 2.8

5:04 a.m. 4:57 p.m.

10:55 a.m. 11:17 p.m.

0.0 0.0

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:37 a.m. 7:38 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

5:37 p.m. 5:15 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Apr. 29

May 7

May 15

May 21

CAT ISLAND

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 77° F/25° C

4‑8 knots

4‑8 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CARDS TOP METS 4-3 IN 13 INNINGS

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

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

4‑8 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 81° F/27° C Low: 77° F/25° C

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

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 77° F/25° C

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

4‑8 knots

3‑6 knots

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 SW at 6‑12 Knots SW at 6‑12 Knots S at 4‑8 Knots WSW at 4‑8 Knots SSW at 4‑8 Knots S at 6‑12 Knots SE at 4‑8 Knots SSE at 4‑8 Knots SSW at 6‑12 Knots SSW at 6‑12 Knots WSW at 6‑12 Knots WNW at 6‑12 Knots S at 4‑8 Knots SSW at 4‑8 Knots E at 3‑6 Knots SW at 4‑8 Knots S at 4‑8 Knots S at 4‑8 Knots SSE at 6‑12 Knots SSE at 6‑12 Knots S at 4‑8 Knots WSW at 4‑8 Knots S at 4‑8 Knots SSE at 4‑8 Knots SW at 4‑8 Knots SSW at 6‑12 Knots

WAVES 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 0‑1 Feet 1‑2 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑6 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet

VISIBILITY 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 3 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles 5 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 77° F 77° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 78° F 78° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 82° F 82° F 79° F 79° F 79° F 79° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 80° F

Covering The Bahamas for over 40 years. NEW PROVIDENCE | GRAND BAHAMA | ABACO | ELEUTHERA | EXUMA

INSURANCE MANAGEMENT

(BAHAMAS) LIMITED. INSURANCE BROKERS & AGENTS

HOME INSURANCE

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PAGE 8, Friday, April 27, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands launches clothing line FROM PAGE 1 it. “This is something that I always wanted to do,” Sands said. “This is a dream that I had for a long time. I always wanted to produce my own clothing line. I like to dress and I always envisioned having my own athletic apparel. So just like a Nike, or Reebok or Adidas, I decided to come up with my own apparel. “I also want to eventually sponsor Bahamian athletes who don’t have contracts. So I decided to come out with my own brand and wear my own clothing. I felt since I lost the contract with Muzino, I might as well start my own clothing line, rather than wearing clothes from a company that is no longer sponsoring me.” Since he has launched the product on social media, Sands said sales have been steadily climbing because they love what they saw. “I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedbacks,” he stated. “I’ve had people all the way from England ordering stuff. So I’m getting huge support from people all over the world.” Eventually on his website: www.sandsproathletics. com, which highlights his track club, Sands said he intends to have a store constructed where Bahamians can make direct orders with credit cards for the t-shirts priced at $22, men’s tank tops at $20, snap back hats at $25, hoodies at $35 and long sleeve shirts at $26. Orders, however, are currently obtained through PayPal or Cash Up. But for now, patrons in the Bahamas will have to use a US address to have their items shipped to. Hopefully, Sands said he intends to have the items on sale in a few stores in the Bahamas and at the Lynden Pindling International Airport. “I just hope that the Bahamian people will continue to support me because they know I support the Bahamian people,” Sands stated. “I’m just hoping that I can get some support from the clothing line.” As he ventures in this business project, Sands assured the Bahamian

public that he’s not done with competing. He was disappointed that he was left off the team that competed in the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia, but he travelled to Grenada over the weekend where he was sixth in the long jump with a leap of 7.30 metres or 23-feet, 11 1/2-inches on his third attempt. “I was excited to go to Grenada. It was a last minute thing. I went there last year and I did the same thing, compete in the long jump and I didn’t even train for it,” he said. “It was fun. It was a nice fun meet. It’s always good to take a little break from the triple jump and save my legs. “I jumped two weeks back-to-back in the triple jump. I had a small meet in UGA and I won that with 16.21m and in the Auburn meet I jumped 16.39m in the triple jump. So I am just getting back into form and I’m feeling good. I think the 16.39m would have been a fourth place at Commonwealth. If I was there, I’m sure I would have jumped further. I’m not crying over spilled milk, I’m just moving on and pushing it forward. I’m the bounce back king.” The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations athletes’ representative said he may

take in one or two more meets before he comes home for the BAAA National Championships in June and to prepare for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia in July, if he is selected by the BAAA and the Bahamas Olympic Committee. “I’m still training. Training is going good and I’m feeling good,” said Sands, who is self-coached, but is coaching a number of high school students and some pro athletes at Auburn University and the Auburn High School. “I still have high hopes of jumping 17m. I think it’s possible with the way my training is going. “Anytime I’m jumping over 16m from eight steps, that’s a good sign. I haven’t jumped over 26m with eight steps since before the injury. So that’s a great thing to see that I can still pop over 26m in the triple jump. I haven’t done that in a long time.” “I want to take on coaching some of my Bahamian young jumps,” he said. “I prefer to be here training. I prefer to be where I am more comfortable with no stress or any pressure where I feel more appreciated. “That’s something I want to do for some Bahamians who are coming out of college and transitioning into becoming a pro.”