SPORTS SECTION E
Our Olympians
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016
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Jonquel Jones drafted to play in Korean League By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net HOLMES Rock, Grand Bahama — She has already spent the first two months playing for the Connecticut Sun. But Jonquel Jones said she cannot wait for the Women’s National Basketball Association to return at the end of August. The league is currently on a break to accommodate their players who are participating for their respective countries in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 5-21. She’s hoping to help the Sun pick up where they left off before the break when they won their last two games to improve on their dismal showing in the Eastern Conference where they have posted an 8-16 winloss record. Once the season is completed in October, whether or not they are in the playoffs, Jones will have an added incentive to continue her professional career, hav-
JONQUEL JONES with her parents Preston and Ettamae Jones on her arrival home Saturday at Grand Bahama International Airport. Photo by Mario Duncanson ing been drafted by Woori BankHansae Chuncheon to play in the Korean League, starting in November. “It’s been different at first. Coming out of high
school in Maryland where we ranked nationally and we didn’t lose that many games and transferring to GW where we rarely lose that many games, it showed
me that there’s going to be a process,” said Jones about her sting in the WNBA so far. “We have a lot of young talent, but it’s going to take
some time for us to develop because we have to learn to play together and we have to grow together. We started to come together right before the half, winning our last two games. So we are buying into what the coach is telling us and so I believe that we will only get better.” After coming off the bench at the start of the season, Jones was moved into the starting line-up, but she prefers to take the initial role on the team. “I feel more comfortable coming off the bench because I didn’t feel I was ready yet to be a starter,” she said. “I was put back on the bench and I was really able to contribute more to the team, so I think it was a really good call.” Adjusting to the league’s physicality has been the biggest adjustment for Jones, only the third Bahamian female to earn a hoop scholarship to play division one in the United States where she starred for George Washington where she left an indelible mark on the
A ‘Fun Night’ to remember By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
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n iconic staple in the Bahamas’ basketball culture, the 29th edition of the Jeff Rodgers Summer Basketball Camp concluded with traditional “Fun Night” at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. During the event, campers had an opportunity to showcase their skills learnt from the camp, and the celebrity All-Star game featuring the camp instructors, against the visiting NBA stars, highlighted the evening. Newcomer, free agent guard Ray McCallum joined several names familiar to the camp - including Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets, Shelvin Mack of the Utah Jazz, former NBA head coach Byron Scott and “Muggsy” Bogues. Gordon, whose mother Denise is Bahamian, said it’s always a pleasure for him whenever he gets a chance to come back to the Bahamas. The Rockets guard put on a shooting display and made six threes in route to scoring 22 points. “It’s always good to come back to the Jeff Rodgers Camp, he’s involved with a lot of kids, that’s what I like. I always have fun coming down here, this is like a second home to me so I always enjoy coming to the Bahamas and being able to help out with this event and participate.” Many speculated on Gordon’s participation with the Bahamas’ national team at some point, however, the veteran guard said that after looking into the situation, he discovered he was ineligible due to his participation with the 2010 FIBA World Championship for the United States. “I just found out I’m not al-
HANGTIME: The Celebrity All-Star Game featured the camp instructors against the visiting NBA stars. SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 4 Photo: 10th Year Seniors lowed [to play for team Bahamas] because I won a gold medal with team USA. So it’s either I play for team USA or not at all,” he said. “I wish I could though.” Gordon’s Team Green won the game 119-115. McCallum scored 32 points, Mack finished with 21, and Bahamian singer Julien Believe finished with 14 points. Team Blue featured instructors and local pros Kadeem Coleby, Scottie Farrington and Quentin Demeritte. Coleby, who spent last season playing in Bahrain, finished with
a game high 42 points. Farrington finished with 22, former NBA DLeaguer Craig Winder scored 21 and recent Gannon University graduate Girbran Smith scored 12. Camp Director Jeff Rodgers underscored the importance of the event. “To us, this is the most important event in the camp because it gives the kids an opportunity to showcase all the skills they have learned over the past few weeks for their parents, friends and other interested basketball enthusiasts,” Rodgers said. “But again, more
than anything else, we want to ensure that the campers understand the importance of developing healthy bodies with a positive outlook on life.” Each of the visiting NBA icons conducted sessions with the campers aimed at instilling the values and ideals necessary for success on and off the court. “We are so thankful to be able to reach this far and to still have the impact we have at 29 years. I really appreciate the time these guys take out to talk to the different groups, talk about their life experiences and the messages they deliver - staying in school, staying out of trouble, staying off drugs. Some of the same things I have been telling the past four weeks and 29 years,” Rodgers said. “The kids were so excited and it is always a great experience for them to have the guys.” In addition to the impact of the visiting NBA personalties, Rodgers said it is always important for the campers to be tutored by local players that have excelled in the game. “Every morning we had the instructors and the guys from the national team interact with the kids so they see it’s not just the NBA stars, they get it from our very own talent just to show that there’s one message - there are rules on the court and there are rules in life,” Rodgers said. “We put a lot of focus in talking and teaching them as much as possible about life off the basketball court. One of the most important things for them to understand, and to teach them about Bahamian society and the challenges they will face off the basketball court with a focus on integrity and character building,” he said. The camp now continues with its extension programme in the Family Islands.
Impressive run for Jaguars on AAU basketball circuit By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net A TEAM made up of local and foreign-based Bahamian players have had an impressive run on the AAU summer basketball circuit. The Bahamas Jaguars, led by St George’s head coach Darrell Sears, spent several weeks playing across the United States during the NCAA’s “live open” recruitment period. The Jaguars’ roster was highlighted by some of the top Bahamian high school players, including D’Andre Vilmar of Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Godfrey Rolle and Qymeh Gibson of Sunrise Christian Academy (Wichita, Kansas), Lathaniel Bastian of Doris Johnson, Anderias Blacks of CC Sweeting and a number of others. The team recently competed in the Big Foot Hoops Las Vegas
Classic presented by Hal Pastner in Las Vegas, Nevada. They completed pool play at a perfect 3-0 before they advanced to the main bracket and were eliminated in the second round. The Jaguars began the competition with a 72-33 win over South Arlington All Stars (Texas), followed by a 62-45 victory over UpTempo Black (Indiana) and a 61-57 win over Rocktop Nation (Pennsylvania). In the championship bracket, Boise Elite (Idaho) were victorious in round one but lost in round two to Northwestern Ohio Bball (Ohio) 72-66. Bigfoot Hoops is a company formed and run by Pastner. He has produced and organised premier basketball events for more than two decades. The organisation has created eight major events for the 2016 travel team season, Prior to Vegas, the Jaguars competed in the Texas Hoops Great
D’ANDRE VILMAR American Shootout in Duncanville, Texas. The Jaguars won 57-52 over the Dallas Mustangs to open pool play. They went on to defeat the GCBC Elite-Bullett 69-65. Vilmar scored 18 for the Jaguars, with Gibson and Rolle added 13 and 12 respectively. They went on to score a 64-58 win over Oklahoma Impact to advance to the Championship bracket. They lost in the opening round to Dallas USA in the NBA Red Championship bracket, 67-60. In a previous interview, Vilmar
outlined how important the summer is for players on the recruitment circuit. “The off-season is a big thing and that’s where you get most of your offers. AAU really started in the spring and for me that will continue in July,” he said,. “The summer ball to me is more important. All the coaches come out and see you and you play in front of every coach you can think of. AAU ball is structured but you get to show your game more than you do in the regular season.” Sears, the longtime coach of the Jaguars, began the practice of travelling with his players to the United States to gain exposure for his players in the late 1990s. Since then, he has been able to forge a network of connections that now affords a greater number of players those same opportunities by showcasing their skills at home in his annual showcase in April.
Colonials record books in each statistical category. “Our league has people who get cut because there is so much talent,” said Jones, who follows on the heels of Waltiea Rolle, the first Bahamian to be drafted and play in the WNBA, albeit just one season. “Everyone in the league is good. You have to come out and play every single night, whether it is playing physically or you are locked in mentally, on any given night, any player can get off on you. You can have a 20-point lead in this league and literally in two seconds it could be gone just like that.” Before the WNBA took a break, Jones was averaging 14.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.9 assist, 0.7 steals and 2.3 blocked shots per game and when she goes back, she’s hoping that she can continue to make a contribution to their rise in the standings. In the meantime, Jones
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BAHAMAS 3RD IN GROUP SIX IN MEN’S UNDER-17 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas finished third in Group Six with a 1-2 record against regional competition in Suriname over the weekend. The team ended the Caribbean Football Union Men’s Under-17 World Cup Qualifier with a 1-2 loss to Suriname on Sunday. Jordan Farquharson scored the lone goal for Team Bahamas and Aleksy Matas provided a huge save on a penalty. The team competed in Group 6 against British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and the host country Suriname. In game two, the Bahamas defeated Anguilla 2-0. The team was led by goals from Jacob Charles and Anthony Dias give in the win. For Charles and Dias it was their first international goals and they were assisted by Andre Roberts and Jordan Farquaharson. They opened the competition in game one with a 1-0 loss to the British Virgin Islands. Suriname won the group undefeated at 3-0. They recorded a 3-0 win over BVI and a 6-0 win over Anguilla before closing out against the Bahamas. The Caribbean Football Union presented the junior regional competition, which included 24 nations vying for seven spots in the Caribbean finals which will be hosted by Trinidad and Tobago. Qualifying from the group stage will be the group winners, followed by the best runners-up. For the teams competing in the CFU finals five spots will be available, for qualification into the CONCACAF Men’s Under 17 Championship. The Caribbean’s representatives in the last edition of the CONCACAF tournament were CFU champions Haiti, runnersup Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and St Lucia.