SPORTS SECTION E
BASEBALL
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016
World Series, Page 13
Tennis ace Roberts having best season ever with Bulldogs By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net JUSTIN Roberts, fully recovered from a fractured hand that sidelined him at the beginning of his collegiate season, is having his best season ever as a member of the University of South Florida Bulldogs men’s tennis team. Over the weekend, Roberts, now in his junior year, advanced to the quarterfinals in singles and he made it to the final in singles at the ITA Southeast Regionals in Tallahassee, Florida. “We’re very happy with his progress. He’s had a very impressive fall so far,” said USF’s head coach Ashley Fisher. “He won a lot of matches at the All-Ameri-
can where he won four 8-7 (5) over the host matches in pre-qualies. team from Florida “In the Regionals State. Additionally, this past weekend, he Roberts made it to the had probably his best quarters of the main performance at that draw singles where he particular event. He lost 7-5, 6-4 to the Unimade the quarterfinal versity of Georgia’s in singles and he made Emil Reinberg. He it to the final in doubles, also topped Georgia so we are very excited Southern’s JC Alacia about the direction he 6-3, 6-2 in the round is headed in.” of 16 after taking out Roberts teamed up Georgia State’s Felipe with Peter Bertram to Jaworski 6-3, 6-4 in ROBERTS play in the main draw the round of 32. doubles where they adMuch more discivanced to the final, only to lose. plined and dedicated as a player, Roberts and Bertram pulled off Fisher said Roberts has certainly an 8-3 decision over Florida’s Or- made the adjustment and he’s kin and Kessler to reach the quar- coming into his own. terfinal. In the quarters, they won “We’re going to play some Fu-
tures ITF events in November starting in Birmingham, Alabama and then Pensacola, Florida and Nashville, Tennessee,” Fisher said. “He’s going to get to play some professional events to help him improve his ATP ranking.” With the fall season over, which is geared mainly for individual play, Fisher said they would gear up for the spring season in January with the team matches. “From where he was earlier this year, he had a tough start at the beginning of the year and he fractured his hand and had to miss two months,” Fisher said. “He struggled to get his game back. “But full credit to him, he’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever come across. He does so many little extra things on his own. He’s
always out there hitting serves on his own or practicing with the other players. He worked really hard this summer and is by far playing the best tennis since I’ve known him.” Fisher, however, has refused to take the credit for Roberts’ success. Instead, he has placed it squarely on the working relationship that he has developed with assistant coach Jimmy Arias. “Having Arias, his other coach, has really helped,” Fisher said. “Jimmy and Justin have been working closely together. So Jimmy has really been responsible for the way Justin has been playing right now.” And that has resulted in Roberts producing one of his most outstanding seasons ever.
Caribs off to Florida By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
COB men to play in collegiate games series
T
he College of the Bahamas Caribs men’s basketball team, in preparation for their homecoming next weekend, will be heading to Florida to play in a series of collegiate games this weekend. The Caribs, coached by Bacchus Rolle and his assistant Lavar Johnson, are scheduled to leave town today and will play against Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida on Thursday and against Florida Memorial University in Miami on Saturday. The team returns home on Sunday. “We’re going to be just as organised and systematic as last year,” Rolle said. “We will have a little more up tempo because we are a little more smaller. We lost our power forward Alvano Laing to graduation and we haven’t filled that spot as yet. “He was really the rock of the team and so we have to run a whole lot more. Our guys will have to be ready to go 40 minutes running, pressing D (defence). The team is similar to what it was last year, with the exception of Laing, who was our best rebounder and provided some big points in the paint.” To their credit, Rolle said they have been working on their fundamentals because he wants to ensure that his team matches the same type of intensity that their opponents bring. “Our biggest issue is we are not very patient and that has been one of our biggest systematic problems,” he said. “The other teams have been able to bring us down on defence because we are not patient. “They wait for you to mess up and then they make their move. One miscue by you is two or three points by them. So we’re trying to get to the level where we keep our guys patient, especially against the zone. Man-to-man, our guys are athletic, so we can compete. But against the zone defence, you really have to pick your spot and make the right decisions at the right time.” This year’s team is made up of players from New Providence, Grand Bahama, Exuma and Eleuthera. Making up the team are the following: Centre – Justin Munroe, a 6-7 junior from Jack Hayward High in Grand Bahama, who is majoring in physical Education. Forwards – Rashad Wilmore, a freshman from NGM Major High in Exuma, studying tourism management; Rashad Sturrup, a 6-4 sophomore from St Augustine’s College, studying business management; Ujamaa Johnson, a 6-0 freshman from Kingsway Academy, studying business; Franklin McKenzie, a 6-2 sophomore from LN Coakley High in Exuma, studying civil engineering; Brian Jennings, a 6-2 sophomore from CV Bethel, studying architectural engineering; Kemsy Sylvestre, a 6-4 sophomore from South Broward High in Hollywood, Florida, studying physical education and Reuben Goodman, a 6-1 senior from Preston Albury High in
CITY BOWLING LEAGUE ACTION HEATS UP THE most valuable player in City Bowling League competition last night was a red hot Lee Davis of Ten Back Strikers, who crushed the pins for a huge 269 high game and a blistering 714 high three game set. So far, Davis is the first player to enter the exclusive 700 Club for the 2016 - 2017 bowling season. Runnerup was Greg Taylor of the Avengers who just missed joining the 700 club with an outstanding 685 second high set. Derrick Burrows, of Fresh Blend Rolling Stones, downed the pins for the second high game of 246. The leader in the ladies’ category was Janice Hoyte of Ten Back Strikers with a respectable 543 high three game set. Tara Culmer of Island Game Strokers followed with a 505 second high set. Betsy Taylor of Bahamasair Flyers toppled the pins for the high game of 209. The team scores for the evening were: Checkers Café 3, Carib Construction 0; Island Game Strokers 3, Telco Enterprises 0; Giga Tech 3, Fresh Blend Rolling Stones 0; CDM Knights 2, Ten Back Strikers 1; Bahamasair Flyers 2, Reach Crusaders 1; The Avengers 2, BEC Shockers 1; Duce City E&U Watercoolers 2, TK Falcons 1.
‘FIREMAN’ BROWN TACKLING GRENADA INVITATIONAL
JUSTIN SMITH, of the College of the Bahamas Caribs, goes up for a layup. Eleuthera, studying computer information technology. Guards – Justin Smith, a 5-11 junior from Eight Mile Rock in Grand Bahama, studying physical education; Ramon Dames, a 5-10 sophomore from Eight Mile Rock, studying physical education; Jason Stubbs, a 5-11 sophomore from Tabernacle Baptist Academy in Grand Bahama, studying electrical engineering and Davon Adderley, a 6-1 sophomore from St Augustine’s College, studying bio/chemistry. “We have a size concern, but we are going into our game against Ave Marie and I think we will match up pretty good against
them. They have about two guards who are about 6-8, but they are not their best skilled players, so we will see if we can take advantage of that,” Rolle said. “They are a guard-oriented team, just like we are. So we should match up good against them. “Florida Memorial, we know what they have. They have size and they are running. They added a few pieces, a few bigs, but we are going to hang onto them and see if we can keep it close and respectable and try to come out with the win.” On their return home, the Caribs will host Trinity College at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium in a
two-game series November 4-5. “We beat Trinity last year in Florida,” Rolle said. “We know that they are coming to show that it was just luck. They actually won their conference that they play in, so they really want to show that our win was a fluke. “So we have to show our guys that they can’t get their heads too big, thinking this is going to be the same team. “We know that they are going to be coming with some intensity and fire wanting to win. This weekend should really help us to get ready because we really don’t want to lose in front of our home crowd next weekend.”
OLYMPIAN Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown has began the process of getting the inaugural Grenada Invitational off the ground. Brown, the five-time Bahamian Olympian, was in Grenada last week to put the framework in place for the invitational, scheduled for April 8, 2017 at the National Athletic Stadium in St George’s, Grenada. During the visit, Brown met with a number of dignitaries, including Rudy Grant, the Grenada Tourism Authority’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Brown, 38, was invited to assist in the organising of the meet by Michael Bascombe, the meet organiser. Bascombe, a veteran journalist who works out of New York, is also the president of the Caribbean Sports Journalist Association (CASJA).