The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER watching the dominating performances turned in by the boys, the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s girls team is hoping that they can go to Guyana next week and duplicate the effort at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation’s Under-16 Championships for Girls.

“The team is looking much better. This is our second month. We started in May. It was a little bit slow then, but we are getting better as the days go,” said head coach Varel Davis.

“We have some players who are returning from last year’s team, so the experience that some of them have will take us through. We are hoping that their experience will help to carry us through this tournament.”

Moultrie said the coaching staff has spent a lot of time getting the girls to the level that they feel they will be very competitive at the championships.

“We did a lot of work with them from day one, so I expect for us to come back with a medal for the country,” she said. “There are only six teams in the tournament, so looking at the competition level, I expect that we will be able to hold our own.”

With a few more days before they leave town, Moultrie said they will continue to work on the team’s transition from offence to defence, which has been the most critical part of their training sessions.

The team will be leaving town on Sunday - Independence Day. They will begin play in Pool B against the two other teams on Tuesday against Suriname. After a day off on Wednesday, they will wrap up round robin competition on Thursday against Trinidad & Tobago.

Pool A will comprise of Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands and Guyana. From the tournament, the top three will earn berths to the CentroBasket Under-17 Championship where they compete for spots in the FIBA Americas Under-18 Cup, from which they can qualify for the FIBA U-19 World Cup or Youth Olympics.

Making up Team Bahamas is Tanisha Seymour, Kendise Smith, Briontae Riley, Valicia Demeritte, Ulrica Woodside, Myah Greene, Diondrea Nixon, Tanae Bowleg, Antonicia Moultrie and Michelle Butler. Both Greene and Nixon are from Grand Bahama, while Seymour and Moultrie will be travelling for the experience.

Assisting Davis will be coaches Charlene ‘Swish’ Smith, Anastacia Moultrie and Shakira Farrington, who will be going for the exposure. The team manager is Valerie Demeritte and the trainer is Sasha Ferguson.

At least two parents, Gail Butler and Clementina Burrows, are expected to accompany the team.