The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IT was a landmark season for Bahamian basketball players at the collegiate level in Canada, highlighted by an MVP performance and championship title by one local star with an inspiring story of perseverance.

Jackson Jacob was named the MVP of the tournament as his Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks won the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association men’s championship this weekend with a 79-74 win over the defending champion Humber College Hawks.

Jacob finished with 13 points in the finale and averaged 20 points per game throughout the tournament. He is one of three Bahamians on the Ooks roster alongside Samson Cleare and current redshirt Darrio Dean.

The No.4 ranked Ooks opened the tournament with an 85-84 win in the quarter-final against the Mohawk College Mountaineers. Jacob had 18 points in that outing. In the semi-final, he led the Ooks with 29 points and ended the perfect season of the No. 1-ranked team in the country, the Vancouver Island University Mariners with an 87-82 win.

Not the traditional collegiate freshman, the 25-year-old former CR Walker Knight said his long trek to higher education and basketball made the championship title.

“When I graduated from high school I did not have a passport because both of my parents were born in Haiti. It was a long process to get one (passport) to come to Canada,” he said.

“I may be a bit older than most rookies, but this was my dream to play and go to school. It’s a dream come true. It is finally here. All the hard work paid off. Coach had us prepared for every game like he always does.”

While he played with the Commonwealth Bank Giants of the New Providence Basketball Association and awaited the proper documentation, Jackson waited and honed his game. He arrived at NAIT last season but sat out with a redshirt season.

“So, for a few years I worked as a mechanic at my stepfather’s garage and played in the local men’s league. It was frustrating, because my dream was to come to North America and play basketball and get an education,” he said. “Yes it was frustrating, watching and not being able to play. But I was happy just to be on a team. I had to focus on my schooling, stay in shape and improve my game.”

In 27 games with 23 starts this season, Jacob led the team in several statistical categories. He averaged 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game, all team leading numbers.

Cleare finished with averages of 7.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He posted two double doubles on the season.

Also appearing in the CCAA national tournament, the Holland College Hurricanes, featuring Bahamians Roosevelt Whylly and Trevon Grant, finished the tournament with the bronze medal.

The Hurricanes claimed the bronze medal with a 98-68 win over Nomades de Montmorency. Grant finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in the rout.

The Hurricanes advanced to the bronze medal game with a 99-93 come-from-behind win over the Keyano Huskies.

The Huskies led by as much as 20 points before the Hurricanes stormed back. Whylly drained a three pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 43 headed into the half.

He finished with a double double - 22 points and 13 rebounds.

The Hurricanes will be host of next year’s 2016-2017 CCAA Men’s Basketball Championships in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Whylly ended the season averaging 20 points and nine rebounds per game, while Grant averaged 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Both players were named to the CCAA All-Tournament team with Whylly named to the first team and Grant named to the second team.

In the women’s version of the tournament, the Holland Hurricanes featuring Bahamian players Ashley Moss, Marvia Dean and Chrishanda Rahming, fell just short with a heartbreaking loss in the title game.

The Humber College Hawks converted a buzzer beating three pointer to take the championship game 50-49 at the St Clair College SportsPlex in Windsor.

Ruth Holland made the shot with just 0.5 on the clock and the Hurricanes desperation heave was deflected.

The Hurricanes trailed 9-5 in the first, led 22-20 lead at halftime and led by as much as seven points in the third quarter. The Hawks’ rally closed out the fourth on Holland’s shot.

Moss was named to the CCAA All-Tournament second team.

Dean averaged a double double, was the third leading scorer at 12.6 points per game and leading rebounder at 11.5 boards per game.

Moss averaged 7.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and a league leading 4.3 blocked shots per game. After missing the first six games of the season, she scored a season high 12 points in just her third appearance.

Rahming has been a key reserve, averaging 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

It marked the first time in Holland College history that both teams won medals in the same season.