The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WHILE the NCAA Division I Tournament grabs international headlines, several Bahamian players competed this week at the Junior College Division I Tournament.

The 70th edition of National Junior College Athletic Association tournament began on Monday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kansas.

• Daejour Adderley and his San Jacinto-Central Ravens are the top overall seed in the tournament and received an automatic bye to yesterday’s second round. It was their 21st appearance in school history. They faced either No. 16 Spartansburg Community College (South Carolina) or No. 17 Connors State (Oklahoma). San Jac earned the automatic bid to the national tournament after they won the Region XIV championship.

• Sebastian Gray and Robert Joseph were the first Bahamian players to hit the court in the tournament and led the No.23 ranked Northern Oklahoma-Enid Jets to an opening round upset win. The Jets scored a 95-90 win over No.10 Southern Idaho Golden Eagles. Gray finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots while Joseph added two points off the bench. They will advance to face the Vinciennes Trailblazers, ranked No.7 in the bracket.

• Latrell Poitier and the No.13 St. Petersburg Titans also advanced with a 70-55 win over No.20 Highland.Poitier finished with two points and one assist.

• Kaleel Solomon and his No. 6 ranked Eastern Florida St Titans will have to wait until today for their first game of the tournament after they also received a bye into the second round. It is the third straight season the programme advanced to the tournament. The Titans received an at-large bid after finishing runner-up in the Region VIII Tournament. They come into the tournament 28-5 and are 8-2 in the past 10 games and has five wins against teams in the tournament.

Each season, over 200 NJCAA Division I men’s basketball teams take aim towards the ultimate prize - a trip to Hutchinson, Kansas, for a chance to compete for a national championship. The 2017 season marks the 70th NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship - known as The Tournament.

NJCAA Division I men’s basketball is comprised of 16 districts across the country and the champion of each district receives an automatic bid to The Tournament, which is a 24-team, single-elimination championship.