The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Bahamas Basketball Federation President Charles “Softly” Robins joined the growing sentiment in the local basketball community to voice their concern over the exclusion of many Family Island teams at the National High School Basketball Championships.

At the official launch of the event yesterday in Grand Bahama, Robins - the 2018 National Sports Hall of Fame inductee and Bimini native - said with no Family Island division at this year’s event, it represents a lack of exposure and a missed opportunity for Family Island student athletes.

The Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and BBF are hosting the Nationals from March 27 to April 1 in Grand Bahama.

“I’m a little bit disappointed that the Family Island teams are not here. I am a Family Islander, really and truly I am getting questions from all the other Family Islands because normally if you have a national tournament it is more inclusive. When you look at track and field, you had athletes from all the family islands - and I would really like to see Division II come back,” Robins said, “Basketball is the most loved sport in this country and we can’t deny it. Track and field may be the top sport with the government, but basketball is the most loved sport by the little man and we can’t leave the little man out because we are talking about Dexter Cambridge, Buddy Hield, Jonquel Jones, Yolett-McPhee-McCuin they are from the family island like most of our top players Just how we get the opportunity to see Division I, next year I would like to see the Family Islands come back. We can’t just judge based on what we see in Nassau at the Hugh Campbell, none of us made the trip to [these islands] so we don’t know what’s happening.”

Event organisers said the tournament will solely include a single division for Senior Boys with the suspension of the Family Island division due to expenses and budgetary restraints.

Evon Wisdom, Supervisor in the Ministry of Education’s Sports Unit, said event organizers will make efforts to ensure the Family Island division returns in 2020.

“The Ministry of Education believes in the development of all student athletes in the Bahamas. We have asked for as best as possible additional funds for future editions of this event. The only thing we ask the general public to do is to be mindful that we are guided by policies of a government nature,” he said, “But we will lobby as hard as possible to have the Family Island division to be an integral part of this competition and for them to have an opportunity to play. We will make a concentrated effort to bring this division back.”

Former NBA player Dexter Cambridge voiced his concern at the exclusion of many family island teams. Now a coach at North Eleuthera High School, Cambridge said his team, like many others around the country, were at the lack of exposure and missed an opportunity for family island student-athletes.

Now a coach at North Eleuthera High School, Cambridge said his team, like many others around the country, were at the lack of exposure and missed an opportunity for family island student-athletes. “I’m not sure of the message we are sending to our Family Island programmes.

Why add more teams if you take out the family island division, what message are we sending to the kids in the family islands. We don’t get to travel, we don’t get the opportunities, they don’t have the funding to do it so they become an afterthought,” Cambridge said.

Gateway Academy out of Bimini are the defending champions of the Family Island division and will now compete among the larger programmes.

Ivan Butler, District Superintendent of West Grand Bahama, said the nation’s second city hopes to continue its success in the event. “Over the years Grand Bahama has experienced much success in this tournament, having won two of three and we look forward to keeping this here again. We have never won in the girls division and we are looking forward to stepping up there as well,” he said, “We are very pleased with LOC and the job they did putting it all together. We just want the community to witness the level of high school basketball. It is not often they get to see the top teams play in the country and we are looking forward to a very exciting championship all around.”

The tournament tips off at 1pm this afternoon with play at both the St. George’s (Boys) and Jack Hayward (Girls) Gymnasiums.

In the Boys division, Gateway (Bimini) and St. John’s will open play at 1pm followed by CI Gibson vs Temple Christian (2pm), Jack Hayward vs Queen’s College (3pm), Government High vs Eight Mile Rock (4pm), Sunland vs Teleos (5pm), Agape (Abaco) vs CC Sweeting

(6pm), Tabernacle vs Jordan Prince William (7pm), Anatol Rodgers vs Patrick J Bethel (8pm) and will conclude with St. George’s against the winner of the opening matchup at 9pm. Also at 9pm at the Jack Hayward Gymnasium, Doris Johnson will face the winner of the Ci Gibson vs Temple Christian matchup.

The GIrls division will open play at 2:30pm with Bishop Michael Eldon vs Anatol Rodgers. They will be followed by CV Bethel vs Tabernacle (3:30pm), St. Augustine’s vs Eight Mile Rock (4:30pm) and St. George’s vs Teleos (5:30pm). CI Gibson will face the winner of game one at 6:30pm while St. John’s will face the winner of game two at 7:30pm.

Last year in Grand Bahama, the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons clinched the Division I title over the Jack Hayward Wildcats, the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins emerged as the senior girls’ champions over the Jordan Prince Williams Falcons and the Gateway Eagles secured the now defunct Family Island divisional crown.

In 2017, the St George’s Jaguars emerged as the story as they protected home court in their gymnasium by claiming the Division I title over Tabernacle. In the Family Island division, the Gateway Eagles won the national title and in the Senior Girls division, the Jordan Prince William Falcons won the national title.

The CC Sweeting Cobras won the inaugural Division I national title in 2016 while the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins won the girls title and Eight Mile Rock won the Family Island division.

The 2019 Bahamas National High School Basketball Championships get under way Thursday March 28 - April 1 at the St. George’s and Jack Hayward Gymnasiums. Pictured left to right is referee Fred Gator, Renee ‘Sunshine’ Curry-Gaitors, Emmitt Higgins, Senior Education Officer for the Ministry of Education (MOE) Evon Wisdom, the MOE’s District Superintendent of West Grand Bahama Ivan Butler, president of the Grand Bahama Principals/Vice Principals Association Gia Walker and President of the Bahamas Basketball Federation Charles ‘Softly’ Robins.