The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Sunland Stingers senior boys’ basketball programme had a season of milestones and has now produced a trio of players that will continue their careers at the next level.

Stingers players continue progress to collegiate basketball programmes with Rolante Knowles, Oswald Meadows and Martie Davis as the latest additions to this expanding list.

The three graduating seniors announced their commitments this week - Knowles and Meadows to Butte College and Davis at Florida State College of Jacksonville.

Knowles and Meadows will be teammates for the Roadrunners programme in Oroville, California. The duo will join fellow Bahamian and sophomore point guard Shakwon Lewis on the Roadrunners roster for the upcoming season.

Knowles was the Stingers’ leading scorer this past season and emerged as one of the top shooters and all-around offensive talents in the country.

Meadows was a junior national team standout and member of the Bahamas’ historic FIBA Centrobasket Under-17 Championship that won bronze in the Dominican Republic and qualified for the Tournament of the Americas.

He led the team in assists at 4.3 per game.

Davis will join the programme at Florida State College of Jacksonville Blue Wave. The Stingers completed one of their most successful seasons in programme history, highlighted by a dominant appearance at the 38th Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic when they claimed their first tournament title in school history.

The Stingers took an 81-68 win over the CC Sweeting Cobras in the 2020 tournament finale.

Sunland previously finished as runners-up in the tournament on two occasions and finally achieved the elusive Hugh Campbell title led by 22 points from Knowles who was named MVP.

Davis added eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks while floor general Meadows nearly posted a triple double with eight points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

These teams previously met in the 2016 Hugh Campbell final but a balanced scoring effort this time around led the Stingers to the 2020 title.The Stingers ran through the tournament virtually untested and won by an average margin of 18.4 points per game.

Sunland opened the tournament with a 66-43 win over the Government High Magic. They followed with another blowout win in game two (62-28) over the Akhephran Scarabs. Game three was another lopsided win over the Magic, 84-70. In the Pool Championship, they advanced to the finals with a 41-27 win over the St George’s Jaguars.

After a successful summer travelling to play in tournaments in the US, the Stingers began their season of milestones with the 2020 Pizza Hut Tip-off Classic. They were the league’s top team all season long but suffered a surprising upset loss in the Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association championship series to the Tabernacle Falcons in three games.