The Tribune

IN one of the biggest games of the year - the Homecoming game - the University of The Bahamas Mingoes men’s basketball team will do battle against the Rebels on Friday, at 8 pm, at the Loyola Hall on Gladstone Road.

This year is the 10th Charter anniversary of UB, and it will be a very special game for UB as they look to secure the victory.

First year UB head coach, Jay Philippe, said that it is a big deal to have the opportunity to play in the Homecoming game and he expects the competition to be stiff, but his squad is prepared.

“We've been practicing for the past month and a half now,” Philippe said. 

“We have a decent record for now so far. We haven't played in about a week and so our preparation has been steady and slow. I'm trying to simulate game-time scenarios as best as we can. This week we'll be going for the next four days in preparation for our game on Friday. The guys are doing extremely well.”

UB has a perfect 4-0 win/loss record on their Showcase and has convincingly won those games by 30-plus points. One reason for that is the play of Grand Bahamian guard Kevaro Russell who is the leading scorer. This will be his second Homecoming game.

“We want to assert more dominance,” Russell said. “Even though it's the Homecoming game, it's supposed to be a fun game, but no matter, we look at it like it's our last game. We will come to dominate no matter who is in front of us.”

Also playing in his second year is Russell’s fellow Grand Bahamian, Jarius Hall. The shooting guard has shown improvement on and off the court with his play and leadership. He is looking forward to playing in front of their fans and other supporters.

“I want to come up with a win, but we are very excited for the atmosphere,” Hall said. 

“The Homecoming atmosphere is very exciting, so I’ll be looking forward to that. I wanted to improve my ball handling and my shot making ability. I've been working on those with my teammates and so far, it's been successful in the beginning of the season. I am just looking to bring some more of that out and still at the same time lead my team.”

Philippe appreciated the support that his team has gotten from the fans this season and he expects an even larger one on Friday.

“The players been talking about this Homecoming game for some time now.” Philippe said. “I'm just glad to be a part of it. I've been a part of many Homecoming games abroad in the US while I was a college player and a coach. This is my first time being a part of a Homecoming game here…We're looking forward to a jam-packed gymnasium on this Friday. We are looking for standing room only. We're going to put on a show.”

UB won last year’s Homecoming game 99-63 against the Customs Taxmen.