The Tribune

1. MARVIN JOHNSON,

12 - SWIMMING

The sheer ridiculous number of Johnson’s medal haul and record setting performances all 2019 gave him the edge over a talented field of junior competitors.

The swimming sensation rose to national prominence when he dominated local and regional headlines for an awe inspiring performance at the 34th CARIFTA Aquatics Championships in Wildey, Barbados.

He led the way for Team Bahamas’ third consecutive CARIFTA title with 14 gold medals - 10 individual and four as a member of relay teams overall - en route to the High Point trophy in the 11-12 boys’ category with 90 points.

Individually, the Grand Bahama native won gold in the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m Free, the 50m, 100m and 200m Back, the 50m and 100m Fly, and the 200m IM.

As a member of relay teams he also won gold in the 4x50m and 4x100m freestyle events, 4x100m IM medley and the 4x100m Mixed Free.

It was an overwhelming improvement on his CARIFTA 2018 performance when Johnson concluded the meet with 29.5 points.

Johnson walked away with the Landon Von Kanel Memorial Award – given to any winner of the 11-12 boys 200m and 400m freestyle races. Von Kanel was the Cayman Islands’ first CARIFTA medallist.

He continued his regional dominance at the CCCAN Championships, also held in Barbados. He finished with five gold and two silver medals. He won gold in both the 50m, 100m Fly, 50m and 100m Free.

Johnson also rewrote the junior national record books and in 2019 set records in the 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500 Free, 50 Fly, 200IM and 400IM

1. TERRENCE JONES,

17 - TRACK AND

FIELD

Jones was another athlete with a CARIFTA breakthrough, his in track and field and established himself as a rising star in the 200m and 400m.

Jones ran a personal best time of 46.29 seconds in the under-20 boys 400m to win gold at the CARIFTA Championships in Georgetown, Guyana.

His 400m time ranked third on the IAAF Under-18 Top List while his 200m time was tied for No.1 overall.

The Tabernacle Baptist Falcon and current BAAA Junior Athlete of the Year also ran a personal best in the 200 at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) senior nationals, crossing the line in a new junior national record time of 20.43 seconds.

The 200m time surpassed Steven Gardiner’s previous record of 20.66.

Jones also earned spots on national teams for the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships and the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) World Championships – both times in the 200m.

He committed to join the Texas Tech Red Raiders programme for the Fall 2020 campaign

1. IZAAK BASTIAN,

18 - SWIMMING

Izaak Bastian was also a top performer for the Bahamas at CARIFTA with eight gold medals and six record breaking performances, three of which came on the boys’ 15-17 relay teams that left their marks in the history books.

Individually, Bastian established games’ records in the 50m Free, 50m Breast and 100m Breast. He also got gold in the 50m and 200m Fly.

Bastian teamed with Lamar Taylor, Kevon Lockhart and Davante Carey and broke the CARIFTA records in the 4 x 100m Free (3:33.68), 4 x 100m IM (3:54.32) and in the games’ finale in the 4 x 50m Free (1:35.18). In all three relays, the quartet swam in different order.

Bastian was also awarded the highest FINA points Swim of the Meet in the 50m breaststroke in 28.20, which was also a Worlds B qualifying time.

At the collegiate level for the Florida State Seminoles - in March, Bastian was a part of the 200 medley relay team that captured All-America honours at the NCAA Championships behind a seventh place finish. He also competed in the 400 medley relay at NCAAs and won bronze at the ACC Championships in the 200 medley relay in school record-timing of 1:23.63.

1. ROMAD DEAN, 16

2. BASKETBALL

Dean had an active summer which featured an historic run as a member of the junior national team and an invitation to the Basketball Without Borders camp.

At the FIBA Centrobasket U-17 Championship for Men, Dean controlled the boards for Team Bahamas all tournament and came up with his most timely offensive rebound and score to lift the team to a bronze medal.

With the win, the Bahamas also advanced to the 2020 FIBA U-18 Tournament of the Americas.

The top four teams at the Tournament of the Americas will advance to the subsequent U-19 Basketball World Cup.

Dean rebounded a missed Deyton Albury layup and followed with a dunk that gave the Bahamas an 85-83 win over the Dominican Republic. Dean finished with a double-double - 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

For the tournament, Dean averaged a double-double with 14.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.

Both Albury and Dean received the opportunity of a lifetime when they were selected to represent the Bahamas at the 10th Basketball Without Borders camp, hosted by the National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Colombian Basketball Federation (FCB) in Medellin, Colombia.

They were able to learn directly from NBA and FIBA players and coaches, and to compete against the best young players from the region.

BWB Americas 2019 will also include NBA Cares and Jr NBA community outreach efforts with youth in Medellin in partnership with local community organisations.

The former Tabernacle Baptist Falcon currently plays for Cretwood Prep in Ontario, Canada.

1. PAUL GREENE, 18

2. BASKETBALL

Greene led the St. George’s to a historic season when They became the first two-time winner of the Bahamas National

High School Basketball Championships.

Greene’s broken left hand was in a cast until the day before the nationals began but delivered a series of gutsy performances capped with 22 points and 17 rebounds in the finale and was named MVP in the Jaguars’ 62-57 win over the Tabernacle Baptist Christian Academy Falcons.

He also captured several top-tiered accolades over the course of the year. He was named the MVP as he led the Jaguars to an undefeated regular season and local championship title in the Grand Bahama Secondary School Sports Association. The Jaguars went on to finish as runners-up in the 2019 Hugh Campbell final.

Greene continues to excel at the prep basketball level in Canada with J Addison School in Canada.

In the first year of the J Addison Prep programme, Greene won an early season MVP at the Pinky Lewis Invitational. He averaged 21 points, 13 rebounds and five assists over the course of the event.