The Tribune

Wendell Miller, 18 - Track and Field

VERSATILE sprinter Wendell Miller concluded his time on the junior circuit with a season of milestones, highlighted by a new junior national record in his signature event.

Miller, who graduated from St John’s College in June, made the leap from the prep to pro ranks when he joined coach Henry Rolle at the Puma Elite Training Club in Boca Raton, Florida, in October.

At the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) National Championships in June, Miller ran 45.81 seconds to set a new 400m junior national record and surpass Stephen Newbold’s previous record time of 45.94. His time was also 10th on the World Athletics Top List among juniors.

He culminated his season on the track by representing The Bahamas at the World Athletics’ Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, in August.

Miller advanced to the semifinal of both the 100m and 200m.

In the 200m, he opened the competition with a 20.72 to win his heat and advance to the semifinals where he finished ninth overall in 20.69.

In the 100m, Miller finished second in his heat in 10.51 and advanced to the semifinals where he finished sixth in his heat and 11th overall in 10.45.

Miller ran a personal and season’s best time of 20.61 in the event at Satellite Beach, Florida, in July, and finished the year ranked No.17 on the World Athletics Top List. “I feel great about this accomplishment.

“To see where I have come from and now to get to the professional ranks is a very good achievement for me. I know the other athletes in our club look up to me as a role model because of the way I carry myself and how I act towards them.

“I just want to keep inspiring them to keep God first because anything is possible,” Miller said at the time of his announcement to join Puma.

“I just have to remain humble, put God first in everything that I do and just train hard and try to avoid injuries and not allow people to distract me.”

2. Fredrick King Jr, 17 - Basketball

It took just several months for Fredrick King Jr to go from relatively unknown to an elite Division I prospect for the class of 2022 and the next Bahamian prospect destined for the NBA.

King, a product of the NBA Academy Latin America, committed to ACC powerhouse - the Louisville Cardinals and will join the programme in the upcoming fall campaign to begin his collegiate basketball career.

The 6’10” forward chose head coach Louisville ahead of the Washington State Trojans, Creighton Bluejays, Georgetown Hoyas, and Miami Hurricanes.

King, a former CI Gibson standout, became the first Bahamian to ever receive an invitation to an NBA Academy and made the most of his opportunity in a relatively short time span.

ESPN listed King as one of the class of 2022’s top prospects emerging from the NBA Academy Invitational in September.

King averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds per game on 77 percent shooting from the field at the event hosted by his NBA Academy Latin America programme in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He opened with 31 points and 16 rebounds to lead NBA Latin America to an 82-61 win over NBA Africa Red and followed with 29 points and 13 rebounds in a 93-87 victory over The Skills Factory.

3. Ian Lewis, 18 - Baseball

After the pandemic delayed his debut on the diamond by a year, Lewis had an immediate impact this season and was recognised by the Miami Marlins’ organisation as one of the top performers in its farm system.

The International Elite Academy prospect was named the Florida Complex League MVP when the Marlins named their Minor League Award winners for the 2021 season.

In his first season of professional baseball, Lewis played 43 games, predominantly at second base in the FCL.

He hit .302, with a .354 OBP, slugging .497 and an .851 OBP. He had an FCL leading five triples, three home runs, 10 doubles, nine stolen bases, 45 hits, 27 RBI and 24 runs scored.

Lewis, the No.23 ranked prospect in the Marlins’ pipeline, was briefly assigned to the Dominican Summer League before the team eventually reassigned him to the Florida Complex League six days later on June 28.

His impact was felt immediately with a 2 run home run in his pro debut on June 29 against the FCL Mets.

4. Carlos Brown Jr, 16 - Track and Field

Brown, also a member of the Swift Athletics Track Club, joined his teammate in having a season of milestones, highlighted by an appearance at the World Athletics’ Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, in August.

The youngest member of the field, Brown made the semifinal of the 100 metres where he finished in 12th with his lifetime best of 10.47 seconds. In the 200m, Brown was 15th in the field with his time of 20.99 - his time is ranked No.5 on the World Athletics Under-18 Top List for the season. Brown opened competition in the 100m with a third place finish in his heat in 10.53, the 13th fastest qualifier. In the semifinal he produced the personal best 10.47 to finish 12th in the field.

In the opening round of the 200m, Brown advanced with a fourth place in his heat in 20.99 for the 12th fastest time for the semifinal. He placed fifth in his heat in a wind-aided time of 20.92 (+2.3 reading) for 15th place overall. A student of St John’s College, Brown also went on to represent The Bahamas at the inaugural Junior Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia. He finished fifth in the 100m final in 10.47.

In the 200m, he advanced to the semifinals and finished in 21.22.

5. Keyshawn Strachan, 17 - Track and Field

Strachan’s season was highlighted by a seventh place finish in the javelin at the World Athletics’ U-20 Championships Nairobi, Kenya.

Strachan earned an historic place in the final and recorded a best throw of 70.30 metres.

In June at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Track and Field Championships, Strachan shattered the Bahamian national record with a heave of 71.62m or 234-feet, 11-inches to erase the previous national record of 70.72m (234-0) by Denzel Pratt in 2017. The national record holder and student at St John’s College recently signed his letter of intent to join the Auburn Tigers’ programme next fall.

6. Kristin Munroe, 17 - Baseball

Munroe quickly rose to become the youngest member of the Los Angeles Angels’ Top 30 Prospect List.

The International Elite Academy Prospect signed in May and received his first minor league assignment in June, After just 9 games in the Dominican Summer League (DSL), he progressed to the No. 25 prospect in the organisation. In 32 games this season at shortstop and third base, he hit .207 with a .614 OPS, .342 OBP, 19 hits, two doubles, two triples, nine RBI, 14 runs scored, and eight stolen bases.In his debut, Munroe went 3-4 with four RBI and scored two runs. In his first plate appearance, he drove in his first pro RBI with his double to right field in the second inning.