The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship title slipped out of their grasp on Wednesday night at Baha Mar, Bahamian head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said her Ole Miss Rebels will learn from their two-game experience here.

The Rebels came into the tournament with a perfect 5-0 win-loss record this season, but after pulling away from a 44-44 tie for a 63-50 win over the Dayton Flyers on Monday, they got nipped in the final seconds, 69-67 by the No.17 ranked Utah Utes on Wednesday night at Baha Mar.

After Kennady McQueen canned the last two of three free throws on the foul on an attempted three-point shot with 0.6 seconds to break up a 67-67 tie, Snadda Collins had a chance for a three-point shot for the Rebels, but missed.

The Utes went on to seal the two-point lead to remain undefeated as they took home the championship title.

Riding the momentum from the roaring crowd that included members of the St Francis/Joseph Shockers boys and girls team and the junior girls national teams, McPhee- McCuin said Collins was recovering from an injury to her finger when she accidentally got it jammed in the bathroom door.

“With all that tape, she still had a huge block and we had the final play set up for her, but it was broken,” McPhee-McCuin said. “But if you look at the stats, we still should have won the game. We had nine turnovers.

“There were plays that we could have made that could have put the game away, but we didn’t make them. That team (Utah) just put 127 points on a ranked team a week ago. So, if there’s one thing I know, Ole Miss is here to compete night in and night out.”

With nine new players, to lose a game at the end on a call that they couldn’t control, McPhee-McCuin said she will take the loss, although it was a difficult one to digest right when it became a reality.

“We’ll continue to grow from it,” she said. “There’s a lot of things that I saw that we will grow from, so I will take it.”

Calling it a humbling experience before the home crowd, McPhee- McCuin said people don’t remember she left Grand Bahama as the first Bahamian female player to obtain an athletic scholarship to play division one basketball.

“I tell people all the time, my guys Coral Gardens helped me in my college career on the outside courts,” she reflected. “My Bahamian people helped me to be who I am. I am a proud Bahamian and I carry it everywhere I go.

“Hopefully I’m inspiring others. There have been a lot of coaches from the Bahamas that have reached out and want to follow in my footsteps. That is what it’s all about. I try not to let wins and losses define me.”

Before coming to the tournament, McPhee- McCuin secured her 150th victory as a coach, but she said it meant nothing to her.

What meant more was watching her Rebels take the lead against Utes and her players screaming with emotions.

“That is why I got into this business and to do it in home soil, I will never forget this moment,” she stated. “To go to St Francis/Joseph and to pour into those young people and to see them at the game tonight. I will never forget this experience.”

As a country, McPhee- McCuin said the Bahamas can do a lot in athletics and she’s just thrilled to have the support of the Bahamian people in her quest to make a difference as a coach.

“Respect is our ultimate currency and the respect that the coach and I had after the game, I know that they respect us,” McPhee-McCuin pointed out. “I don’t know if they respected us coming in, but they respect us now.”

In giving credit to Baha Mar for putting on the tournament, McPhee- McCuin said they decided to come here to participate because she wanted to learn a lot more about her team. “I told them in pre-game, I’m getting ready to find out who I got in this locker room and we found out a lot of things tonight,” McPhee-McCuin said. “So I’m incredibly grateful for that. I think this game taught our girls that they could play with anybody.

“Utah is a great team. Utah is going to the tournament. The young lady on the inside (forward Alissa Pili, who powered up for a game high 21 points and nine rebounds), is a load. We didn’t have any answers for her. They are going to be good. For us to play with them, I felt like we had a lot of opportunities to win, we’re in good shape.”

Despite the loss, McPhee-McCuin said her players have no reason to hold their head down in shame, especially Myah Taylor, who inadvertently fouled McQueen to set up the final second drama in the game.

“Myah was our biggest get in the portal. She was at our rival school and a lot of people were upset that she came to our school. I’m just grateful for Myah,” she said. “She’s just one of the toughest players I ever coached. My heart just broke for her and all the other girls because they wanted to win tonight. But we will have other opportunities.”

Labelling herself as a young thunder cat in the coaching arena, McPhee- McCuin said her father, legendary Gladstone ‘Moon’ McPhee, continues to remind her that he’s the coach, but she’s just blessed to be able to follow him, although he never coached at the collegiate level.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say that I feel incredibly blessed to be in a Power Five institution for half a decade and having success turning a programme around that was on life support,” said McPhee-McCuin, who is now in her first year of her second four-year deal with Ole Miss.

“I can only be grateful for the people, the players and the staff that has helped me throughout. I have a lot more to give to this game, so I will continue on this path to doing that. That’s for certain.”

After taking care of business, although it wasn’t with a victory, McPhee- McCuin said her entire staff took advantage of the real Bahamian culture, visiting downtown and having thanksgiving dinner at the Showman restaurant as they reflect on what has been a great trip here at home.

The Rebels will return home to continue their regular season with a home game against Texas Southern Tigers at 8pm on Monday.