The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Noble Preparatory Academy Ballers proved that they are a team to reckon with, not just in New Providence, but in the Family Islands as well.

Over the weekend, the Ballers were in Eleuthera where they captured their fourth senior boys’ title in the 2013/14 school year by bringing home the hardware from the 6th annual Harbour Island All-Age School Basketball Tournament.

“It was a really great tournament. We really enjoyed that atmosphere,” said Ballers’ coach Geno Bullard, who established the Noble Preparatory Academy to help prepare students and athletes for the tertiary level of education in Canada.

“The facilities that they have for basketball is top notch. And playing over there in the evening time really brought back the park league feeling that we used to experience in the past. We ended up playing Briland High School for the championship game, so you know their whole school was out there cheering for them. But we were actually able to win over a lot of the fans because at the end of the game, a lot of fans in the stands were cheering ‘No Bull, No Bull.’”

The Ballers won the title 36-32 as Tenerro Ferguson was named as the most valuable player.

In other divisions, Harbour Island won the primary boys’ title 21-12 over Christian Heritage as Brenston Neely was named the MVP.

In the junior girls, Harbour Island won 22-12 over the Kingsway Academy Saints as Deshan Saunders was the MVP and Harbour Island won 35-29 in junior boys over Central Eleuthera with Cameron Bannister being named the MVP.

On their way to the final, Bullard said his Ballers played five other games, winning their first three games in blowout fashion as they entertained the crowd with Delroy Grandison, Livingstone Bromwell and Ferguson leading the charge with some high flying slam dunks as Shamar Burrows directed the show.

“They put in a lot of hard work and they played together as a team,” Bullard said. “Harbour Island really came after us, so it was a really good contest. I really wouldn’t mind going back to Harbour Island or any other Family Island to play because the atmosphere was very good.”

While it turned out to be the fourth title in five tournaments that his Ballers played in, Bullard said the one that got away from them was the prestigious Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic at the AF Adderley Gymnasium in February where they eliminated the defending champions CC Sweeting Cobras before they got knocked out.

Since that loss, Bullard said it was good to go to Harbour Island and pick up another title.

“The sky is the limit for these guys. I just want to motivate these players because they are not just playing basketball, but they are also performing very well in school,” he said. “Their grades are in tip-top shape, so everybody is excited about what’s going on. Playing basketball is just a bonus and complement playing in sports. But without their academics, they can’t play.”

While in Harbour Island, Bullard said the players had to do their school work because they were given assignments by their teachers that had to be completed before they returned home.

“If you’re going to be an athlete, you have to be a student and you have to learn to balance your personal life,” he said. “We encourage the teachers to give them assignments to see how they handle it. They have to learn to sacrifice after the games so they can get that balance.”

Bullard said he’s contemplating whether or not his Ballers will travel to Canada to compete in their next tournament in May.

“I think it will be a good opportunity for them to be able to get in some international exposure,” Bullard said. “We want to be able to travel at least three times a year where we can play in international competitions to see where they are. We know they are academically sound, so we hope that once we can put them on display, they can make the transition if the opportunity presents itself.”