The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WHEN the Bahamas Basketball Federation chose to revamp its national team programme and its coaching staff, its intention was to bring greater focus and organisation in the sport for the country on the international stage.

With head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin at the helm, the women’s programme aims to do just that and has laid out its plan for the immediate future in the first in its series of newsletters.

McPhee-McCuin, current head coach of the Jacksonville University Dolphins, said the ultimate goal of the programme is to qualify for the Olympics, but that journey begins this year with a successful performance at the Caribbean Basketball Championships.

Preparation for that team will begin in the next few months.

“I hope that everyone is as excited about the upcoming CBC games as I am. This will be the beginning of our quest to participate in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Better yet, the 2016 Olympics will be held in Brazil and it is my intention to make a strong push for the Bahamas in this Olympiad. Preparation for any Olympics starts now and the dates for our upcoming trials are May 16-19,” she said.

“The tryouts are open to all Bahamians but only the 12 best players will be chosen to represent the Bahamas in the upcoming games.

If you are interested in trying out for the team, please begin conditioning now. The tryouts will be rigorous and will require your best effort as only our best athletes will be chosen. This competition will be taken seriously and every workout will be held to an extremely high standard. I therefore advise all those wishing to take part to get in all of the necessary training needed to be fully prepared.”

The CBC Championships are set for July 8-12 at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

She noted that 2014 presents a fresh start in women’s basketball in the Bahamas and looks forward to the teams fulfilling their potential through the programme’s 20/20 vision.

“It is time to leave behind any negative experiences of the past. My plan is for us to be professional and visionary in all that we do as a team going forward,” she said. “I must say again how excited I am about our prospects for the year ahead. I look forward to working collaboratively with you all. Let’s all get to work, so that we can represent our Bahamas proudly. The 20/20 Vision indicates our ability to see sharply and clearly our vision to have the Bahamas women’s basketball team represented in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.”

When the announcement was made last March, BBF president Charles Robins said that McPhee-McCuin is a part of the youth movement necessary to spearhead Bahamian basketball in the right direction.

“Basketball is growing and if we are going to grow and go to the next level, we have to look at getting the right people in here who can help our programme. That’s why we looked at Yolett for the women’s team,” he said. “It’s time to stop playing with basketball. We need to try to see if we can take basketball to the next level by getting the best coaches that we possibly can. We were very impressed with Yolett and what she brings to the table in terms of experience and the connection that he has.”

The newsletter also detailed very important dates for prospective players wishing to be a part of the programme.

On April 1, the BBF will send optional workout packets to prospective team candidates, followed by the first round of tryouts May 16-19 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

June 6-9 will feature the second round of tryouts and national team strength and conditioning begins June 10. National team training camp takes place June 23 - July 7, concluding just before the team leaves for the CBC.