The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT’S not how you start, nor how you get there, but more importantly, it’s how you finish. The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to invoke commentary on the state of affairs of the local sports scene, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures as we transgress from one week to the next.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Say it ain’t so. No, there’s no “war” of words going on between a Minister of the Government and one of the country’s most celebrated track and field athletes.

All indications from the cancellation of the Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational would suggest that Brown himself and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson are at odds over what has really transpired during the week when Brown initially stated to the press that because he couldn’t get the support of the Bahamas Government, he has had to cancel his meet that was scheduled for April 11 at the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

Johnson, in an interview on Sports Radio, refuted those allegations, saying that the government was prepared to work with Brown in putting on his “private” event by making the stadium available and offering him thousands of dollars and waiving the user fee for the stadium to assist in helping him to make the event a success.

But the 36-year-old responded by claiming that no such offer was made to him. In fact, he was adamant that if it was true, he would have definitely gone ahead with his original plans to host the meet, bringing in a number of international stars to compete here for the second time.

I’ve heard the two interviews and it doesn’t appear that there was a meeting of the two parties to discuss the details and that might have been where the problem existed. One thing is for certain, the meet was on the calendar from last year after the second version was called off because the Ministry of Sports was getting the stadium ready for the initial staging of the IAAF World Relays last May.

The world governing IAAF, which has endorsed the CBBI (along with NACAC, the regional track and field body), will be back to fulfill their commitment to the Bahamas in hosting the second edition of the relays May 2-3.

With the stadium now up to standard and very little renovations needed before the event is held, there’s no reason why the CBBI and the World Relays can’t happen. They are two months apart and will be featuring some, but for the most part, different athletes.

Brown’s meet was intended to showcase a cross-section of athletes in events on the track and the field in a full fledged track meet. The relays are what they are called, relays, which meant that there will only be competition in team events.

The problem, I guess, comes down to dollars and cents and whether or not the ministry was prepared to make a contribution this year, considering that they are already obligated to the world relays and the initial Carnival Junkanoo Bahamas, both of which are in May.

What I don’t understand is if the meet is a private one, why did the government help fund it the first year? And as a Bahamian is putting on the event, I would think that the government would be more willing to throw their support behind Brown’s CBBI as opposed to events like the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl or the Dan Marino and Friends weekend extravaganza. Something doesn’t add up.

HUGH CAMPBELL

CHAMPIONS AGAIN

Coach Mario Bowleg and his CC Sweeting Cobras should be commended for regaining the prestigious Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic they last held in 2013 against their New Providence arch-rivals CI Gibson Rattlers at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium on Monday night.

Although the tournament could have used the infusion of the six schools from Grand Bahama, who decided to boycott this year reportedly over a dispute with the scheduling of the pools and not providing sufficient compensation for the teams, the week-long tournament lived up to its advanced billing.

It was quite a competitive one and I believe any of the teams that ended up emerging out of the four pools could have won it. The Cobras, who had to play second fiddle all season long to the Rattlers, coached by Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson, picked the right time to surge.

CC Sweeting beat CI Gibson twice to clinch their fourth title and the third under coach Bowleg. However, they are still one shy of coach Johnson and his Rattlers, who have won five. The Tabernacle Falcons, coached by Norris Bain, still holds the record for six titles.

One can only imagine what the outcome would have been if the Falcons and the other five schools from Grand Bahama had showed up. They didn’t and so for the next year, the Cobras will hold onto the bragging rights and their spot in the history books as the 2015 champions.

Just for the record if you missed it, the most valuable player was Michael Bethel of CC Sweeting while Brenson Rolle of South Andros was the scoring champion. Adam Johnson of CV Bethel took the most blocks award, while Anderias Black of Central Eleuthera won the most rebounds. Shakwon Lewis of CI Gibson had the most assists and Shaden Boteng of Temple Christian carted off the most steals.

And the All-Tournament team comprised of the following: Emmanuel Butler, Kingsway Academy; Richard Kemp, RM Bailey; Dominic Bridgewater, Anatol Rodgers; Johnathon Johnson, North Eleuthera; Jefferson Oliver, Prince Williams; Bertram Minnis, Teleos Academy; Brendon Rolle, South Andros; Adam Johnson, CV Bethel; Anderias Black, Central Eleuthera; Shakwon Lewis, CI Gibson; Shaden Boteng, Temple Christian; Johnley Noel, CI Gibson; Adrian Thompson, CC Sweeting; Michael Bethel, CC Sweeting and Hakeem Roberts, Agape. They were indeed the best of the best the tournament had to offer this year.

KUDOS AS WELL

TO CR WALKER

AND KINGSWAY

There is always the argument that the girls’ teams are not given the kind of spotlight as the senior boys, but over the weekend in Grand Bahama, the CR Walker Knights and the Kingsway Academy Saints were holding their own in Grand Bahama at the Geneva Rutherford/HOYTES Basketball Tournament for girls.

The Knights, coached by Tia Rolle, added the senior girls’ title to the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association title they earned a couple weeks ago. It seems as if even though they lost long-time coach Kent Lightbourne, who is now at HO Nash where he led the junior boys to the GSSSA title, they haven’t missed a beat. They are still reigning supreme.

And the Saints, whom coach Randy Cunningham had predicted will do some big things this year, didn’t let him down as they picked up the junior girls’ title to go along with the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools championship that they also earned recently.

Another stellar performance.

Congrats to Chelly Australe and Valicia Demeritte, who were named the respective MVP winners.

Now there’s some talk about who is the best girls’ team in New Providence. Would be good to see Kingsway Academy take on the GSSSA champions HO Nash Lions, while the Knights go up against the BAISS champions St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine.

Like I lamented before, I really think it’s time to put on a true national championship where all of the respective champions, not just in the senior boys, but all of the divisions, compete against each other to determine who is the best. That would mean ensuring that the Grand Bahama schools as well as the Family Islands are all included. Just some food for thought.