The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Snior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunmedia.net

MARIO Bowleg and Yolett McPhee-McCuin will head the coaching staff for the men’s and women’s national teams for the Caribbean Basketball Championships, while Darrel Sears and Varel Clarke-Davis will be in charge of the junior teams that will compete in the Centrobasket Under-17 Championships for men and women respectively when they all travel this summer.

During a press conference Saturday morning at Floyd’s Restuarant, Bahamas Basketball Federation president Charlie ‘Softly’ Robins made the announcement. Accompanied by just about all of his executive team, Robins also revealed their plans for the revitalisation of the national basketball tournament, the women’s division, the start of a national high school basketball tournament and the Summer of Thunder Basketball Tournament, faturing the visiting collegiate teams.

Today, the focus will be on the selection of coaches for the national teams.

Joining Bowleg on the men’s national team coaching staff are Norris Bain from Grand Bahama and Wayde Watson. The technical director will be Steven Barnes of Colorado State University, whose head coach Larry Eustachy served as the men’s national team coach with Bowleg as his assistant. They will travel to Tortola, British Virgin Islands, June 13-21 for the CBC for men as the women’s team, coached by Grand Bahamian native McPhee-McCuin, now in her third year as head coach of the Jacksonville University women’s basketball team, assisted by Donnie Culmer and Britney Ezell compete there June 8-14 in the women’s CBC.

The under-17 boys team will be coached by Sears out of Grand Bahama, assisted by Wayde Adderley from Abaco and Harcourt McCoy from New Providence. They will travel August 4-8 to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Centrobasket. Carke-Davis will head the girls’ team, assisted by Charlene ‘Swish’ Smith and Anthony ‘Papa’ Pinder and Anastacia Sands-Moultrie. They will travel July 14-18 to compete in their Centrobasket Tournament in Mexico City, Mexico.

“If you would notice, this year there are some changes in our national coaches and the reason being, we have decided that from now on from this day forward, no one will have the rights to be the national coach in this country for four and five and six, seven, eight, nine and 10 years,” Robins said. “We know that there are other coaches that go to coaches’ clinics and they always ask when are they going to get a chance to be a national coach.

“We have decided that the coaches will coach for two years at the most. Going forward, if your team would win, then you will get another year. But each junior national coach, you can’t tell the senior coaches that because they want to be the coaches for years, we are making the changes. They will coach for two years and then their assistant will get a chance. The coach will not be fired. That coach will also be an advisor on the board. We have a whole lot of coaches out there, especially high school coaches and everybody believes they can coach national teams. The only way we can spread this wealth is to give them a chance.”

CBC Championship for Women

Head Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin

Assistant coaches - Donnie Culmer, Brittany Ezell

Technical Director - Steve Barnes

Travel date - June 8-13 - Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Practice - 6:30-8pm daily at Kendal Isaacs Gymnasiuum

CBC Championship for Men

Head Coach Mario Bowleg

Assistant coaches - Norris Bain, Wayde Watson

Technical Director - Steve Barnes

Travel date - June 14-21 - Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Practice 8:30pm until, starting May 16 at Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium

Centrobasket Under-17 Championship for Women

Head Coach Varel Clarke

Assistant coaches - Anthony Pinder, Charlene Smith Anastacia Sands-Moultrie

Travel - July 14-18 in Mexico City, Mexico

Practice 4:30pm Wednesdays and Saturdays at Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium

Centrobasket Under-17 Championship for Men

Head Coach Darrel Sears

Assistant coaches - Wayde Adderley, Hartcourt McCoy

Travel date: August 4-8 in Puerto Rico