The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IT is a practice popularised by American universities to spark interest in their upcoming basketball season, and one coach in Freeport, Grand Bahama, looks to bring the same structure to his programme as fall approaches.

The Sunland Baptist Academy Stingers hosted the first edition of its “Midnight Madness” at the Jack Hayward Gymnasium this weekend. The event showcased all aspects of the Stingers’ programme, ranging from primary school students to the highly touted senior boys team which was among the best in the country last season.

Senior boys’ head coach Jay Philippe said the event was an effort to garner support from the local community and give the students inspiration headed into the season.

“We are trying to revolutionise sports in the Bahamas and particularly in Grand Bahama. I don’t want to become accustomed to the way we traditionally do things, and bring something new to the table for the student athletes themselves and really for the community,” he said. “We had over 400 people attend. The gym was pretty much filled to capacity and it was great for everyone involved. The night featured scrimmage games from the primary school, 13-and-under, junior boys and senior boys along with three-point contests for each division and a slam dunk contest to conclude the night. There were also skills competitions for fans along with several prizes and give-aways.

“The fans were super excited. No one really knew what to expect but we just wanted to give the kids a chance at an early showcase and allow them to see the product of Sunland. Basketball is a big deal in Grand Bahama so we want to ensure we continue to do things more efficiently and effectively.”

The primary school game went into double overtime as Sunland Green defeated Sunland White with the final score of 16-14. Trevor Smith led all scorers with six points.

The 13-and-under game between Sunland Green and Sunland Gray was won by the Gray team with the final score of 21-16. Adari Grant led all scorers with eight points.

In the junior boys’ showdown, Sunland White defeated Sunland Gray with the final score of 19-14. Eudancel McPhee had eight points for team White while Ethan Munroe scored six for team Gray.

In the senior boys’ showdown, Sunland White defeated Sunland Gold with the final score of 27-26. Tavares Marche led the white team with 10 points while Brandon Meadows led the gold team with nine points.

Winner of the three-point competition was Adari Grant.

Philippe led the Stingers senior boys to a victory in the Obie Wilchcombe/Derek ‘Bookie’ Nesbitt Basketball league championship after an impressive undefeated regular season. It was the first time that the school has won the senior league championship.

He said he expects his team to contend with four starters returning following the loss of senior centre Andrew Roker who received a full scholarship to Walters State College in Tennessee.

“We have the Vita Malt Tip-Off Classic beginning today. We expect to win a lot of games and win the tournament,” Philippe said. “Our buzz grew last year and we had good fan support during the championship. Fans started to come to our games, when you win people want to be a part of a winning organisation and the school pride, it reflects on everyone, including the parents, students and alumni.”

Despite their dominance in Grand Bahama, schools from the nation’s second city declined to attend the 2014 Hugh Campbell Invitational, but that could change this year.

“As of now we entered to come so we will prepare for it,” he said. “Right now winning in Grand Bahama is our focus. We have been working hard, we have been dedicated and we want to win. It will take hard work and guys understanding how we play and how we play together. It’s Grand Bahama, the teams are always really good and we respect our opponent, but we also expect to win.”