The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It’s not how you start, nor how you get there. Most importantly, it’s how you finish.

• The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to comment on the state of affairs in the local sports scene, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures.

The Week That Was

It’s not always that I want to focus on the performances overseas, but these are not ordinary occasions.

The buzz around town was just as loud as it was in Houston, Texas, as Grand Bahamian Chavanno ‘Buddy’ Hield suited up to play in his final games over the weekend for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Hield, a 22-year-old 6-foot-4 shooting guard, opted not to go into the National Basketball Association’s 2015 Draft just to complete a job that he and the Sooners fell short of achieving at the NCAA March Madness.

They got into the Final Four, but didn’t have the type of performance that anybody anticipated. Hield, who averaged 25 points per game and shot better than 50 per cent from the field, was held to just nine points as the Sooners suffered a crashing 44-point loss to the Villanova Wildcats.

As he brought the curtains down on his stellar career, Hield delievered some impressive parting words to his Sooners team-mates, coaches and fans. I felt they were worth repeating for those who may not have read them or if you were like me, were so humbling.

“Saturday wasn’t the way I wanted to end my college career but I have a lot to be thankful for and I will never forget the experience at the Final Four we shared. I just want to take the time to thank everyone who has supported me in my journey over the past four years. Many see this as the end of the road but I see it as the start of many great things.

“Words cannot express how thankful I am to have attended the University of Oklahoma. My college career has been more than I can imagine, through the ups and downs the Sooner family has always been by my side. I want to thank all of the fans that have watched our team for the past four years. Without you all, we would not have had the drive that we did.

“To my teammates, y’all have been the best I could have played with and everyone of you encourage me to be the best I can be. To (Oklahoma) coach (Lon) Kruger and his family, thank you for treating me as a part of your family and coaching me up to be the best I can. (Oklahoma assistant) Coach (Chris) Crutchfield, thank you for taking the time to invest in me when I was young and staying with me throughout my journey.

“To the rest of the coaching staff, thank you for all the countless hours you have spent with me, training, mentoring and coaching me into the person I am today. OU will always hold a special place in my heart and I am forever thankful for the time I spent here. I know I will always have a second home here. Once a Sooner, always a Sooner. Thank you for everything, Love you Forever!! #BuddyBuckets”

To me, that says it all.

We have to be proud of Buddy Buckets and look forward to this year’s NBA draft in great anticipation for what should be a high lottery pick for the native of Eight Mile Rock. I just personally think that Hield had too much weight on his shoulders on Saturday night and didn’t have enough help to get the Sooners into the big dance.

Not even the large crowd of Bahamian spectators that could be seen behind the Sooners bench with the Bahamian flag waving could have pushed Hield through the swamping defence that was applied by the Wildcats, who went on to win the NCAA national title on a thrilling three-point buzzer beater from Kris Jenkins over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday night.

Hats off to Buddy Hield, who can take solace in the loss by being named the Naismith College Player of the Year recipient, for a job well done.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Let’s keep the celebrations in Grand Bahama as on Thursday, we will know exactly where native Jonquel Jones will end up in the WNBA Draft, the women’s version of the NBA.

Jones, 22, has also closed out a storied career at George Washington University where her name was flashed from their Sports Information Director Jessica Schuler at the end of their season with one award after another.

There were just too many to count as the 6-foot-6 forward was listed as receiving so many post-season accolades.

Another humble individual, Jones should also be commended for the way she conducted herself in her sting at George Washington where she led the nation in rebounding (14.6 rpg), ranked fourth in the conference in scoring (16.2 ppg), registered 18 double-doubles in 23 games played and also ranked second in the A-10 in blocked shots (3.3 bpg).

She is the third Colonial ever with 1,000 points, 800 rebounds and 100 blocks and concludes her outstanding career ranking third all-time at GW in rebounds (961), fourth in scoring (15.4 ppg), fifth in blocks (177) and 23rd in points (1,171). Including her time at Clemson as a freshman, Jones is one of 18 active Division I players with at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career (1,249 and 1,041).

Quite remakrable stats.

We’ve talked about both Hield and Jones so much over the past few years that it’s not surprising to see them both reach this milestone in their careers where they can move from the collegiate ranks to the professional circuit where they can now earn some big bucks.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Jones will set the pace and Hield will follow as the draft unfolds.

Still in Grand Bahama, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations will be staging the National High School Track and Field Championships at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex.

Many are arguing that the nationals should have been held before the Carifta Games took place in St George’s, Grenada, over the Easter holiday weekend. But what about those track clubs who were slotted in just about every weekend to put on their track and field meets.

How many of them were willing to stage their track meets after Carifta?

The nationals are still in the time frame of the school setting, so it shouldn’t be as important as it being held before or after Carifta. I don’t think whenever the nationals are held would have made a difference on the outcome of the team selected to compete at Carifta.

The athletes would have still had a chance to compete at the final Carifta trials where the final decision would have been made, based on how they finished, compared to those who would have done qualifying performances up to that point.

The ministry is apparently footing the bill for all of the athletes from the various schools, who have made the qualifying standards, to travel to Grand Bahama where they will also be housed at Our Lucaya Resort, for the three-day championship.

A bulk of the athletes are expected to travel to Grand Bahama on Sunday, so it’s still a wait-and-see process as to how it will all unfold when competition begins on Monday.