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

Byron Ferguson made some history of his own when he helped his Foinikas Syrou men’s volleyball team to the final of the Greece Volleyball League.

Foinikas Syrou, however, lost 4-1 against PAOK, a team including United States national team player David Lee and at least two Cuban national team players in their best-of-seven series to clinch the title.

The 6ft 7in Ferguson fell short of pulling off the title in his first appearance in a final in the five years he has been playing professionally. But if last week’s performance was any indication, the 27-year-old Bahamian said he is looking forward to going for the title again in 2017.

Over the years, there have been a number of players who have ventured into the professional ranks, most notably in recent times Prince Wilson and Jamaal Ferguson.

But while Byron Ferguson has defied the odds and continues to make his presence felt, there is no reason why we cannot have a few more players following in his footsteps.

All it takes is something to break the barrier and once the wall comes crumbling down, there is always the window of opportunity for others to make their impact.

Ferguson has been a prime example of the dedication, commitment and talent that is required to play at the next level. His performance has proven that given a chance Bahamians have the ability to play any and every sport that they pursue at the international level.

The good thing is that the fact that Ferguson returns home year after year and interacts with the local volleyball fraternity, playing in the tournaments, the league and represents the country at the regional competitions.

Most professional athletes tend to stay overseas and rarely come home to mix and mingle with fellow Bahamians in their particular sport. Ferguson is the exception.

He finds a way to give back to the local community and that speaks volumes about his growth and development as a player.

We salute Byron Ferguson for his efforts.

National Basketball Champions

The Bahamas Basketball Federation’s decision to allow the Athletico Bahamas team to play in the men’s B division of the annual Bunny Levarity National Basketball Tournament over the weekend at the DW Davis Gymnasium was vindicated.

Athletico Bahamas, coached by Serone Kennedy and David Lewis, emerged as champions in their first year of existence as they knocked off the Grand Bahama Gold Rock Gym Rats 64-62.

Shakwon Lewis got a pair of free throws with 6.1 seconds left to lift Athletico to victory. However, the most valuable player was Dylan Mugrove, who scored a game high 26 points with six rebounds.

Musgrove is the son of former national basketball player Gordon ‘Slanks’ Musgrove and he represents the future of the sport if he doesn’t go off to school before the end of the year.

At the same time, the men’s A divisional title was won by the Grand Bahama Shipyard Cruisers, who held off the Mail Boat Cybots 73-72.

The game brought to an end a long and illustrious career of three outstanding players from Grand Bahama. We all remember Quentin Hall, Scott Forbes and Franco Miller, who started out winning the prestigious Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic titles either together or separately with their teams from Grand Bahama.

The trio went on to enjoy outstanding collegiate careers and even played professionally briefly and a number of times for the men’s national team.

They got together for a last hurrah and they made it a successful outing, combining to win the national title for one final time. Together, they announced their retirement.

We will miss the thrills and the spills that they provided. They could not have chosen a better way to make their exit - as champions.

It’s an accomplishment that all three deserve.

The Week Ahead

After getting off to an impressive start in pre-season, Jonquel Jones seemed to be set for a banner freshman year for the Connecticut Suns in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

The Grand Bahamian native was the sixth pick overall in the WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, but before the ink was dry on the paper, she was traded that same night to Connecticut for Chelsea Gray and the Suns’ first round pick in 2017.

Jones, who had a stellar four-year stint with the George Washington Colonials, is only the second Bahamian to play in the WNBA, following Waltiea Rolle, who broke the ice by playing for the Seattle Storm in 2014. The 6ft 5in centre was waived in 2015.

Rolle, who signed a string of seven-day contracts with the Storm, was selected in the third round (36th overall) by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2013 WNBA Draft.

Just imagine if the two players had hooked up to play either on the same team or on opposite sides of the court. Jones is the lone Bahamian participating, so let’s rally behind her in her bid to shine for the 242.

Jones and the Suns will open their regular season on Friday, May 14, against the Chicago Sky. The sky is definitely going to be the limit for Jones: she has a bright future ahead of her.

We all will be watching her progress with keen interest.