The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN players are prominently featured on several of the top teams in the latest men’s basketball national rankings for Division I of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Leading the group is Daejour Adderley in his freshman season with the No.4 ranked San Jacinto College Ravens.

The freshman guard had his best game for the Ravens in Tuesday night’s 120-60 win over Lonestar College-Tomball.

Adderley finished with a season high nine points in just 12 minutes as San Jac remained undefeated at 20-0. His previous game high was seven points.

The 6’2” guard matriculated to San Jac following high school stops at Sunrise Christian and Calvary Christian Academies. Locally he was a student athlete at Queen’s College before he continued his career in the United States.

San Jac was predicted to finish first in the Region XIV preseason coaches poll.

Kaleel Solomon and the Eastern Florida State College Titans are ranked No.15 in the poll.

The former Sunland Baptist Academy product has paid immediate dividends for the Titans in his freshman season.

Solomon finished with 11 points in the Titans’ 106-57 win over ASA College on Tuesday night.

Through 22 games, Solomon has averaged 5.8 points per game while shooting 45 per cent from the field and 43 per cent from three-point range.

It was the third double figures scoring game for Solomon this season after he scored 10 against Red Devil Academy on November 12 and 11 points against Atlanta Metro College on November 5.

The Titans are 19-3 on the season.

Nashad Mackey and the Daytona State College Falcons are ranked No.21 in the poll.

Mackey, who has committed to join the Embry Riddle Eagles in NCAA Division II next fall is having a stellar sophomore season which has included an NJCAA Player Of The Week award.

He posted his third consecutive double double of the season Saturday night with 12 points and 16 rebounds in an 80-66 win over Florida State Jacksonville.

In his freshman season with the Falcons, he averaged 9.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 47 per cent from the field and 26 per cent from three-point range.

This season, Mackey has seen his numbers increase across the board and through 23 games he is averaging 12.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 53 per cent from the field and 39 per cent from three.

The Falcons are 19-4 on the season, currently in the midst of a 13 game winning streak.

A pair of Bahamian players for the Northern Oklahoma-Enid Jets continue to spark the programme’s rise, although the remain outside of the national poll.

Freshman wing Sebastian Gray and Sophomore guard Robert Joseph have been key contributors to the Jets’ 12-5 start to the season.

Gray, in his first year out of Sunrise Christian Academy, has emerged as a leading scorer for the team and has reached double figures in all five games since the calendar flipped to 2017 and has posted two double doubles.

He opened with 21 points against Rhema College, 20 against Redlands, 17 and 11 rebounds against Eastern Oklahoma State, 14 against Connors State and most recently 10 points and 10 rebounds against Northeastern Oklahoma A and M.

The Jets have been 4-1 through that stretch.

Joseph, in his second year with the programme has averaged 6.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season while shooting 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arch.