The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING the completion of the 35th Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic for senior boys, the Bahamas Basketball Federation/Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is getting set to host their National High School Tournament, featuring the senior boys and girls and Family Island divisions.

The tournament, featuring some 31 teams, is set to get underway 3pm today and will wrap up on Monday night when the championship game is played.

The opening ceremonies will be held at 10:30am Friday.

The Jack Hayward Gymnasium will be the host for the senior girls and Family Island Division, while the senior boys’ games will be played at the St George’s Auditorium.

“We are very, very excited about this tournament,” said Evon Wisdom, who heads the Sports Division at the Ministry of Education. “Bahamians should realise that this is actually three tournaments wrapped up into one.

“I think what makes this different is that we have young ladies participating in the tournament as well as we will have the Family Islands competing in the small schools division for the teams that will not get a chance to compete for the title against the senior boys teams.”

Wisdom noted that the small schools division is so important because they want to pair the schools with the smaller population to compete against their peers rather than being faced with the challenge as they do in Hugh Campbell where they face teams that have a larger population of students.

“We know that all of the divisions will be very exciting. We know that the senior girls will be exciting and we know that after the Hugh Campbell Tournament, the senior boys’ division will also be very exciting,” Wisdom stated.

“But who will be the best small school in the country to emerge as the champions? We have about 10 schools playing in that division, so we anticipate that this will be the biggest tournament in the country.”

The tournament comes on the heels of the Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic on Sunday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium where the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons knocked off the CI Gibson Rattlers to win their seventh title, the first since 2010.

Also joining the Rattlers from New Providence are the Jordan Prince William Falcons, the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools’ champions and the Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves, the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association’s champions.

Both teams played well in the Hugh Campbell Tournament, but were knocked out by CI Gibson. In one day on Sunday, the Rattlers also eliminated the defending Hugh Campbell champions CC Sweeting Cobras, who also will be going to Grand Bahama.

Other teams participating in the senior boys division are the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins, Teleos Cherubims, St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine, St George’s Jaguars, Sunland Lutheran Stingers, Sir Jack Hayward Wildcats and the Eight Mile Rock Bluejays.

The Big Red Machine was the runners-up in the BAISS championship, but they didn’t participate in the Hugh Campbell Classic. It will be interesting to see how they participate on the tournament.

In the girls division are the Falcons, winners of the BAISS championship; Doris Johnson, CI Gibson, Kingsway Academy Saints, Mt Carmel Cavaliers, Agape Christian Academy, Tabernacle Baptist and Bishop Michael Eldon.

Most of the teams are coming of their participation in the Geneva Rutherford Girls Classic in Grand Bahama where Doris Johnson emerged as the champions over Tabernacle Academy.The Marlins also won the GSSSA senior girls’ title over the Rattlers.

Represented in the Family Island division are Abaco, South Andros, Central Eleuthera, Long Island, Bimini, North Andros and San Salvador. Grand Bahama is also expected to produce a team to bring the total to eight.

Most of the premier games in the tournament, according to Wisdom, will be televised live on Cable Bahamas and 10th Year Seniors will be recording all of the games with the view of assisting the international coaches who are looking at recruiting some of the local players.

Going into the tournament, Grand Bahamian Ozzie ‘the Sport Insider’ Simmons has released the rankings for the teams and the individual players, based on their participation in the Hugh Campbell Classic.

The top 12 rankings for the senior boys following the Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic is as follows:

1. Tabernacle Baptist

2. CI Gibson.

3. Jordan Prince Williams.

4. Anatol Rodgers.

5. St George’s.

6. CC Sweeting.

7. Sunland Lutheran.

8. Doris Johnson.

9. Sir Jack Hayward.

10. Eight Mile Rock.

11. St Augustine’s College.

12. Teleos Academy.

The top five senior boys All-American team are as follows:

1. Dominic Bridgewater, Anatol Rodgers.

2. Alfredo Brown, Tabernacle Academy.

3. Mateo King, St. George’s.

4. Franco Miller.

5. Adam Johnson, Jordan Prince Williams.

The top 10 rankings for the senior girls following the Geneva Rutherford Girls Classic is as follows:

1. Doris Johnson.

2. Tabernacle Baptist.

3. Jordan Prince Williams.

4. CI Gibson.

5. Eight Mile Rock.

6. Bishop Michael Eldon.

7. Kingsway Academy.

8. St John’s.

9. Agape Academy.

10. Mt Carmel.