The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT seems as if more and more Bahamians are heading to Canada where they are having an impact not just on the collegiate scene, but the professional circuit.

The latest to achieve their level of success are the Bahamian combo of wide receiver Eugene McMinns, defensive back Arrien McDonald and offensive linesman Shelton Williams, who teamed up to win the 2017 Atlantic University Sports (AUS) championship title on Tuesday night.

While McDonald and Williams will be back next year, McMinns could be closing out his collegiate career this weekend when the Axemen face the undefeated 10-0 Western Mustangs in the U Sports UTeck Bowl game on Saturday.

After that, McMinns will wait around to see if he gets selected to play on a professional team. If he is successful, he could be following the footsteps of such Bahamian players as Godfrey Ellis and Karl McCartney, who both played in the Canadian Football League after they were done with college.

McMinns actually got his collegiate career started at Holland College where there were at least 11 Bahamians on the roster that also included McCartney as an assistant coach in his post-pro career. Out of that list, he excelled further than anyone else.

Canadian colleges have been good to the Bahamas and the Bahamian players who have gone to those schools have represented the Bahamas very well, not just in football, but they are doing it also in basketball.

Coaches have and continue to speak highly of the performances of the Bahamians and Jeff Cummins was the latest to commend the combo that he had to work with this year, including McMinns, one of the top performers for the Axemen.

With their season just about to be done with, the attention will turn to basketball and already there are a number of players, including Trevon Grant, now in his senior year at Acadia, who are making their presence felt.

Men’s Basketball

This weekend, the Bahamas Basketball Federation will be assembling its men’s national basketball team to travel to Canada next week for the first leg of the new format for the road to the FIBA 2019 World Cup and Olympic qualification for 2020.

At least 18 players from various professional leagues, a couple in college and some who are here at home, will be trying out for the team, according to federation first vice president Mario Bowleg.

Bowleg, who will head a local cadre of coaches, said he’s convinced that they will field the best team to travel to Canada to play in their first game on November 24 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

On their return, the Bahamas will host their first in a series of home-and-away games when they take on the US Virgin Islands on Monday, November 27 at the Kendal Issacs Gymnasium.

Then on Thursday, February 22, the Bahamas will host the Dominican Republic and Canada on Sunday, February 25.

Their final two games will be on the road on Friday, June 29 in the US Virgin Islands and Monday, July 2 in the Dominican Republic.

The Bahamas, one of 15 islands in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation, goes into the tournament ranked at No.59 in the field.

Hopefully by their performances, they will be able to ascend the ladder in their bid to become the first team sport to qualify for the Olympics.

It’s a long shot, but Bowleg said he’s up to the task of taking the team to the next level. Only time will tell. But we wish the players making up the squad all the best in this venture.

Following the intense close door practice sessions this weekend, Bowleg said they would announce the team on Monday at a press conference.

Condolences to Lloyd

While we take this time to offer our condolences to the family of the late Sir Arlington Butler, who has been lauded nationally for his role as the Bahamas Olympic Committee president for 40 years, the same must be done for the late Keith Lloyd.

The former cyclist, who suffered an arm injury that forced him to devote his energy in the administration of the sport, has done a helium job with the Bahamas Cycling Federation and the Bahamas Swimming Federation.

Whenever there was a local or international event in both sports, Lloyd was behind the scenes or on the microphone making his contribution.

He was also relied upon to provide the media with the latest statistical results and he was very proficient in getting the job done.

He will be sorely missed simply because he was still active in both organisations up to the time of his sudden death at the age of 50 on Friday.

At the same time, I wish to offer my condolences to the family of Sir Arlington Butler, 79, who served up until 2008 as president of the BOC. May their souls rest in peace.