The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE inaugural Bahamas Hoopfest is set to be added to the expanding list of NCAA Division I basketball tournaments hosted in the Bahamas during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Five NCAA Division I women’s basketball teams - Arkansas, Ball State, Fordham, Lehigh and Wisconsin - will participate in the event, hosted November 28-30 at the Baha Mar resort’s convention centre. “We’re looking for an exciting time and we’re looking forward to thousands of Bahamian young girls cheer with the anticipation of watching the student athletes they aspire to become,” said event co-founder, Dr Simeon Hinsey.

“This is the first time multiple collegiate women’s basketball teams of this magnitude will be competing in the Bahamas’ capital city of Nassau. So, we are very excited about seeing our vision of this event come to fruition. This event not only gives the teams an opportunity to compete against some tough competition, but it also gives them a chance to learn about a new culture and showcase their talents to young girls from The Bahamas who may one day want to follow in their footsteps.”

The event tips off with a Thanksgiving Day matchup between Lehigh and Ball State on November 28.

The slate continues on day two with an early bout seeing Arkansas face Fordham followed by Ball State taking on Wisconsin. On Saturday, Fordham returns to take on Lehigh in the final day’s opening action before the event concludes with a showdown between “Power 5” foes Wisconsin and Arkansas.

Both Hinsey and president at Baha Mar, Graeme Davis, said Bahamas Hoopfest can co-exist with the Battle 4 Atlantis, hosted simultaneously on Thanksgiving weekend.

“We’re not really competing with the men’s event. If anything, we’re going to complement what the men are doing,” Hinsey said. “The target audience for women’s basketball is completely different than the target audience for men’s basketball. There’s just a different feel at a women’s basketball game. We hope that people will see that and come out and support us as well.”

Davis added that a healthy sports tourism product with a wider range of events can only boost the country’s sports tourism profile, which is essential to the post-Hurricane Dorian recovery effort.

“There is no competition, just tremendous opportunities for sports tourism in The Bahamas,” he said, “We are thrilled to welcome NCAA Division I Women’s basketball to Baha Mar. We look forward to supporting and partnering wherever we can for the future of women’s basketball in The Bahamas. It’s important for the entire travel community to know we are open for business and certain events like these create great awareness. We will continue to support those events. It does generate room nights, it does generate a tremendous amount of business for the economy of The Bahamas. We are doing our part in creating an impact in the economy and that’s really the best way we can help The Bahamas’ recovery.”

In addition to hosting five teams over the course of the three-day event, the Bahamas Hoopfest intends to celebrate one of the most iconic names in Bahamian basketball - Waltiea Rolle, the first Bahamian drafted into the WNBA,

“I felt privileged when I heard I will be honored, there are a lot of female players out there that don’t know what the next level is, but they can use my story as an example to show them that they can do, I went down the path many of them are trying to go down.

A lot of these kids that will be here are inner-city kids, I was an inner-city kid so I know what the struggle is like coming out, so for them to see someone make it to the top level can be inspirational,” she said, “I was once in the shoes of the young girls that will be watching and I’m also product of NCAA Division I basketball so I can identify with the girls on the court as well. I’m really excited to see this entire come here to the Bahamas. I never had a chance to see something like this so its a wonderful opportunity for them.”

Rolle was a third-round pick (36th overall) by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2013 WNBA Draft and appeared in all three pre-season games with the team. She also had a brief stint with Seattle Storm in 2014.

The 6’6” centre and University of North Carolina product last played with Xianjiang Magic Deer of the Chinese Women’s Basketball Association but said she looks to continue her pro career in the near future.

Bahamas Hoopfest Co-Founder, Marvin Henfield, said the event continues along the lines of the development in the local women’s game.

“I’m the father of three, so this event is near and dear to my heart. The social impact of this event is going to be magnificent. This entire event is designed to be a place where girls can be inspired and dream. We want an atmosphere where they can believe they can be like the girls they are watching a play, or like our own Bahamian honourees,” he said, “This is the second pillar in our three pillar approach to the sustainability of women’s basketball. This past May we did 11 weeks of training for girls, that’s the development. This is the exposure, where they are allowed to see something they are never seen and the third pillar is the play side. After another training session, this summer we will have the first women’s developmental summer league to produce more players like Waltiea.”

Bahamas Basketball Federation Secretary General, Jurelle Mullings, said the programme is in line with her administration’s mandate to promote women’s basketball.

“We are very pleased to support this venture. I’m also the overseer of women’s basketball in the country on our newly elected board. So I’m happy to see initiatives such as this taking off and the BBF is here to support in any capacity that we can. One of our objectives during our term is to field a strong national team programme and events such as these, giving girls the opportunity to see the finished product, the highest level of NCAA basketball is what we want our young ladies to aspire to,” she said, “You can talk about the next level and going to college but to have them see what you are aspiring to reach, right here at home and to be able to sit courtside its beyond words, so I’m extremely excited for them.”

Even before the opening tip of the first event, Hinsey said interest is already growing for 2020 as teams eager to play have offered verbal commitments.

“It’s catching on. We have been contacted by several other teams and we have teams already talking about next year,” he said, “There was a time when it was cost-prohibitive for women’s basketball to get here, but it’s changing now. More people are paying attention to the game, they are raising more money and they can afford to do the team’s men’s teams are doing. It is starting to expand, it is gaining a lot of respect and this will only open the door more.”