The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE New Providence Women’s Basketball Association will continue its recent tradition of hosting a preseason tournament for high school basketball players seeking for an opportunity to showcase their skills.

The NPWBA is scheduled to host its annual All-Girls High School Tournament October 24-27 at the DW Davis Gymnasium.

The event, which features junior and senior girls teams, begins at 4pm today and will also honour former player, coach and administrator - the late Audrey Martin.

The goal of the tournament is to help build and promote the women’s league and also to find future junior national team players.

Martin passed away in 2014 at 30 years old. As a shooting guard Martin played a pivotal role at several levels, winning titles at the regional level and in the NPWBA with the Johnson’s Lady Truckers and the Career Builders Cheetahs while at CC Sweeting Senior High School, playing for the Cobras. She went on to further her studies at St Augustine’s College, now a university, in Raleigh, North Carolina, graduating with honours. She also went on to coach at the high school level.

Bahamian women’s basketball has risen to national prominence in recent years with a number of milestone achievements.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin became the first Bahamian head coach to lead a Division I college basketball programme at the University of Jacksonville and followed that post with the head coaching job for the Ole Miss Rebels. She also led the Bahamas to its first Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship.

Jonquel Jones continues to blossom into a star in the WNBA for the Connecticut Sun and finished one game short of the WNBA title. In just four seasons she has garnered two All-Star nods, two All-WNBA Second Team nods, All-WNBA Defensive First Team and Sixth Woman of the Year awards.

She followed Waltiea Rolle, who became the first Bahamian to play in the WNBA when she was drafted by the Seattle Storm. Several basketball players who have excelled at the collegiate level led by Texas Longhorns senior Lashann Higgs and Ole Miss sophomore Valarie Nesbitt have garnered international acclaim for their contributions with Division I programmes.

Locally, Jurelle Nairn has spearheaded the creation of the Ballin’ By Da Beach Girls Basketball Camp, which has been a mainstay on the summer sporting calendar over the past few years.