First tryouts for women's National Team held

Yolette McPhee-McCuin

The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, might be two years away, but the senior women's national basketball team is getting together early. Yolette McPhee-McCuin , Grand Bahama native and current head coach of the Jacksonville University Dolphins women's basketball program in Jacksonville, Florida, along with former national team player and coach Jurelle Nairn , held tryouts for the team over the weekend at the A.F. Adderley Gymnasium. McPhee-McCuin is also the head coach of the senior women's national basketball team. The first round of tryouts were open to all women who feel they have what it takes to compete at the highest level of basketball. The coaches put the girls through a series of drills and scrimmages over the course of three days. Local players will have a chance to join up with foreign based players who have already committed to playing for the team.
Each of the three days this past weekend drew a large collection of the best female basketball players on the island, vying for a chance to play in international competition. Women's basketball has been mostly dominated by the United States of America (USA), and the coaches feel that with the right collection of players they can compete at a high level and be successful. "I expected a lot of athletic individuals and I got that," said coach McCuin. "It was exciting because we had about 30 girls come out. They were extremely competitive. I know this is just tryouts but I like the way things are shaping up. I tested them, pushed them conditioning wise and we implemented some offense to see how they would respond. I think they did a good job. The future is bright and I think we will have a strong team," said coach McCuin. Jimmy Mackey, a former national team standout, is now the owner of Macfit 360, a premier, cutting-edge center for health and human performance in the capital. He will serve as the strength and conditioning coach for the team. His goal will be to get the team members in peak physical condition, which would allow them to perform at a high level for extended periods of time. Conditioning is a major part of basketball and coach McCuin wants to ensure that her team is ready to compete against the best in the world. "Everybody who makes the team will be conditioning with Macfit 360 group until we return for training camp on the June 23," said McCuin. "One thing that has hurt The Bahamas over the years was that when we go overseas to compete, we have been out of shape so we have to make sure that we are in shape, so that we can compete at a high level." The team's training camp will last two weeks and will take them into the summer, the time of year when international basketball is in full swing. "We are trying to qualify for the Olympics, so as we play FIBA events, we hope to qualify for the bigger tournaments. With the players we have playing professionally or overseas mixed with the talent that we have here, there is no doubt that we will be a force to reckon with." Just recently, it was announced that East Tennessee State women's basketball coach Brittney Ezell has been named as an assistant coach for The Bahamas' women's national team this summer. Ezell, an American, said "it will be a great opportunity to learn and grow as a coach through international competition." Ezell went 9-21 in her first season at East Tennessee State after posting a 41-52 win/loss record in three seasons at Belmont. Once a full team is selected, it will start training for this summer's Caribbean Basketball Confederation's (CBC) Championships.
Courtesy of: thenassauguardian.com