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Tristen and Jawaun Newton swapped jerseys after Friday's Evansville-East Carolina game in the Bahamas.(Photo: Chad Lindskog / Courier & Press)

NASSAU, Bahamas Maybe the referee thought it was a coincidence they shared the same last name.

Perhaps he hadn't researched the roster makeup before Friday's Islands of the Bahamas Showcase matchup between Evansville and East Carolina. Referees aren't supposed to be biased, after all.

It is also possible he didn't see the similarities in their faces.

Whatever the reason, he had enough of East Carolina freshman Tristen Newton picking at Evansville sophomore Jawaun Newton and warned him to stop it or there would be consequences.

"That's my brother," Tristen said.

The referee then looked atJawaun. He smirked as hewas standing at the free-throw lineto continue the Aces' comeback before halftime after a poor start.

"Yeah, we're brothers," Jawaun said, seemingly sending the official into disbelief.

Jawaun Newton shoots during the Aces' game against East Carolina.(Photo: UE Athletics)

Theyfaced off for the first time on Friday night. Well, at least the first time on opposing teams. There've been countless games of 1-on-1.

The brothers from El Paso, Texas who each start for their NCAA Division I colleges separated by almost 800 miles reunited in the Bahamas. Their parentsMontreal and Erika Newton were on hand for the occasion dressed in custom T-shirts with each of their boys' names and numbers in the respective school colors on the front.

It was a night they'll never forget.

Ive been looking forward to it all season, Jawaun said. It just didnt go the way I wanted it to go.

Tristen's Pirates got the best of the Purple Aces, 85-68, to secure bragging rights. The younger brother scored 18 points, had five assists and four rebounds in 38 minutes while Jawaun scored four points and had two rebounds in half the amount of playing time.

UE Insider: 'Selfish' play continues to hinder Evansville basketball after ECU loss

They didn't shake hands before tipoff, nor did they guard one another much during the game. Tristen said he looked at Jawaun as an opponent, not his brother.

Afterward, however, Jawaun greeted his younger brother with a hug when Tristen emerged from the locker room to do a postgame radio interview.They then swapped jerseys and posed for family photos.

Were really close, Tristen said. Hes been right by my side for 18 years. My whole life, Ive been trying to compete against him and tell him Im better than him. Hes why I am the player I am.

Tristen Newton(Photo: ECU Athletics)

They were stars at Burges High School a football school before the Newtons arrived. Their cousins Aaron and Alvin Jones reached the NFL after starring at Burges.

The 6-foot-3 Jawaun was a two-time El Paso Times Boys Player of the Year and averaged 28.5 points and 7.1 rebounds as a senior. Tristen, whos 6-5, then received the Player of the Year honor last year to cap his senior campaign, in which he averaged 37.4 points and 9.2 rebounds to lead the state and rank sixth nationally in scoring.

Theyve been pushing each other on the basketball court since they were 4 and 5 years old. They wanted to stay teammates, too. But UE never officially offered Tristen a scholarship and he was a late ECU commit.

It was like watching a video game when they were in high school, their father Montreal said. Some people thought just because they were in El Paso, that they werent that good. Then they went out of town and scored even more points against schools from Dallas and Houston, so I knew they could play at this level.

Evansville's Jawaun Newton (3) takes the court before the start of the the University of Evansville Purple Aces vs Indiana University Kokomo Cougars game at Ford Center Thursday evening, Nov. 14, 2019. (Photo: MaCabe Brown / Courier & Press)

Jawaun and Montreal went kayaking in the ocean on Friday morning, but they flipped twice much to the amusement of UE coach Walter McCarty who was watching from afar.

Montreal and Erika each said they were nervous about the game, but they eventually relaxed and are joyous about being able to treat the weekend as a family vacation. The four of them dont get to see each other much anymore.

Its a blessing, Erika said.

They previously saw each of the boys season openers in person. The brothers also watch as many of each others games as they possibly can.

Friday was only the fourth time ECU and UE have met. The previous matchup was in the 2013 CIT while the other two were part of a home-and-home series in 1998 and 99.

The Newton brothers might not get another opportunity to share the same floor again. Its not common for brothers to play on the same college team, let alone against each other on different teams.

Just ask the referee.

We got the dub whats all we wanted, Tristen said.

He gets a story he can tell his grandkids, Jawaun relented.

Contact Chad Lindskog of the Courier & Press by email, clindskog@gannett.com, or on Twitter: @chadlindskog.

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Family reunion: Brothers Jawaun and Tristen Newton go head-to-head in the Bahamas - Courier & Press

The Liberty Flames look to stay perfect on the season when they take on the Morgan State Bears in the opening game of the 2019 The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase. The Flames (5-0), who tied with Lipscomb for the Atlantic Sun Conference championship at 14-2 and were 29-7 overall in 2018-19, were 2-3 on neutral courts a year ago, while the Bears (3-2), who finished 11th in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference at 4-12 and were 9-21 overall last season, were 1-1 on neutral courts in 2018-19. Friday's tip-off from Baha Mar Convention Center in Nassau, The Bahamas, is set for 11 a.m. ET. Morgan State leads the all-time series 3-1, winning the last meeting 51-50 on Nov. 26, 2014. The Flames are 14-point favorites in the latest Liberty vs. Morgan State odds, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 125.5.Before making any Liberty vs. Morgan State picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model and see what it has to say.

This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has crushed its top-rated college basketball picks against-the-spread the past three years, returning $2,770 to $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Liberty vs. Morgan State. We can tell you that the model is leaning over, and has generated an extremely strong against the spread pick that is hitting in well over 70 percent of simulations.You can head to SportsLine to see it. Now, here are the betting lines and trends for Liberty vs. Morgan State:

Liberty is off to its best start since 1991 and is one of 12 teams in Division I with a record of 5-0 or better. Of the 200 minutes played this season, the Flames have trailed a total of just five minutes, 46 seconds. Through five games, Liberty, which is fifth in the country in scoring defense, has allowed 259 points (51.8 average), the fewest during the school's Division I history and fewest since they allowed 242 in 1984.

Offensively, the Flames have been led by senior guard Caleb Homesley, who is averaging a team-high 14 points per game to go along with 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists. In his last game, Homesley poured in 25 points, while grabbing nine rebounds and adding four assists against East Carolina. He missed the game against Navy with an undisclosed injury and is questionable for Friday's contest.

But just because the Flames are playing well, does not guarantee they will win or cover the Liberty vs. Morgan State spread on Friday.

That's because Morgan State has won two in a row and is coming off a big 88-52 win over Regent. The Bears are led by senior guard Stanley Davis, who is averaging 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds and is shooting 59 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the free throw line. Morgan State is 4-0 against the spread in its last four games following a straight-up win of more than 20 points.

Junior forward Troy Baxter is a force inside and already has 13 blocked shots, tied for 36th in the country and leads the Bears with 6.8 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Sherwyn Devonish has scored in double figures in all five games and is averaging 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. He scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win over George Washington last week.

So who wins Morgan State vs. Liberty? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 70 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Morgan State vs. Liberty spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $2,700 on its college basketball picks the last three years, and find out.

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Liberty vs. Morgan State odds: 2019 The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase picks, predictions from proven model - CBS Sports

A big prize up for grabs at the partypoker MILLIONS Main Event in the Bahamas. A game show comes to PokerGo. Find these stories and more in the Friday Hit and Run.

The big live event of the weekend is the partypoker MILLIONS World 2019 Bahamas Main Event. On Friday, the tournament saw the start of Day 3 with Scott Margereson holding the chip lead to begin the day with 135 players remaining.

By Friday evening, just 31 players remained of the 948 that entered the tournament with Ludovic Gelich holding the chip lead at the time of this writing. Ryan Riess, Andras Nemeth, Alex Foxen and Martin Zamani are a few of the tables alive playing towards a piece of the $9.48 million prize pool with $1.35 million set to be awarded for first place.

PokerGO will continue its coverage of the event, which poker fans can watch by purchasing a subscription. Live updates will also be available via the Poker Central website.

Speaking of PokerGo, November 25th marks the debut of the poker-themed game show The Big Blind on PokerGo. The show combines the strategy of poker with trivia on a variety of gambling topics including poker, casinos, Las Vegas and forms of gambling. The show will feature poker celebrities such as Norm MacDonald, Joey Ingram, Chris Moneymaker and more.

The partypoker MILLIONS Bahamas Main Event reaches a conclusion this weekend as the final 30 players fight for the $1.35 million first-place prize.

PokerStars has had a successful launch in Pennsylvania since launching earlier this month, but one of the popular PokerStars games missing from the client remains Spin & Go. Available in New Jersey, Spins and Gos is believed to be held up in Pennsylvania while waiting for approval by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

Fresh off the election of pro-gambling Andy Beshear as governor, a Kentucky lawmaker plans to introduce a sports betting bill in 2020. Meanwhile, in other state news, a bill that would regulate sports betting and casino gambling has been pre-filed in Virginia.

Poker Strategys Barry Carter examines learning poker from videos and streams, which can obviously be informative but can also be entertaining.

Collin Hulbert is back again this week with his NFL Week 12 picks, where he breaks down the betting lines available form the BetRivers sportsbook. Hulbert is currently 53.3% on the season for all games as he looks to keep the momentum going.

In Fridays featured classic Grinderschool poker training video we continue our look at the Colossos Cash Games series, where he live plays sessions of $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Holdem shorthanded. In this episode, Colossos gives insights to his decisions at the tables.

Watch Part 5 of the Triton Poker No Limit Holdem Cash Game from Super High Roller Montenegro earlier this year. The game features Tony G, Dan Jungleman Cates, Paul Phua, Isaac Haxton, Mikita Badziakouski and more.

Looking for some live poker to watch this weekend? Follow the Moneymaker Road to PSPC this weekend via the PokerStars channel. The tour will be live from Dublin. Poker fans can watch the first day of streaming below:

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Hit And Run: $1.35 Million Up For Grabs In partypoker MILLIONS Bahamas Main Event; The Big Blind Poker-Themed Game Show To Debut On PokerGo On...

The Tories biggest donor in the general election campaign so far is a billionaire who is registered as living in the Bahamas.

Boris Johnson s party banked 5.7million in donations of 7,500 or more in the week from November 6 to 12 26 times more than Labour .

And theatre boss John Gore was the biggest single benefactor, handing over 1million to bring his total contribution to the Tories to 4.8million since 2017.

Mr Gore joined the Sunday Times Rich List this year, with a personal fortune of 1.5billion, made from producing musicals such as Wicked and Chicago.

He said earlier this year: I have chosen to stick my head into the mad world of politics when it is at its maddest. I am a British citizen with an outside eye.

Its not unlike being a director. I can see this show is going wrong that its going to crash. I hope I can do something to get it into shape and help it flourish.

Mr Gore, 57, was born in Southport, Merseyside, and is registered as a director of two firms at Companies House, giving his nationality as English and his country of residence as Bahamas.

The Caribbean island is infamous for being a tax haven. There is no income tax, no corporation tax, no capital gains tax and no wealth tax.

But Mr Gore told the Mirror: I am employed by a US company so thats where I pay my tax. A big amount. That is where I am tax resident.

Asked why Companies House records state his country of residence is the Bahamas, Mr Gore said: I have looked into that and I think it is because they needed an address.

The next three largest Tory donors were travel firm Trailfinders, Countrywide Developers and WA Capital, who each gave 500,000.

The party also received 200,000 from Lubov Chernukhin, the wife of a former Russian minister. In the past she paid 160,000 to play tennis with Boris Johnson.

Of the 7.1million of donations made to all parties revealed by the Electoral Commission yesterday, 87% went to the Conservatives.

Labour Chairman Ian Lavery said: While the Conservative Party is in the pockets of vested interests and the super-rich, we are proud that the Labour Party is funded by hundreds of thousands of people donating what they can afford to build a fairer society.

Labour declared 218,500 in donations of 7,500 or more in the same period, just 3% of the total. Both the Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party received more.

Labours left-wing campaigning arm, Momentum, said it had raised over 450,000 from small donations.

At the end of 2018, the Tories posted a first deficit in eight years and were in a worse financial position than Labour, according to accounts in August.

However, the party raised more than Labour earlier this year as it became apparent an election was looming.

A party spokesperson said: The Conservative Party is funded by membership, fundraising and donations, including over 600 local associations across the country.

The Electoral Commission figures exclude the significant sums we have received from small donations.

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Boris Johnson's Tories handed 1million by billionaire tycoon based in Bahamas - Mirror Online

NASSAU, BAHAMAS BTC through the Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation (CWCF) gifted a US$100,000 grant to support the Ministry of Education with the development of a virtual learning program through One on One Education Services Limited.

BTC CEO Garfield Sinclair, said, This is truly a significant day in our history. We are responding to a critical need for over 1,500 students affected by the hurricane as well as assisting the Ministry of Education with its overarching goals to modernize and transform education in the country.

This initiative is being provided through BTC Study a website that provides an interactive virtual school experience.

This will supplement classroom learning and will enable students to catch up on instructional time lost following Hurricane Dorian.

Students will receive extra classes, digital textbooks and other learning resources. Teachers participating in the program will record their educational instruction and live stream classes to students. Impacted students from K3 through to grade 12 will benefit from this initiative.

Minister of Education Jeffery Lloyd said: The Ministry of Education is delighted to partner with BTC in the furtherance of its digitization efforts.

The One-on-One Program will provide a significant thrust in enabling positive instructional outcomes for students across the Bahamas, especially in an era where individualized and experiential learning has become the focus of todays student-centered education. We appreciate and celebrate the ingenious efforts by BTC in lending its considerable resources in helping to transform the educational landscape of the Bahamas.

The Sandals Foundation,a key partner in this effort,fundedtraining forfifty teachers and procuredfive hundred tabletsfor students.

Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, said the program will significantly support the resiliency of learners.

These students have experienced unimaginable challenges and changes, Clarke said.

It was important for us to do what we could to ensure their academic progress was not derailed. These tablets will provide the ideal support that teachers and students need to stay on track with their counterparts.

Education is the most important tool through which students, young and old can emerge from trying circumstances and create a strong future. These are the investments that drive the work of the Sandals Foundation as we help Caribbean nationals achieve their best.

Ricardo Allen, CEO at One on One Educational Services Limited, and his team will be leading the on-the-ground activities in The Bahamas.

Allen said he is extremely excited about the prospects of playing a part in helping to provide personalized and on-demand tuition to Bahamas students.

It has always been our belief that education is perhaps the most dynamic way of advancing the welfare of a nation, and in the face of the catastrophic hurricane experienced earlier this year, for many students, that reality was significantly impacted, Allen said.

In response to the unspeakable disaster, in collaboration with BTC, and our other stakeholders, we have put together a comprehensive series of activity which will no doubt positively impact students and their scholastic performance for this academic year.

He added: Our vision really is to continue our work with the Ministry of Education, Sandals and the Cable & Wireless Foundation, in whatever way we can, to empower students, parents and teachers through technology.

Students and teachers have full access tothe BTC Study website freeof chargein itsintroductoryphase.

TheCable & Wireless Charitable FoundationearmarkedUS$500,000toward immediate and longer-term relief and restoration effortsforThe Bahamas.

The Foundation provided humanitarian aidincluding over 55,000 pounds of groceries andcare packages which included smart phones, prepaid SIM cards and personal care items.

AUS$25,000 grant was providedtoWorld Central Kitchen, whichcontinues to provide hot meals daily in Grand Bahama.

AUS$50,000 grant was also issued to the Rotary Club of Grand Bahama for the treatment of the local water plantandNEMA also received a US$75,000 grant for recovery and restoration efforts.

This year marks theCable & Wireless Charitable Foundations 5thAnnualMission Dayusually held during the month of November.

The 2019programwasexpanded toincludea week of activities.

The objective is to enable employees from across the business to volunteer in their local communities to demonstrate the companys commitment to the communities in which it operates.

This years Mission Day is dedicated to raising funds for The Bahamas post-Dorian restoration efforts.

Volunteers from Miami, Barbados, Jamaica, Anguilla, Colombia and Panama visited Grand Bahama on November 19 to volunteer at World Central Kitchen, preparing and distributing food to residents in need.

Teams in New Providence assisted The Bahamas Red Cross on November 20.

On Thanksgiving Day, employees from Grand Bahama and New Providence will participate in a Meals on Wheels program providing hot meals to retired BTC team members, the sick and shut in.

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BTC supports more than 1500 Students from Grand Bahama and Abaco - EyeWitness News

The Bahamas, archipelago and country on the northwestern edge of the West Indies. Formerly a British colony, The Bahamas became an independent country within the Commonwealth in 1973.

The name Bahamas is of Lucayan Taino (Arawakan) derivation, although some historians believe it is from the Spanish bajamar, meaning shallow water. The islands occupy a position commanding the gateway to the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the entire Central American region. Their strategic location has given the history of The Bahamas a unique and often striking character. It was there that Christopher Columbus made his original landfall in the Americas. The subsequent fate of the peaceful original inhabitants remains one of the more tragic episodes in the development of the entire region, while the early attempts at European-dominated settlement were marked by intense national rivalries, interspersed with long periods of lawlessness and piracy. As a result, the society and culture that has evolved in The Bahamas is a distinctive blend of European and African heritages, the latter a legacy of the slave trade and the introduction of the plantation system using African slaves. The islands, lacking natural resources other than their agreeable climate and picturesque beaches, have become heavily dependent on the income generated by the extensive tourist facilities and the financial sector that have been developed, often as a result of the injection of foreign capital. The continued popularity of the islands with tourists, largely from North America, has helped to maintain a relatively high standard of living among the population, most of whom are of African descent. The capital, Nassau, is located on small but important New Providence Island.

Lying to the north of Cuba and Hispaniola, the archipelago comprises nearly 700 islands and cays, only about 30 of which are inhabited, and more than 2,000 low, barren rock formations. It stretches more than 500 miles (800 km) southeast-northwest between Grand Bahama Island, which has an area of 530 square miles (1,373 square km) and lies about 60 miles (100 km) off the southeastern coast of the U.S. state of Florida, and Great Inagua Island, some 50 miles (80 km) from the eastern tip of Cuba. The islands other than New Providence are known collectively as the Out (Family) Islands. They include Grand Bahama, which contains the major settlements of Freeport and West End; Andros (2,300 square miles [6,000 square km]), the largest island of The Bahamas; Abaco, or Great Abaco, (372 square miles [963 square km]); and Eleuthera (187 square miles [484 square km]), the site of one of the early attempts at colonization.

The Bahamas occupies an irregular submarine tableland that rises out of the depths of the Atlantic Ocean and is separated from nearby lands to the south and west by deepwater channels. Extensive areas of flatland, generally a few feet in elevation, are the dominant topographic features of the major islands; the Bimini group (9 square miles [23 square km]), for example, has a maximum elevation of only 20 feet (6 metres). A number of islands fronting the Atlantic have a range or series of ranges of hills on the northeastern side that parallel the longer axes of the islands. These ranges are formed of sand washed ashore and blown inland by the trade winds. The newer hills adjacent to the seashore are normally sand dunes. Solidity increases toward the interior, where the particles become cemented to form Bahama limestone. Eleuthera and Long Island (230 square miles [596 square km]) have the greatest number of hills exceeding 100 feet (30 metres). The highest point in The Bahamas, Mount Alvernia, at 206 feet (63 metres), is on Cat Island (150 square miles [388 square km]). Beneath the soil, the islands are composed of limestone rock and skeletal remains of coral fossils and other marine organisms. There are no rivers, but several islandsparticularly New Providence, San Salvador (63 square miles [163 square km]), and Great Inaguahave large lakes. There is abundant fresh water on Andros Island.

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The Bahamas | History, Geography, & Points of Interest ...

Video technology vendor ActiveVideo has announced that Cable Bahamas will deploy its cloud-based, virtualized pay TV delivery system.

San Jose, California-based ActiveVideo is jointly owned by CommScope and Charter Communications. The latter uses the companys CloudTV platform as the foundation of its Spectrum Guide video service, which virtualizes set-top processing and functions in the cloud, allowing operators to deliver next-generation TV experiences even to older set-tops.

ActiveVideos solution leverages Zodiac Systems software, including the Zodiac Stack set-top box software and Zodiac Matrix cloud integration platform, and is integrated with Minervas service management platform and client presentation engine. The end-to-end solution is branded REVGOPlay by Cable Bahamas.

Our collaboration with ActiveVideo allows us to deliver world-class services across the Bahamas, by maximizing our existing capex and rapidly migrating our entire subscriber base to an advanced UI without needing to ship a new device to each and every home, said John Gomez, COO of Cable Bahamas. "The flexibility of our virtualized platform will support agile and cost-effective growth as we introduce new services and devices.

At the IBC Show in Amsterdam in September, ActiveVideo said that 18 million pay TV customers were using its cloud-based technology.

At that time, Charter issued a statement, seemingly aimed at reminding everyone that its still using ActiveVideo tech.

Spectrum Guide has been deployed to millions of set-top boxes across our footprint providing a reliable, modern navigation experience, and virtualization has been key to that success, said Jake Perlman, senior VP of software development at Charter. Working with ActiveVideo allowed us to realize the promises of virtualization, deploy a world-class, next-generation TV service at scale and have a flexible platform that supports new features and services.

However, Charter executives have conceded that theyre looking at Comcasts X1 and are considering a white-label license of the video technology, similar to the one used by Cox Communications.

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ActiveVideo Rolls Its Cloud-based Service to Cable Bahamas - Multichannel News

Mens basketball left the cold in favor of the tropics Tuesday, heading to Nassau, Bahamas for the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase.

The showcase marks the first international tournament for the Colonials in more than 20 years. GW is slated to play three games in as many days, teeing off against UMKC Friday.

Head coach Jamion Christian said the trip simulates the tournament-style play the team will see in the postseason and provides players with valuable experience for quick game turn-arounds.

You dont get a chance early in the year to really test yourself in that kind of environment, Christian said. Were always going to be judged by how well we do in March, so we always want to put ourselves in a position to learn how our body is going to respond in situations like that.

Hosted in March, the Atlantic 10 Championship spans five days, with teams possibly seeing action every day of the tournament. Christian said players need to prepare for the physicality, endurance and mental stamina the championship demands.

Weve got our athletic trainer here, we have our strength coaches here so were obviously going to be stretching a ton and lifting a ton just to get our stamina and those kind of things, Christian said. I think mentally, we do a lot of meditation so I think mentally its going to be about being able to loosen ourselves.

The tournament will also give the Colonials an opportunity to work out kinks away from Foggy Bottom. Holding a 1-3 record in four games this season, GW has experienced some growing pains associated with a new coaching staff and fresh faces on the roster.

Christian has frequently highlighted three-point shooting as one of the key components in his offensive strategy, but the Colonials rank last in the A-10 conference beyond the arc, owning a .274 shooting percentage. The squad has taken over twice as many three point shots as its opponents this year.

During the Bahamas showcase, Christian said he hopes to establish a rhythm for the teams rotation. So far this season, freshman guard Jameer Nelson Jr., senior forward Arnaldo Toro, freshman forward Jamison Battle, sophomore forward Mezie Offurum and junior guard Maceo Jack have seen the most minutes on the court.

Were really trying to settle into our rotation with our team, Christian said. Were trying to settle into an offensive understanding within our group. And I think every game were playing, were learning more and more about our group.

GW currently ranks No. 11 in the A-10 offensively, averaging 65.8 points per game with a -1.5 scoring margin. But three Colonials Toro, Nelson Jr. and Battle average double-digit scoring.

Christian said traveling internationally exposes the squad to different techniques and reinforces GWs tradition of international diversity.

On the floor, it bridges these different styles of play obviously, and in all the parts of the world they play a different brand of basketball, Christian said. The chance to bridge that gap between how they play in Spain, where Javier is from, or how they play in the Caribbean where Toro grew up. I think thats really special.

East Carolina, Evansville, Milwaukee, Morgan State, Rice, UMKC and Liberty will join the Colonials for the showcase. Liberty is the only team that held a winning record in the 2018-19 season and continued its regular season success, reaching the second round of the 2019 NCAA tournament.

This season, the Colonials have already faced off with Morgan State. The squad fell to the Bears 6864 after holding a 10-point lead at the half. The Colonials were without Toro, but Christian said after the game Toro should be back to form for the showcase.

Christian added that team ventures outside of Foggy Bottom facilitate a stronger bond among the players, which results in a stronger bond on the floor.

Any time were able to take them out of the environment that theyre all so comfortable in and put them in a place where they have to bond closer together and they have to do something together, its just better, Chrisitian said.

The Colonials are back in action Friday as they take on UMKC. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m.

Emily Maise contributed reporting.

This article appeared in the November 21, 2019 issue of the Hatchet.

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Men's basketball looks to gain tournament experience in Bahamas - GW Hatchet

Devastation is seen in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Islands, Bahamas, on Sept. 11, 2019.

About $3.4 billion in losses was caused in the Bahamas alone by Hurricane Dorian a number equivalent to one-fourth of the nation's gross domestic product according to a report released Friday.

The report by the Inter-American Development Bank also echoed the previously reported death toll of 67 and number of missing, 282, as of late October.

When the Category 5 monster hit the northwestern Bahamas in early September, it left some 29,500 people homeless, without jobs or both, the report added.

(MORE: Cows Washed Away During Hurricane Dorian Found Alive and Well)

The development bank said reconstruction will require big investments and will take many years. Dorian was one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever to make landfall, unleashing a storm surge of up to 25 feet.

Destruction of homes and other buildings as well as infrastructure caused damage amounting to $2.5 billion, with 87% reported in Abaco and the remainder in Grand Bahama, according to the development bank.

Some 9,000 homes were damaged and seven schools destroyed, leading to the reassignment of 1,500 displaced students, the report said. It described damage to some tourism facilities as "catastrophic."

Another $717 million in losses was caused by the storms impact on the production of goods and services provided, with the private sector sustaining 84% of that total, the report said. It estimated another $221 million in costs for the cleanup of an oil spill in Grand Bahama and debris removal and demolition.

Atisha Kemp, an activist in the capital of Nassau, said Bahamians are frustrated with the government and that many of the displaced are still living in tents, with power and water lacking in some areas.

"Things are a mess," she said. "Everything is at a standstill."

The Weather Companys primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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Hurricane Dorian Responsible for $3.4 Billion in Losses on Bahamas, Report Says - The Weather Channel

The cruise industrys largest companies are extending their ties with the Caribbean, already their primary deployment region, with projects to build and expand several private islands and exclusive visitor destinations that will roll out across the Bahamas and other Caribbean countries in the next few years.

The Bahamas is at the center of the cruise business Caribbean development boom, highlighted by Carnival Corp.s agreement with the territorys government to launch a port destination on Grand Bahama Island and expand Half Moon Cay, the company's private island on Little San Salvador.

Top operator MSC Cruises will open its own land-based Bahamas development, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, in December. The private island and nature reserve, constructed on the site of a former industrial sand extraction site, is scheduled to open in December following a recent delay attributed to adverse weather and operational challenges.

Royal Caribbean International meanwhile is planning a port development that promises to revitalize the Bahamas faded Freeport visitor district. The cruise line is partnering with Mexico-based ITM Group to form Holistica, a global port development firm whose first project will be a $275 million redevelopment of the shuttered Grand Lucayan Resort property and cruise facility.

Royal Caribbeans latest project follows the lines successful debut of Perfect Day at Coco Cay, an extensive redevelopment of its existing private Bahamian island. Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbeans president and CEO, said earlier this year Perfect Day at Coco Cay is Royal Caribbeans top-rated global destination.

Cuban Exile

Cruise lines are focused on the Bahamas in a timely confluence of chance, opportunity and planning according to Giora Israel, Carnival Corps senior vice president of global port and destination development.

In a recent TravelPulse interview, Israel said the U.S. governments halt of cruise lines deployment in Cuba earlier this year led Carnival Corp officials to re-focus on their long-held plans for a Bahamas expansion.

The brief Cuba traffic was not only extremely successful for cruise operators, but the business also represented forbidden fruit for the South Florida-based cruise lines, which throughout their history were barred from launching itineraries to the fascinating island only 90 miles away, Israel said.

Meanwhile, Carnivals Bahamas plans took a back seat. The expectation was that sooner or later Cuba would open and ultimately allow for a traditional cruise product, said Israel. But that did not happen. A new president came into power and shifted back to the old [Cuba] regulations, and then shut the door down completely [for cruise lines], he said. In the meantime, additional development in the Bahamas kind of fell asleep.

Those plans included a private Bahamian island for Carnival Cruise Lines to complement sister brands Holland America Lines Half Moon Cay, which opened in 1997.

Carnival Cruise Lines never had a private Bahamian island, said Israel. We wanted to have an island close to where all of the other private islands are, close to the U.S. cruise ports of Orlando, Port Everglades and Miami.

In terms of the larger cruise industry, The Bahamas proximity to those three main Florida cruise ports and the U.S. East Coast, coupled with the Bahamas sunny skies, warm temperatures, beautiful beaches and cultural activities, make the territory a cant natural target for cruise operators.

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The Bahamas has again become very important for the cruise lines, Israel said. The cruise lines private island developments in the Berry Islands are all important projects and also contribute to the economies of those locations.

Carnivals Grand Bahama port will embody more than a traditional cruise line private island, said Israel. It will be the first time a real port will be developed on a populated island in the Bahamas, he said.

We are developing an exclusive destination for Carnival capable of taking up to two large ships. The new port will encompass 329 acres, more acreage than all of Carnival Corp.s other private island destinations combined, Israel added.

The devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian across Grand Bahama Island made the development plans especially timely, Israel said. Our investment, which is a major investment into the port, will be a major injection into the economy, he said.

The Bahamas is far from the only Caribbean country where cruise lines are spending significantly to develop new guest attractions and amenities. Cruise lines are planning new ports and land-based projects in several Caribbean nations following the success of other recent cruise port projects in countries Belize, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

In October Royal Caribbean unveiled plans for a Royal Beach Club in Antigua. The new beach destination concept for cruise guests will open in 2021 and offer private cabanas, a family splash pad, a pool with a swim-up bar, and jet skiing, paddle boarding and snorkeling, plus beach barbecues and live music.

Also in October, Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises signed an agreement with Saint Lucias government to form a joint venture that will design, construct and operate a new cruise port in the Vieux Fort district. The partnership will also manage the island's existing cruise pier and terminal facilities at the Port of Castries.

It is essential that we continue to diversify what we have to offer, grow our brand and ensure that different sectors in our islands economy benefit from the growth in cruise tourism, said Allen Chastanet, Saint Lucias prime minister.

The cruise lines expanding Caribbean development and deployment is supported by strong cruise-ship visitor numbers, say Caribbean Tourism Organization officials. Caribbean destinations reported a record 16.7 million cruise visits the first six months of 2019, 1.3 million more than in the same period of 2018. The present 8.1 percent passenger growth eclipses that for similar periods in the last four years, officials said.

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Why Cruise Lines Are Expanding Ties to the Bahamas and Caribbean - TravelPulse