Sportsmen Duncombe, Reid pass away

It was a sad Christmas for the sporting fraternity of The Bahamas as two noted sportsmen passed away over the weekend.

A couple of former national team members, Jim “The Swing Doctor” Duncombe in golf, and Michael “Scooter” Reid in basketball, died just hours apart – Duncombe on Sunday evening in a South Florida hospital and Reid at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) at 6 a.m. Monday morning.

Legendary musician and professional golfer Duncombe lost his battle with cancer, passing away at age 77. He was re-admitted to hospital over the weekend with various health issues and succumbed on Sunday evening. Reid suffered from multiple myeloma, cancerous plasma cells that accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells. After about six weeks at hospital, he passed away at age 57.

Duncombe was one of The Bahamas’ best pro golfers and coaches, training the next generation of Bahamian golfers at the driving range at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre for more than a decade. On the greens, he was regarded as one with a phenomenal swing, thereby earning the nickname “The Swing Doctor”.

From an amateur straight up to the professional ranks, Duncombe stood out as an icon in the sport for The Bahamas, winning national titles and regional awards. He was also a 

national golf coach for many years. As a golf pro, he spent a great portion of his career at the Paradise Island Golf Club, helping to transform that club into a major hub for the sport of golf in The Bahamas.

Duncombe played on the Bahamas Professional Golf Tour (BPGT), securing his first win in round six of the signature series in October 2018 at The Royal Blue Golf Course at Baha Mar. Just two months prior, he came up just short to Lemon Gorospe of Albany Golf Course in a head-to-head matchup, falling in a double tie-breaker duel.

He would not be denied in round six though, posting a score of one over par 73.

Duncombe passed on his expertise to his daughter Jameica, who was also a national team member, playing from age five, and was The Bahamas’ best female golfer for a number of years. The elder Duncombe also served as the head coach of men and women’s golf at the University of The Bahamas (UB) for the past three years. He was the first golf coach at UB.

Three years prior to the 2018 BPGT Classic, Duncombe was inducted into The Bahamas’ Sports Hall of Fame. He was one 15 inductees in the Class of 2015.

Duncombe also displayed his ability to sing as he joined the Bahamian group ‘The King and Knights’ with the late legendary “King” Eric Gibson in the 1970s. As a drummer and a singer, Duncombe won many awards, earning the respect of musicians both locally and abroad, including in Toronto, Canada, where the group performed on many occasions.

“He was a special man,” said daughter Jameica. “He was loved by many. Everyone who interacted with him all had uniquely different relationships with my dad. His passing will leave a big hole in many people’s lives. My heart is broken as I’ve lost my dad and the best golf coach I’ve ever known. It will be hard to walk on a golf course again and know that I can’t call him and tell him about my round or complain about the putting skills he’s given me. I miss him very much and I just can’t believe that my daddy is gone.”

Duncombe is survived by many children, including Jameica, and grandchildren and numerous friends and family members in and out of the sports fraternity of The Bahamas.

Reid was a iconic figure in basketball, and sports in general, in The Bahamas, serving as an athlete, coach and mentor.

The former St. John’s College student-athlete competed in athletics and basketball, eventually catching the eye of coaches at Liberty Baptist College, now Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia, in the early 80s. He was a walk-on overnight sensation at Liberty where he played college basketball, making a name for himself in the sport.

Back home, Reid played locally in the New Providence Basketball Association (NPBA) with the Warriors where he initially showed the talent that was ideal for national team consideration and won local and national titles. He went on to represent the country as a member of a number of national teams.

Reid was one of the founding organizers of both the North Long Island Basketball Tournament and the prestigious Fr. Marcian Peters Basketball Invitational – two of the long-standing pillars of high school basketball in the country. The Fr. Marcian Peters invitational, in particular, has been in existence for 35 years, and is arguably the most popular high school basketball invitational in the country outside of the Hugh Campbell classic.

Reid had a helping hand in the structure and running of park league basketball in New Providence and a number of local tournaments for various organizations.

“My brother was just a special person. I just miss him,” said Minister Carlos Reid, senior pastor of The Kingdom Summit Ministries and founder of the Hope Center on Big Pond Highway in New Providence. “What’s eating me the most is our mom died in August, and she wrote a letter instructing me to look out for my lil brother ‘Scooter’. I had an opportunity to go to the hospital and spend Christmas day with him and carry him some Christmas dinner, and it seemed like he would pull through. He and Steven Wray were the first two athletes in The Bahamas to jump seven feet in the high jump and he was a national champion at 1,500 and 3,000 meters. He was just a special athlete.”

Reid was a senior sports officer at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, was a major contributor to government and night league basketball as a player, coach, mentor and official, and regarded as one of the hardest workers in sports in the country.

“‘Scooter’ was just a lovable person, you never came across one person who had a problem with ‘Scooter’,” said Minister Reid. “It’s a major blow. ‘Scooter’ is a national icon, a legend and I’ve seen the magnitude of his contributions with the number of people who have called and messaged me, expressing their love and appreciation for what he did and what he meant to basketball and sports. He had a significant impact as a player, a coach and a community builder and he will be missed.”

Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) President Mario Bowleg said the basketball fraternity is astounded, shocked and saddened by the passing of Reid.

“The man was a true basketball aficionado. On behalf of the Bahamas Basketball Federation and the sporting community, I take this opportunity to express grief, sadness and a sense of loss for such a principal contributor to basketball growth and development in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” said Bowleg. “‘Scooter’ sports involvements extend from being a collegiate and national basketball team player to a fine administrator of the sport of basketball, whether it was as a coach both male and female, at the high school and club levels, a referee, a tournament organizer or as a full-time sports officer at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. The federation laments Reid’s death. Unquestionably, the BBF and the country will miss Michael ‘Scooter’ Reid’s unceasingly appetite to assist and hands-on attitude in basketball. In my official capacity as the president of the Bahamas Basketball Federation, I extend heartfelt condolences to his family, sporting colleagues and friends. May his soul rest in peace!”

Reid is survived by four children – two boys and two girls, seven grandchildren, four sisters and one brother – Minister Carlos Reid. His son DeAndre won a private schools high school basketball championship at Jordan Prince William Baptist High School.

Both Duncombe and Reid will be missed by the sporting community of The Bahamas.

May their souls rest in peace. 

The post Sportsmen Duncombe, Reid pass away appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

source https://thenassauguardian.com/sportsmen-duncombe-reid-pass-away/