About Us | Bahamas Hoopfest

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ABOUT US

EVENT HISTORY

The 2021 Bahamas Hoopfest is brought to you by the International Youth Education and Sports Foundation. The event began as an idea by event co-founders Dr. Simeon Hinsey and Marvin Henfield. The idea became a reality in 2019 when the first classic took place with Arkansas, Wisconsin, Lehigh (Pa.), Fordham (N.Y.), and Ball State (Ind.) making up the initial field of teams. The games were originally slated to take place in The Bahamas' national basketball arena, the Kendall G.L. Isaacs Gymnasium. However, due to one of the most devastating hurricanes in history, Hurricane Dorian, hitting the northern islands of The Bahamas in September of that year, the gymnasium had to be converted in to a shelter to house individuals displaced by the storm. Despite the country's setback, the people of The Bahamas welcomed us with open arms and helped us move our venue to Baha Mar, which allowed us to successfully execute the first NCAA Division I women's basketball classic to ever take place in the Bahamas' capital city of Nassau. We were grateful to be able to provide the teams, their fans, and the Bahamian people with an unforgettable experience.

Marvin (L) and Sim (R), Nassau 2018

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Tom Collen

EVENT CO-FOUNDERS

We are just a couple of guys born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas that have joined forces to bring you the Bahamas Hoopfest. For us, this classic is bigger than the game of basketball. It's also an opportunity to impact the lives of young girls in The Bahamas and show them that there are opportunities to pursue their dreams of playing college sports and get a free college education. We hope you'll consider joining us in 2021 for a great college basketball experience in Nassau, Bahamas and make a difference in the lives of our youth. Let us create a great experience for your team, because our motto is "WE DON'T JUST PLAY HERE. WE LIVE HERE!"

Dr. Simeon Hinsey spent over 10 years working in college athletics as an athletic's administrator and coach. During the 2014-15 season, he served as an assistant women's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas. That year, the Razorbacks received an at-large bid to compete in the NCAA Tournament. He left the U of A in 2016 after completing his doctoral studies to establish the International Youth Education and Sports Foundation, a Springdale, Arkansas based non-profit whose mission is to use cultural exchange along with education and sports to impact young people. His research, which focuses on the athletic identity and career maturity of women's basketball student-athletes at different levels of competition, was published in the The Journal of Sport in 2019.

Since 2009, Coach Marvin Henfield has served as President and Director of Basketball Operations for CSA Basketball Academy a faith based, non-profit organization that teaches basketball fundamentals and life skills to young men & women. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from Jacksonville State (Ga.) and is a FIBA Certified Basketball Instructor with more than 21 years of basketball fundamentals training experience. Having formerly served as the Director of the Bahamas National Mini Basketball Program (2010-2011), National Basketball Training Instructor (2011-2014) and Skills Trainer for the Bahamas National Teams (2009-2016), Marvin has committed his life to nation building and serving the youth through sports. As a father of three young daughters, Marvin is excited about the opportunity to host the Bahamas Hoopfest and have collegiate women's basketball be a part of the growing basketball landscape in The Bahamas.

EVENT CONSULTANT

Tom Collen, retired NCAA Division I head coach and former National Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year (1999), will be adding a wealth of knowledge and experience as a part of our administrative team for this event. Tom comes with nearly 40 years of experience and has established numerous relationships across all levels of women's college basketball. He is excited for the opportunity to be involved and will ensure we offer a high level event and great experience for all involved.