The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AFTER an injury shortened his senior season at the high school level, D'Andre Vilmar will take the prep school route in an effort to strengthen his recruitment for the class of 2018.

Vilmar joined the Redemption Christian Academy Lions prep school in Northfield, Massachusetts, in order to bolster his collegiate recruitment for the class of 2018. "I hope to go there, to win a lot of games, make the guys around me better, continue to learn and just to get better as a player," he said.

The 6'4" guard and Abaco native spent his high school senior season at the Paul VI programme in New Jersey following a transfer from Roman Catholic High in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By the end of his junior season, Vilmar was making his way toward the ESPN 60 rankings. Roman had won their second state title and he was listed as a four-star recruit, ranked fourth in the state and 27th nationally at his position.

That momentum stalled after just a few games into the pre-season as a senior. Paul VI's star recruit would be lost due to a season-ending knee injury on a seemingly routine play against Timber Creek.

"I think about that play all the time," Vilmar said. "It was the first quarter, I scored the first five points of the game and everything was going pretty well. I had a turnover on one play and I hustled up the floor and to get in position to grab the rebound. When I brought it up the floor I had a path to the basket and I was going full speed but at the last second, I saw a teammate open in the corner so I tried to stop on the dime to make a pass. My knee hyperextended and buckled, I just fell. I thought I was good, I just wanted to get back on defence. I fall down all the time and I thought it was just another play. I wasn't in pain or anything, maybe it was just the adrenaline but I just wanted to get back into the play."

After spending the offseason rehabilitating, he decided to take the prep school route.

Redemption Christian Academy is one of four remaining historically black boarding schools in the US and it boasts a diversity of students from across the US and abroad.

The international student population has featured students from the Bahamas, Switzerland, Venezuela, Korea, France, Germany, Croatia, Bulgaria, Italy, the Dominican Republic, Greece, Canada, the Czech Republic, Ghana, Macedonia, Liberia, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Belgium and others.

Tristan Wilchcombe currently serves on the Lions' coaching staff and said he recruited Vilmar not just because he's Bahamian, but because he can be a valuable asset to the Lions' programme this year.

"He's the prototypical modern day wing. Today's game at the pro level is guard oriented and that shift has trickled down to the prep level. His strength, size, athleticism and toughness are coveted talents. For us, we play three guards and he's perfect in that role because we can slide him between the 1-3 positions. With his strength, he has the potential to guard some stretch fours. So his offering to our programme will be his versatility and toughness."

Wilchcombe, a former St John's College Giant, continues to use his platform to give other young talented Bahamian players an opportunity to showcase their skills and compete at an elite level in an effort to transition to university.

Vilmar joins a programme that has featured Dhylan Culmer, Garrith Moss, Deon'ta Tinker, Ziv Basden, Corey Sands and other Bahamians.

"It has been a mission of mine since day one to be an outlet for other Bahamians. Today there's a premium placed on physical, natural gifts. The Bahamians are under the radar for being physically gifted. I've seen quite a share of kids with high major potential and elite athleticism to compete with the best. Given the current infrastructure of basketball in the Bahamas, getting the talent and under the radar talent and exposing them to the US game at a high level is a recipe to create a gem.

"Being a player that was a 6'3 centre, I know what it's like to have to recreate your game, live in the gym and sacrifice," Wilchcombe said. "There's no greater joy in bringing over a countryman (or girl) and working with them feverishly to compete at a high level and earn a scholarship. It's not a cliché but I believe there are more Buddy Hields and having the direct connection I think will help me find him or her faster than the average coach given my homegrown traits. I strongly believe Vilmar surely fits the mould of Buddy Hield-esque."