Djery Baptiste

Djery Baptiste
No. 12 Vanderbilt Commodores
Position Center
League Southeastern Conference
Personal information
Born (1995-11-12) November 12, 1995
Gonaïves, Haiti
Nationality Haitian
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school Prestonwood Christian Academy
(Plano, Texas)
College Vanderbilt (2015–present)

Djery Baptiste /ˈɛri ˈbæptst/ (born November 12, 1995) is a Haitian basketball player who currently plays for the Vanderbilt Commodores Men's Basketball Team.[1][2]

Early years

Baptiste was born in Gonaïves, Haiti to Hebert Jean Baptiste and Wislonde Destin. He arrived in the United States when he was 15 years old.[3]

High school career

Baptiste attend the Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas and led his team to four consecutive state championships. At the end of his senior year, he was named Defensive Player of the Year by his team.[4][5]

College career

Baptiste chose to play at Vanderbilt for academic reasons, despite receiving multiple offers from other schools.[6][7][8][9]

Personal life

Baptiste arrived from Haiti speaking no English. He taught himself English from music listening to country singer George Strait's songs and is now his favorite genre.[10][11] He speaks French, Haitian Creole, and Spanish fluently.[12]

References

  1. Sparks, Adam, ed. (29 July 2015). "Vanderbilt basketball's top 10 summer story lines: Freshman Addition - Baptiste is Big". The Tennessean. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  2. Sparks, Adam, ed. (20 October 2015). "Meet the Vanderbilt men's basketball team". The Tennessean. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  3. Futral, Isabel, ed. (11 November 2015). "Coming to America: the Djery Baptiste Story". Vanderbilt Hustler. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  4. VU Commodores: Djery Baptiste
  5. ESPN: Djery Baptiste
  6. Press, ed. (12 November 2014). "Vanderbilt signs 4 led by 6-11 center Djery Baptiste who chose Commodores over UConn, others". DailyNews724. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  7. 247Sports: Djery Baptiste
  8. Rivals: Djery Baptiste
  9. Scout: Djery Baptiste
  10. Mustard, Extra, ed. (12 November 2015). "Vanderbilt's Djery Baptiste learned English from George Strait songs". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  11. Reuter, Annie, ed. (13 November 2015). "George Strait's Music Helps Vanderbilt Basketball Player Learn English". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  12. Lind, J. R., ed. (13 November 2015). "Five For Clicking: 13 November 2015". Nashville Post. Retrieved 22 November 2015.


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