Djery Baptiste

Djery Jean Baptiste /ˈdʒɛri ˈbæptiːst/ JERR-ee; born 12 November 1995) is a Haitian college basketball player for the UMass Minutemen of the Atlantic 10 Conference. He previously played for the Vanderbilt Commodores.[1][2]

Djery Baptiste
No. 11 – UMass Minutemen
PositionCenter
LeagueAtlantic 10 Conference
Personal information
Born (1995-11-12) 12 November 1995
Gonaïves, Haiti
NationalityHaitian
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolPrestonwood Christian Academy
(Plano, Texas)
College

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 won two consecutive state championships the two years he was there. 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]

Baptiste departed from the team in June 2018 to focus on his studies.[10][11]

In August 2018, it was announced that Baptiste will be transferring to UMass after he graduates from Vanderbilt in December 2018.[12] During his redshirt senior season, he missed three games with a knee injury.[13]

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.[14][15] He speaks French, Haitian Creole, and Spanish fluently.[16]

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. Archived from the original on 12 November 2015. 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. "Djery Baptiste to leave Vanderbilt MBB - Vanderbilt University". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  11. "Djery Baptiste leaving Vanderbilt basketball". Anchor Of Gold. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  12. Walfish, John (10 August 2018). "Daily Hampshire Gazette". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  13. Melo, Javier (3 March 2020). "UMass men's basketball facing a lot of questions with Djery Baptiste's injury". Daily Collegian. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  14. Mustard, Extra, ed. (12 November 2015). "Vanderbilt's Djery Baptiste learned English from George Strait songs". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  15. Reuter, Annie, ed. (13 November 2015). "George Strait's Music Helps Vanderbilt Basketball Player Learn English". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  16. Lind, J. R., ed. (13 November 2015). "Five For Clicking: 13 November 2015". Nashville Post. Retrieved 22 November 2015.


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