D’ANDRE VILMAR
#By RENALDO DORSETT
#Sports Reporter
#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
#AFTER a productive offseason on various AAU summer circuits, the major Division I offers he predicted are starting to roll in for Bahamian high school basketball star D’Andre Vilmar.
#Vilmar announced via Twitter that he has recently received offers from the Oklahoma Sooners, Long Beach State 49ers and Buffalo Bulls.
#The Bahamian connection with the Big 12 powerhouse Sooners has been well documented with the critically acclaimed career of Buddy Hield and Vilmar could be next in line for the Fall 2017 class.
#The Sooners are coming off a Final Four season and are recruiting a current class for Fall 2016 which includes four-star shooting guard Kameron McGusty.
#The 49ers, out of the Big West Conference, last made the NCAA tournament in 2012 and participated in the NIT last year.
#The Bulls have been one of the fastest rising programmes nationally with back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, their first in school history.
#Vilmar recently completed his junior season for the Roman Catholic High School Cahillites in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
#The six-foot, 4-inch guard and Abaco native helped his team capture the 2016 PIAA Class 4A title with a 73-62 win over the Allderdice Dragons.
#After their second consecutive state title, Roman Catholic will lose three starters to graduation, thrusting Vilmar into the spotlight and a leadership role for his senior season.
#In the offseason he participated with coach Darrell Sears’ Jaguars at various tournaments, including the the Big Foot Hoops Las Vegas Classic presented by Hal Pastner in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Texas Hoops Great American Shootout in Duncanville, Texas.
#Prior to the summer circuit, Vilmar received one Division I scholarship offer, from the Colorado St Rams while other schools such as La Salle, Penn and Iona have all showed considerable interest.
#Vilmar left Abaco in the sixth grade when he moved to live with his uncle in Delaware for a better opportunity at excelling in the sport.
#He credits his family’s vision for the position he finds himself in at the current moment.
#With Bahamian basketball players Buddy Hield and DeAndre Ayton garnering national attention, Vilmar said he expects to continue that momentum when he gets the opportunity.
#“I like the way that they have the spotlight on the Bahamian players like Buddy and DeAndre,” he said.
#“I feel like I’m next up to be in that spotlight and I feel like I’m ready for it.”