Donte Armbrister, one of the top junior tennis players, has decided to further his education and tennis play this fall after choosing to play for Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia.
Armbrister had four offers on the table – three from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools and one from a Division II program.
The 2018 Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) national men’s champion said he is looking forward to the college tennis experience.
“I’m very excited to be playing for Hampton University. I’m looking forward to experiencing college tennis where you become a family, having my teammates, coach and the university supporting each other when we are on and off the court,” Armbrister said.
With four offers, Armbrister said the Hampton University Pirates offered him a very good scholarship.
“l love the coach’s energy,” Armbrister said. “He offered me a very good scholarship which showed me how much he really valued my talent. Also, I have a family member who lives relatively close to Virginia. I will also have a little piece of home with me since there are a few Bahamians already enrolled at Hampton University.”
He added: “Another reason for my choice was that I wanted to be in a small to medium-sized college where I can have a closer relationship with my professors. Hampton University fits that description.”
While at Hampton, Armbrister will be studying for his bachelor’s degree in business management. He said Hampton has a wonderful business program and is one of the best historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States.
The Pirates play in the NCAA DI Big South Conference and are currently ranked number four among HBCUs. The Pirates’ head coach is Clayton Hamilton.
On the tennis court, Armbrister hopes to use his talent to add to the team’s success by bringing more wins.
He graduated from Temple Christian School in 2019 and decided to take a gap year, which he used to do some community work related to tennis in The Bahamas.
“During my gap year, I had given up some of my time to help the BLTA with its Play Tennis, Nazareth Center and Ranfurly Home tennis programs. Also, I have been training and doing some reading for college,” Armbrister said.
Locally, he is coached by Ceron Rolle. Armbrister represented The Bahamas at last year’s Davis Cup that was held in Costa Rica.
Armbrister’s junior tennis career has been punctuated by serving on over 15 national tennis teams for his country. He was also a 12-and-under national team winner in Jamaica; 14-and-under JITIC finalist in El Salvador; World Junior National Team semifinalist in the Dominican Republic; and the lone male tennis athlete for The Bahamas at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games held here in New Providence. Armbrister has also won three doubles titles on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior World Tour circuit and made four singles semifinal appearances.
He is the son of Darnette Weir and Trevor Armbrister.
The BLTA congratulated him on his tennis scholarship and wishes him the best in this chapter of his life.
The post Top junior tennis player Donte Armbrister heads to Hampton University appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/05/06/top-junior-tennis-player-donte-armbrister-heads-to-hampton-university/
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