Published: 12:29 AM, Thu Jul 29, 2010
Recruiting: Vandevender, Trinity Christian developing more top talent
Tradition.
When Heath Vandevender began molding the Trinity Christian basketball program eight years ago, he had none to build on. But with the right combination of vision and patience, Vandevender has seen the success and prestige of his program grow with the tradition now starting to spread like the popularity of recording artist Drake.
Vandevender readily admits it will be hard to enter next season without star forward Damontre Harris, who graduated this spring and has now taken his talents to the University of South Carolina. But Vandevender also knows Harris' ability to raise the profile of the Crusaders program has been nothing but helpful. And with a new school year soon beginning, Trinity has two new up-and-coming recruits in Mike Thorne and Chris Lindsay who have started to attract significant attention from college coaches.
Thorne, a Class of 2011 prospect, stands 6 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 240 pounds and is a major presence in the post. Lindsay (6-foot-7, 240 pounds) is a fundamentally sound forward in the Class of 2012, whose intelligence and coachability have impressed Vandevender since Day One.
Together, both big men plan to continue following Harris' blueprint for success.
"Both those kids are an absolute joy to be around," Vandevender said. "Mike and Chris both work so hard and have a desire to be good. And yet they're not arrogant kids. They're both very humble."
Vandevender gushes about Thorne's size and his ability to anchor down in the post. Yet as the rising senior center attempts to make the next big leap in his development, Vandevender believes adding confidence will be a major key, just as it was in Harris' final summer of high school.
Thorne, who spent his freshman year of high school at Westover, received his first scholarship offer earlier this month from Western Carolina and has heightened interest coming from schools like Charlotte and Tulane, as well. Plus, Vandevender says, with the big man's potential seemingly increasing by the month, bigger programs like Marquette, Maryland and Penn State are keeping a close eye on things.
In March, Thorne's solid performance against some of the state's top competition at Dave Telep's Carolina Challenge event provided a noticeable confidence boost. Now, Vandevender believes, using that assurance both at Trinity and during the summer with the North Carolina Force will help Thorne improve his stock.
"Mike's really peaking at the right time," Vandevender said. "His confidence and his willingness to buy in to what we're telling him have both been impressive. He's right there."
With huge hands and size 18 feet plus a May birthday that will make him one of the youngest players in the Class of 2011, Thorne has college coaches intrigued as to just how much he might grow and improve in the near future.
As Thorne headed into a critical stretch of AAU competition this month, Vandevender gave him some simple advice.
"I told him to relax," the Trinity coach said. "Those games are generally dominated by guards. So the thing I tell the post guys is, 'Do the most you can with the touches you get. If you get double-teamed, kick it out. But the big thing is try to average eight points per game on offensive rebounds. Get a couple put-backs every game, run the floor hard.' That's what the college coaches are looking for. They realize that bigs develop differently. They're not going to get the ball all the time. So a big kid that is active on the glass and a kid who runs the floor hard whether he gets a touch in the post or not establishes himself as an unselfish, hard worker."
Unselfish and hard-working are adjectives that also fit Lindsay. Plus, with a polished array of post moves, Vandevender believes Lindsay is ahead of where Thorne and Harris were offensively heading into their junior years.
"He is just a strong kid with a lot of trunk strength," Vandevender said. "He plays football for us. So he has that knack for being aggressive. Plus, Chris picks up on things very quickly. You can run through a set play with him once or twice and he's got it down."
As of now, Lindsay is attracting attention from schools like Old Dominion, High Point, Mercer, Winthrop and Coastal Carolina. But with two years of high school ball still ahead, there's plenty of time for Lindsay to keep climbing the ladder of prestige. Just as the Trinity Christian program has done.
Staff writer Dan Wiederer can be reached at wiedererd@fayobserver.com or 486-3536.