Djery Baptiste

Djery Baptiste /ˈdʒɛri ˈbæptiːst/ (born November 12, 1995) is a Haitian basketball player who currently plays for the Vanderbilt Commodores Men's Basketball Team.

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.

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.

Baptiste chose to play at Vanderbilt for academic reasons, despite receiving multiple offers from other schools.

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. He speaks French, Haitian Creole, and Spanish fluently.