UVa Recruit De’Andre Hunter Is FCS’s Go-To-Guy

De’Andre Hunter made an immediate impact on the Friends’ Central (Wynnewood, PA) boys varsity basketball squad. Head coach Ryan Tozer recalls Hunter, a small forward prospect who signed a letter of intent with Virginia last week, starting every game of the 2012/2013 season on his way to earning Philly Inquirer Freshman of the Year honors.

“When he came to us in the ninth grade, we knew he was special,” Tozer said of Hunter, who scored 320 points his freshman year. “As a freshman he probably was about 6’5”, skilled, and he could handle the ball. He had a real good perimeter game. He had a midrange jump-shot, which is unheard of from a freshman and even many of the kids out there today.”

A promising freshman season was followed by a successful spring and summer on the AAU circuit with the Philly Pride. Unfortunately, Hunter would suffer a broken left tibia that fall and would be sidelined for seven months. He wasn’t cleared to play again until the spring of 2014, and he still needed time to regain his confidence.

The injury “was tough for him,” Tozer said. FCS has gone 43-16 with Hunter in the lineup, but the team went 8-17 with him on the sideline in 2013/2014. “Basketball is what he loves. It’s what he identifies with. It was a tough year for him. I think he came back stronger and realized this could be taken away. He worked extremely hard that summer with AAU, but he was tentative to start his junior year. He wasn’t jumping in the lane. He was unsure. There was a little hesitation there. Four or five games in, he was back to himself and playing without fear. He was driving to the lane with almost reckless abandonment.”

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