For some athletes, winning a championship game MVP is the perfect way to end a career; but not for Marist freshman guard Antoni Vlogianitis. After working tirelessly and sacrificing plenty for the opportunity to play in March Madness and win a championship at the Division I level, Vlogianitis had much larger goals than the championship MVP award he won to conclude his high school career.
Vlogianitis grew up in Garden City, NY, and made the first of many important decisions regarding his basketball career before high school even began. He decided to attend Chaminade High School, one of Long Island’s premier private schools.
“It was a great four years, definitely [a] strict school, definitely taught me a lot of things about life [and] made me mature as a person,” said Vlogianitis.
Vlogianitis truly hit his stride during his senior campaign when he averaged 13 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. Those stats led him to earn All-NSCHSAA First Team honors, MVP of the Gary Charles Hoop Classic and eventual NSCHSAA championship game MVP over Chaminade’s rival, St. Anthony’s.
However, despite his success at Chaminade, Vlogianitis received minimal recruitment through his high school. He received some offers through his AAU travel team, though they primarily consisted of high academic Division III schools; he had no Division I offers.
Thus, Vlogianitis decided to attend Avon Old Farms High School in Connecticut for a postgraduate season. He believes a post-grad season helps athletes who are looking to play high-level basketball appeal to college coaches, especially given the vitality of the transfer portal and JUCO players to most schools today.
Vlogianitis also needed to put on more weight, which the extra year gave him time to do. According to MaxPreps.com, Vlogianitis entered his senior season at 6-3 and 157 pounds. Entering college, he gained an inch of height and weighed in at 185 pounds. In addition to the physical development, the post-grad year allowed him time to further develop on the court before beginning his collegiate career.
The choice to take a post-grad year made sense for Vlogianitis, but attending a school located 120 miles away from home and in a different state is not a straightforward decision.
Avon Old Farms, like Chaminade, is an all-boys school that displays brotherhood and community. But what really stood out to Vlogianitis was the school’s history of producing basketball talent that went on to play at high-level colleges. Vlogianitis believed that Avon Old Farms could help earn him greater collegiate playing opportunities, something important to help him chase his dreams.
“Winning a Division I championship was one of my dreams as a kid,” said Vlogianitis. “Winning that championship and having a chance to go to March Madness is something I’ve wanted since I was 6 or 7.”
At Avon Old Farms, he received similar offers to those from Chaminade. However, he finally earned a Division I offer: Marist.
Vlogianitis got his lone Division I offer in large part due to Marist associate head coach Dalip Bhatia. As part of their heavy focus on basketball, Avon Old Farms held open gyms in the fall for college coaches to watch the athletes. Bhatia liked what he saw from Vlogianitis and discussed him with head coach John Dunne.
“I thought he would be a great fit from a talent standpoint and skill level. He was a person of high character and integrity, and as I continue to learn more about Antoni and his background, it was evident that he would be someone that we would be excited to have in our program,” said Bhatia.
The Red Foxes had openings for a few preferred walk-ons (PWOs), and the Marist coaching staff extended one of those invites to Vlogianitis; PWOs are guaranteed a roster spot but can not receive athletic scholarship money. The coaching staff gave Vlogianitis and his family a full tour including the athletic facilities and allowed them to watch a practice. Shortly after, the family returned to Poughkeepsie to watch a game and sit down with Dunne to clearly discuss Vlogianitis’ future role with the Red Foxes.
“He gave me all the details and [didn’t leave] anything out. He kept it real, and he made it very family-like and enticing,” Vlogianitis recalled.
Only Bhatia watched him play in person, but he saw even more reasons for recruiting Vlogianitis.
“Obviously, [he’s] an excellent shooter. He’s got good IQ, he has toughness on the court, he has grit, he was an excellent teammate, he had great communication skills [and] was very vocal,” Bhatia said. “I was always very impressed with his high character, his work ethic, his enthusiasm [and] his unselfish nature. Those are the qualities that we want in our preferred walk-ons or any member of our program.”
Despite dreaming of playing in March Madness, Vlogianitis did not commit to the Red Foxes solely because of their Division I status; he needed to attend a school that he also loved outside of basketball.
“A lot of kids sometimes like to say that going Division I is important for them. For me, it honestly wasn’t,” said Vlogianitis. “I wanted a school that was the right fit for me.”
Thus, Marist needed to appeal to Vlogianitis, which was made easier by the fact that his cousin, Nefeli, attends the school. She had plenty of good to share from her four years at Marist and she told Vlogianitis he would love it.
These positives, paired with the coaching staff and potential to play in March Madness, propelled Vlogianitis to accept the PWO offer. Vlogianitis’ PWO role does not discourage him. His primary focuses include bettering himself and winning.
“The first goal is winning. If I could be here for four years and we win four championships, that’d be great,” Vlogianitis said. “[I’m] just taking it more day by day and working on myself as far as being in the weight room and getting up shots.”
At Marist, Vlogianitis hopes to earn more minutes as his career progresses. Over the course of his freshman season, he saw a total of three minutes on the court. In his second career game at Canisius on Jan. 25, he tallied a defensive rebound and connected on his lone three-point attempt.
Through hard work and relentless dedication, Vlogianitis found a home in Poughkeepsie where he will continue to work on his game in hopes of providing productive minutes for the Red Foxes. After redshirting his freshman season, Vlogianitis still has four years to achieve his childhood dream of appearing in March Madness.
Edited by Max Rosen and Ben Leeds
Graphic by Quinn DiFiore
Photos from Marist Athletics
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