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Ricardo Priester

Ricardo Priester

Coach Priester in locker roomRicardo Priester, a successful player and coach, is in his first year as head coach of the Legion Collegiate Academy boys basketball team and 18th year overall as a head coach..

LCA is the third high school basketball program that Priester has led.  He began his coaching career at the age of 24 at Camden Military Academy in Camden, SC, where he led his alma mater to three consecutive winning seasons from 2000-2003. He was hired as Lancaster (SC) High School's boys basketball coach in 2005 and was named Lancaster News Coach of the Year three times (2008, 2010, and 2012) and South Carolina Region IV AAAA Coach of the Year.

As a player at Camden Military Academy (1992-94), Priester earned All-State honors in both North Carolina and South Carolina as CMA's conference at the time included schools in both states.  He is still the all-time leading scorer in CMA history and he coached the 2nd all-time leading scorer in Larry Blair who went on to star at Liberty University and played for more than 10 years oversees. Blair is one of three pros that Priester has had the privilege of coaching. The other two are Maurice Hoover (10 years in Germany) and former South Carolina Gamecock standout Sindarius Thornwell, who was the SEC Player of the Year and led USC to the Final Four before being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and traded to the LA Clippers. Priester has coached over 30 young men that have gone on to play at the next level.

Following his high school career, Priester signed a scholarship at Wingate University where he had a standout four-year career and served as team captain for his junior and senior years. He graduated from Wingate in 1998 with a degree in Human Services  and he also earned his Masters of Education degree from American Intercontinental University in 2005.

After graduating from Wingate he received an invitation to summer camp with the Portland Trailblazers in 1998 and was also a member of the Charlotte Hornets organization in 1999, but did not make the final roster. He then played professionally with the Union County Slam of the XBA in 2002 as he was named Rookie of the Year and First Team All-XBA after averaging 21 points per game. His next pro venture took him overseas where he played in Germany during the 2002 summer while still teaching and coaching at CMA, and then left CMA in 2003 to play in Poland. 

When his playing days ended, Priester became owner and senior basketball director of Fundamental Basketball Academy in Charlotte, NC, from 2004 to 2010 where he managed 22 clients and taught fundamentals of basketball and implemented skills to help the clients reach their academic and athletic goals.

Priester has also served in several basketball camps, including the University of South Carolina, Wingate University, and Presbyterian College as a coach and counselor.

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