Cents' Durant inks deal with Nevada

Dan Olson, Coquitlam NOW

As a two-way talent in multiple sports, Lemar Durant had no fear of taking a big gamble on a high-percentage play.

On more occasions than not, the payoff was big -- as evident in his Centennial Centaurs' first B.C. 'AAA' football championship in 43 years.

Durant didn't have to gamble when it came to selecting a U.S. college program to commit to for next year, however.

 

PLAYING HIS CHIPS RIGHT: Centennial Centaurs' Lemar Durant has parlayed his athletic talents on the gridiron into a full-ride scholarship to the University of Nevada.

"I really decided about midway through the football season. I liked what they did and I liked what they said," Durant told The NOW.

Currently helping the senior boys basketball team in their playoff push, the 6'2, 205-pound guard has spoken about his passion for both sports. But the past year's gridiron journey, and the opportunity being offered, clinched the deal.

So come September, he'll be a Wolf Pack football player. Of all the programs he visited and talked with, it was Nevada that grabbed the early lead and never relinquished it.

While other coaches were looking and talking up his potential on the defensive side of the ball, only Nevada's coach asked him which position he preferred, and said 'OK.'

"My main position the last few years was wide receiver and that's where I thought I could play and excel," Durant said. "When I went to their camp, they asked me what I preferred and when I said 'receiver' that's where they put me."

His family knows how hard he has worked at earning this chance.

"This summer he probably spent about three weeks in the States, going to different camps," proud mom Rebecca said. "He went to the [Oregon] Nike combine, Nevada hosted one, it was a big part of his decision and helped him show his abilities against American boys."

She recalls how as a toddler, her son was always scrambling to keep up to and do better than his older brother and sister.

"He was very competitive and anything his brother [Julian, six years his senior] did, Lemar wanted to do and do it better."

In the high profile U.S. camps, Durant stood out. He ran 40 yards in 4.47 seconds, and scouts were impressed by the Canadian. Not that there wasn't a ton of YouTube highlights for all to see.

This past season, Durant racked up even more stats to make a college scout go ga-ga over.

Only half a game, however, was at wide receiver.

Centennial's season appeared to hit a serious speed bump in the first game, when Grade 12 quarterback Luke Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury. Although there were other options to choose from, the Centaur coaches decided the best one was also their B.C. all-star receiver.

Although he hadn't played QB since Grade 9, Durant gladly shifted over to help his team. It meant instead of breaking open to catch a pass, he now touched the ball on every offensive play.

It also ended up with a tremendous 39-36 triumph over W.J. Mouat for the B.C. crown, where he gained 222 yards on 18 carries and completed six of nine passes for 74 yards. It was a perfect capper to an amazing high school career.

Durant wasn't the first Centaur to sign, however. Running back Nehemie Kankolongo sped through his high school tests last fall and inked a deal to the University of Wyoming, where he's already packing around books and hitting the training facility.

For the softspoken Durant, having to play quarterback proved to be a blessing.

"Sometimes I missed [playing receiver], but I loved it just the same," he noted. "I got to touch the ball on every drive, and while it was a challenge to find a guy open, it was always exciting. I sure had a lot of help from my receivers and linemen."

He said a lot of the credit for his success belongs to his parents and family, and his high school coach Kevin Phillips.

Phillips, who resigned as Centaurs coach recently to take on the position of recruiting coordinator with Simon Fraser University's football program, said the work and effort Durant put in to be a better player and student over the past 12 months demonstrated.