More prep athletes affected by Haiti earthquake

Posted Jan 15, 2010 by Nick Williams

Updated Jan 15, 2010 at 12:33 PM

After two days of waiting with no answer, Jefferson High sophomore Yvanessa Vincent finally broke down Thursday morning in the school’s girl’s locker room. At least 20 family members, including 17-year old brother Chris Pierre-Louis, were still missing.

Vincent’s teammates on the school’s varsity basketball team tried to comfort her. One ray of hope: Her uncle had contacted the family Wednesday to say he was injured but alive.

But just as the 15-year-old thought she would be strong enough to continue her day, she got word about 1 p.m. Thursday during practice that an aunt and one of the family’s grandchildren, an infant, were found dead. Rather than going home, Vincent decided to stay with her teammates for practice. She said she didn’t want to be alone.

“I’m close with my brother,” Vincent said. “There is nothing I can do right now.”

Vincent’s mother and father were born in Haiti, as were her two older siblings. On Tuesday, she suspected her father, who travels between Miami and Haiti for business, was in the small country when the earthquake hit, but discovered on Wednesday he’d left for Miami before disaster struck.

Jefferson plays Alonso High tonight, and Vincent plans to wear Haitian attire to honor her family and heritage.

“I was supposed to go visit [Haiti] this summer,” she said. “My dad wanted to build a house for us there.”

If anyone has information on the Vincent, Pierre-Louis or Cole families living in Haiti, you can contact Yvanessa at twitter.com/vanessavincent.

Wednesday night, Tampa Catholic senior center James St. Marc (photo, far right) had his best game of the basketball season. Unfortunately, his father wasn’t there to witness it.

Marc’s father, Herntz St. Marc, flew to Port-au-Prince last week on business. The past three days have been hard on James and his mother.

“I don’t think she’s slept since Tuesday,” he said. “I’m not a person who looks at the negative. I didn’t assume he was hurt. I said “God will take care of it.” But [on Wednesday], I almost broke down.”

Around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, however, Marc was contacted at school by his mother. His father was alive and safe. He made contact through an email sent from his laptop computer. Marc said his mother, who like his father was born in Haiti, has yet to make contact with several other relatives.

Tampa Catholic boys varsity basketball coach Don Dziagwa said Marc was able to channel his emotions during the game on Wednesday, so much so it prompted him to caution Marc to reduce his effort. Against Sarasota Cardinal Mooney, Marc finished with a team-high four blocks along with three steals to help the Crusaders win, 69-56.

“I told him his dad would have been proud,” Dziagwa said.

Tampa Catholic plays Jesuit tonight in one of the city’s biggest rivalries. Marc doesn’t know when his father will return to Tampa, but is happy he’s alive.

“You can’t replace a life,” Marc said.