{{short description|Jamaican professional basketball player|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Vashil Fernandez | image = | image_size = | caption = | position = Center | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = 255 | league = LEB Oro | team = CB Marín Peixegalego | number = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|1|16}} | birth_place = Kingston, Jamaica | high_school = * Calabar<br>(Kingston, Jamaica) * Princeton Day Academy<br>(Lanham, Maryland) | college = Valparaiso (2012–2016) | draft_year = 2016 | career_start = 2016 | years1 = 2016–2017 | team1 = Sioux Falls Skyforce | years2 = 2017 | team2 = Greensboro Swarm | years3 = 2017 | team3 = Phoenix Galați | years4 = 2017–2018 | team4 = Peñas Huesca | years5 = 2018–present | team5 = Marín Peixegalego | highlights = * NCAA blocks leader (2016) * Lefty Driesell Award (2016) * 2× Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016) * 2× Horizon League All-Defensive Team (2015, 2016) }} '''Vashil Fernandez''' (born January 16, 1992) is a Jamaican professional basketball player who plays for Marín Ence PeixeGalego of the Spanish LEB Oro. He played college basketball for Valparaiso.
==Early life== Fernandez grew up outside of Kingston, Jamaica in a house with 19 people. He never knew his father and his mother commuted to the city for work. He played soccer and ran track, but didn't start playing basketball until he was 17. Fernandez recalls being terrible at first and travelling a lot. For high school, he moved to the United States and ended up at Princeton Day Academy in Maryland. After visiting Valparaiso, he committed to play for the Crusaders.<ref name="ncaa"/>
==College career== Fernandez was declared ineligible as a freshman and sat out his first year of college. In 2014–15, he was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 6.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. Following the season, the NCAA granted him an extra year of eligibility.<ref>{{cite news|title=Valparaiso star center receives extra year of eligibility|url=http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2015/07/30/valparaiso-star-center-receives-extra-year-of-eligibility/|access-date=August 18, 2016|work=NBC Sports|date=July 30, 2015}}</ref> As a senior, he led the NCAA in blocks with a 3.31 per game average and won the Lefty Driesell Award for his overall defensive efforts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Blocked Shots Per Game|url=https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-men/d1/current/individual/138|website=NCAA|access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> He is also the all-time blocks leader at Valparaiso.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Oren|first1=Paul|title=Fernandez sets blocks record as Valparaiso rolls|url=http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/basketball/college/fernandez-sets-blocks-record-as-valparaiso-rolls/article_d4f6ff93-8041-55b2-b1f8-435643572faa.html|access-date=August 18, 2016|work=The Times of Northwest Indiana|date=February 6, 2016}}</ref>
==Professional career== After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Fernandez signed with the Miami Heat on October 17, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/heat/news/heat-signs-vashil-fernandez|title=Heat Signs Vashil Fernandez|work=NBA.com|date=October 17, 2016|access-date=October 17, 2016}}</ref> However, he was later waived by the Heat on October 22 after appearing in two preseason games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/heat/news/heat-waives-five-players|title=HEAT Waives Five Players|work=NBA.com|date=October 22, 2016|access-date=October 22, 2016}}</ref> On November 1, 2016, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Heat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://siouxfalls.dleague.nba.com/news/skyforce-announce-2016-training-camp-roster/|title=Skyforce Announce 2016 Training Camp Roster|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.|date=November 1, 2016|access-date=November 3, 2016|archive-date=November 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104075937/http://siouxfalls.dleague.nba.com/news/skyforce-announce-2016-training-camp-roster/|url-status=dead}}</ref> On February 24, 2017, Fernandez was waived by the Skyforce.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://siouxfalls.dleague.nba.com/news/skyforce-acquire-johan-petro-2/|title=SKYFORCE ACQUIRE JOHAN PETRO|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.|date=February 24, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-date=February 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226140902/http://siouxfalls.dleague.nba.com/news/skyforce-acquire-johan-petro-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref> On March 17, 2017, Fernandez was acquired by the Greensboro Swarm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dleague.nba.com/transactions/|title=NBA D-League Transactions|work=NBA.com|access-date=March 19, 2017|archive-date=April 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406044624/http://dleague.nba.com/transactions/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
On August 24, he signed with Phoenix Galați of the Romanian league for the 2017–18 season.<ref>{{cite web| title = Vashil Fernandez, fost jucător în NBA, vine sã joace la Galați | work = Phoenix Galați | date = August 24, 2017 | url = http://www.phoenixgalati.ro/stiri/masculin/item/216-vashil-fernandez-fost-jucator-in-nba-vine-sa-joace-la-galati | access-date = August 24, 2017 |language = ro}}</ref> In December 2017 Fernandez signed with Peñas Huesca due to the departure of Matt O'Leary.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sporthuesca.com/asi-es-vashil-fernandez-defensa-y-mas-defensa/ |title=La última incorporación de Levitec Huesca, Vashil Fernández, viene a ocupar el puesto dejado por Matt O'Leary en la rotación interior |work=Sporthuesca.com|access-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215222343/https://www.sporthuesca.com/asi-es-vashil-fernandez-defensa-y-mas-defensa/ |archive-date=15 December 2017 |language=es}}</ref>
At the start of the 2018–2019 season, he signed with Marín Peixegalego, who played in the LEB Plata league.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.diariodepontevedra.es/articulo/deporte-local-pontevedra/marin-peixegalego-suma-poderio-vashil-fernandez/20180815220818995919.html|title=El Marín Peixegalego suma poderío con Vashil Fernández|access-date=November 17, 2020|date=August 15, 2018|website=Diario de Pontevedra|language=es}}</ref>
==National team career== Fernandez has been a member of the Jamaican national basketball team and participated at the 2014 Centrobasket.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/team/p/sid/9955/tid/308/_/2014_Centrobasket_Championship/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222160658/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/team/p/sid/9955/tid/308/_/2014_Centrobasket_Championship/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 22, 2015|title= Jamaica - 2014 Centrobasket Championship |work=FIBA.com|access-date=December 16, 2015}}</ref>
==Personal life== Fernandez married Bridget Eichner in May 2015 and has two daughters, Maia and Olivia. He earned two master's degrees from Valparaiso, in international economics and finance and international commerce and policy.<ref name="ncaa">{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Lopresti|title=Valparaiso basketball: Vashil Fernandez a man of letters, rejections|url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2015-11-04/valparaiso-basketball-vashil-fernandez-man-letters-rejections|access-date=August 18, 2016|work=NCAA.com|date=November 5, 2015}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/roster/2015-16/8050/vashil-fernandez/#.WAUW8iN94zY Valparaiso Crusaders bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018211215/http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/roster/2015-16/8050/vashil-fernandez/#.WAUW8iN94zY |date=2016-10-18 }}
{{navboxes|list= {{NCAA Division I men's basketball blocks champion}} {{Lefty Driesell Award}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Vashil}} Category:1992 births Category:Living people Category:CB Peñas Huesca players Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Jamaican expatriate basketball people in Romania Category:Greensboro Swarm players Category:Jamaican expatriate basketball people in Spain Category:Jamaican expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:Jamaican men's basketball players Category:Sioux Falls Skyforce players Category:Basketball players from Kingston, Jamaica Category:Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball players