Peter Dindinger — NMMI Sports Press
Standing at 6 feet 10 inches tall, Nadjrick Peat was a force to reckon with in the paint.
He appeared in 12 games during his final season with the New Mexico Military Institute Bronco basketball team, tallying 64 blocks, 10 assists and 117 total rebounds.
The sophomore center and native of Saint Ann's Bay, Jamaica, is moving on to the next level to NCAA Division II University of Hawai'i at Hilo.
Peat improved leaps and bounds from his freshman to sophomore season.
"We won't get to see the best of Nadjrick on the floor," said NMMI head coach Sean Schooley. "Coach (Troy) Coleman had said that all along that the more he plays and the bigger and stronger he gets the better he's going to be on the court.
"As far as his character, he's been a great cadet. He's been a great student. He has not been difficult by any means."
This past season the Broncos improved drastically after going 6-12 overall during the condensed spring 2021 season to going 18-13 overall.
NMMI made an appearance in the Region V tournament semifinals for the first time since 2001 after upsetting McLennan Community College 74-71 in overtime.
Peat grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds during a 93-80 win over Eastern Arizona College. That game he came away with nine defensive boards.
From the free throw line, he shot 59 percent after going 26 of 44 for the season.
He tallied a season-best seven blocks against South Plains College on Dec. 4. The mark bested his previous six blocks which were recorded twice.
NMMI's biggest win of the year came over Dodge City Community College, the fourth-ranked team in NJCAA Division I, by a score of 86-76 on Nov. 6.
During the upset, Peat scored eight points, grabbed nine rebounds and tallied two assists and six blocks.
Peat appeared in only 16 games as a freshman, tallying 47 rebounds, four assists, four steals and seven blocks.
The University of Hawai'i at Hilo finished 14-13 overall this past season while going 10-9 in PacWest Conference play after making an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the conference tourney.
The squad boasted a 10-2 record at home.
Peat hopes to major in computer science. He will be leaving the Institute with the high rank of second lieutenant.
"I'm very excited to get this opportunity because I also get to further my education and basketball skills," Peat said. "It's going to be difficult, but I'm going to be persistent and not give up.
"What I'm going to miss most about NMMI are the coaches and the friends I've made, my teammates."
Schooley added: "We're just extremely happy and excited for him. When he was out there blocking shots and running people down he was very instrumental. He always gave it his all."