George School’s Tristen Guillouette is the latest area recruit who’s heading to Florida Gulf Coast

Tristen Guillouette thought he had everything in order last fall. He made his college commitment to play Division I hoops at Fairfield and was heading into his senior year at St. Joseph’s Prep with eyes on a Catholic League title run.

But suddenly, things started to change. The coach he wanted to play for at Fairfield resigned, and the fifth-year senior was denied a PIAA waiver to play this season with the Hawks.

“It was hectic, it was kind of unnerving,” Guillouette said. “It was hard to operate knowing that my future just got thrown off from things that I can’t control. One thing I pride myself on is controlling the things I can control.

“Even though all of those things were very unsettling, … I knew God was going to have a plan for me.”

It took time, but Guillouette figured it out. First he found a landing spot at George School, and on Tuesday night, the 6-foot-9 forward announced his commitment to play at Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers.

“I knew FGCU was the right fit when I talked to the people around me,” he said. “When I took my visit, I really liked being there, being around the people there, it’s a really nice area, there’s a lot of great people there and a lot of opportunity for me.”

The South Jersey native went to St. Joe’s Prep in the 2021-22 season as a raw but talented forward. He improved his game and held scholarship offers from St. Joe’s, Drexel, Towson, and others.

Guillouette spent his freshman year at Westampton Tech in Burlington County and his second year at Life Center Academy there. He then played two seasons with the Hawks, enlisting as a sophomore when he joined the team. He hoped to be granted a fifth year of eligibility for this season, but his request for a PIAA waiver was denied in September.

In mid-October, coach Jay Young resigned at Fairfield, and assistant coach James Johns, who had been Guillouette’s primary recruiter, left as well. Guillouette withdrew his commitment to Fairfield.

Guillouette enrolled at George School on Nov. 29, the same day as the Panthers’ season opener. He came off the bench in that first contest, then started every other game.

“He’s an incredible person that you want to be around each day,” said George School coach Ben Luber. “He makes others around him better when he walks into the room. One of our staples is we look each other in the eye and tell each other the truth. … He did that right from the start without knowing anybody, it was really admirable.”

Guillouette still checked in on the Prep. He attended games, and in return, his former teammates came to the suburbs to see him play.

“When we played Rocktop Academy, during warmups I’m hyped for the game,” Guillouette said. “I just hear a loud roar come from the doors and it’s the whole St. Joe’s Prep team running through.

“St. Joe’s Prep shaped me to who I am, and George School helped me through my growing pains. I’m forever grateful for both of them.”

Hawks coach Jason Harrigan added: “It was important just to make sure he knows he’s always family and part of what we’re doing. [He’s a] big part of our team, big part of our turnaround at our school. We wanted to support him like we support all family.”

Guillouette said Florida Gulf Coast, Mount St. Mary’s, Colgate, and Manhattan started reaching out to him upon his arrival at George School.

Florida Gulf Coast had a leg up because of its local ties within the Eagles’ program, which is led by coach Pat Chambers, formerly the coach at Penn State who played collegiately at what was then Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science (now Thomas Jefferson University). Assistant coach Kyle Griffin is a Germantown Academy graduate, and former Roman Catholic and Penn State guard Shep Garner is on the staff as well.

Chambers, who is from Newtown Square and before Penn State was head coach at Boston University, has always heavily recruited the Philly area, and he has continued to do so in Florida. Eagles freshman Rahmir Barno, who played alongside Justin Edwards last season at Imhotep, is one of four on the team from the area.

Guilouette will also be joined by Archbishop Ryan point guard Darren Williams next season.

“It was kind of a familiarity thing,” Guillouette said. “I played against Darren Williams a couple years, he [goes] to Ryan, he’s a good player, competes really hard, very skilled and talented, so I knew who he was. I played against Barno in a scrimmage and he was good. Coach Chambers coached one of my former AAU coaches, Maalik Wayns, so Coach Mak gave me some insight.”

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He took an official visit to the Florida campus in January.

“When I was down there, it didn’t feel like I was just a recruit, [but] like I was one of the guys there,” Guillouette said. “And the environment; they’ve got a good student section there and a crowd that’s always fun to play in front of. Got to see how Coach Pat is on the floor when the lights are on.”

All those factors checked off for Guillouette. With George School’s season over, for the first time in a while he could sit back and feel comfortable about what’s next.

“Not that I wasn’t proud of myself the first time, but I feel like I climbed over a mountain,” he said. “All this stuff was up in the air, and I got myself together, played at the George School, had a great year individually, I was really proud of myself. I persevered and that’s what I was really proud about.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.