Men’s basketball forward on scoring, A-10 and the future
Before practice, senior basketball player James Demery can be found shooting around. As his teammates arrive and start to joke around, he remains diligent and focused.
This may be why he is the team’s second leading scorer for the 2017-18 season, averaging 17.7 points per game.
“I’ve been at St. Joe’s for four years,” Demery said. “I’ve seen the highs and lows, I know what to expect and I know what it takes to be great.”
According to head coach Phil Martelli, Demery is a quiet and respectful presence off the court. His presence on the court is a different story.
Demery led the team in points in the last three games played, including the wins against Atlantic 10 opponents Fordham University and Dayton University. He scored 25 and 19 points, respectively in these matchups. He scored in double figures in all 18 games this season.
With the injuries of two known scorers, sophomore Charlie Brown and senior Lamarr Kimble, Demery has stepped up and made baskets.
“This year, he [Demery] is scoring for a team that desperately needs scoring,” Martelli said. “He has a short term memory. He can make a foolish play, and he forgets about it. That’s his best quality.”
The 6’6” senior has been playing basketball since he was seven years old. From his backyard to Amateur Athletic Union [AAU] basketball teams in North Carolina, Demery has come a long way in the sport.
“My eighth grade year my name was starting to build up in the college world, so I started to develop my game and a lot of people knew about me,” Demery said.
Before being recruited by St. Joe’s, Demery was a standout at Northside Christian Academy in Williamston, N.C. His success carried over to the collegiate level where he started 29 games as a freshman and continued to be an asset throughout the rest of his career, which includes a 2016 Atlantic 10 championship.
Despite an impressive career, this season is undoubtedly his best.
“Seniors in our program normally step up, and James has seen that before with different guys in his four years,” Martelli said.
While Demery’s main goal for his final season is to earn another A-10 championship, he has a personal goal of being all-league. He also hopes that his last year of NCAA eligibility does not mean his time playing basketball is over.
“Professional basketball [comes after college],” Demery said. “That’s the plan. God willing.”
Martelli sees his potential to become a professional basketball player, whether it be through the NBA or another league.
“It could be in the minor leagues in the states, it could be over in Europe, but he’s going to have to embrace the opportunity, because that’s his dream, to play basketball beyond college,” Martelli said of Demery’s professional prospects. “He’ll play beyond college.”
