Local Rising Stars: DeAndre Bembry Is More Than Just A Hairstyle For St. Joe's
By Kevin McGuire
Name: DeAndre Bembry
University: Saint Joseph's
Year: Sophomore
Height: 6-6
Weight: 210 lb
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Position: Forward
The 2014-2015 season for the Saint Joseph's Hawks may not have gone too well, but the good news is they have a key player coming back next year to lead the Hawks back to the postseason. Sophomore DeAndre Bembry has proven to be capable of leading the team on the court, leading the Hawks in points per game, rebounds and assists. He can pretty much do it all for St. Joe, but he will need some help around him.
Bembry is drawing attention for more than his unique hair style among the Big 5 schools. He has already established a reputation for himself on the court. The forward out of Charlotte, North Carolina earned a spot on the Atlantic 10's First team, as well as honors from the United States Basketball Writers Association. He also put up numbers comparable to past St. Joe legends Jameer Nelson and Delonte West.
How successful was Bembry last season? He became the first player in school history to win the Atlantic 10 scoring title in a season. That also helped land him on the All-Big Five roster, truly a high honor in and around the Philadelphia basketball scene. This was all coming off an Atlantic-10 Co-Rookie of the Year campaign his freshman year.
Although the team may not be experiencing a tremendous amount of success just yet, Bembry is embracing a chance to be a key part of the winning formula moving forward.
"It's my first year with all of this hype around me," Bembry said in a feature story last month published by SB Nation. "I try to take it to my advantage and I try to stay level-headed or whatever."
Head coach Phil Martelli needs Bembry to take on a leadership role and provide the energy and charge the team needs on the court. Fortunately for Martyelli, Bembry appears to be motivated by that responsibility and the challenge of being the best player on the court every time St. Joe's takes the court.
"I do want to be the best player in the league, I'm not going to say I don't," Bembry said. "But it eggs me on to go and play harder ... even if I didn't win it, I would still feel like I was the [best player in the league]. That's my confidence. Even if I don't win it, I'm still confident in myself."
Confidence can take you a long way, and experience can turn a team in the Atlantic 10 into a conference contender with a shot to reach the NCAA tournament quickly.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
