March 28, 2016
DeAndre’ Bembry (and his sweet afro) have starred on Hawk Hill for three years, but as expected, he won’t stick around for his senior season. The Atlantic 10 Player of the Year has hired an agent and entered the NBA Draft.
The Daily News’ Dick Jerardi has the scoop:
"I have officially declared for the draft, and I've signed with an agent,’’ Bembry said in a statement released to the Daily News. ``This decision was extremely difficult, but at this point I want to focus all of my attention on the next phase of my basketball career and I'm ready to take this step.
"St. Joe's has been absolutely awesome and I'll always love the fans, players, and coaching staff. Coach [Phil] Martelli and his staff have been absolutely great for me but now it's time to start this new chapter. I appreciate all the love and support so much and definitely hope it continues in the future. The NBA has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and now that it's within reach, I plan on taking full advantage of the opportunity."
Bembry’s St. Joe’s career ended on a very high note. He scored 30 points in the win over VCU in the Atlantic 10 championship game, the Hawks’ second league title in his three years on campus. Bembry followed that up by dropping 26 on a stingy Cincinnati defense in the Hawks’ first NCAA Tournament win since a couple of guys named Nelson and West were in the backcourt.
By hiring an agent, there is no turning back from the NBA Draft for Bembry. From watching him over the last year, I believe a couple of areas he will need to improve on for the next level are his jumper (26.7 percent three-point shooting isn’t going to cut it) and ball-handling. The athleticism and versatility are already there, though.
Bembry is ranked is the 23rd best prospect in the class by ESPN and 35th by Draft Express.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
