Demetri McCamey
Encyclopedia
Demetri McCamey, Jr. is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player for Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. of the Turkish Basketball League
Turkish Basketball League
The Turkish Basketball League is the top men’s professional basketball league in Turkey, which is also called Turkish Premier Basketball League . There is also a Turkish Second Basketball League consisting of 2 divisions .-History:The first basketball game played in Turkey was at the Robert...

. Previously he played with the University of Illinois basketball team
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at Assembly Hall, located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's campus in Champaign....

 where he completed his senior season for the 2010–11 team
2010–11 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the 2010-11 college basketball season. This was head coach Bruce Weber's eighth season at the University of Illinois. They played their home games at Assembly Hall and are...

. McCamey, whose nicknames are DMac and Meechi, plays the point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

 position. He was an All-Big Ten performer for the 2009–10 team
2009–10 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the 2009–10 college basketball season. This was head coach Bruce Weber's seventh season at the school. They are members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at...

. He was the 2009–10 Big Ten
2009–10 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
The 2009–10 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marked the continuation of competitive basketball among Big Ten Conference members that began in 1904...

 assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...

 champion (7.06) and the 2009–10 NCAA
2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 9, 2009, and ended with the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 5, 2010 on the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The opening round occurred on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, followed by first...

 runner-up.

He played high school basketball with Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 foe Evan Turner
Evan Turner
Evan Marcel Turner , nicknamed The Villain, is an American basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers. Turner was drafted 2nd overall by the 76ers in the 2010 NBA draft. Turner plays the point guard, shooting guard and small forward positions. Turner is a first-team 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball...

 on the St. Joseph High School
St. Joseph High School (Westchester, Illinois)
St. Joseph High School is a Roman Catholic, coeducational, college prep, school in Westchester, Illinois, and is sponsored by the Christian Brothers of De La Salle....

 (in Westchester
Westchester, Illinois
Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,824 at the 2000 census. The current Village President is Sam D...

) basketball team. He was a first-team All-state selections according to numerous publications.

As as true sophomore, he led the 2008–09 team
2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represents University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the 2008–09 college basketball season...

 in scoring average, and he was chosen as a third team 2008–09 All-Big Ten Conference
2008–09 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
The 2008–09 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marked the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Big Ten Conference members that began in 1904. It was the 104th season of Big Ten Conference basketball play...

 player by both the coaches and the media. During his junior season, he led the big ten in assists per game. He holds the Illinois single-season assist/game (7.06) and single-game assists (16) records. Following the 2009–10 All-Big Ten Conference regular season, he was named a first-team All-conference selection by both the coaches and the media. He became the first Fighting Illini to average over seven assists per game over the course of a season during the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. As a senior, he was a third team All-Big Ten selection for the 2010–11 Big Ten season
2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
The 2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Big Ten Conference members that began in 1904. The non-conference season began on November 8, 2010 with Illinois defeating UC Irvine in the opening round of the...

. As a senior his assist numbers fell, but his shooting percentages rose.

High school

He was part of a 2005 Chicago area sophomore class that was considered to be the best in the history of the state of Illinois. It included Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose
Derrick Martell Rose is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association ....

 and his St. Joseph's teammate Turner. Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III , nicknamed "Zeke",is the men's basketball coach for the FIU Golden Panthers, and a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association from 1981 until 1994. He led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA...

 is St. Joseph's most famous basketball alum, but McCamey was at the time mentioned as the potential next great St. Joseph's product. The class of 2007 was compared to the Chicago area class of 1979 that included Thomas, Terry Cummings
Terry Cummings
Robert Terrell "Terry" Cummings is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for 18 seasons as a power forward and occasional center.-College and NBA years:...

, and Darrell Walker
Darrell Walker
Darrell Walker is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. At 6'4" and 180 lb , he played as a guard...

 as well as the class of 1998 that included Quentin Richardson
Quentin Richardson
Quentin Richardson is an American professional basketball player who plays for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic...

, Corey Maggette
Corey Maggette
Corey Antoine Maggette is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association, for the Charlotte Bobcats. He excelled at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois, where he was an All-American in basketball and also an Illinois high school state track finalist in long...

, Frank Williams
Frank Williams (basketball)
Frank Lowell Williams is a former American professional basketball player. As a point guard, Williams starred at both the high school and collegiate levels, and played briefly in the NBA....

, Bobby Simmons
Bobby Simmons
Bobby Simmons is an American professional basketball player.-College career:Simmons played three years of college basketball for DePaul University...

, Michael Wright
Michael Wright (basketball)
Michael Wright is an American-Turkish professional basketball player, currently with Turkish team Turk Telekom...

. McCamey was considered the second best area prospect after Rose.

As a junior, he and Turner attended 2005 Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness (basketball)
Midnight Madness is an annual event on college campuses that celebrates the first day in mid-October that the National Collegiate Athletic Association permits formal basketball practices each college basketball season. In some cases, the name has literal meaning since an event is scheduled...

 with the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball
Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball
The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team is a NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at the Kohl Center, located on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin....

 team. At the beginning of his junior season, Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

named him to its annual top Chicago metropolitan area basketball players list, and it ranked St. Joseph number three in the area. The team went to the state sectional final before its season ended with a 75–72 sectional final loss to Proviso East High School
Proviso East High School
Proviso East High School is a public secondary school in Maywood, Illinois which serves the educational needs of Maywood and three other villages within Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois: Broadview, Forest Park and Melrose Park. It is the original campus of Proviso Township High Schools...

. After his junior season, he was considered one of the top 25 prospects in the country in his class according to one scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...

, and he was given special mention by the Chicago Tribune and honorable mention by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 for all-state honors.

During his senior season, his team was listed second to Rose's Simeon Career Academy in the preseason Tribune Chicago area high school basketball team rankings. That season, he was named to the second-team Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 2006–07 Class AA all-state team, a day before Rose's Simeon eliminated Turner's St. Joseph in the Illinois Class AA supersectional. McCamey and Turner finished sixth and third to Rose in the Illinois Mr. Basketball
Illinois Mr. Basketball
Each year the Illinois Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Illinois....

 voting, and the Chicago Tribune chose both of them as first team All-state selections along with Rose. He was also a first team selection by Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...

, Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. McCamey was ranked as the #10, #11 and #10 point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

 in the nation as a high school senior by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

, Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...

, and Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...

 respectively.

Freshman season

When McCamey posted 31 points on February 7, 2008 against Indiana
2007-08 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team
The 2007–08 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represented Indiana University during the 2007-08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Indiana is part of the Big Ten Conference and play their home games in Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. The Interim Head Coach at the end of the season...

, it was the season high for the 2007-08 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
2007-08 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
The 2007–08 season was head coach Bruce Weber's fifth at the University of Illinois. The team finished with 5–13 conference and 16–19 overall records. A runner-up finish in the Big Ten Tournament, and the play of freshman guard Demetri McCamey highlighted the season...

 and the most by a Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at Assembly Hall, located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's campus in Champaign....

 freshman in fourteen years. During the 2008 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2008 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
-External links:**...

 he made six three point shots in six attempts against , which set a Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1998. The winner of the tournament is designated the Big Ten Tournament Champion, and receives the conference's automatic...

 single-game record and tied the Illinois school single-game record for three point field goal percentage (most made with no misses).

Sophomore season

He was chosen as a third team 2008–09 All-Big Ten Conference player by both the Big Ten coaches and the Big Ten media. McCamey was also a National Association of Basketball Coaches
National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...

 (NABC) Division I District 7 All‐District second team choice. Since the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 was its own district, this is equivalent to being named second team All-Big Ten by the NABC. He led the 2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini team in scoring average and was second in assist
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...

s. On February 12, 2009, he scored the game-winning bank shot with 2.9 seconds remaining against . Although he only ranked fourth in the conference in assists, he had the highest assist average in conference games.

Junior season

McCamey was named co-Big Ten Conference Player of the Week for February 8, 2010. On February 20, he recorded 16 assists, which is the fourth highest single-game total in Big Ten history. This total set an Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at Assembly Hall, located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's campus in Champaign....

 single-game record.

McCamey led the Big Ten in assists (7.06). He was also tenth in scoring and eighth in steals. His 254 assists in 36 games resulting in a 7.06 assist per game average eclipsed Deron Williams
Deron Williams
Deron Michael Williams , nicknamed D-Will, is an American basketball player currently with the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association . Williams has also played for the Utah Jazz of the NBA and Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League...

' 264 in 39 games (6.77 average) posted during the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2004, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on April 2, 2005 at the Edward Jones Dome in Saint Louis,...

. Thus, McCamey took over the Fighting Illini single-season assist per game record. His total of 254 was the fourth highest in Big Ten history and only 20 shy of Mateen Cleaves
Mateen Cleaves
Mateen Ahmad Cleaves is an American former professional basketball player who played in six NBA seasons. He is currently a music talent manager....

' Big Ten single-season record of 274. Williams' 264 is the Fighting Illini record. McCamey's total of 525 after his junior season left him 291 short of Cleaves' career record of 816. Bruce Douglas
Bruce Douglas (basketball)
Bruce Douglas is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard, he played varsity basketball for Quincy Senior High School four years, and was a four-year starter at the University of Illinois...

 holds the Fighting Illini record with a total of 765.

At the end of the regular season, he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media. McCamey was selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association
United States Basketball Writers Association
The United States Basketball Writers Association was founded in 1956 by Walter Byers and serves the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.-Scholarships:...

 to the ten-man All-District V team covering college basketball players in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. McCamey was selected to the 2010 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2010 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2010 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament was played Thursday, March 11 through Sunday, March 14 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. All 10 games aired nationally on ESPN, ESPN2, the Big Ten Network and CBS Sports. ESPN2 carried the first two games on Thursday and the Big Ten...

 team. He was recognized as an All-District first-team selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches
National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...

, making him eligible for the State Farm Division I All‐America teams. McCamey had entered his name for the 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...

, but did not hire an agent and withdrew his name prior to the May 8, 2010 deadline.

Senior season

He was a preseason first team all conference selection by the Big Ten media for the 2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
The 2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Big Ten Conference members that began in 1904. The non-conference season began on November 8, 2010 with Illinois defeating UC Irvine in the opening round of the...

. He was a preseason top 50 candidate for the Wooden Award. McCamey scored 30 points for the first time since his freshman season on December 8, 2010 against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies
2010–11 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team were a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college basketball team representing Oakland University. OU won the conference regular season and conference tournament title for the second consecutive year...

. On January 3, 2011, he was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week. On January 15, 2011 against Wisconsin, he made a career-high 17 free throws.
In December he was named to the 67-man Bob Cousy Award
Bob Cousy Award
The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. It is named after six-time National Basketball Association champion Bob Cousy, who played point guard for the Boston Celtics...

 watchlist, and he was named as one of 20 finalists in January. McCamey was selected to the Naismith Award
Naismith Award
Naismith Award is a basketball award named after Dr. James Naismith, and awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.The Naismith Award can be:* Naismith College Player of the Year...

 Midseason Top 30 List. Following the 2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season
The 2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Big Ten Conference members that began in 1904. The non-conference season began on November 8, 2010 with Illinois defeating UC Irvine in the opening round of the...

, he was a third team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and the media. McCamey was selected by the United States Basketball Writers Association
United States Basketball Writers Association
The United States Basketball Writers Association was founded in 1956 by Walter Byers and serves the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.-Scholarships:...

 to its 2010–11 Men's All-District Team. He was among the final ten candidates for the Bob Cousy Award
Bob Cousy Award
The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. It is named after six-time National Basketball Association champion Bob Cousy, who played point guard for the Boston Celtics...

.

As a senior, his assist average fell from 7.1 to 6.1 per game, but his three point shot and free throw percentages rose from his prior years. He shot 45.1% versus 34.1% in three point shots the prior year, which had been a career best. Both his junior and senior seasons he took 164 attempts, but he made 74 as a senior versus just 56 as a junior. His free throw percentage also recovered a bit in his senior season moving to 72.4% from 70.7% but still below his sophomore effort of 76.4%. He finished second in the Big Ten in assists to Darius Morris
Darius Morris
-College:As a freshman with the 2009–10 team, Morris averaged 4.4 points and 2.6 assist per game on 24.3 minutes of playing time per game. Three times he scored in double digits, including his first career game...

, but also finished third in three point shooting percentage.

NBA Draft

McCamey went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...

. With the NBA's annual summer league cancelled due to labor negotiations and an impending lockout that could shorten the 2011-12 season, it is unknown whether he will attempt to sign with a team prior to the start of the season or play overseas to improve his NBA potential.

Europe

Because of the 2011 NBA lockout
2011 NBA lockout
The 2011 NBA lockout is the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . The owners began the work stoppage at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players are revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap...

 affect on undrafted rookies, who could not sign with NBA teams until the situation was resolved, he signed with a one-year deal with Mersin B.B. SK in Turkey
Turkish Basketball League
The Turkish Basketball League is the top men’s professional basketball league in Turkey, which is also called Turkish Premier Basketball League . There is also a Turkish Second Basketball League consisting of 2 divisions .-History:The first basketball game played in Turkey was at the Robert...

 in July 2011.

Personal

His parents are Sabrina Watson and Demetri McCamey, Sr. He has three brothers and one sister. He was a member of the Jessie White Tumbling Team as a youngster.

External links

  • Illinois Fighting Illini basketball bio
  • McCamey at ESPN.com
    ESPN.com
    ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...

  • McCamey at nbadraft.net
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