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We continue our 2016-17 season preview interview series with Saint Joseph’s JR SF James Demery. He started 29 games as a freshman but became the team’s super-sub as a sophomore. It seemed to work out pretty well for the Hawks, as they were only a few points away from making the Sweet 16. After the loss of Isaiah Miles/DeAndre’Bembry he will be counted on to play some major minutes this season. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with James about switching from starter to sub and winning an NCAA tourney game on a last-second review.
You grew up in North Carolina: what made you choose Saint Joseph’s? I had a good relationship with the coaches. I got hurt as a high school senior but Coach Martelli stuck with me and I bonded very well with the other players.
You play for Coach Phil Martelli: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He cares about his players both on and off the court and is always teaching us about both the game and life.
After starting 29 games as a freshman you only started 1 game as a sophomore: what is the biggest difference between being a starter and being a sub? It was a good thing to have that learning experience and we will try to keep it up this year.
Last season your shooting percentages from 1-PT/2-PT/3-PT land all skyrocketed: what was the biggest difference between your freshman and sophomore seasons? Just a lot of hard work in the offseason and getting ready for games. Isaiah Miles was a great 3-PT shooter so to work out with him every day was very helpful. I tried to make my shot more consistent by constantly staying in the gym.
In the 2016 A-10 tourney title game you played 14 minutes in a win over VCU: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? The experience was so surreal and the atmosphere was great. To carry out your goal after working hard all season is what it is all about. It is hard to explain but to have all of our fans celebrating our win when we got back to campus was great.
Take me through the 2016 NCAA tourney:
You scored 10 PTS in a 2-PT win over Cininnati: how nervous were you while the refs spent a few minutes reviewing Octavius Ellis’ potential game-tying dunk to see if it came after the buzzer? Isaiah came over and said that the dunk came after the buzzer. We were a little nervous but when we saw the replay on the screen it looked like it was late: it was great to win in that environment.
You scored 6 PTS in a 5-PT loss to Oregon: what did you learn from that game that you think can help you this year? That game showed us that we know what it takes to get there so we have to continue to work hard and play as a team. Playing against highly-ranked teams like the Ducks will only help me get better.
Your non-conference schedule includes games against Temple/Villanova: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Probably Villanova because they are the champs. We will not underestimate any team so we have to play hard every game and not take anyone lightly.
You lost your top-2 scorers from last year in Isaiah Miles/DeAndre’Bembry: how do you plan to replace all of that offense? I feel like we can do that because we learned from them and we know what it takes. We will know what to do when the time comes and we will be ready.
You only have 2 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? It is not pressure: I look on it as motivation. We look up to each other and help each other out: we are a group and will make great things happen.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want to be a more consistent shooter and spend more time in attack mode. I want to be a better leader on and off the court because it is a responsibility that the older guys have passed on to me and others.