Demetri McCamey
Demetri McCamey Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 21, 1989 Westchester, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Known for | Playing for University of Illinois; NBA G League and international basketball teams |
Demetri McCamey Jr. (born February 21, 1989) is a former American professional basketball athlete who most recently competed with the Austin Spurs in the NBA G League. His professional journey includes playing for NBA Development League squads such as the Erie BayHawks, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and Fort Wayne Mad Ants, alongside international tenures with Hapoel Jerusalem, Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi, Oita Heat Devils, and Cairns Taipans. McCamey completed his collegiate basketball career at the University of Illinois during the 2010–11 season. Notably, he led the 2009–10 Big Ten in assists, averaging 7.06 per game, and ranked second nationally in assists that same year.
During his high school years, McCamey played alongside fellow Big Ten athlete Evan Turner at St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, where he earned first-team All-state recognition from several media outlets.
As a sophomore at Illinois, McCamey was the team's leading scorer for the 2008–09 season and was selected to the third-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media representatives. In his junior campaign, he led the Big Ten in assists per game, setting school records for average assists in a single season (7.06) and most assists in a single game (16). His performance earned him first-team All-Big Ten honors after the 2009–10 season, marking him as the first Fighting Illini player to average more than seven assists per contest. In his final collegiate year, he received third-team All-Big Ten accolades; although his assist average decreased, he demonstrated improved shooting accuracy.
High school career
McCamey belonged to the highly regarded 2005 sophomore class from the Chicago area, which included standout players like Derrick Rose and teammate Turner. While Isiah Thomas remains St. Joseph High School’s most celebrated basketball alumnus, McCamey was viewed as a prospective next star emerging from the program. This class was often compared to prominent Chicago area groups from 1979 and 1998 that produced NBA talents such as Thomas, Terry Cummings, Quentin Richardson, and Corey Maggette. Among local prospects, McCamey was considered second only to Rose.
In their junior year, McCamey and Turner attended the 2005 Midnight Madness event hosted by the Wisconsin Badgers. The Chicago Tribune recognized him as one of the top regional players and ranked St. Joseph third among area teams. Their squad advanced to the state sectional final but fell narrowly to Proviso East with a score of 75–72. Following his junior season, McCamey earned a spot among the top 25 national prospects according to scouting reports and received honorable mention all-state honors from both the Chicago Tribune and Associated Press.
Entering his senior year, St. Joseph was ranked second locally behind Rose’s Simeon Career Academy in preseason polls. McCamey secured second-team Associated Press Class AA all-state honors before St. Joseph was ousted by Simeon in the supersectional round. In Illinois Mr. Basketball balloting, he finished sixth behind Rose and Turner; all three players were named first-team All-state by the Chicago Tribune. Additionally, McCamey garnered first-team selections from the Chicago Sun-Times, Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. On a national level, ESPN, Rivals.com, and Scout.com placed him between tenth and eleventh among point guard prospects.
Freshman season
On February 7, 2008, McCamey tallied 31 points against Indiana, marking the highest scoring output for the 2007-08 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team that season and the most points scored by an Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball freshman in over a decade. During the 2008 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament, he achieved a perfect six-for-six from beyond the arc versus Purdue, establishing a new Big Ten tournament single-game record and matching the Illinois school record for three-point field goal accuracy with no misses.
Sophomore season
For the 2008–09 season, McCamey was honored as a third team All-Big Ten selection by both coaches and media outlets. Additionally, he received NABC Division I District 7 All-District second team recognition, equivalent to second team All-Big Ten honors from the NABC. He led the 2008–09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team in scoring average and ranked second in assists. On February 12, 2009, McCamey delivered a game-winning bank shot with just 2.9 seconds remaining against Northwestern. While he was fourth overall in conference assists, he held the highest assist average during conference matchups.
Junior season
On February 8, 2010, McCamey earned co-Big Ten Conference Player of the Week distinction. Later that month, on February 20, he dished out 16 assists in a single game—setting an Illinois Fighting Illini record and ranking as the fourth highest single-game assist total in Big Ten history.
He led the Big Ten with a 7.06 assists per game average while also ranking tenth in scoring and eighth in steals. His total of 254 assists over 36 games surpassed Deron Williams’ previous Illinois single-season assist per game mark. This figure was the fourth highest ever recorded in Big Ten history, falling just 20 short of Mateen Cleaves’ conference record of 274 assists. By the conclusion of his junior year, McCamey’s career assist total stood at 525, trailing behind Cleaves’ career conference record of 816 and Bruce Douglas’ Illinois record of 765 assists.
At the end of the season, he was named first-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media. He also earned spots on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District V team and the Big Ten Tournament team, along with an All-District first-team nod from the National Association of Basketball Coaches—qualifying him for consideration as a State Farm Division I All-American. McCamey declared for the 2010 NBA draft but chose to withdraw prior to the May deadline without signing with an agent.
Senior season
Heading into the 2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season, McCamey was selected as a preseason first team all-conference player by Big Ten media and listed among the top 50 candidates for the Wooden Award. On December 8, 2010, he scored 30 points against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies and was honored as co-Big Ten Player of the Week on January 3, 2011. He set a personal best on January 15 by converting 17 free throws against Wisconsin.
In December, McCamey was included on the initial 67-man watchlist for the Bob Cousy Award, advancing to become one of its final 20 finalists by January. He also appeared on the midseason top 30 list for the Naismith Award. Following his senior campaign, he received third team All-Big Ten honors from both coaches and media and was named to the United States Basketball Writers Association Men’s All-District Team for 2010–11. Additionally, he ranked among the last ten contenders for the Bob Cousy Award.
During his final season, McCamey's assists per game decreased from 7.1 to 6.1; however, his three-point shooting percentage improved markedly from 34.1% to 45.1%, maintaining an identical number of attempts (164) while increasing made shots from 56 to 74 compared to his junior year. His free throw accuracy edged up slightly to 72.4% from 70.7%, though it remained below his sophomore peak of 76.4%. He finished second in Big Ten assists behind Darius Morris and ranked third in three-point shooting percentage within the conference.
Europe
On July 14, 2011, McCamey inked a deal with Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi competing in the Turkish Basketball League. After participating in seven matches, he and the club parted ways on December 8, 2011. Shortly after, on December 16, 2011, McCamey signed with Hapoel Jerusalem but exited the team in January 2012 following four appearances.
National Basketball Association
McCamey took part in the 2012 NBA Summer League with the Chicago Bulls in July 2012. He then signed with the Houston Rockets on September 25, 2012, but was released on October 12. In November 2012, he joined the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, an affiliate of the Rockets in the NBA Development League, playing until December 21. After being waived on December 25, he was acquired by the Erie BayHawks two days later and made his debut on December 28. The BayHawks waived him on March 12, 2013, and later that month he was picked up by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
In July 2013, McCamey participated in the 2013 NBA Summer League representing the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Australia
McCamey committed to a one-year contract with the Cairns Taipans on August 27, 2013. Throughout 28 games, he posted averages of 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per contest.
Japan
In August 2014, McCamey signed with the Oita Heat Devils, competing in Japan’s bj league. Across 50 games, he averaged 12.9 points, alongside 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals each game.
Return to D-League
Selected by the Austin Spurs in the second round of the 2015 NBA Development League Draft on October 31, 2015, McCamey secured a spot on their opening night roster. During the 2015–16 season, he averaged 9.4 points over 55 appearances.
The Spurs reacquired McCamey on October 29, 2016.
Italy
On June 17, 2017, McCamey signed with Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna, a team competing in Italy’s Serie A2 Basket.
Return to Austin
The Austin Spurs announced McCamey's re-signing on December 15, 2018.
Personal
Demetri McCamey is the son of Demetri McCamey Sr. and Sabrina Watson and has three brothers along with one sister. During his youth, he was part of the Jessie White Tumbling Team.