Former Gordon College standout Demers relishing opportunity with Maine Celtics

Dec. 3—Any time a player averages better than 30 points per game on the hardwood, at any level, there's a good chance they're going places.

For former Gordon College standout Eric Demers, a career in basketball after graduation was always in the plans.

As a senior for the Fighting Scots back in 2019-20, the 6-foot-1 guard dropped 32.4 points per contest to lead the NCAA in scoring across all divisions. His shot making and overall offensive prowess on the court didn't go unnoticed, and he soon found himself running pickup games with the likes of Boston Celtics' stars Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart. He also enjoyed a successful stint in this past summer's 'The Basketball Tournament', which was televised on ESPN.

From there, Demers landed a spot on the San Antonio Spurs Summer League squad back in August. Although he didn't get a ton of opportunities to showcase his abilities, the experience was enough to keep him on other franchise's radars.

A few months later, Demers' dream of playing in the NBA inched that much closer to becoming a reality as he was chosen in the second round of the NBA G League draft by his hometown Maine Celtics.

"It was kind of a crazy 24-48 hours," Demers recalled of the days leading up to the draft. "My wife (Lauren) and I had our apartment all packed up, had people ready to rent our place because we thought we were going somewhere else, somewhere farther away. So the odds of Boston actually taking me and that working out was a lot slimmer than any of the other 28 teams.

"Then we got the phone call that the Celtics traded for a pick and were going to take me. Shortly after, I packed for Portland (where the Maine Celtics are based), and that was that."

Landing with the Celtics' G League affiliate truly was a remarkable outcome for the talented aspiring hoopster. In order to even be considered as a draft prospect in the G League an NBA team has to recommend you, and each team can only recommend two players at most.

Demers had some good relationships with individuals throughout the team, including Brown and Smart as well as the Maine Celtics GM, Remy Cofield. But actually being selected by the squad was a pleasant surprise, one he plans to take full advantage of as his rookie season rolls on.

"To be honest, it's like I'm living every New England kid's dream of playing for my hometown organization," he said. "There's so many high level basketball players, coaches and decision makers; (Boston Celtics GM) Brad Stevens came to watch us scrimmage ... just being able to meet him and learn the ins and outs of a professional organization, as opposed to Summer League which is a three-week season, it's just been a great experience."

In eight November games to begin the year, Demers saw the court four times. He played a career-high nine minutes against Delaware, scoring his first professional points and finishing 1-for-3 from the field.

With a number of proven veterans, former Division 1 collegiate players and a pair of two-way contract players on the Maine Celtics' roster, Demers knows he'll have to earn any playing time he receives. But that's A-OK with him; he's just enjoying the opportunity, soaking in everything he can and continuing to work on his craft and stay ready.

"I mean for me it's just about maximizing any windows of opportunity when they do come," said Demers. "Every G League contract is non-guaranteed so coming into training camp I still had to earn a final roster spot when it got cut down from 14 (players) to 12. So my first goal was to make sure I'm here for the long run not just the 10 days of training camp and I was able to do that.

"I just want to be a glue guy and take advantage when I can," he added. "We have seven or eight guys who have NBA experience, or former fully guaranteed contract guys, so I understand it might hinder my playing time. But the experience I'll get with some of those NBA guys is going to carry me forward as opposed to being with a team that's not as well versed."

Should Demers see any meaningful minutes in the near future, it will likely be because of his pure shooting ability. As a senior at Gordon, Demers canned a whopping 142 triples on nearly 41 percent shooting, finishing his career with 390 made 3-pointers. He knocked down at least two threes in all 26 of his team's games during that heralded senior run, including three games with nine made shots from distance and two more with eight.

Shooters who can defend — or 3-and-D players as they're often referred to — are extremely sought after commodities in today's NBA. If Demers can continue to progress on the defensive end and shoot with confidence like he always has, the sky's the limit.

Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.

Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.