City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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For the first time in 12 seasons, a Saint Joseph’s player was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Fittingly, it was by the Hawks.

DeAndre’ Bembry, the Hawks do-it-all forward, was selected 21st overall by Atlanta on Thursday night. Bembry, who left Hawk Hill after his junior season, was the first St. Joe’s player to go in the first round since both Jameer Nelson (20th overall) and Delonte West (24th overall) did so in the 2004 draft. He was the first Hawk drafted in either round since the Dallas Mavericks took Ahmad Nivins with the 56th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli was with Bembry when he got picked and captured the moment on video.

THE MOMENT pic.twitter.com/sSfg4AbeeE

— Phil Martelli (@PhilMartelliSJU) June 24, 2016

Bembry was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year during his junior season as he averaged 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. The 6-foot-6 wing guided the Hawks to a 28-8 record which featured an Atlantic 10 Tournament title and a win over Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament.

The Charlotte native brings a wide-ranging skillset to the NBA, and Bembry likely will provided valuable minutes as a rookie. A gifted scorer, Bembry found all sorts of ways to get and finish at the rim at St. Joe's. He also showcased his talents as a passer and a defender in his three seasons under Martelli.

Off the basketball court, Bembry had a difficult and heavyhearted two weeks leading up to the Draft. Bembry’s brother, Adrian Potts, was shot and killed in Charlotte on June 11, and his funeral was held last week.

As Bembry remembers his brother, he will start his transition to the NBA playing for the Hawks in Summer League. He could see a few familiar Big 5 faces there, including that of his former Hawk teammate, Isaiah Miles.

A 6-7 forward with a shooting touch, Miles backed up his breakout senior season with strong showings at the Portsmouth Invitational and the NBA Combine this spring.