2027 TICKET INTEREST LIST
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The best scorer in college basketball looks to propel We Are D3 to first TBT win

By: Marshall Sunner


During the 2019 college basketball season, Markus Howard, Obi Toppin, Luka Garza and Myles Powell were scoring at will. Little did fans know that the scoring king of the NCAA wouldn’t come from Division-I, though.

Or even Division-II.

Eric Demers is a scoring anomaly. As a senior in 2019 at Gordon College, a Division-III school in Wenham, Massachusetts, Demers averaged 32.4 points per game in his senior season – about a four point advantage to Howard’s 27.8 points for Marquette.

If Demers would’ve scored three more points in his final game with the Fighting Scots, he would’ve become just the sixth player in the last century at any level to average 33 points per game.

“He’s just a very gifted scorer with a very high IQ,” said We Are D3 general manager and coach Mike Rejniak. “He’s kind of a flamethrower – a very exciting type of scorer. He’s very gifted.”

This summer, Demers will join Rejniak’s We Are D3 squad which is looking for its first-ever TBT win. In prior years, as one of the tournament’s lowest seeds, the team entirely constructed of former Division-III standouts almost upset both Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse Alumni) and Sons of Westwood (UCLA Alumni).

For Rejniak, Demers is a player he’s excited to bring in and believes can get the team over the hump.

“Eric, he’s one of those players who can put us over the top for sure, along with other newbies coming in,” Rejniak said. “When I was in college, I was a shooter and half the shots he takes, I would never take. It’s one of those things that he shoots it and you’re like ‘Okay, that’s an awful shot.’ But then he makes it and you’re like ‘Nevermind, that’s a great shot.’”

“He’s put on maybe 10 pounds of muscle since when he was a college senior, so that will be interesting to see. He’s going to remind people who he was and who he is and what his abilities are for sure – and he can score at all three levels.”

“It’s going to be one of those things where we give him the ball and let him work – see what he can do.”

Even though Demers is a known shooter, he wants the world to know he’s much more than that – he’s the complete package when it comes to basketball players.

“For me, early on I was just projected as a shooter and I kind of took that statement and tag personally. I didn’t want to just be a shooter,” said Demers. “Yeah, that’s my best attribute I bring to the game, so I definitely don’t shy away from it, but I think I do a good job of just picking my spots. If you shoot the ball well, they’ll run you off the line and then you have other options, so for me I find the game very simple.”

“I take what the defense gives me and I have options since I’ve worked very hard to be efficient and effective in all of those options.”

When it comes to TBT, Demers is ready. After the COVID-19 pandemic altered his professional playing plans, he’s still making the most out of his training. From October through December, Demers was working out with the Boston Celtics four-to-five days a week. After Boston’s G-League team, the Maine Red Claws, didn’t send a team down to the league’s bubble in Orlando, he went west to train with NBA trainer Jordan Lawley in California.

Since then, Demers is also working out with NBA veteran Shabazz Napier when he gets the chance. The sharpshooter is doing whatever it takes to stay ready for whatever professional opportunity comes his way – and knows that TBT is a good way to get noticed.

“I’ve been trying to surround myself with professionals as much as I can even though I’m not currently on a professional roster,” said Demers. “[TBT] is a great platform to showcase yourself for future professional opportunities, as well as showcase to people that Division III basketball players can play at a very high level – and with the best of them.”

Both Demers and Rejniak are advocates for those who play at the Division-III level. They both know and want others to know that talent surfaces across the board along all levels, but whatever the reason may be, some players either blossom late or have other factors play into their recruitment.

“Yeah, so for whatever reason, talent finds all levels,” said Rejniak. “You know for whatever reason we ended up at Division III and had a phenomenal experience, but kind of the outside world doesn’t realize how good that level of basketball is.”

“What I’ve found out is that whenever someone graduates at the highest level of Division III, like Eric, they could’ve easily played Division I without batting an eyelash. And we do wear that as a chip on our shoulder, a badge of honor because these guys have proved themselves by playing at a high level professionally – sometimes even better than their D-I counterparts.”

Demers agrees.

“The gap is interesting, because at all levels there is size and athleticism,” he said. “I feel like a lot of guys [in Division III], kind of like myself, are just late bloomers that fell in love with the process. We peaked in college and are still peaking after it as well.”

” It’s different from some guys who hit stride really early on in their teen years and are able to get a scholarship. There are a lot of guys at our level that just fall in love with getting better and just continue to progress.”

As for the team, We Are D3 is ready to make noise in the Wichita Regional this summer. With a chip on the shoulder and an underdog mentality, along with new faces and overseas professionals like Ty Nichols, Fenton Bradley and DaQuan Brooks on the roster, the team wants fans to know they shouldn’t be shocked if they win games come tournament time.

“As much as I know about our guys, and the more I get to know them, I really like the group we have. I think we’re very versatile and we have a lot of weapons,” said Demers. “I do think if you put ‘X’ amount of time on the clock and put professionals out there no matter what level they come from, there’s an opportunity to not only steal one, but win multiple games.”

Rejniak made sure to emphasize the Division-III mentality.

“It’s just a common mentality that we all have, and we want to represent our schools,” he said. “We want to prove ourselves against those guys who have gotten all of the press throughout the years.”