ERIC DEMERS – PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER – EPISODE 1053

Website – https://jokermag.com/eric-demers-g-league/

Email – eric.demers21@gmail.com

Twitter/X – @ericdemers21

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Eric Demers is a professional basketball player currently playing in Spain.  He also spent two season with the Maine Red Claws in the NBA G League. Demers played his college basketball at D3 Gordon College where he scored over 2,500 points and averaged 32.4 points per game as a senior.  He is also a member of the We are D3 TBT team. 

On this episode, Eric Demers shares a compelling journey through the world of professional basketball, tracing his path from a small-town athlete to a player in the competitive landscape of the NBA and overseas leagues. His story begins with the challenges posed by COVID-19, which delayed his initial opportunities, including a potential stint in New Zealand. After a long 18-month wait, he finally seized his chance to showcase his talents with the San Antonio Spurs during the Summer League. This episode delves into the mental and physical preparations that Demers undertook during this difficult period, emphasizing the importance of resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.

Throughout the conversation, Demers reflects on his early basketball experiences, growing up in a family immersed in the sport. His uncle’s and father’s involvement in basketball inspired him to pursue the game passionately, leading to a standout college career at Gordon College, where he became an all-conference player and the leading scorer. The discussion highlights the significance of mentorship, hard work, and dedication, as well as the camaraderie found in team sports. The episode also touches on the unique dynamics of playing in the G League and the transition to international play, shedding light on how the game varies across leagues and cultures.

Moreover, Demers candidly addresses the challenges of balancing family life with the demands of professional basketball. As a husband and father, he discusses the tough decisions he faces regarding contracts and locations, prioritizing family stability and safety while pursuing his dreams. The episode encapsulates not only his athletic journey but also the personal growth that comes from navigating the complexities of life as a professional athlete. Listeners are sure to find inspiration in Demers’ story of perseverance and the pursuit of excellence both on and off the court.

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Get ready to take some notes as you listen to this episode with professional basketball player Eric Demers.

What We Discuss with Eric Demers

• His early basketball influences that came from his family
• Playing multiple sports before focusing on basketball
• Why he felt under recruited during his college recruitment process
• Why Gordon College was the best fit for him academically and athletically
• How his journey from Division 3 basketball to the professional ranks highlights the importance of resilience and adaptability
• The numerous challenges he faced during the pandemic, delaying his professional basketball career for 18 months
• The importance of love for the game and staying ready physically and mentally
• How the TBT experience with We are D3 opened doors for his professional career and helped elevate his visibility, leading to NBA Summer League opportunities
• The camaraderie among D3 players in TBT
• The challenges of transitioning to professional basketball
• How playing overseas has provided unique life experiences for his family
• The importance of finding one’s role within a team, especially at the professional level and of being adaptable
• His experience with the G League’s Maine Red Claws

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THANKS, ERIC DEMERS

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TRANSCRIPT FOR ERIC DEMERS – PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER – EPISODE 1053

[00:00:00] Mike Klinzing: Hello, and welcome to the Hoop Heads Podcast. It’s Mike Klinzing here this morning without my co-host, Jason Sunkle, but I am pleased to be joined by professional basketball player, Eric Demers, Eric. Welcome to the Hoop Heads Pod

[00:00:13] Eric Demers: I appreciate the opportunity to chat it up with you. Thanks for having me.

[00:00:17] Mike Klinzing: Excited man. Looking forward to diving into your career, all the things that you’ve been able to do. Let’s start by going back in time to when you were a kid. Tell me how you get into the game. What makes you fall in love with it?

[00:00:27] Eric Demers: Yeah, I think just like any kid, I feel like you kind of gravitate towards what family interests are and my uncle played college basketball and my dad coached some high school basketball for a time being.

So, I feel like just being kind of born into a family that was basketball is kind of the main sport made me just naturally gravitate towards it.

[00:00:49] Mike Klinzing: Did you have gym access through your dad when you were a kid or no,

[00:00:52] Eric Demers: Yeah, kind of through my whole family. My whole family works in like the school system. So my dad was my high school principal.

My aunt is a superintendent in town. So just kind of always had, it was knocking on doors on whether it be my fathers or other family members that were teachers. So always kind of found my way into the gym.

[00:01:11] Mike Klinzing: Nice. You always had the keys. That’s a good way to go about things when you’re, when you’re young.

[00:01:15] Eric Demers: Absolutely.

[00:01:16] Mike Klinzing: Do you play anything else besides hoops?

[00:01:16] Eric Demers: I feel like soccer is a common sport that kids play growing up, played a little bit of soccer and then baseball. And then once I got to high school, I actually played golf, went to high school in Cape Cod. So I got the privilege to play some pretty nice places for free.

And then it was only a Monday through Friday type of sport. So I was able to play AU and stuff on the weekends. That was kind of my, my two high school sports right there.

[00:01:39] Mike Klinzing: Are you still golfing now that you’re playing professionally?

[00:01:42] Eric Demers: Yeah. I married into a golfing family. My brother in law played golf at UNC.

My father in law plays golf, so kind of lucked out there. So I, I usually play about 10 to 15 rounds a year when I’m not overseas.

[00:01:54] Mike Klinzing: Nice. What’s the best course you’ve played?

[00:01:57] Eric Demers: Probably the ocean course down in Keowa Island where they put the PGA championship. Nice. What’d you shoot? What’d you shoot on that one?

I shot 78 that day. It was a, there was no wind. So part of me was I lucked out weather wise cause I hear it’s, it’s pretty windy out there, but it was also a good day for myself as well.

[00:02:15] Mike Klinzing: All right. Well, if you’re putting up a 78 on that course, I’m not going to, I’m not going to challenge you. I used to, I haven’t played, I haven’t played much golf, but man, I used to play for like a dollar a hole with a college buddy and we’d be lucky to crack 78 on nine.

So you’re definitely, you’re definitely out of my league, man, without question. All right. So as you’re starting to take the game more seriously, you’re getting into high school, what’s your workout routine look like? How are you improving? How are you trying to get yourself better as a player? What’s the balance between.

Working out with maybe a trainer or a partner, working by yourself, playing competitive pickup games. Just what were you doing to try to get better?

[00:02:51] Eric Demers: Yeah, I just was someone who just, just loved being in the gym. I was kind of the definition of a gym rat. Whether that be being at the community center and middle school, early high school, just waiting for some guys to tire out where they finally needed an extra body to play with the high school guys or the college guys that are in town or.

I feel like for training, the training, like stuff was very new to the scene. I feel like when I was in high school, so a lot of it was just love of the game, finding ways to get in gym, whether it be having friends rebound for me, family rebound for me. But just kind of being creative with myself as well as just.

Just being the competitor, just trying to find ways to play pick up two on two, three on three, any chance I could. And then once I started getting into college, just being a little bit more thoughtful of how I worked out. Finding a trainer that I agreed with their philosophy. They were We’re working me out in a way that was translated to my game and my team system, not just putting me through the same workout they’d give somebody else.

So just kind of finding my own path through the love of it. And then that kind of carried towards like being more particular with how I train.

[00:04:01] Mike Klinzing: What did your AAU

[00:04:02] Eric Demers: experience look like? It was kind of a rollercoaster. I played for an EYBL team starting in sixth grade, like program. We weren’t on the EYBL circuit that early, but like a bigger time program in Boston in sixth through eighth grade.

And then they all went completely in a different direction. So I played smaller level, like AAU bunch of. I think there’s out of the 12 of us, I think nine of us played division three basketball. One played Ivy league and the other didn’t play college basketball. So a lot of like similar minded guys that just kind of played basketball the right way.

And then we kind of were able to showcase that on the AU circuit up the East coast.

[00:04:43] Mike Klinzing: Would you say when you think about your recruitment and your desire to play college basketball, would you say that your AU experience or your high school experience, because I think you’re probably right on the cusp of where.

College coaches really started to evaluate more and figure out who they would try to recruit on the AAU scene versus the high school scene. But I’m just curious what your experience was in terms of your recruitment and what that looked like AAU versus high school.

[00:05:10] Eric Demers: Yeah, it was definitely, I feel like nowadays it’s, it’s definitely the AAU scene.

And then once you start building relationships with college coaches and they’ll take the time to come see you in your high school season, my, my recruitment was definitely under recruitment in my opinion. I was definitely a late bloomer in general, I, I feel like I, my best basketball is, is just knocking on the door, but a lot of local, like, D3 schools in the New England area, where there’s a ton of them, came knocking briefly, and then I feel like they stopped calling by the time my senior year came around, so, once my senior season hit, I was only being recruited by Gordon College, where I ended up going, and then Springfield College, and kind of the rest kind of fell off, so, It was definitely under recruited in my opinion, but I mean, clearly it’s, it’s worked out for me.

[00:05:58] Mike Klinzing: So what do you attribute that to? I’m just curious. Is it just the fact that, Hey, you’re a six one white kid that just didn’t attract attention. You’re not doing anything flashy or, or what do you attribute it to? Just where you were at location wise. I

[00:06:12] Eric Demers: think, I think it’s kind of a mix of things.

I went to school in Cape Cod, so not a huge basketball scene. I tried to play a you closer to the like Boston area, which I did. But a lot of schools like. Whether it be, there’s a lot of like division two schools and higher up division three schools that were like reaching out to my AU coach, like, Hey, is he six, four?

And it’s like, no, he’s six, two and shoes, but like, and it’s kind of created my own way of how I view the game of basketball of like, it’s very easy to, to say I want X, Y, and Z. But at the end of the day, it’s what produces on the court is going to help you win. I always laugh now that I’m a professional where I see things online.

And it’s like, They’ll give a description of what they’re looking for. And it’s LeBron James, but they’re, they got an internship level salary to offer you. And it’s like, you can’t check all those boxes, but it’s at the end of the day, it’s like, you need to look at what’s on the court. And like the eye test is.

It’s something I feel like I passed because I’d be, I’m able to produce on the court, even though maybe I’m a couple inches shorter than what they were looking for at the time.

[00:07:20] Mike Klinzing: What’s your favorite memory from playing high school basketball?

[00:07:24] Eric Demers: Just, I feel like youth basketball in general, whether that be high school, college is just kind of like the true friendships and brotherhood of, of what it is to be a team.

Going into the professional rankings where it’s your job, you really feel more of a job and the age gap is a lot bigger in professional basketball and people are in different places in life and from different areas and upbringing. So I feel like just the, the true like camaraderie of being a part of a team growing up is there’s nothing like it.

[00:07:53] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think that those lifelong relationships that you build with teammates without question, it’s one of the best parts of, of the game, no doubt. And then I’m sure, as you said, from the professional side of it, it’s a little bit different when you’re moving from one contract to the next.

And as you said, there’s young guys who are 23 and then there’s guys who are 35 and married with a whole family. So it’s definitely a different sort of relationship when you start talking about professional teammates. Tell me a little bit about the recruitment to Gordon, your decision to go there.

Obviously, as you said, you didn’t have a ton of choices at the time, why Gordon, and then we’ll talk a little bit about what you felt like was the. Adjustment or how you transitioned to college.

[00:08:36] Eric Demers: Yeah. Gordon was definitely the school that recruited me the most. To be honest, like I kind of put them on the back burner is like, all right the Gordon will always be there, but like, I wanted to maybe do a, like go to a post grad year in prep school.

I was really chasing a scholarship or something like that. And then so they came to probably about 10 of my 20 high school games, which is. A lot when you think about their in their own season of their own schedule and things like that, but they truly made the effort to to be there as well as they would sit with my family at the games.

They wouldn’t kind of do their own thing like other college coaches. They were building genuine relationships. And then the Springfield college coach at the time never came to see me play was only his assistant and turns out he wasn’t there the following year. So it was like I was being recruited by someone who Who wasn’t going to be there with me.

So, and then Gordon, just being a local school in Boston, it was close to home. A small Christian private school was that was like a cherry on top benefit to me. And then just the opportunity to play right away. I, I’m someone who values playing whether that, I know some people would rather go to a big school and never play, but for me, I just wanted the opportunity to play and reach my potential and, and have the opportunity to be on the court.

[00:09:47] Mike Klinzing: So when you get there. What’s the adjustment like academically, socially, basketball wise, did you feel like you stepped right on the court right away and you’re like, yeah, I’m, I’m ready to play at this level.

[00:09:59] Eric Demers: I would never tell you I wasn’t ready to play at the college level, but we brought Gordon brought in 10 freshmen that year.

So it was total rebuild and we started three of them and I was one of them. So I started every game as a freshman, which was, which was awesome, but statistically. I definitely showed I wasn’t as efficient as I thought as a player. I think I was maybe thrown into a role that was a little bit bigger than I was ready for, but just the opportunity to, to compete at that level from day one.

It helped grow me to become the player I am today.

[00:10:30] Mike Klinzing: So how long do you feel you were into your career where you had a handle on, Hey, I’m playing the way that I want to play the way I’m capable of playing, obviously you’re always striving to get better and you’re never a finished product, but. But when do you feel like you had a handle on, Hey, in the college game, this is kind of where I’m at.

[00:10:49] Eric Demers: Yeah, I think, I mean, I was all conference my freshman year. I averaged about 12 a game. I feel like I had a successful freshman campaign. And then the following year I came back and broke my hand in preseason. Then came back and played five games and broke my foot. So it took a red shirt year that year.

And I think that’s kind of the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Cause I was kind of able to kind of reset in, in all aspects of life, especially basketball and just having that extra year of eligibility where I was able to come back for that second sophomore year. My, my red shirt year fully healthy and I, I’d made a jump from 12 points a game to 22 points a game.

I, that’s where I kind of felt like that third year college, second year of playing, but that was where I was like, okay, I’m, I’m pretty comfortable where I’m at right now and I feel really confident in what I can do.

[00:11:35] Mike Klinzing: When you look at the way that the transfer portal has now influenced college basketball.

A guy like you who had such a tremendous career and put up big numbers in division three, there’d probably be, if you were in the game today, there would probably be coaches from higher levels knocking on your door. I don’t know if there was anybody knocking on your door a few years ago when you were in that position, but when you look at it today, how would you approach maybe the opportunity to play at a high level?

Was that a higher level? Was that something that Was important to you, was it more important to be with your teammates and the coaching staff that recruited you just if you had a chance to look at it, have you ever thought about that?

[00:12:22] Eric Demers: Yeah, of course. I mean, I always dreamed about playing at the highest level whether that be college, NBA.

I had an opportunity. Boston College reached out to me after that second year. I was actually playing. And playing well for like preferred walk on position. But at the end of the day, it’s like, am I going to pay a full tuition at an ACC school, which is pricey, or to sit on the bench? Or am I going to continue to be able to play and I met my wife already at that time and we were dating and I was just very comfortable where I am.

And I think my, my story is very unique. There’s not a lot like it, but I do think the opportunity to lead the country in scoring at division three and be in sports illustrated and. Different platforms following me at the level I was at, I feel like opened more doors than me being maybe a role player averaging seven to 10 points at a mid major type of school.

[00:13:16] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, for sure. No, it makes sense. I was just curious as to what your mindset was, because I think that’s something that no matter what level you’re playing at, there’s always a part of you in the back of your mind that wonders, Hey, could you play and get an opportunity at, at a higher level? And obviously with what you’ve gone on to do professionally, it’s clear that you could have carved yourself out.

A pretty good role at school, just about anywhere. What were you thinking about academically and as far as career? Because obviously we all have the dream of at some point playing professionally or playing in the NBA, but what are you thinking about academically or, or for your career wise, if the playing doesn’t work out while you’re in school?

[00:13:55] Eric Demers: Yeah, I was trying to do anything I could to, to make basketball connections. I remember after my junior year of college, I met guys like Joe Missoula, who is an assistant coach at the, for the Celtics at the time, getting his phone number, texting him when I was at Gordon, like, Hey man, is there any internship opportunities for a lot of, well, I just want to get my foot in the door, like whether it be rebounding and things like that.

And then. Kind of fast forward, like three years later and I’m playing for the organization, which is kind of crazy. But I always thought, I always loved basketball. I always thought I’d, I’d work in basketball in some capacity. So I got my degree in sports management as well as business administration.

So I was definitely knocking on doors with the networking piece. With knowing I had the desire to, to play professionally at some capacity early on in my college career. I thought it was going to be. Maybe I go overseas for a year or two and get my master’s paid for and just do it for the travel experience.

And then kind of as my game grew, my kind of view of my career kind of shifted a little bit with that. So,

[00:15:03] Mike Klinzing: when you do graduate, what’s the process for trying to get an opportunity to play professionally? Are you Interviewing agents, who are you talking to? Who’s giving you advice? What, what, what steps do you take in order to, to realize that dream of finding a place to play professionally?

[00:15:22] Eric Demers: Yeah, I think, I think at any level you try to play professionally until it’s a bit overwhelming. Whether you’re a high major guy and you got all the top agents recruiting you and trying to just interview and shuffle through that and see what’s best for you. And then a guy like me. At division three, I’m sitting in my assistant coach’s office and we’re on a whatsapp call with three, four different agents from all these different countries speaking broken English.

And it’s like, I don’t know who to trust. I don’t know where to like the best way to get my foot in the door. But I was working with the NBA trainer out in L. A., Jordan Lawley who works with some NBA guys. And he actually introduced me to his agent that he was playing with at the time. And I’m still not with him at this point, but he kind of gave me my first shot to represent me.

And then, unfortunately, as a, as a wild ride with COVID, I was gonna agree to go to New Zealand to play. But COVID kind of shut that one down. So it took me 18 months to get my first playing. Opportunity with the San Antonio spurs and summer league just a lot of like knocking on doors and then things would kind of fall through due to COVID and lack of opportunities, whether it be the G league bubble, only half the teams went.

So only half the job opportunities and not a lot of rookie chances there. So just kind of trying to stay ready physically and mentally, but it was, it was a long road to kind of get that first opportunity.

[00:16:44] Mike Klinzing: Yeah. How difficult was that 18 months when. Things are shut down, obviously, you’re not just rolling into the, to the gym and being able to play pickup games.

So how are you working on your game during that 18 month time when you’re, when you don’t have a team to play for? And, and I’m sure it was hard to find, again, you can be in the gym a lot by yourself. But to be able to find a competitive outlet, how difficult was that

[00:17:09] Eric Demers: for sure it was, it was a roller coaster of like balancing mental and emotional emotions like throughout the process I was married at the time and found out Probably halfway through that 18 months that my wife is pregnant that we were expecting a child and she’s teaching I’m working Maybe 10 hours a week because I’m my mindset is if if I’m gonna be a professional basketball player I gotta start acting like it I can’t work a 40 hour work week and then try to play basketball two hours a week Compared to these professionals that do it full time.

So just trying to balance of like, all right, I need to provide for a family, but I still want to chase this dream at the same time. And then kind of really got lucky through COVID in between the NBA bubble and the restart in December. My barber actually invited me to play pickup. With the Celtics the few of them that were in town, they had about seven or eight guys in town.

They’re looking for a few guys to, to fill out a pickup run and got invited through actually who cuts the guy who cuts my hair, which is a little crazy. But went to that and played really well. And then Jalen Brown actually asked me if I wanted to work out with him the next day. So had the opportunity to work out with Jalen Brown, Marcus Smart, probably seven or eight times over the next few weeks before.

They started up their season again, so lucked out with relationships throughout the process, but just any way I could find a way to be in a competitive setting was super important throughout that process. And

[00:18:34] Mike Klinzing: then that eventually leads to you getting to sign on with the Celtics G league team.

What’s that process like?

[00:18:42] Eric Demers: Yeah, it actually started with the whole TBT experience with coach Reg, giving me an opportunity. The whole TBT experience for me is, is super unique. And I’m not sure it can be replicated due to the scheduling of it, but because of the whole NBA season being off track, TBT was before NBA summer league that year.

So I was able to go to TBT and I had a really good game, had 25 points on ESPN. Lost a close one, but that next day about eight teams NBA teams were calling my agent about whether it be summer league opportunities or G league opportunities for that year. So it was really TBT kind of steamrolled my career into NBA summer league and then going into that G league season.

[00:19:30] Mike Klinzing: All right. Well, tell me about how you get connected to coach reg and. TBT and, and how that worked in terms of him putting together the roster and reaching out to you and were, was that something that you’re like, immediately I’m jumping at the chance to do that, or was that more of a case of him trying to convince you?

What’s the process look like?

[00:19:46] Eric Demers: No, I think it was all along was me trying to convince Reg to gimme a chance. I know you were able to get, get to know Reg a little bit when he was on your show, but his big rule is like he wants current pros. Representing his team. And at the time I wasn’t as much as I called myself a pro, I’ve never got a job and I was kind of still at home because of COVID.

But I think my basketball resume, Reg is willing to take a chance on me. And it kind of, kind of worked out for both of us. I think I helped him in his program a little bit and he definitely helped me in my name and my brand. So huge shout out to Reg for that one.

[00:20:20] Mike Klinzing: So what is the camaraderie like on that TBT team with all of you guys that.

Have D3 in your background. And obviously the teams that you’re playing against are filled with high major guys and former pros and all this stuff. And so I’m guessing that collectively there’s a little chip on the shoulder in terms of, we all know that division three, that there’s, again, you can go to any AAU tournament and the number of people that unfortunately talk down or want to have that D1 or bust mentality, what’s the chip on the shoulder, like, what are you guys talking about as a group?

Is that something that you guys. Use as fuel or is it something you just ignore because you’ve heard it for so long?

[00:20:57] Eric Demers: No, I think it’s a it’s a great opportunity for guys of similar backgrounds to get together and just enjoy basketball. I think Division three is such a pure form of basketball where you’re not getting paid by NIL.

You’re not on scholarships You don’t have to be there like these guys that play division three basketball truly want to be there And then to kind of create an all star team of division three guys, it’s just, for me, I, I look at any opportunity to, as like an, excuse me as like a networking opportunity where we had 12 guys able to get together of all different basketball backgrounds, whether that be college experience, some guys went and won national championships or someone has played in this country, in that country, and just being able to pick brains and ask questions of, Hey, what was your experience like in Spain?

Or what was your experience like in Israel? And just kind of network and, and kind of learn about the process of becoming a professional basketball player from kind of the ground up from division three basketball.

[00:21:55] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, no, that makes sense to be able to have those experiences with guys that have been in different places and can share their advice with you.

I’m sure that was invaluable to you as you’ve been moving forward in your career. So explain how the TBT experience, how does that lead to the Southeast? You said he had a bunch of teams reach out to you. How do you end up making the decision about where to go?

[00:22:16] Eric Demers: Yeah. So when I ended up going to the Spurs thought there was an opportunity for me to play there.

But due to the COVID stuff, like everything was back in the wrong order. So I, I agreed to play summer league with the Spurs before the draft. They took two guards in the draft. So those guys definitely played a lot more than I did in summer league, but had a great opportunity with them. And then came home at the end of August and kind of didn’t know what was next.

Because I played summer league, the rules of the G league stuff is I couldn’t just sign a G league contract. I’d either have to sign an NBA training camp deal or go through the G league draft process. So had to go through the G league draft, throw my name in the hat and then. The Celtics called my agent the day of the draft and said, Hey, we’ll do Eric a favor as a hometown kid, and we’ll give him an opportunity, but we’re most likely going to cut him at the end of training camp.

And then my agent didn’t tell me that part. He just told me the Celtics are going to draft me. So I was I was pumped to be, to be home. I had a newborn son and my wife and we lived in the Boston area. So it was a very easy transition. And then kind of got to training camp and didn’t realize the Celtics were trying to sign a super team in the G league and 10 out of the probably 15 players in training camp were, were all NBA contract guys former NBA players.

So. And they were only keeping 12 and just kind of put my head down and started working and then had the opportunity every G League team does it at the end of training camp, whether they go to the NBA facility or the NBA staff comes in, watches you scrimmage and we played one half of basketball to 12 minute quarters in front of Brad Stevens and his staff.

And I had 23 and five. In those 24 minutes of basketball. So that kind of helped me solidify my job that day and I kind of never looked back, just kind of kept running with it. So here’s the question that

[00:24:07] Mike Klinzing: I’ve talked to different people from the NBA and what’s always interesting to me is they’ll talk about guys that are on the roster.

Obviously when you look around the NBA, there are. Not that many guys at any level of basketball, I don’t care where you are, that you just kind of get the ball and get to go do your thing, which obviously at Gordon, you got the ball and you got to go do your thing. And now as you step into the professional ranks, you more have to fit into, okay, what’s my role, how do I figure out how I can make a roster or how can I help my team?

And it’s probably not going to be in the role of. Okay, Eric, we’re just giving you the ball and you go do everything, create everything and take as many shots as you want. So how do you have to adjust your mindset in terms of, okay, how do I figure out what my role is? How do I work on the skills that are actually going to give me an opportunity to play at the pro level, whether that be in the G league, the NBA overseas, how do you approach that part of the game?

[00:25:07] Eric Demers: Yeah, I’m someone who’s still learning it. I’m still trying to figure it out. But I think the way I play, I don’t think I’m the greatest division three basketball player ever, most skilled division three basketball player ever. But I do think that my skill set of shooting really translates to a lot of job opportunities.

It translates to a lot of different brands of basketball in the G League and the NBA being one of them. So when I got to the G League, it was just definitely like It became like, all right, I come from college shooting 20 times a day, a game to maybe I’ll get three shots this game. So I’m just trying to learn and understand and just, it was a roller coaster of playing around with pregame preparation.

How many of my mind, right? My body, right? To never knowing when my name’s going to get called, but when it does get called. How am I going to perform at the highest level? And I think it didn’t really click for me until my second year in the G league where I’d start four games and then I wouldn’t play for three games.

And then I don’t go until the second quarter or the fourth quarter. But to be able to go in there and no matter. What the coach says, whatever the game situation may be, that I’m going to be the best version of myself. And that second year in the G League, I shot about 54 percent from the three point line.

And just kind of wearing a bunch of different hats, whether that be a starter, a role player just being a cheerleader at times. But, and now I’m back to trying to find my way to get out of that shell of, all right, I’m only going to take really good shots. And now it’s like, all right, I’m one of two Americans on a On a roster here in Spain and I’m, I’m called upon to be one of the, the lead offensive players.

So how can I get back to What I call like my Gordon mentality of being a little bit more aggressive, maybe a little less efficient, but I kind of is stuck in my ways of, all right, I’m only hunting good shots here. It’s kind of made my way as a professional to be like, all right, I need to be a little more aggressive at times.

So it’s something I’m still learning. But I do think it’s very important piece to kind of be able to be able to get into multiple roles because it’s only going to open more opportunity for you to play one and get more jobs. For sure. All

[00:27:14] Mike Klinzing: right. So tell me about the decision before this season to leave the G League, leave the U.

S., go overseas, sign a contract with the team in Spain that you’re playing for. What does that decision making process look like for you? Obviously you’ve got a family now that you have to think about, and obviously you’re talking that over with your wife. So just kind of take us behind the scenes and what that conversation was like between You and your wife and making the decision to, to leave the, leave the U S leave the G league and go over and go to Spain.

[00:27:48] Eric Demers: Yeah, I think it was just kind of scratching the itch. There, I had opportunities to return to the G league on more NBA training camp deals. Like I signed my second year and then just having conversations with, I’ve had it with the Celtics. I had it with the Spurs of like them transitioning me to work for them someday.

And those were conversations they were very intrigued by and open to. But I always would have regret if I never tried to come overseas and just kind of knock on the door and see what basketball would do for me here, as well as family experience and life experience of getting to be just to be able to travel the world for free.

So we made the decision that those networking, the relationships in the NBA and the G league are always going to be there. And we really wanted to give basketball an opportunity. I still feel like I have stuff left in the tank. I wasn’t ready to transition to. Whether that be like coaching player development front office or so be it.

It’s something I, I wanted to continue to play. So was able to come to Spain last year. We had a daughter in Spain got to live on a beautiful island in the Mediterranean, live a life not many get to. And then be able to be able to come back to Spain this year with my family of four my two kids and my wife and just be able to experience a different culture, a different city.

We’re all kind of embracing it at this point. It’s a unique experience for all. My wife is online trying to make friends with other basketball wives and has been able to create a pretty unique and cool community of these women. And then I’m obviously locked in on the basketball portion and then my son is three and he’s been to more countries, more states and experience way more than most people have.

So just to be able to share these memories with, with my family is super unique. We have the rest of our lives to kind of settle down and, and kind of live an ordinary life. So just why not step out the box and do something that makes us uncomfortable right now is, is, has been something that’s really paid off for us and we’re, we’re enjoying it.

[00:29:45] Mike Klinzing: Absolutely. I would think, again, when you’re young, that’s the opportunity to go and, and do that. And like you said, 10 years from now, that experience won’t be available to you. You, you can still go and, and get a job in the NBA or get a job in coaching or wherever it is that you want to end up. You can certainly do that 10 years from now.

You certainly can’t play professional basketball 10 years from now. Well, you probably could still be playing 10 years from now, but not if you, not, if you take a, not if you not, if you take a break, sure, sure. If you take a break and try to come back, that’s not, that’s not happening. So. What’s been the biggest adjustment for you playing overseas in terms of culturally trying to adapt to whether it’s a new style of basketball, whether it’s your coaching staff speaking Spanish, how does, how does it all work in terms of your team?

[00:30:33] Eric Demers: They speak English luckily it’s, it’s kind of, I feel bad cause they really speak English for about two guys or three guys on the team. And it’s like, we’re coming to your, into your area, your territory, and you’re kind of bending over backwards for us. But it’s, it’s a different play style. It’s something somewhere I didn’t, I did not like Spanish basketball when I first got here.

I was like very frustrated by it. How tactical it is and team oriented and. I was struggling defensively, and I was like, in the G League, we just switch everything, and we just play one on one defense, and I was pretty successful at that, given I’m 6’2 playing against NBA athletes, and then, to come over here, I feel like I was getting it.

Cooked and killed by these guys. And I’m like, these guys are nowhere near talented. The levels I’ve played at, like what I was, it was super frustrating, but I’ve come to love the style of basketball, the team basketball, I’m a, I’m a team guy. And I, we have, I think five or six guys over here on my team right now, averaging double figures.

So the ball moves, everyone kind of gets their turn and it’s just a beautiful style of basketball. And I’ve kind of embraced it to this point. What’s your favorite city that you’ve been to in Spain? Whoa, goodness, I, it’s unique because we lived on an island, so we were, I had the island experience, now we’re Kind of in central Spain, about an hour North of Madrid.

Barcelona is definitely probably my favorite. It’s kind of the, not quite like LA, but it’s a, it’s a bigger city on the coast, which is super neat. And then Madrid is kind of like the New York city of Spain of just, just being massive and ton of people kind of like Times Square ish, but Barcelona is definitely my favorite stop so far.

Got it.

[00:32:16] Mike Klinzing: All right. Final two part question. When you look ahead over the next year or two, What do you see as being your biggest challenge? And then number two, when you think about what you get to do every day, playing basketball professionally right now, overseas. What brings you the most joy? So your biggest challenge and then your biggest joy.

[00:32:35] Eric Demers: I think the biggest challenge is doing this life with a family. As much joy as it brings me there’s a lot more that goes into the decision making of the trajectory in my career. I can’t just chase money. It has to be somewhere safe where my, where my kids can live. And my wife feels comfortable and I’m traveling and I’m on the road.

And things like that. So navigating that in the future. It will definitely be a challenge to me because I do have the idea of the itch to whether it be play at the highest league over here, make the most money possible. But at the end of the day, it’s sometimes we have to sacrifice whether it be money or location or this or that for the greater good of my family.

So that’s probably it. The biggest challenge as we continue to chase what’s to come, but at the end of the day, I just say, I just want to reach my potential. I don’t know if that’s your league over here coming back to the States. It’s just if I can continue to put my best foot forward and and reach my potential on the court, then I won’t have any regret when it’s time to to walk away.

And then just the biggest joy that comes with this with this job. I think it’s just yeah. The opportunity it brings not only for me, but for my family, just the life experience for, for family to be able to come over and visit their group, like my parents here and my wife’s parents able to come over and visit their grandkids halfway around the world and just see how they adapt to the culture and, and things like that.

So I think the, the biggest joy will just be continuing to explore with my family and, and seeing what other cities and what other countries were able to experience in the next few years.

[00:34:06] Mike Klinzing: All right. Before we get out, Eric, I want to give you a chance to share. How can people reach out to you, connect with you, whether you want to share social media, email, whatever you feel comfortable with.

And then after you do that, I’ll jump back in and wrap things up.

[00:34:17] Eric Demers: Yeah, I think Instagram’s definitely the easiest way. @Ericdemers21. I always tell people I’m kind of an open book and I think there has been a lot of division three or smaller school type, whether it be low major division one or division two players that do reach out to me which is not a pat on my own back, but I do want to help people that are out there that have the same desires as me to kind of network and make those experiences happen for them and help them get their foot in the door, whether it be working in basketball or, or potentially playing at the professional level.

[00:34:51] Mike Klinzing: Eric, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your schedule this morning or this afternoon in your case, and really appreciate that. Excited to be able to have an opportunity to talk to you. And to everyone out there, thanks for listening and we will catch you on our next episode. Thanks.