Former Millbrook standout Silas Demary gears up for title game against Michigan
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh native is preparing to take the court in Monday night's NCAA men's basketball national championship, drawing attention from his former high school community.
UConn guard Silas Demary, who attended Millbrook High School for two years, helped lead the program to its first boys basketball state championship in 2021. As UConn faces Michigan, the Millbrook community is watching closely.
Chris Davis, Millbrook's boys basketball coach for the last nine years, said Demary stood out early for his work ethic and leadership.
"It's simple as when practice is going on -- are they getting here first? Are they leaving last? Are they putting in the work away from here? And he would do that," Davis said.
Davis said Demary's mindset set him apart, even as a young player.
"Just his mentality. Like, even as like, rising freshman to go to team camp. And one of my seniors was coaching the younger team, and he was like, coach, that's the one. He is the one. He's the guy with the dog mentality, like he's tough. The kids follow him, they listen to him," Davis said.
During UConn's comeback win over Duke in the Elite Eight, Demary deflected a pass in the final seconds, leading to a game-winning basket. Davis said the moment reminded him of a similar play Demary made to seal Millbrook's state title in 2021, calling it a winning play from a winning player.
"He is going to do what it takes for the team to win. He wasn't shooting great in that game. You start making 3s, he's getting the ball to people in different places, playing great defense, and we just getting after it. And that was him. Like, literally, he could have averaged 25 points a game for us. He probably averaged 10 to 15 because he just did what we needed," Davis said.
Davis said he plans to watch Monday night along with many in the Millbrook community, proud to see a former player competing on college basketball's biggest stage.
"It's going to be fun just to kind of sit back, watch it, and just know that we know we've been blessed enough to have a kid that was good enough to play in that tournament," he said.
Demary's legacy at Millbrook is already recognized with the program's state championship banner. Davis said that though basketball is a team sport, the Wildcats would not have won that title without him. Now, he hopes Demary can add another championship with UConn.
