Bay City's Eric Devendorf (Right) made the cover of Sports Illustrated Nov. 10, 2007, with Roy Hibbert of Georgetown.

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Bay City's All-time Best Basketball Player Still Seeks Future in NBA

Eric Devendorf, Ex-Syracuse Star, Said Headed for European Leagues First

July 16, 2009
By: Dave Rogers

Bay City native Eric Devendorf, a basketball star the past few seasons at Syracuse University, may be playing in Europe next season.

But his goal is a career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) even though he went undrafted in this year's NBA draft.

After three years in the Carrier Dome with Jim Boeheim's Orange, "Devo" declared for the NBA draft early, foregoing his last year of college eligibility for a chance at being a pro.

Devendorf lit up the scoreboards at Bay City Central, like no local player in history, before transferring to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior year. The basketball hotbed prepped "Devo" for the big time at Syracuse.

At Syracuse, the 6 foot four inch tall Devendorf scored 1,680 points (14th all-time at the school) averaging 15.7 points per game last season, helping the Orange to a 28-10 record and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Devendorf made 44.4 percent of his field goal attempts and led the Orange in 3-point shooting. He hit 39 percent from 3-point range, making 82 out of 210 attempts.

Other local prospects undrafted in the NBA included DePaul's Dar Tucker from Saginaw Arthur Hill, a DePaul stalwart; Kevin Tiggs of Flint Northern and Mott Community College, who played at East Tennessee State; and Michigan State's Marquise Gray, who played prep ball at Flint Beecher.

A Syracuse basketball watcher blogs: "Devendorf could be one of those "sleeper" players who emerges on the professional level and carves a comfortable niche for himself as a work horse."

Devendorf is the third Orange player from last year to try for the pro ranks, including Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris, a 6-foot-5 junior. Flynn was the No. 6 pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves while Harris has a T-Wolves summer league spot.

Devendorf's agent, Chris Grier Luchey, and Syracuse Coach Boeheim both said several pro teams in Europe have expressed interest in the Bay City flash.

Luchey said neither he nor Devendorf were surprised when he wasn't drafted. Luchey said Eric has NBA talent but "just has some challenges to overcome."

Those "challenges" would be Devendorf's off-the-court issues, which resulted in SU's student appeals board placing him on probation twice.

Luchey said Devendorf may have to decide whether to accept a standing offer from a team overseas or playing in the NBA Development League. Financially, the difference could be substantial: a six-figure deal in Europe versus $20,000 in the D-League.

"Many European teams emphasize the NBA's summer leagues," Luchey said. "A lot of signings come out of summer league."