Something was missing.
The joy that should have been overwhelming DeAndré Bembry and his family was severely tempered as the Hawks first-round draft pick was introduced to Atlanta on Tuesday.
Someone was missing.
Adrian Potts, son of Essence and brother of DeAndré, was killed earlier this month near the campus of UNC-Charlotte. According to his mother, the 20-year-old Potts was trying to break up a fight when he was shot.
“It’s been a rough two weeks for us but we are getting through it as a family,” Bembry said during a media conference, his first since Hawks selected him with the No. 21 overall pick last week. “… We were best friends since Day 1. When my mother was at work, we were either at my grandmother’s house or my cousin’s house. We were always together.
“Definitely, he was a best friend to me. For maybe like three or four years of high school, we were talking about being in this situation. It’s pretty hard being here without him here. It’s rough. Definitely going to miss him.”
The boys played basketball nearly every day growing up on a goal purchased by their grandmother.
“Adrian was my best friend,” Essence Bembry said. “He was our glue. I have to be strong for (DeAndré) even though I don’t want to be here.”
Truly the best of times and the worst of times.
The Bembry family has come full circle in a sense as grandmother Vicki is originally from Atlanta. Now, the family returns via New Jersey and North Carolina.
Bembry, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward, played collegiately at St. Joseph’s for three years before declaring early for the NBA draft. He averaged 17.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season and was named the Atlantic 10 Conference player of the year. He will turn 22 on July 4.
Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox said the team had been scouting Bembry for three years and cited St. Joseph’s 89-81 overtime loss to Connecticut in an NCAA Tournament East Regional second-round game in 2014. Bembry scored 16 points as a freshman in that contest.
“We really dug in deeply this season after a very good sophomore year as St. Joe’s,” Wilcox said. “His versatility, unselfishness, athleticism really stood out as very good fits for the way we play and our organization.”
Wilcox said the Hawks had Bembry and guard Isaia Cordinier, who the Hawks selected in the second round at No. 44, rated higher than where they were able to select each player.
Bembry had one pre-draft workout for the Hawks. He cancelled a second after the death of his brother. He did get an early sense of what life will be like playing for coach Mike Budenholzer.
“Team basketball,” Bembry said of his experience. “Everyone gets along with each other. I got a feel for that when I came here for a workout. They definitely push you for sure. Coach was yelling at me at the first workout already, before they even drafted me. I’m pretty much used to coaches being hard on me so I’m happy I got another one.”
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