Demosthenes demonstrates values to be GCU assistant

The road to becoming a 22-year-old assistant coach with a thriving Division I men's basketball program includes humbling, half-court hoop lessons from an older sister, hearing the genius of a loving mother, a too-late growth spurt and years of displaying unwavering loyalty, trust and work ethic to your boss.

Isaac Demosthenes was not a Division I recruit out of Bloomington, Illinois, and he was not initially picked to be a student manager with his first-choice college, GCU. But "Deemo" was Lopes head coach Bryce Drew's first choice this summer to fill a vacancy on his Lopes coaching staff because of what he proved as a freshman women's basketball student manager, in two years of being a men's basketball student manager and as a GCU graduate assistant last season.

Just like how he wrote the goal, "Work in basketball," into a blue journal entering his high school senior year, Demosthenes carried out the standards of trust, loyalty and integrity that Drew laid out for him and the Lopes entering his first GCU men's basketball season.

"When your boss tells you something, you hold onto them," Demosthenes said. "I'm very disciplined on those things that revolve around GCU basketball. You build on them. You don't remove them and add things you want. It's whatever the team wants."

Demosthenes' impact on winning and culture translate to a larger staff role after earning regard for his player development, which improved Lopes and expanded to working with professional players and agencies such as Roc Nation, Octagon and Weave.

"We are thrilled to add 'Deemo' to our staff," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He has been with our program for several years, so the transition will be seamless for him, us and the players. He brings great energy to the program and a great passion for GCU."

It could not have happened without older sister, Olivia, who had a 1,099-point NAIA career for Olivet Nazarene. He was initially drawn to football because his father, Jean, played defensive back at Illinois State, but watching his sister hoop flipped his focus to basketball and battles on their backyard court.

"From age 7 to 13, she'd school me," Demosthenes said. "When I got older and better, I got too competitive and she didn't like playing with me anymore."

But with a slow grow from 5-foot-5 freshman to 5-11 senior at Normal West High School, his basketball and physical maturity were behind others.

Demosthenes and mother and Drew — *Demosthenes, mom and Drew*

With Division III as a playing option, Demosthenes turned his college interest elsewhere and took a "Discover GCU" visit to the Phoenix campus after GCU representatives visited his high school. It became his preferred college, but there was not a men's basketball student manager spot for him.

Wondering how to pivot, Demosthenes was carrying laundry down his home stairs when his mother, Jennifer Reynolds, said, 'Why don't you try working with the women?"

Mom knows best. Demosthenes made a connection that led to an interview that scored him a spot as a women's basketball student manager in 2022.

On his first day, he rode his scooter to the GCU Basketball Practice Facility and took his first inhale like he walked into a hoop carnival.

"I remember the smell," Demosthenes said. "I still think of it every time I walk in this gym. The smell of the practice facility is something I'm never going to forget because it was the first time that I had that smell of the people, the shoes, the jersey, the locker room. When I smell that, it's like, 'That's your time to switch.' When I first got here, I knew this was my time to serve others instead of myself.' So I was going to do it to the best of my ability."

H Isaac Demosthenes

is can-do attitude and extreme dedication were undeniable.

A year later, the men's basketball staff wooed him, and he started over on the student manager ladder. But it was a quick climb for Demosthenes, who arrived with coaches in the mornings and left when players finished in the evenings while earning a sports management degree in three years in between it all.

Looking back, being a student manager for three years engrained work discipline in him. No task was delayed. No job was beneath him.

"The managers are the foundation of the program," Demosthenes said. "If the managers are all out of place, then it looks like everything else is out of place. So it's make sure this foundation is disciplined, consistent and proactive."

As a Isaac Demosthenes

graduate assistant last season, Demosthenes took charge of the student manager group and passed along his approach, including holding Lopes players accountable for the goals they stated upon entry to GCU and the standards Drew laid out for them.

"He's changed me as a young man," Demosthenes said of Drew off the court. "I got closer to God. He's big on trust and loyalty. Those are things that I pride myself on too. He doesn't change his ways for anybody, and his ways are really good. They represent GCU really well. Our culture holds a high standard. He laid that blueprint of trust, loyalty and serving the team first instead of serving yourself.

"I'm excited to be a servant leader in a bigger role. I show up and work hard every day. My work ethic won't change. I don't worry about what happened in the past or what will happen tomorrow because He's got our story written out. I'm living in His word and trusting His word."

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Related News

Related Videos