By Martina Barrera-Hernandez, Northwestern Correspondent

As a frustrated redshirt freshman, now-senior Tre Demps would have never imagined who he is now: a husband, a father and an aspiring professional basketball player.

While striving for an invite to the NBA training camp, Demps is experiencing life as a new father with his wife, Heather. Although starting a family is certainly not without its challenges, Demps can look to his Northwestern experiences that helped him grow to approach this new chapter in life.

"I didn't expect to have gotten so much out of the personal development [in addition to] the basketball development," says Demps. "I didn't think about how much I could possibly grow through the college experience. I thought it would be just basketball and school, but I think personally you grow so much--being stronger and wiser. I think those are the two things that people may not see on the outside."

His redshirt freshman year, Demps struggled to remain confident despite lack of playing time. This frustration came to head in a game against Baylor where he wasn't able to play; however, Demps says that he was able to "trust the process" and know that his time to shine would come.

"The next game, we played against Butler … and I was able to score 15 points in three or four minutes--from there I just kept going up," says Demps. "Everything happens for a reason and God had my best interests in mind."

Demps describes his first year as a Northwestern college athlete as being difficult both athletically and academically. Looking back, Demps would tell himself to "be patient, that everything happens for a reason, and to not get too down."

Over his years at Northwestern, Demps has not only seen growth in his game and as a student, but has also been given a "new lens" to what is truly important to him.

"I feel like I came to Northwestern as a boy and I'm leaving as a man," says Demps. "My time here, through the ups and downs, I've been able to see the things that are important in life--for me personally it's my faith in God and my family … When I first came here, basketball was my all and all, and now leaving it's about joy and honoring God and providing for my family. You get a different perspective definitely as a student-athlete."

This new perspective and personal growth Demps has experienced as a student-athlete will be invaluable for him moving forward in the professional world.

"The one thing that I've gained the most from [the student-athlete experience] is a sense of discipline and the time management that will carry over into all different aspects of life," says Demps. "When it comes to having a job, carving out time for hobbies and for your family--it's time management and having discipline to stay within that."
While Demps eagerly looks ahead his professional career and building his family, the memories and experiences he has had at Northwestern will always be with him.

"It's a special thing to be a Wildcat. I think being a part of something that is such a good challenge, of being at one of the best universities in the world and being on a team that's competing to take the program to new levels, is so special," says Demps. "There is never really a time where you could relax – you had to have your hard hat on and get to work wherever you went in the classroom and in the court. I think being a part of that really was special and really resembles the Wildcat experience."

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Final Bow: Tre Demps

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Players Mentioned

Tre Demps

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

Final Bow: Tre Demps

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